I had to miss most of Day 4 with the group because I had to return early in the morning to Phnom Penh to be home for a special occasion this evening. I was only able to get a few photos before I left in the morning and will depend on some other staff to supplement those with pictures they took during the day while I was in the van coming home. Here are my pictures from the morning before our departure and the others will come as soon as I get them. Click here and then click on Friday for the first batch.
DDP Annual Staff Meeting–Day 3
Today was the last full day of the annual staff meeting and it was definitely a full day. In the morning we talked about what it means to be a deaf-centered organization and how to achieve that, and then in the afternoon we talked about personal goals and a goal for DDP. Click here to see the photos and text I could not add last night.
DDP Annual Staff Meeting–Day 2
Today, the first full day of the annual staff meeting, we focused on budgeting and management’s response to a survey of staff concerns. That was in the morning and then in the afternoon we focused more on team building. Click here.
DDP Annual Staff Meeting–Day 1
Today about 70 of our 85 staff journeyed from Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham and Kampot Provinces to the Metta Karuna Center in Siem Reap for an annual staff meeting. We will be here four days. Click here to see the activity of this first day.
Another First for Cambodia!
“Progress” keeps occurring in Cambodia—if that’s what it is. Now we have a Carl’s Jr hamburger place. I think they are a California chain. We still don’t have McDonald’s but Carl’s Jr joins Burger King in the burger wars. What makes Carl’s Jr different is that it has Cambodia’s first drive-through lane. Notice the order station in front of the man and the pick up point at the right. I have never seen a car go through the lane yet and have been wondering if they will serve the much more numerous motorcycles.
Ordination in Kampong Cham Province
On Saturday, 19 November 2016, Seminarian Sae Sat was ordained a priest for the Kampong Cham diocese at the parish church in Kampong Cham City. Here Fr. Mark Lopez (R) helps Bishop Kike Figaredo untangle the cross that bishops wear as a sign of their office. Click here.
What do they do and how do they do it?
This is an unusual shop near my house in Phnom Penh. A huge sign advertises all kinds of meat and fish and some fowl, but there’s basically no store. There’s just an open area with a small refrigerated display case and a desk–and room to park a couple motorcycles. What do they sell and how do they do it? Do they have a catalog or list that people select meats from? And does this shop deliver the order? Or do people come back and pick up their selections? I have no idea.
Railroad Tracks
Dried and Dirty
Life is lived on the streets–in the streets–in Cambodia. I’ll have to do a section on that, but here’s an example of the idea. This is some kind of meat, cut into strips, and then laid out in the sun to dry. I’m on the back of a motorcycle six or seven feet away, on a very busy street. This meat will stay there all day, collecting the sun’s rays and also all the fumes and street dust and dirt that a busy road generates. Is that a concern to local people? Not a bit.
Water Festival 2
I was tempted to go down to the river on this last day of the Water Festival but I ended up doing several tasks that took longer than I thought, and I passed on mingling with the crowds watching the finals of the boat races and the presentation of the trophies. I did get a picture of the flags flown on our street for the holiday. People in the United States are maybe the most flag-waving population in the world, displaying the flag everywhere and in any way possible. Cambodians come a close second when it comes to their flag.