Welcome to Cambodia, and….. – Page 208 – Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page

Moving Stuff

Here are three examples of people moving people or stuff on a Sunday morning as I was motorduping across town to the 10:00 AM mass.

Moving a whole lot of some kind of fried bread.

“The [political position] was a clever man, who had made his own way, heedless of those things which present obstacles, and which are called conscience, sworn faith, justice, duty: he had marched straight to his goal, without once flinching in the line of his advancement and his interest.”

The above was written by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables in 1862. It could easily have been written about a contemporary U.S. politician.

Disappearing Forests

This is original growth forest in Preah Vihear Province, part of 1500 hectares kept as a nature preserve. It is beautiful mountainous woodlands with magnificent trees.

This is the devastation less than 20 miles away where the original forests have been cut, the wood sold off (probably illegally and probably with a government connection), and small farmers have taken over.

I don’t know if it’s better or worse, but another area has been cut and replanted in rubber trees–usually in concessions owned by Cambodian tycoons/ministers or Chinese or Vietnamese companies. You can notice the small cups attached to the right side of each tree to catch the rubber as it flows out.

Youth Camp–Part 2

Click here for more pictures of the forest, cabins, and activities of the deaf youth camp in Preah Vihear Province.

Youth Camp–Part 1

We have a youth camp each year as part of our program with the Finnish Association of the Deaf to train deaf leaders. Click here to see our trip to this year’s camp site and our arrival.

Welcome Rain

Yesterday we got the first real rain of 2019, probably the beginning of the wet season. It was very welcome. It made the green leaves brighter and washed the dust off the metal roofs and lowered the temperature 5 or 6 degrees

The rain brought welcome relief to many people and also to this cat. In the first photo above, she’s sitting in the second-floor window of the house across the street, waiting for the rain to stop so she can get back to her mousing.

Topics: Traffic Lanes

One of many anomalies in the Kingdom of Wonder is why drivers do not drive in the center of a traffic lane but instead straddle the lines marking the lanes. Click here for more.

Learning New Signs

Our teachers in all our classroom were in Phnom Penh this past week for a week of teacher training, part of the long break the Education Project has every year at the time of the Khmer New Year. On this day the power was off so the teachers are outside but the lack of electricity didn’t matter too much because they were learning new Cambodian signs from one of our deaf sign language teachers.

Exam Time

Usually when I arrive at the Salesian Sisters school at 6:00 AM for mass, there are few of the students around and about. Today, though, these two were up-and-at’em, up early to cram for the second day of exams at the end of the second semester. They weren’t alone as you can see in the view into the cafeteria window where most of the student body was gathered to study before breakfast.

Is it worth it?

It’s always hot in Cambodia but the past few days have been especially hot, with temperatures as high as 108ºF (42ºC). We don’t have air conditioning at DDP so it makes it really difficult to work–especially since the electricity is off a half day every day now because of a lack of electricity caused by the incompetence of the government—which means we don’t even have fans. Would any of that deter the young women who still cover up every inch of exposed skin as much as possible in order to not get–gasp!—tanned? No-o-o-o-o….it wouldn’t stop them at all as seen in this young woman driver on her moto.