Gaining experience–and confidence

Today I finished a meeting early and stopped in our DDP barbershop to look presentable again. The young deaf man on the left is a new barber trainee and he was a bit terrified to work on me, the boss! The trainer (R) was there, though, so he took on the challenge and did a good job. The worst part of the new barber trainees is that in their fear and caution, they are very slow!

Full of fizz, for sure!

This afternoon I was riding my bike home from a grocery run with a six-pack of Coke Light in the bike basket. I hit a bump in the street–not an uncommon experience in Phnom Penh–and one of the cans exploded, ripping open the whole side! Quite a surprise!

Hygiene? What’s that?

I’ve been trying to get this picture for months. This is a street vendor selling meat on the road to the school where I have mass on Monday mornings. Those are slabs of meat draped over the back of the pickup truck. No need to bother with a table or even something under the meat. Heck, the buyer is going to cook it, isn’t she?

Usually my tuk-tuk driver is going too fast or there is traffic blocking the view but today I finally got my chance to take the photo. This is 6:00 AM in the morning. At 6:00 PM in the evening this will be your hamburger. Life in Phnom Penh….

[The comments are turned on for this, if anyone is so inclined.]

Pope Francis funeral

The Vicariate of Phnom Penh had a memorial service for Pope Francis this morning, a few hours before his funeral in Rome. All three bishops from Cambodia were there and about 50 priests.

Bishop Olivier presided at the memorial service which was attended by government officials, ambassadors, representatives of other churches, and 800 of the Catholic community. (That is the slightest glimpse of my face behind the bishop’s left elbow.)