Author: Charles Dittmeier

The young leading the blind

This is a not-uncommon sight in Cambodia, a young boy leading a blind man, his father. The government gives almost no meaningful aid to people with disabilities so blind people often use music to generate some income, and their young children, sometimes just five or six years old, lead the father through the city streets and collect donations.

What’s their story?

There are always so many stories around me in Cambodia, stories that I will never hear. I see a family(?) like this sitting on the street with all kinds of carved wooden objects which are very popular in Cambodian culture. Did they make them? Are they traditional craftsmen and women? Or are they just uneducated people who sit all day with the objects made by others and just get paid a commission? Where are they from? Is this a craft from another province? How much money do they make? Do they make a living at this?

The Riverfront

Phnom Penh could be a city known for its watercourses, lakes, flood plains, and its relationship to water. Unfortunately the near-sighted government sees the lakes and flood plains mainly as prime real estate when they’re filled in, and of course guess who will benefit from selling public lands to private developers. Hint: not the people of Phnom Penh.

One asset the public still has access to is the waterfront along the Tonle Sap River in front of the royal palace. Recently when I was on the way to the Ash Wednesday service I passed the waterfront at sunset (a time when I normally am not near there) and was pleased to see the activities taking place.

The open area between the palace in the river is attractive
to all sorts of people in the evening.
The pigeons love it, too.
Families with children come to enjoy the openness and the grass.
The more well-to-do who can afford pets–and leashes!—
make a walk in the park part of their evening activity.
And not fully appreciated until you see them in action are these men enjoying a game in which they kick a ball or shuttlecock–but only with their feet when the ball is behind them!

Corruption or Incompetence? Or Both?

This is a headline from February 21, 2020 in which the newspaper reports that there are no ghost workers, i.e., people on the government payroll who don’t actually do any work.

This is a headline from February 24, 2020 in which the ghost workers are admitted. Given that the prime minister’s “official” salary is $4,000 per month (Ha!), recovering $1.7 million seems to indicate there were a LOT of ghost workers.

The country of Cambodia is good, the people are wonderful, but the government is corrupt and incompetent.

Promoting Sign Language

Today Save the Children had an event to publicize and promote their project in Pursat Province in which they are encouraging school teachers of hearing students to learn Cambodian Sign Language and to use it to make education available for deaf students in the remote areas. They have produced some good materials, and just the fact that they are now an ally in promoting the use of sign language in Cambodia is a real boost.

Impulse Eating

In the US, supermarkets put tabloids, chewing gum, and other items along the check out lanes so people might be tempted to buy these things on impulse while they’re waiting to check out. Here in Cambodia they have impulse food, like this cart full of small mussels from the Mekong River. You can be riding by on your motorcycle, see the cart, pull over, and without even getting off, you’ve got a bag full of shellfish to munch on.