Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
Today our Internet was not working at the Deaf Development Programme office. A man came from the Internet service provider and said that it was a problem on the street. A little later I went to a meeting and found this crew working near our office on the mess of wires and cables that hang above every street. The man from the ISP said they had cut down some other wires and took the Internet cable with them.
Society is changing in Cambodia and some of the changes are real progress. In this last of three postings about vehicles and transportation in Phnom Penh, click here to see some of “the other” modes.
Because there is basically no traffic law enforcement, just about anything goes here. Probably a good third of the vehicles here are not street legal for things like mirrors, license plates–and especially lights. Tonight I was sitting at a light in a tuk-tuk and twelve motorcycles passed me by. Three of them had taillights.
This is International Deaf Week and this year there is a special emphasis on sign language. Here is some interesting information about a nation’s sign language:
How does sign language work?
A sign language relies on a combination of hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions to deliver messages. These can include a combination of:
The government has been taking a super-cautious approach to reopening schools in Cambodia—long after neighboring countries opened theirs–so this recent picture is surprising. Only one mask is evident–and no other precautions.
The name of the school “Go-Go International School” gives an indication of how schools are just a money-making business here. Anyone can start a school and if at least one teacher can say “Good morning” in English, it qualifies as an international school which will attract middle-class families who want something special for their children.
Normally food places like this are bustling in the evening when Cambodians eat on the street. COVID-19 changed all that. At least this man has the little white dog he’s holding.
After the first coffee carts appeared and then coffee stands were set up on the sidewalks every day, coffee became more and more common in Phnom Penh, until now it’s everywhere. Click here to see photos of the coffee bearers.
Here is an old building on Monivong Boulevard getting ready for a new life. A colonial era mansion, already once modified by the addition of the enclosed top floor, is becoming a noodle restaurant. One can hope some of the original colonial character will be restored and preserved.
