Author: Charles Dittmeier

Slow going…

At the end of the year, many organizations, government offices, and NGOs reported their activities for 2019. CMAC (the Cambodian Mine Action Centre) reported that they had cleared more than 36,000 mines and UXOs in the year just ended. (UXO=Unexploded Ordnance). The front-page article above explained that 67 square kilometers of land had been de-mined. It then restated the government’s commitment to completely clear the remaining mine-contaminated 2,100 sq km by 2025! Having cleared only 67 sq km in 2019 and 72 sq km in 2018, that seems like an impossible goal! (As a footnote to this situation, remember that these mines were put down 35-45 years ago! Mines are insidious and rightfully banned by most of the world. The US is one of the few nations that has refused to sign on to the ban-landmine treaty.)

Mindfulness

In Cambodia there are a couple dozen Catholic pre-schools and kindergartens, many established for Vietnamese community children to help them integrate into Cambodian society and culture. There is no system of Catholic schools in the kingdom, though. The Jesuits have started creating a pre-school to university educational setting in rural Banteay Meanchey Province, and as usual, they do a super job with education. These are some of the primary school students at the beginning of the day when they have a period of silent meditation. There probably aren’t many settings in the United States where that could happen.

What is it?

This morning I was walking back from the Diakonia Center after paying for renting their venue for our Christmas Eve service and I walked past Tuol Sleng, the genocide museum. Along and on the outer wall of the museum, they are building this structure, a simple frame with sheet metal over it. I haven’t any idea what it will be when it’s finished. There is nothing on that northern wall of Tuol Sleng, no gates or anything, and I can’t imagine what this little slanted ledge will do.

Temperature Extremes….

You’ve been reading about the hot spot in the Pacific near New Zealand and the very high temperatures in Australia and the flood waters in Venice. Well, things are pretty bad here, too. In the article above, the government weather bureau is “warning” people that the temperature is going down to 17º to 19ºC. That is 62.5º to 66.2ºF! So there! Things are difficult here, too!

Get it moving…

Large-scale storm sewer construction is going on around Phnom Penh and it’s actually starting to show results. Some areas of the city that used to flood two or three times a week during the rainy season now may flood only a couple times in a month. Phnom Penh is not so good at doing road work: the locals don’t know how to notify the community of the work, how to reroute traffic from streets that are dug up, how to finish a job in three or four days instead of three or four months, etc., but at least there is some progress.

Maryknoll Christmas

Christmas is a work day in Cambodia but at supper time the Maryknoll Cambodia Mission Team got together with several friends who pray with us every Wednesday and we had a delightful dinner together.

The early arrivals sit down for some chitchat.
A lively table finishing up dessert.
James Havey (L) is a Maryknoll Lay Missioner and his family came from the USA for Christmas in Cambodia. Here the family looks at a chalice that was used for today’s Christmas mass. It was donated by Dr. Havey (C) in memory of his father who was a long-time member and leader of the Knights of Columbus.

Signs of Christmas

Being a Buddhist country and culture, there is very little Cambodian appreciation of Christmas in the religious sense, but as happens with so many Western holidays and celebrations, the commercial aspect comes into play. Few people could identify Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus but those same people would buy red “Santa suits” to dress up their children. They become especially popular for “international” schools which have Christmas programs to prove they are international which is the label that attracts parents. Here are some photos of shops selling the Santa clothes.