Charles Dittmeier – Page 65 – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Human Rights

Today DDP was invited to a meeting at the UN office for Human Rights and it was quite an interesting and productive meeting. I am not aware of the UN Commission on Human Rights bringing us together before but today they talked about plans for a campaign to promote the human rights of people with disabilities. That is tricky in Cambodia. That type of advocacy is defined as conspiracy by some government officials.

They’re still around

When I arrived in Phnom Penh, sewer grates like this one–made from cut pieces of stone–were still being installed although their era was ending. Today the new sewer grates are metal but there are plenty of these old models still make the streets really rough.

One Year of War

Friday marked one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. This morning at the English mass we had about fifteen people from Ukraine join us for mass. Most of them were Orthodox. They were gathered by a parishioner from Ukraine who is a lector and coordinates our church Facebook page. Last night we invited Ukrainians to come also and had four for that service.

Both times it was a really moving experience. I welcomed them at the beginning of mass, our Ukrainian lector did the prayers of the faithful, I mentioned them in the homily, and then at the end we brought them all forward and the community blessed them. I was happy we had the opportunity to support them with prayer and just as happy that our community could have an actual event of expressing care and concern for justice and peace and for the people suffering so much. The war isn’t just CNN notifications on our phone but real people, individuals and a nation, hurting.

[I was surprised we had that many people from Ukraine in Phnom Penh!]

Lay Missioners Meeting

For more than 25 years, lay missioners from different countries who are working in Cambodia have gathered mostly monthly for friendship, socialization, and mutual support. Covid prevented meetings for two years but today the group met at the Maryknoll office to resume the monthly schedule.

Caritas from Korea (R) was a new member of the group joining us today. Here she chats with Julie.

Marie from Haiti (L), here talking to Kila at the break, was another new member.

Pilar from Spain (R) was the third newcomer to the group.

(L to R): Kylene, Marie, Pilar, and Cristina at the break.

Breakfast…but not a van

It’s 6:00 AM in the morning and this woman is setting up a food cart for the morning breakfast crowd. She’s picked a spot in from of a closed intercity van service.

Not everyone wears motorcycle leathers

Yep, women ride motorcycles with high heels in Phnom Penh. Notice the burn mark on her leg. That is from backing into a hot motorcycle muffler. Ouch!

Birthday Surprise

This afternoon I was surprised when most of the staff working in our new building appeared in my office with a birthday “cake” made of sliced fruit. I was out of the office much of yesterday, my birthday, so they rescheduled for today, unbeknownst to me. A wonderful bunch. The two women on the left (next to me) and the two men on the far right are deaf.

Taiwan Trip-Thursday

Thursday and Friday were good days, with more presentations and reports and plans for the future. All in all it was a very good meeting, one of the best of my whole Maryknoll career.

Here are some final photos, of the building and grounds where we met at the Maryknoll house in Taichung.

The front of the Maryknoll center house.

Going around the side of the building to buildings in back.

The Maryknoll language school on the right and an office building on the left.

A glimpse of the Taichung neighborhood setting.

[THE END]

Still celebrating…

It’s been three weeks since the Lunar New Year was celebrated and peach blossoms and chrysanthemums were everywhere in festive abundance. Most of them are gone now but today I passed several businesses still maintaining their chrysanthemums at their storefronts.