Last Day in Australia

Molly and I were commenting on how much we did during our days here in Melbourne and how there was still so much time left for us here, but now, as I write this entry, it is the evening of my last night in Melbourne on this trip. I have really fallen in love with this city and hope to come back – maybe for another visit to the Australian Open Tennis Tournament. Tonight Molly and I went to the outdoor oval at Melbourne Park and we watched Li Na claim her first Australian Open title, besting Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets. Before that Molly and I went to see the Men’s Wheelchair final and witnessed Kunieda from Japan claim his seventh Australian Open title beating Fernandez from Argentina 6-0, 6-1. It was an amazing match to watch as these men moved with great quickness, strength, and agility. They hit terrific shots – hard, deep, and with great width. It was really moving to see how the ball boys worked this game. They were an impressive crew in every match we saw, but in these matches it was much harder for them because of the different movements of the players and limited space. But they did their service with such professionalism and great skill. After this match, when we were waiting for the women’s final to begin, I walked over to one of the side courts and was able to actually step onto the court and play for about ½ hour. I played a 14 year old from New Zealand and a woman from the Australian Tennis Association.

Melbourne is a great tennis venue and the tournament is a really fun one to attend. It has been a great week with Molly and I feel so blessed to have been here with her to help her get established for her semester of study abroad. 

As I await my flight from Sydney to Malaysia I see fireworks on the horizon - I assume for Australia Day.


Molly - in one of the lounge chairs in "the oval

Kunieda



Congratulations to the 2 finalists


 

Federer v Murray

Molly and I had passes to Rod Laver Arena to watch an amazing quarter-final match between Molly's favorite player, Roger Federer, and his tough opponent, the reigning Wimbledon champion, Andy Murray. It was an incredible match and Fed came out victorious in 4 sets. At one point I began cheering for Murray - in part to taunt Molly and in part because earlier we had bet: Molly that Fed would win in straight sets and me that it would take 4 sets for Fed to win. It really looked like Molly would be correct in her wager, but then Murray had a great comeback, fighting off set points and forcing a 3rd set tie-break, which he won. It seemed like the momentum might shift in Murray's favor, but Fed came on strong in the 4th set and now will face the current #1, Rafael Nadal, who has been playing well, but looks like he is in a lot of pain with an injury on his racquet-side hand.

During last night's match Molly and I noticed that on the jumbo screens during the side switches they would always play Rolex ads featuring Roger Federer and we wondered what that must be like for Andy Murray to have to watch those ads. Then we talked about how Federer, being Swiss should probably be sponsored by Swatch instead of Rolex. In Federation Square there is a big picture of Novak Djokovic and his Seiko watch. Rafael Nadal wears a $690,000 Richard Mille watch. Molly and I would be happy to be sponsored by Timex and Casio.

 

 

Rod Laver in Rod Laver Arena

 

 

 

Australia

I have not seen any immediate family members since July – the longest stretch in my life without being with them. That stretch ended on Saturday afternoon when I arrived in Melbourne, Australia to join my niece, Molly, who will be doing a semester of study abroad in Australia. I began non-stop smiling a few days before the trip just thinking about being able to see Molly and we have had a great first two days together. Yesterday after I arrived to the house where we are staying in Caulfield (30 km from downtown Melbourne), we went for a walk to a wonderful park just a few blocks from the house. It was after 6:00 when we left for the park, but there is still sunlight until about 9:00, which is both really welcome and also very confusing as you can forget to eat dinner at a reasonable time and you feel like such a wimp to be tired when the sun is only just beginning to set. Molly and I hit tennis balls against a practice wall and Molly broke the strings on my racquet; she hits the ball so hard. So we took the tram to downtown Melbourne. The tram service in Melbourne is wonderful. We walk one block from the house and it takes us right to downtown Melbourne. Once downtown we got wonderful sushi, chicken skewers, and scallop skewers from a Japanese take out shop across the street from Federation Square. Molly and I were able to get enough for both of us for just a little over $10, which is a fantastic deal considering that everything else in Australia is super expensive: two apples ($3), bottle of coke (which we haven’t purchased) is $3.50, two single scoop ice cream cones ($9), and the cab fares for Molly and I from the airport were $90 and $70 respectively. Federation Square sits just above the river bank and boasts a beautiful courtyard and huge television screen that plays the Australian Open live. Molly and I watched a couple of tennis matches while enjoyed eating our delicious dinner in the courtyard and then walked for at least 4 miles to the famous tennis shop called “Prelli’s”. They string for a lot of the pros at the Australian Open and they also strung for me. We arrived there after 9:00 and as we tiredly pulled up to the shop we both said that we probably should have called first because there would be no way that they would be open this late on a weekend. We were right. They were closed. But as we peered in to the dark shop a man emerged from the car parked outside the shop and asked if he could help us. We said that my racquet had a broken string and we were just hoping to get it restrung before the match that we had the next day at 1:30. It turns out that the man is Mr. Smelrelli, the owner of Prelli’s and he opened up for us and agreed to have the racquet ready the next day. Not only did he do this kindness, but he also offered to give us a ride back downtown.

Today (Sunday) was Molly’s and my first full day together. We had an incredible day. We went downtown to pick up the racquet and then met KK, the brother of a friend of my aunt. He is an avid tennis player who lives in Melbourne. He took us to his tennis club and we played a couple of hours of tennis. Then Molly and I went to St. Kilda and walked along the beach, had a wonderful pizza dinner, strolled past the eclectic mix of shops in St. Kilda and then took the tram back toward Caulfield, stopping at a really fun area along Carlisle Street in the Balaclava neighborhood. This is a super cool area with great shops and restaurants. We stopped for frozen yogurt at “Yo-Chi” and I am sure we will make a point to return to this area several more times this week.  

 

A Full Day of Tennis

Today (Monday) Molly and I boarded the tram a little before 9:00, we went to downtown Melbourne and got a little breakfast, and then we were at the tennis venue before 10:00. We went to Margaret Court Arena where we saw a good women’s doubles match between two Czech women (Sofarova and Hlavackova) and two American women (Keys and Riske); we stayed in Margaret Court Arena for the next match, which we had front row, center court seats for. It was an amazing match between Dimitrov and Agut. Earlier in the tournament Agut beat Del Potro, but Dimitrov proved too much for Agut to handle. He was consistently hitting first serves over 200 KMH and his ground strokes were crisp and well-placed. He also had amazing speed and great gets. Molly and I stayed in those same seats for 5 hours and we baked! We also had internet connection in the arena and so we were following the Seahawks victory in the championship game against the 49ers. We were in sports heaven.

This guy, Dimitrov, is playing great tennis!

12th "man" down-under

Following the Seahawks victory and the two wonderful tennis matches in Margaret Court Arena we went to the Oval Garden for some lunch, where I heard my 20 year old niece say for the first time, “I am going to go get a beer”. I had to smile and tell her, “I never thought I would hear you say those words.” After lunch (beer) we headed to the practice and outer courts where we saw a couple of women athletes in wheelchairs practicing and some of the juniors matches. All of these were also terrific quality tennis. I think that some of the juniors serve close to as hard as the pros. From there we walked over to another stadium and watched a couple of mixed doubles matches. We periodically checked in on the Nadal v Nishikori match and were pleased to see how well Nishikori played and matched up against the world’s #1 player – although losing in straight sets stretching Nadal out to two tie-breakers and a 7-5 set. Once the sun set it really started to get cold and so we headed back to downtown Melbourne and got some dinner – watched the Federer v Tsonga match on the big screen in Federation Square and then walked to get some hot chocolate. 

I am really having fun vacationing with my niece. I am not sure when or how it happened, but it seems to me like overnight she has turned into a young adult. I am not talking about ordering beer, but about her maturity, her poise, and values. She makes her uncle proud. 

More Tennis

After enjoying a delicious waffle breakfast Molly and I returned to the tennis venue for a second full day in a row of great tennis. We began by watching a junior boy's match between the top seed from Germany and an unseeded player from Japan. It was a great match that went to tie-breaks in the first two sets and then ended 8-6 in the third. These are two great young talents. Molly and I went to a tent where the speed of your serve is measured and we discovered that our serves are about as fast the second serves of the pros; thus sealing our decisions not to try to make a career in professional tennis. There were a lot of great doubles matches that we watched, but for me the tennis highlight of the day was watching a Legends doubles match on a show court between Noah/Santoro v Woodbridge/Woodforde. While all of these players are great in their own right, Yannick Noah totally stole the show with his humor and engagement of the crowd - facing the crowd from the service line and hitting the serve backwards over his head, "hitting" volleys with this head and feet, taunting the ball boys and linesmen, hitting shots while laying on the court, and stopping mid-play to talk with people in the stands. He had the packed arena in stitches with laughter non-stop; from toddlers to seniors we were all thoroughly enjoying his antics. What a great ambassador this former #3 in the world player is for having fun in the sport of tennis.  

 

 

 



Oh, waffle shop how I love thee and wish at the same time that you were in Cambodia and am so glad that you are not!

 

 

Noah taunting a ball boy

Things I Like About Riding a Moto in Cambodia

There are many positive things about riding a moto in Cambodia.

• Despite their inherent danger, there is increased safety in numbers; there are so many motos in Cambodia that car drivers generally know to watch out for them and by riding in large packs there is more visibility to car drivers and pedestrians.
• I like that when my moto gas gauge needle is hovering just above "E" I can pull into a gas station and fill up my tank for $2 - a transaction that takes less than one minute to complete and an amount of gas that will last nearly a week with the amount of driving that I do.
• I like that motos are so easy to park. They can be parked in small spaces and moved around to make additional room in a parking area when motos leave.
• I like that motos are so reliable. They seldom require maintenance. You pretty much just need to change the oil about once per month and that costs $4. If you get a flat tire that might cost between $2 - 5 to repair/replace.
• Motos are a lot of fun to drive. Leaning into turns while rolling on the power and feeling the breeze in your face just doesn't get old.  

The things I like least about riding a moto: 1) When it rains, 2) When I am stuck in traffic breathing in exhaust fumes, 3) When I am going somewhere with golf clubs or tennis racquets.

Admittedly, today's blog is just "fluff".

This Great New Year

I have such great anticipation for the wonderful year that this will be. Amazing things that will continue to happen here in Cambodia.

It has now been just under three months since Neth and I officially opened our business: Employment Services Cambodia (www.es-cambodia.com). Looking back on recent months I get goose bumps thinking about all that has happened in this short period of time. I do not possess the words to adequately describe the blessings God has showered upon us. As I look forward to what I know God will do this year I also know that these past three months, amazing though they have been, are only just a small start to what is about to come. At ESC, we have a vision that has given us for a Cambodia. We envision a Cambodia with a healthy economy and healthy workforce; freedom from the prevalence of corruption, oppression, and greed; and freedom from shackles of poverty and deliverance from all the bad things that poverty brings. We see an economy in Cambodia that produces to it's full potential and provides in abundance - abundance without waste, but abundance which is shared freely and generously. We know that to get to this place it will take more than improving education and job skills; more than improving wages and working conditions. To reach this place we will need a spiritual transformation in Cambodia. We will need a renewing of our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This is an exciting time to be in Cambodia because we are seeing change happen rapidly, but we need to remember that the foundation of this change must not be found solely in bricks and mortar, not in just education and jobs, but it must be a foundation of changed hearts of the people in Cambodia, a transformational renewing of the hearts and minds of people in Christ Jesus.

A few days ago I read something that Oswald Chambers wrote. I related to this as there are times in my life when I am uncertain about what I am supposed to do. "When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space comes in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God's guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not leading. Whenever there is doubt – don't.... Natural devotion may be all very well to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His fascination, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will always deny Jesus someway or other.... Peter did not wait on God; he forecast in his mind where the test would come, and the test came where he did not expect it. "I will lay down my life for Thy sake." Peter's declaration was honest but ignorant...[Yet, Jesus responded to Peter that the cock would not crow until Peter denied Jesus three times.] Jesus said this with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself." I feel like sometimes I go between this "natural" love and devotion to Jesus and then He breaks me in seeing my lack of obedience. I am constantly being broken and reshaped, molded and transformed; always renewed.
I believe there will be a lot of this ahead for me.

Yesterday morning I woke up and had these words in my mind and on my heart; and so I wrote them down as the beginning to a song:

     My days of wandering now are done
     I've been redeemed by God's Holy Son

     Though I struggle still with earthly things
     I have a forgiving Lord, a Holy King

I wish you all a happy and blessed 2014.

The Khmer Word for "clumsy" must be "Dennis"

Neth and I had a presentation meeting this morning at the corporate office of one of our client's. As we approached the office building we encountered a line of police who had closed down the street in front of the office building. I looked past the officer who had stopped me and saw in the distance that there was a large crowd of protesters in front of the office. I told the policeman that I had work in the office building and he signaled with his hands for me to pass. Once parked inside the office garage (located in a large shopping mall with corporate offices on the top floor) we noticed that all the shops inside the mall were boarded up and closed down. A guard from the mall met us and escorted us up an exterior garage walkway. As we began our walk up to the top floor we saw several large trucks packed full of armed guards wearing riot gear arrive at the side of the mall near the edge of the demonstration site. Within seconds of stopping the trucks the guards poured off the flatbed trucks with their facemasks, body shields, and weapons. They were all dressed in green (which seemed like a mysteriously ominous color today) and they looked like they were ready for violence. In the foreground I saw a dog sitting behind a fence that bordered the street; he sat peacefully watching the guards and I wondered what it would be like to be so close to all this mayhem and yet to be so unaware of the issues and impending dangers. I do not know for certain what the protest today was all about, but it seems like in the 5 months that I have been in Cambodia there have been 3 major protests (these summaries are from my rudimentary understanding): 1) Over election processes – alleging election fraud; and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Hun Sen; 2) Protests over government seizure of property in Phnom Penh - relocating people from their homes and paying them only a small amount of money; and 3) Protests over working conditions, taxes, and wages – taxes in Cambodia have been rising at rates that far exceed the increases in GDP and wages in Cambodia. Consumer prices are also rising, making the cost of living too high for many Cambodians. UPDATE: I am very sad to report that I have just read an online news article that in a different protest area police opened fire (with their AK-47s) on the protesters and at least three protesters lost their lives in the gun fire. The article stated that the protesters were requesting a doubling of the monthly garment workers' salaries to $160 per month.

Mr. Clumsy...This has been my week for being clumsy. On Sunday I went for a bike ride and while on the outside lane of a roundabout I swerved to miss colliding with a cyclist who suddenly turned from the inside lane of the roundabout right in front of me. Swerving, I hit a piece of wood that was on the road and my front wheel locked up. I skidded on my right side for a few yards and ended up with a bruised right hip, bruised ribs (making it hard to breathe), and a lot of cuts (road rash). When I got home I noticed that my helmet had cracked in two places. This made me very glad that I was wearing the helmet!

Two days later I was at a New Year’s Eve party with a group of really great runners (from Japan, Germany, Cambodia, and the United States). They talked me into riding my bike the next day - as a course lead for their running race. It was a lot of fun, but really hurt my ribs. Clumsy act #2: There is a new mall just down the street from where I live and it is really a beautiful, fun place to go to. They have my favorite coffee shop there: Browns. I went there on New Year's Day and when I was sitting down for coffee noticed that the shorts I was wearing had a tear up the right side seam. I tried to hold my backpack on my right hip to cover it. Let me quickly explain something about this Browns so that the next sentence will make sense: this is a new Browns and the entire front of it is tall glass; very clean, new glass. When I was leaving Browns I thought that the front door was open because with the glass being so clear I didn’t even see that there was glass there. BAM!! I left a nose smudge print on the window and I am sure that it looked hilarious. I turned to see half the customers gasping and the other half laughing. I felt like I should take a bow or something.



This helmet saved my head from what would have been a very bad injury

Nary and Jay (Jay won the race). Nary is Cambodia's top woman long distance runner. Jay is an American living in Tokyo.