Charles Dittmeier – Page 80 – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Ooops…

I was trying something new with today’s post about the dance performance when the CACD went on retreat in Takeo Province. I added a 40-second video of the dancing, the first time I’ve used video here, and it’s giving me mixed results. The video keeps pausing, unable to buffer the content quickly enough. Maybe it’s my own slow Internet connection playing back the video or maybe it’s a problem with video on Mailchimp. I’ll have to experiment more but apologies for now if you’re getting results like mine.

CACD Retreat #4

The CACD (Catholic Alliance for Charity and Development) retreatants toured and heard explanations about the different programs offered at the cluster of schools set up by Bishop Olivier in Takeo Province. We also had a chance to see some of the students performing.

Here are some of the student apsara dancers backstage, waiting for their turn to perform.

There are many versions of the classical dance form these young women are performing.

Other students concentrated more on music, albeit with classical dance elements added.

And these young men add a rather non-classical musical element to the performance.

Street Shrine

You don’t see as many of them here as in Hong Kong, but there are Chinese-style shrines to deities throughout Phnom Penh neighborhoods.

Still brilliant

The lunar new year was eleven days ago but these chrysanthemums–the traditional new year flower–are still looking good!

Caritas Visitors

Today a team of management from Caritas Australia and Caritas Cambodia came to visit the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme. Nou Chanthea (2L) is Caritas Australia’s Asia Manager based in Sydney.

What’s Your Head Worth?

A little sidewalk sale in Phnom Penh: $10 motorcycle helmets. How much protection you think they will give you in an accident?

Tastes Good….

CACD Retreat #3

The CACD retreat gave many of the church and NGO workers the opportunity to see some of the projects started by Bishop Olivier. One of them is CoCo de Takeo, a social enterprise which makes candy and useful and decorative objects from coconuts–of which Cambodia has an abundance!

Coco de Takeo mostly employs people with disabilities and single, poor mothers with no other source of income. Here a Little Person works with large coconut hulls. Notice the teapot and the coconut hull to its left which is being carved to be a decorative holder for the teapot.

Women then extract and trim the coarse, hairy inner shell of the coconut for use in various projects.

Some of the coconut shells are preserved, lacquered, and arranged into decorative hangings that one might find in a restaurant or a tourist business establishment.

Of course, an enterprise centered on coconuts generates a huge pile of husks that cannot be used.

Morning in a wet market

It’s early morning at a wet market in Phnom Penh, pedestrians and motrocycles all mixed together in the narrow lanes.

Notable Quotes

Pope Francis must exercise his ministry as arguably the most identifiable and prominent Christian on earth. His plan has been to keep it simple and radically evangelical. Acutely aware that we are facing an extremely uncertain future, his message could be boiled down to this: wherever the world is heading, just make sure you take God with you. Yes, it’s that basic.
Robert Mickens in LaCroix