treadmill drama

I spent the day chasing down points on my To Do list and stressing myself out. Tonight I needed to do something else so I dodged traffic and pulled up at the centre of Phnom Penh to try out a new gym.

I got on the treadmill, punched in an easy 11.5 to warm up and the machine went nuts! Faster than a speeding bullet at Preh Vihear. Louder than an International border dispute. My legs just couldn't turn over that fast. A message scrolled across the screen that read something like, "It is not recommended that you attempt this speed." Ha! Ha! But I wasn't trying to be a hero- the machine was manic!

I dropped the number and was still struggling. When the decreasing digits hit the 8's I was annoyed. The staff rep at reception boasted that these machines were new. How could they be so far out? She specifically told me they bought them new from America. And then I got it.... I was trying to run at 11.5 miles per hour. (18.5 k's) So Totally Definitely Not recommended!

Wednesday

"I rejoice that in a few years it will not be necessary to shoot a man to convince him that you are right and to blot out a nation to prove to them that their principles are false." These words were written by a former US Democratic presidential candidate William Bryan in a letter to his cousin. The year? 1879.

Last Wednesday news networks reported that Cambodian and Thai soldiers exchanged fire on the disputed land at the Preah Vihear border area. The fighting left 2 Khmer soldiers dead and 4 Thai soldiers wounded.

Thai businesses closed their doors and many people fled. Extra security was placed around the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh. I had no idea. I drove past the embassy that night and saw some emergency vehicles and a crowd of a couple of thousand people. But I was just annoyed that whatever drama was going on had slowed the traffic to a geriatric crawl and I was in imminent danger of getting caught in the rain.

Wednesday's shootings caused ripples of panic in Poipet too. Schools closed. Thousands of Cambodian people fled. My friend told me on the phone that there were many traffic accidents as people rushed to get out. He described the mood with this question, "You know what it's like when many people scream at the same time?...." Fear. Flight. I had no idea.

Since the incident, the Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand have promised not to keep shooting at one another. Residents have returned to their homes. Taxi prices are back to normal. Schools will re-open. I hope that this Northern border dispute doesn't escalate and cause any more loss of life. I hope to get back to Poipet soon.

Despite rigorous campaigning, Bill Bryan never made President. And sadly- we're still waiting for those "few years" to come.

all the days

Mary is five. John is seven. Every weekend they play together. They don't speak the same language but they communicate ok through gestures and guessing.

A couple of weeks ago I watched John and Mary play hide-and-seek. He'd count to twenty in English while she ran away. Then she'd take her turn and count in Khmer. There was, however, one strange thing about the way they played: these two kept hiding in the same places! Technically, they had failed to grasp on of the fundamental strategies of this game. Hide. They hid really badly! But they loved being found! Each new discovery brought fresh laughter, screaming and some playful shoving. I couldn't help laugh too when Mary and John found each other. They just loved being found.

Last week I met an expat friend from Cambodia in Bangkok. We had a drink and wandered around one of the shopping centres in the city. We talked. I bought stuff. When I became tired from the lights, music and shopping-mall overload, we said goodbye. I went to the bathroom. From inside the cubicle my phone rang. I'll explain that I'm not in the habit of answering my phone from inside the bathroom but since I was in a different country and I didn't want to miss any calls I answered it. It was the friend I'd just left a few minutes earlier. Where are you? Ummm... in the bathroom actually. Can I meet you again? Sure. Won't be a minute. So we met again.

My friend wanted to give me some money. She wanted to contribute something towards the ministry in Poipet. No receipt or tax-deduction necessary... she just wanted to give. I was surprised- caught off guard. But I thanked my friend and we said goodbye.

A few minutes later I bumped into her again on the way to the train station. She had decided she was done with shopping too. So we walked together and carried on our conversation. As we arrived at the ticket booth she asked if she could pray for me. I agreed. There were crowds of people streaming past us but nobody seemed to mind. For me, it was a huge blessing to pray with someone because in this city of 8 million people she's the only one I know.

As we said goodbye for the third time that day I couldn't help but be moved by my friend's expression of love. She chased me down. She risked. Her love pursued me. And I liked it.

There's a verse in Psalm 23 that says, "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. " Right now I get this feeling that God's love is chasing me down. And I like it.

Your love will pursue me. Your goodness will chase me. And I will love being found.

what they reckon

In everyday Khmer speech there isn't a distinct line between a compliment and an insult. Honest, open (sometimes brutal!) comments frequently contain a mixture of both. For example:

1. Pip! I remember we met before when you visited Poipet! At that time I wasn't interested in getting to know you because many people come to visit so I didn't want to make the effort...yeah... I wasn't interested...

2. At first when I was asked if a foreigner could stay in my house I was nervous. But in all your habits you are exactly like a Khmer... except sometimes when you speak it isn't that clear.

3. Big Sister Pip- you've lost weight. Maybe you have Aids?