Author: Charles Dittmeier

Staff Training: Personnel Policy

Our Deaf Development Programme students went home yesterday for an extended break for the Khmer New Year. The staff continued working, with a day of training on the DDP Personnel Policy.

DDP director Sau Soknym (seated at table) updated the staff on the policy.

Chrism Mass

The Catholic Church has an annual liturgy called the chrism mass in which the holy oils are blessed that are used in some sacramental celebrations. The bishops and all the priests gather for this mass and it is also the occasion for the priests to renew their promises of obedience to their bishops. This was the entrance procession for today’s chrism mass at the pastoral center with about 80 priests and about 800 or 900 lay people.

Khmer New Year 3

Dances and games are a big part of Khmer culture, especially at the Khmer New Year. In days not completely gone by, the games at the new year were the main occasions and venues for young men and women to meet and interact in a conservative society.

Khmer New Year 2

When we had all the students and staff together for our DDP Khmer New Year celebration last week, we also said goodbye to two our staff. Here I am listening to Sophary saying goodbye. On my right is Theary, a teacher who is leaving after only a year because of an opportunity for training in Germany.

New Year Celebration

The Khmer New Year isn’t until April 14 but our students go home for a long holiday on 8 April so today we had the DDP new year celebration. Here Mom, one of our houseparents, and Sophy (R), the Education Project manager, watch lunch for 60 people cooking on a charcoal brazier. It was so heavy they were fearful it would break the clay fire pot but all was well.

Let the rains begin!

It’s still early for the rainy season in Cambodia but, these days, with climate change, nothing about the weather is normal.

These are some of our Education Project students, enjoying some after-school activities in our eating area. You can see this first heavy rain of the seasons was, well…heavy! (And it looks like the gutter on the left is clogged.)

I was leaving–on my bicycle–for a 5:00 PM mass when the rain started and I got rather wet.

Things I’m going to miss…

This year will probably be my last in Cambodia. Because of age and the departure of Maryknoll, it has become more of a challenge–and more expensive!–to live here in the kingdom. Life is certainly easier here but I need to consider long-term implications like getting sick and needing assistance that I don’t have now after Maryknoll left.

One of the things I will miss is having my own IT technician! At the Deaf Development Programme office today, my desktop started acting up. I got our tech to take a look and he found an external drive is on its last leg and then cleaned the RAM contacts with alcohol, and–voila!–I’m back in business. I won’t have the type of service in the US of A! 😮

Vanity Plates

This year has seen the introduction of vanity license plates in Cambodia. They start at $500 and seem to be quite popular which must make the government happy. From what I’ve seen, it looks like the plate must have eight digits, not a lesser number.

Why wait?

Notice all these motorcycles turning left on to the street where I am stopped for the red light. The motorcycles are all driving the wrong way in the opposing lane of the street they’re coming from rather than wait in their lane till the traffic moves forward. In Cambodian traffic, if you can physically get your vehicle into a space, you have right of way.

Difference between women and men

The first time I headed for the toilets in the baggage claim area after getting off a flight in Phnom Penh, I did a double-take before entering to make sure I was in the right one. Most toilet iconography would feature a figure with a skirt or something similar for the women’s room, but in Cambodia the emphasis seems to be on a waist and a flip of the hair.