Moving time–trucking it

The Maryknoll Cambodia NGO closes down this week, and today we vacated our office building. I was living there and moved to a flat a couple miles away in the Boeung Tum Pun area of Phnom Penh. I still have way too much stuff to move. I’ll have to get rid of a lot of it before my next move but at least for now it’s all in the new place, even if it’s all in boxes still.

Moving time–again

This week the Maryknoll Cambodia office will close and I had to find a new living space. That wasn’t too hard but then I was faced with the daunting task of packing up for the move. Luckily, two Christmas elves in the neighborhood appeared and did a fantastic job of getting (cramming?) all my stuff into boxes, bags, and suitcases. Thanks, Maria and Kila!

Farewell to Ann

Maryknoll Sr. Ann Sherman returned to the United States today after ten years of ministry in Cambodia. She regularly attends the masses I have with the Missionaries of Charity and today at the end of mass we said goodbye and took a group photo–with some of the orphans who come to the mass.

Sr. Ann Sherman (C).

Final Meeting

Standing: Sr. Ann Sherman, Kylene Fremling, Charlie Dittmeier, Julie Lawler, Sr. Helene O’Sullivan. Seated: Sr. Regina Pellicore, Sr. Mary Little, Fr. Kevin Conroy. Missing: Hang Tran.

Since 1991 when Maryknoll first came to work in Cambodia, all the Maryknollers in the kingdom have met on Wednesday afternoons for a meeting, a liturgy, and then a dinner together. When I first came in 2000, there were 25 to 27 people gathered in the living room of the Maryknoll house every Wednesday.

Everything has changed now and Maryknoll Cambodia, the International NGO, will cease to exist in a couple weeks, and today we had our last Wednesday meeting forever. The Maryknoll priests and sisters just don’t have the personnel to send to Cambodia. The Maryknoll Lay Missioners will continue here with four members. A sad day.

Closing Time

Today Maryknoll Cambodia, the legal entity authorized by the Cambodia government so that Maryknoll can work in the kingdom, had a closing celebration. In December Maryknoll Cambodia as an NGO will cease to exist.

We had a Maryknoll meeting and then a closing liturgy. Here Maryknoll Lay Missioner Julie Lawler passes out papers for one of the mass songs.
Julie and Sr. Regina Pellicore planned this gathering. Here we viewed photos of our activities over the years, recalling the various ministries we’ve been part of.
Former members of Maryknoll Cambodia were also invited to offer their memories and reflections, and quite a few did so. Here Sr. Ann reads one of the reflections we received.

Early Thanksgiving

Because we have a weekly Wednesday meeting for Maryknoll Cambodia and we have a cook on that day to help with the meal, we moved our Maryknoll Cambodia Thanksgiving celebration to today. In the past we would have 30-35 people attending. Today we had 13 who gathered after work. Here the group is participating in an opening Thanksgiving prayer.
There was plenty of good food that our members prepared. Here Sr. Ann and Bro. Tony take some of the chicken we prepared rather than turkey.
It was a pleasant evening with good food and old friends.

MKLM Retreat Days

Side Trip

In the national park is an actual school basically built of rubbish. The Coconut School is a popular destination for tourists to the area and probably gets some of its operating funds from the visitors.

The story is that this school was established by a Japanese man without a lot of money who used what he could find and scavenge to provide learning for children in this remote are.
The setting of the school is quite a visual spectacle of creativity run wild.
Elephants made from old tires line the access road to the school. Notice the designs made from the caps of plastic bottles beneath the elephant.
On weekends the Rubbish Cafe is open to serve visitors.

MKLM Retreat Days

Addendum

Our MKLM retreat went well and was a good experience. There were also a few other interesting things that were part of that trip to Kirirom National Park.

The center where we stayed had three beautiful dogs, something like a sheepdog, and then there was this horse that I believe thinks he’s a dog. He just wanders around poking into everything like the dogs.
Day and night he just appears and wants to interact like a dog or cat.
The problem part of that is that not all our group appreciated all the animals, especially the BIG ones, and especially when the horse would come up on the porch and stand in front of the door and keep one of the women from getting in or out of her room. Hang Tran here in the photo made friends with the horse.