Welcome to Cambodia, and….. – Page 158 – Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page

Seminary Reunion

2020 is the 50th anniversary of my class’s ordination to the priesthood and I was looking forward to seeing the guys again at the alumni reunion in Baltimore last week. But thanks to COVID-19, such was not to be. Instead a bunch of us got together for a Zoom reunion online, and it turned out to be an interesting and enjoyable experience.

Topics: Coffee Shops–Additions

When the mobile coffee carts caught on and then were supplemented by coffee stands on the sidewalks, many businesses decided to add a coffee shop to their existing business. Click here for some examples.

Minding the Store

A young man and woman minding the family store.

Notable Quotes

Small is OK

It doesn’t take much to set up a business in Cambodia.
Here a room about nine feet by nine feet becomes a
motorcycle repair shop.

Here is an even smaller shop, about
six feet by six feet.

Changes

With the new distancing regulations for classrooms because of COVID-19, we needed a larger classroom and decided to trade this meeting room for the old smaller classroom. As part of the trade, we had to put an outside door in the new classroom and also an awning to create a sheltered space outside

Inside the biggest change was removing a bathroom in the back corner to give more space.

Happy Birthday!

Today was Russ Brine’s birthday and the staff presented him with a cake for the occasion and a subsequent mini-party to provide a little merriment and good wishes. In Chinese culture it was an auspicious occasion, marking five times through the Chinese zodiac cycle.

Flood damage

The recent flooding–still continuing–has caused a lot of inconvenience to people forced to move, and disruption to people going to work and school. It has also caused a lot of physical damage to the streets. The Cambodians have never actually caught on how to properly pave a road–the usual 1/8th inch of asphalt over gravel doesn’t work so well–and the repeated submersion in water has taken its toll, with many streets now well potholed.

Riding in the rain…

When it rains in Phnom Penh, people on motorcycles deal with it in various ways. Click here to see some of the uses–or not–of rain gear.

The place to go

With four motorcycles of people lined up waiting to be served, whatever the woman under the red umbrella is selling at breakfast time must be really good because the people seem to be coming back.