Author: Charles Dittmeier

A Disappearing Part of the Culture

A cyclo

17 years ago, when I arrived in Phnom Penh, travel options were few.  Many people had bicycles. Some had motorcycles. Very few had cars.  And when you had to go to the market or some shop and had more than you could carry on a motorcycle, you hired a cyclo like the one pictured here.  They aren’t fast but they’re sure and steady and will get you home with all your goods.  But now with the advent of tuk-tuks and even more recently with the introduction of the auto rickshaws from India, the cyclos are disappearing. A few of the older women still use them for their daily trips to the market, and tourists will hire a convoy of cyclos to take them around the neighborhoods, but it seems the days of the cyclo are numbered.

The Bishop Visits

Bishop Olivier at St. Joseph Church

This past weekend Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, came to both our Saturday night liturgy at World Vision and our Sunday morning mass at St. Joseph Church.  It was good to have him with us as a reminder that the English-speaking community is part of the Church of Phnom Penh.  Here he gathers with our choir and musicians after mass on Sunday morning.

What is the Color of a Wat?

Red and white paint in a wat

Buddhist wats or temples tend to have muted yellows and browns as the primary colors of their buildings; nothing too dramatic.  But today, going past this wat on the riverfront, I was surprised to see the white and rather garish red colors that have appeared on the gateway arch and on some of the stupas in which famous monk leaders and other dignitaries are buried.  I’ve never seen anything like the white and red paint in a wat.  I’ll have to ask what it means although it could be something as plebeian as an undercoating to prepare for later more traditional coats of paint.

Tree Lighting Ceremony

On the day after Thanksgiving, the Maryknoll team was invited to the Sokha Hotel for their Christmas tree lighting ceremony, the beginning of the hotel’s holiday season.  We were invited because one of our former students is now working at the hotel.

Sokha HotelThe program began with some Christmas carols sung by the children in blue shirts, from a children’s organization that had its roots in Maryknoll fifteen years ago.  The Christmas tree was set up in the main lobby of the hotel which is quite impressive because of its size.

 

Sokha Hotel

Other music was provided by a professional tenor and then the songs sung by the choir above, most of whom are Filipino choir members from the English Catholic community.