This week I was riding a motorcycle taxi through a new neighborhood and saw what I thought were the first Christmas decorations I had seen for this year. People here don’t really understand Christmas and think it is more about Santa Claus (Fr. Christmas) than about Jesus. The stores realize, though, that they can make money selling Christmas things and so when the big supermarkets, etc., that cater to the foreigners start putting up Christmas decorations, the smaller shops will follow. I thought this small shop was getting ahead of the rush, but then I realized this is the shop that is SELLING the decorations that the other stores will buy to put up in another couple weeks.
Environmental Un-Awareness
I remember when I was a young child and many people in the United States threw trash on the ground or out of car windows, never giving much thought to the environment. Then there came along a “Don’t Be a Litterbug” campaign and slowly attitudes and practices changed to a strong environmental consciousness in the US today.
In Cambodia, we are still at the stage of the US 70 years ago. Here is a picture of a small Phnom Penh street stall selling breakfast. Notice it is the custom to throw any napkins or food scraps on the ground. It seems counter-productive–and certainly un-hygienic and ugly–since someone has to come along and sweep up the trash a little later. Also, in this picture notice all the single-use plastic straws in the gutter and already heading toward the sewer where they will be washed into the Mekong River and then into the sea.
Water Festival 2018 #2
Water Festival 2018 #1
The Water Festival is on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week but already the preparations are much in evidence. Click here to see some of the work that is preparing Phnom Penh for the festival.
Buddhist Fund-Raising
Organizations collect money in Cambodia just like everywhere else in the world, but here they don’t use robocalls and direct mail. It’s a more people-to-people approach here where figures like these process through the streets accompanied by a tuk-tuk with a loudspeaker announcing the presence of the figure–and the accompanying woman who collects the money for a Buddhist organization in this case.
DDP Staff Meeting–Day 4
Today was a travel day from Siem Reap where we had our annual meeting to Kampong Cham, Kampot, and Phnom Penh where are centers are located. Click here for pictures from the trip to Phnom Penh.
DDP Staff Meeting–Day 3
This was the second full day of our staff meetings and the morning was full of discussions. But the afternoon saw some special recognitions and then a trip to Angkor Wat and to the tourist area of Siem Reap. Click here to see some photos from the day.
DDP Staff Meeting–Day 2
Today was the first of two full days of reports and discussions. Click here to see what we did.
DDP Staff Meeting–Day 1
The DDP staff came from Phnom Penh, Kampong Cham, and Kampot today to a reflection center in Siem Reap, the home of Angkor Wat. Half the day was travel but then we got into our agenda. Click here to see our journey and the meeting beginnings.
It’s not my night….
When I tried to fire up my main computer a few minutes ago, it refused to cooperate. I took it apart and tried cleaning all the contacts but the drive may be shot so I’m using my little netbook that I use for trips to write this.
Tomorrow morning I head for Siem Reap for a meeting of all of our staff. I’ll be back in Phnom Penh on Friday afternoon, but should be posting from the retreat center where we are staying. And I hope my computer will be working when I get back!