somesaypip

Fresh food from a 'slum' school!

2012-02-13T11:01:00.002+07:00

Every weekday morning, Sim clean the office and cooks lunch for our staff. In the afternoons, she teaches Grade 3. Last Friday, the students took home some some of the fruits of their labour; 700g of morning glory.

Sim learned to grow vegetables when she was in primary school. She remembers that the school had a large plot of land and a dam nearby, making it easy to take care of their plots. They planted cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and morning glory. At home, Sim has experimented with planting all of these, plus pumpkins, cucumbers and melons. Over the past month, the Grade 3 students at MMF were divided into six small groups of five students to try their hand at growing green beans, spinach and morning glory. Unfortunately, the beans didn't take and the spinach was eaten by insects. But the morning glory, 'tragoon' as it's known in Khmer, flourished.

Sim said that she wants to continue with the 'tragoon' and also to try green beans again (with different seeds). She said, 'We have to plant things that will grow quickly. I'm always afraid that some families will move to Thailand before the students get to harvest their own vegetables!' Sim also commented, 'Whatever jobs they have in the future, I want my students to know the basics about farming.' For now, they're getting hand on learning, they're enjoying seeing the playground alive with colour and I'm sure they enjoyed a good meal over the weekend with the vegetables they grew themselves!

Last Week

2012-02-11T23:44:00.004+07:00

Don't tell me grief isn't physical.

I met him last week.

At 4am when alone I waited

For sleep's quiet invitation.

At 6am when I ran

but breathing hurt and my eyes stung

and the skies pressed down on me.

Stupid, I blamed: heat and humidity.

In snatches of sleep I dreamed of cupcakes.

Awake nothing tasted good.

Sadness stole my words.

I need them to lead my team-

to praise, encourage, correct and challenge.

Heart empty, I borrowed scraps from last season's script.

Grief sat heavy on my chest- and tight.

Like when I was six years old and

play-wrestling with the neighbourhood kids

until a bigger boy beat me and wouldn't get off.

Writhe. Scream. Struggle. It makes no difference.

Sadness has his own schedule.

He came but now he's gone again.

And I still rise to hope.

Kids Taekwondo

2012-02-10T09:45:00.002+07:00

Here's a peek into one of our Taekwondo classes for 8-14 year olds. They train Wednesday -Friday afternoons from 4pm. I joined with 16 new students on Wednesday and I learned four new ways to walk! (Plus had some fun throwing some kicks!)

Week one of my marathon training is going well. Minor struggles include a moment yesterday when I was 2km into an 18km run and a jogger wearing jeans overtook me! I had to remind myself to 'trust the program' and resist the temptation to race him!

Study Resources For K & Grade 1

2012-02-06T09:08:00.003+07:00

I don't want to get bored of this... Last week we handed out Maths & English textbooks to Grade 1 Students at this school. For the Pre-School students we gave alphabet flashcards, a whiteboard (with chalkboard on the flip-side), a whiteboard marker and a box of chalk.

Yeah.. just more cute pre-school kids getting some encouragement to learn at home with their older brothers & sisters, parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles. Simple, locally-bought resources that help these children to learn...similar to last year's activity. It seemed to work so we're doing it again. The usual. And the older guys? Well.. somehow they got by without textbooks before. One borrowed book between six or more students... copy the letters from the whiteboard and hope that it sinks in... don't worry too much if you miss a day because you're sick or have to work? But, yeah.. we bought them Maths & Khmer texts. One set each. And hopefully this is a small encouragement to learn the Grade 1 curriculum thoroughly, whether they're 6 years old or 12 years old.

These gifts have potential to help kids learn. I don't want to get tired of telling these stories!

Running A Marathon

2012-02-05T22:45:00.004+07:00

This year I'm planning to run a marathon. Yeah.. you've heard this before. It's true, I have finished five marathons & an ultra marathon. But the thing is... I tend to run the first 30km's of a marathon at my goal pace and then... well... I struggle/ hit the wall/ fade/ choke. I'm not proud of this fact but in four out of the five marathons this pattern repeats itself. Anyway, I still get the finishers medal. And I know that most people couldn't care less how many minutes and seconds it takes the average Joe to mash out 26.6 miles. But there's something in me that wants learn to run 42.2km as fast as I can.

I've avoided the marathon for a full twelve months. I haven't even trained for a half marathon in long time either. I've raced 21.1km events (and set a new PB last year) but I haven't trained for them! One reason is that I do better on a 'long mileage' 10km program. So I'll do 14-16km runs every week with weekly speed work and lots of fun runs with my friends just to keep in shape for a 10km race. It's not too hard to stretch from a 16km training run to racing a half marathon. You set out fast and by the time you're getting tired you're ahead of the pack and the excitement of the race is enough to hold the pace for the final 5km (and usually enough find a little kick for the last 400m too).

The marathon is different. It demands more. In 2012 I want to have another crack at it. Therefore, I'm making it public that tomorrow is Day 1, Week 1 of a 16 Week program to prep for the Phuket marathon on June 10. I want to run strong for the whole race...no grandma shuffle! I want to be so well trained that I look forward to the 'second half of the race' that begins at the 30km marker. I want to beat my previous best by 15 minutes! And if I can do these things I expect to place in the top 3 in my age group. Wish me luck?

Appropriate Technology

2012-02-01T12:10:00.002+07:00

Here's one way to watch a downloaded drama series from Korea that has been dubbed into Thai while talking to a friend in Khmer. Yeah! This is how we roll in Poipet!

Is Apple Dangerous?

2012-01-31T10:10:00.003+07:00

Yesterday's Cambodia Daily ran two articles about Apple products.

On page 18, an article by Paul Harris (The Observer) was titled, 'Apple Hit by Calls for Boycott Over Worker Abuses in China'. To summarise, the New York Times' has published allegations of poor working conditions in some of its networks of Chinese suppliers. Conditions are compared to bonded labour, with staff working obscenely long shifts in unhealthy conditions with few labour rights. The article refers to explosions at iPad factories (that killed four people) and a separate incident in which 137 workers were injured after cleaning iPhone screens with a poisonous chemical.

On page 26, the Daily published another story, 'Police General Beats Bank Staffer with iPhone'. Huh?! The Poipet branch of Canadia Bank filed a complaint, alleging that Major General Sok Lihhouth's wife tried to cash a cheque for $14 559.28. The cheque was in her husband's name. When the bank attendant declined, Sok Lihhouth entered the bank about 10 minutes later. The major general yelled, 'Don you know who I am?' while unleashing blows on the teller with his iPhone. Branch director said that beating was captured on security cameras.

Two stories in one paper in one day: Apple is hit by call for boycott and a Poipet man is hit by an Apple iPhone. Weird.

7:30am Classes

2012-01-27T11:00:00.004+07:00

This year I've started teaching the bible in English on Thursday and Friday mornings. One of our staff wanted to improve his English to read bible commentaries and access other theological tools that aren't in Khmer. So I told him (& the rest of our staff) that if they gave 30 minutes of their free time, they could take 30 minutes of work time twice a week to study the bible in easy English. Class starts at 7:30am sharp.

Before we began I told our whole team, "Please remember that this is for a specific purpose. It is to help you read books about God that are in English only. You don't have to know English to know God. You can pray in Khmer. God understands. You don't have to learn English to read the bible. Anyway, it was written in Hebrew and Greek so both English and Khmer are translations. You don't have to sing in English to worship God. You are not more spiritual than your friends if you know religious words in a foreign language. If that's all clear, we start tomorrow."

It's been so far, so good. I've been reading the chapters in Khmer. (Being jealous of their learning opportunities is good motivation for me to study!) We talk about the lesson in both English and Khmer. And on Fridays there's a group run at 6am so I'm up at around 5:30am anyway!

restless

2012-01-25T10:47:00.001+07:00

'I wonder what Piglet is doing,' thought Pooh. 'I wish I were there to be doing it, too.'

The Castle Pics

2012-01-20T12:02:00.000+07:00

The Castle

2012-01-20T11:02:00.002+07:00

I've already written this up for my newsletter but decided to post it here too because a) some people who read this blog don't receive the emails and b) I finished it after midnight last night and there were several obvious typos/ mistakes today. (Lesson learned. Draft at midnight but edit in the morning. Or go back to preaching where nobody cares about spelling!)

Today I went to see Chean Run's new house. Here's how it happened:

A couple of months ago Mr Run's family asked for help with their children's education. we gave school uniforms, backpacks, books and stationery supplies. in those visits it was obvious that the family was struggling to meet their basic needs. Their house, for example, was falling apart; missing walls, holes in the bamboo floor and natural 'skylights' in the thatched roof. But we don't do houses.

Mr Chean Run, 44, is married with six children. He rides a bicycle eight kilometers every morning to get to work and pulls a cart back and forth across the Thai-Cambodia border for a daily profit of about $2.50. What makes his labour even more impressive is that his left leg was amputated above the knee after a landmine injury in 1988. (Chean uses a prosthetic leg.) He takes pride in working for his family. When a large NGO asked if they could 'help' by taking some of his kids in their orphanage, Chean and his wife refused. I didn't want to try to 'fix' everything. And anyway, we don't do houses.

At the same time as we were getting to know Run's family, I received an email offering $100 for flood relief. Unfortunately, we'd already responded to some local needs in October and by November the flood crisis has disappeared with the rain clouds. I asked if the money could be used to help rebuild a house of a flood-affected family?

I thought about it for some days and then we went back. 'Excuse me, Mr Run, were you affected by the floods?' Run's wife looked like she was going to burst into laughter! She answered, 'Yeah, the water came up to about here [pointing to mid-thigh]. We were wet, cold, sometimes sick... all the poor in the low-lying areas were affected by the floods.' She was probably thinking, 'Why do the foreigners ask such stupid questions?' Err.. coz it leads me to another question. 'Could you use a hundred bucks to do some reno?'

Chean was delighted! He couldn't stop saying, 'Thank You!' Over the next few days he called our staff several times with detailed updates of his building project. We let him know that we could give some labour if he needed it, but Chean did it all by himself!

It was pretty cool to see their new digs today. Chean replaced the thatched roof with corrugated iron, his wife chose the colour for the rubber walls and he put in the bamboo floor. Before, the holes in the floor were so large that Chean was forced to sleep on a plastic bag straight on the group underneath the house. Tonight there's enough room for all eight of them inside the room. We admired the house. We took fruit to celebrate. I talked with 13-year-old Chenna about her Grade 4 classes and she read me a story from her Khmer textbook. We invited 9-year-old Sophoan to join in a football tournament. We also invited Mr Run and his wife to stop in our new office for lunch one day next week, conveniently located a couple of meters from the border where he works pulling carts. I hope they will come because we don't really do houses... but stuff lunch is a daily event.

Petrol: One litre or two?

2012-01-17T21:06:00.002+07:00

Silliest triathlon 'info' ever!

2012-01-17T20:33:00.003+07:00

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a website that gives free training tips, as well as promo for their paid stuff. The email starts:

Are you 'Skinny-Fat?'

You are probably asking yourself right now, 'What is Skinny-Fat?'

Unfortunately, it is probably the typical triathlete body that you are walking around with now. Have you seen it? Tiny arms, a thin and weak neck and a stick-like midsection, with a little bit of fat in the belly and waist.

It's the "skinny-fat" look.

If that doesn't describe you, perhaps you're the opposite: you look like you should be playing rugby instead of riding a bicycle and running- meaning you have relatively dense muscle, covered with evenly distributed fat in the back, stomach, hips and thighs.

The "fit but fat" look.

Are you kidding me?! The article gives two possible body types and both include the word "fat"! I'm sure not "skinny-fat" but I'm not about to ditch triathlon and take up rugby or weightlifting any time soon.

Having the 'right' body type is no guarantee of sporting success. I could compare two local guys in our run club. One has an ideal body shape for distance running, natural athletic ability and a great stride. He also has zero free time to train. Another guy has a very different body shape. He's shorter with solid, muscular legs. However, he has prioritised running into his weekly schedule. He runs whether he feels great or whether he feels tired. He is determined. And his times are rapidly improving.

It's not that having a slim, strong, can't body part of the motivation to exercise. But I'm not buying into the negativity or being driven by a certain 'look'. Far more important are other goals such as: enjoying life by exercising regularly, training for a specific race, traveling to different cities & countries to race, setting myself the challenge of completing a new long-distance event or trying to break a previous PB for that distance and, finally, meeting people who also like a healthy, active lifestyle (and the post-race beer).

"Skinny-fat" or "fit-but-fat" talk is irrelevant. To quote another source I respect much more highly than this triathlon trash: 'A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.' (Proverbs 14:30.)

January 7 Tourni

2012-01-12T11:28:00.004+07:00

Last Saturday we ran a Boys Under 11s and Girls Under 15s soccer tournament. The combination of practicing skills followed friendly matches with some snacks thrown in worked well. This is only the second time we've done a one-day event for Under 11s so there were a good number of new faces on the field. Our staff and volunteers worked cooperatively. We talked with the kids a bit about the benefits of sports and why we, as a Christian NGO, spend our time and energy encouraging youth to play football. Another positive is that I now know which local seller can do 100 cakes for $20, pre-ordered the day before. Bonus!

Pics from Jan 7

2012-01-12T11:25:00.001+07:00

Pics from Jan 7

2012-01-12T11:23:00.002+07:00

Ours Sincerely

2012-01-11T11:40:00.004+07:00

We've employed a new staff member for 2012. Don't be concerned. The reason we're hiring isn't because staff are leaving but because our project activities are expanding so we need more help! During the selection process, one cover letter impressed me. The grammar isn't great but I like the heart... and I'm sincerely happy that Mr Rung has joined our team!

Dear Sir or Madam,

Greetings from me!

This cover letter has been written to response to you to apply for the position as employee... It has been extremely impressed me to try the best opportunity to be part of your organisation in purpose international development.

My resume is enclosed with your consideration and given more detail of my qualification. I really want to work bringing your organisation with good results achievement. I am sociable, friendly, high responsible, broadminded, good health, honest, courage, integrity, good communicate, high committed person, please see my CV.

Would you please offer me this chance.. as the mean of sharing me new work experience and communicate with people, participate to help people to reduce of Cambodian poverty. I am looking forward to hearing information from you and I am available to com for an interview at any time conveniently to you. You can be contacted at the phone number above.

Thank you in advance for your value time and consideration.

The 'race of the year' in 2011

2012-01-10T08:22:00.001+07:00

Thanks Naomi for sending these photos of Laguna Phuket. Great memories!

Old and New

2012-01-09T11:44:00.002+07:00

Looking back I counted 11 races in 2011! This included:

1 x full marathon. With poor training and okay health, I finished in the Khon Kaen marathon in 3:59.

1 x 100km bike race. My first attempted at a bike race and I needed to pull out at 75km after two punctures. A little disappointing...

1 x triathlon. I did the amazing Laguna Phuket tri: 1.8km/ 55km/12km. I'd say this was my most challenging event of the year and I was stoked to finish in just over 4 hours.

3 x half marathons. Including one trail half. A highlight was taking a few seconds off my personal best for a new PB in October of 1:40:15.

5 x short races. I also did four 10km races and an 8km race. My best result was coming first in the 8km in Phnom Penh in June. However, my best time was in Pursat when I ran the 10km in 46 minutes and picked up third.

Now I should really try for 12 races in 2012?! I'm hoping to do 2-3 triathlons, at least one marathon and a bunch of shorter races. Here's to a year of good health, good training and good fun!

Christmas Night

2011-12-27T11:46:00.003+07:00

Yesterday ended up being a 'work until you find a reason to be interrupted' day. I found my first excuse when our cook/ cleaner arrived early. Rather than start work immediately on December 26, I suggested we grab a coffee and waste an hour instead. While we were still out, some other Cambodian friends called and asked if they could drop by our place. More tea, coffee, snacks and conversation followed. It was worth it to hear this Christmas Day story:

I went to bed late on Sunday night but was woken up at 4am by one of the neighbours knocking on the door. Usually there are three of us who share the one room (..and one bed!). Three people rent the room next door. But on Christmas night, our neighbours had extra guests and their room was completely full. (Maybe eight people?!) So one of the guys who usually sleeps next door woke me up to ask if he could sleep in our bed for the rest of the night. We made some space for him...

Ahh... Cambodian hospitality! Mary and Joseph couldn't find a place to stay on Christmas night but our staff know how to make room for a neighbour at 4am on a winter's night!

Butterflies and Christmas

2011-12-23T08:55:00.004+07:00

If you have watched Glee Season 2 (and in the privacy of reading this blog, I will not force you to admit to this fact), you may remember a quote from the character Rachel Berry when introducing the Halo/ Walking On Sunshine mash-up. Rachel says, "...because if there's two things that America needs right now, that is sunshine and optimism! [Pause.] And angels."

Yeah, so... here's my thesis for today: maybe we all need a little sunshine and rainbows; balloons and butterflies?!

Yesterday six of our team went to visit the Drug Detention Center to celebrate Christmas. For the first hour in the morning, we had a football skills program. There were four small groups, 15 in each group, practicing running, dribbling, passing and heading skills. We had a short break, then divided into four groups again for Christmas songs, making Christmas cards, playing games and an explanation about Christmas. I led the singing; a song in English and a song in Khmer! Heng's discussion was focused on this 'new' festival (Christmas isn't a traditional Cambodian holiday). He talked about a new birth and the new possibilities of hope, joy, peace and forgiveness that come through Jesus' death and resurrection. In thinking about a symbol for this newness of life, Heng suggested a butterfly. So we made butterfly cards for Christmas! In the afternoon, we had a football tournament with four teams in the competition. I sat on the sidelines and chatted with people. Just after 3:30pm, we went back to the office and the male and females went back to their two locked rooms. It was a happy Christmas celebration!

grin

2011-12-20T15:45:00.003+07:00

These smiles say it all! New uniforms (& shoes). New textbooks, school supplies and backpacks. It's already a couple of months into the school year but I hope these guys make it through the next year of primary school. Study hard!

Moving House

2011-12-19T09:06:00.002+07:00

Last week we moved into a new office and new house. Over the weekend two new housemates moved in and a three-month, short-term volunteer left. (Life as an expat = Hello. Goodbye. Hey. Good to meet you. Bye. Keep in touch. Hi there. Farewell.)

My life has been crammed with To Do lists: call the internet company (again!), fix the door, phone the landlord, book the truck, clean, move the towel rail to the upstairs bathroom, buy a new garbage bin, organise the office shelves, copy keys... You get the drill. All that necessary, tedious stuff. Our staff have been great both with the heavy lifting as well as doing all the handyman stuff that isn't in my skill set. Even so, I'm looking forward to being able to write again about some local people, places and events once we're settled in. More soon!

Human Rights Day

2011-12-11T12:16:00.003+07:00

December 10: Human Rights Day. Not yet Christmas..

We found out about this family through a networking meeting of Poipet NGOs about a week ago. Dad's lost a leg from a landmine injury but he rides a bicycle 1-1.5 hours each way to get to work. He pulls carts across the Cambodian-Thai border, earning $3-$5 a day. Mum takes care of the young children. Their house comprises of two very basic shelters. There are no walls. You can see the sky through the roof. There's not much protection at all from the rains or this season's winter winds. Most days this family eats plain rice... but the kids catch fish, frogs and other small animals when they can.

Their one request to the NGO network was for support to keep their kids in school. (That is how highly they value education!) We visited last week and gave them money to buy uniforms for the four school-aged children. They couldn't stop saying, 'Thank you!'

Next week we'll go back to give them textbooks and other school supplies. We'll give some money for construction materials as well as some additional labour to help renovate their one-room sleeping space. It's something.

With two weeks to go until Christmas, it's easy to frame this as a nice example of giving in the Holiday Season. Except that it isn't. Let's not deceive ourselves here: we're not giving gold, frankincense or myrrh. The kids aren't getting new toys, stockings stuffed with chocolates or a summer holiday at the beach. They have a right to go to school. They have a right to a warm, dry place to sleep. We're not giving them the moon.

Another large NGO offered to take some of the kids into an orphanage recently. Dad told them to "take a hike". (Well.. they said nope.) They have the right to be together as a family. They've asked for nothing more than some encouragement to keep surviving today and give their kids a better future. I hope we can do that.

PS Soccer

2011-12-06T16:20:00.004+07:00

In the midst of travel, racing, having guests and generally being busy, I'm reminded that we have a record 38 teams playing football every weekend too! At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for our project to grow big and deep.

On Sunday, November 20, we started our Youth Football League with short, friendly matches for all four divisions (U17s, U15s, U13s and Girls). It was a big gig! I want football to grow big in Poipet because I believe that young people have the right to go to school and the right to play. I want to give them something to look forward to in their week. I want them to train and to compete, to win and lose, to learn and to make mistakes. I want them to put on their uniform and to know that whatever other labels society puts on them, for a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, they can say with confidence, "I am a footballer."

Over the last two weekends we've had official opening ceremonies and started to keep track of the game results. I also want to see the football program grow deep. I look forward to a growing depth in the players, with some trying out for regional and national teams. I'm encouraged by the commitment of the volunteer coaches and referees. They are positive role models who develop close relationships with the players over the season. I pray that there will be growth and development in the character of the players through this football program.

I guess this post is a reminder for me as much as anything else: PS Soccer.

Race Weekend in Siem Reap

2011-12-05T11:22:00.002+07:00

Two races in Siem Reap last weekend: one DNF and one DQ! ... but it was a cool couple of days. Here's why:

On Saturday I entered my first bike race. 100km. I guess this fits with my tendency to plunge right into a big race and hope for the best. Naomi and I set our alarms for 4:15am to meet other cyclists in town and ride 10km to the start as a warm-up. It was barely light at 5:45am when our four-lap race around the Angkor Wat temple complex began.

The first lap was mad fun! My heart was pumping with the excitement of the race but I also had a vague race plan to try to avoid 'bonking' (yeah.. kinda funny word that one...) Anyway, I was finished the first lap in 48 minutes and felt good. Half way through lap two I hit a pothole and blew a tube. I was carrying a spare but didn't have a pump. A policeman gave me a ride on his motorbike a few kilometres along the race route (with shouts of 'good race tactics!' by some cheeky sod as he cycled past). The police officer then turned onto a dirt road, continued for a couple of km's and dropped me in the middle of a sleepy village with nothing like 'support crew' in sight! A boy of about 10 years walked me along the street to find a bike repair guy. I handed over the 75 cent service charge and then the boy wanted his cut. Instead, I asked the kid if he wanted a ride of my bike? Yup. So I helped him get steady on the seat and jogged beside him as curious neighbours looked on! We said goodbye and I gave him the chocolate bar I'd stashed in my jersey for 'race nutrition'. At the start of lap three I was trying to motivate myself to keep up a decent pace. Respect the race. Finish the race. Unfortunately, I hadn't completed the third lap when I got another puncture. Two flats. Game over. I rode the final kilometers at a snail pace and quit after 75kms, having been lapped by at least a quarter of the field.

Call it race experience? Yeah. Say I was disappointed? Yeah. Call it motivation for training for another race? Heck yeah!

On Sunday morning over five thousand runners converged at the Temples to run 21km/ 10km or 3km. I was planning to cheer. A couple of days before the race, however, I received a text: 'I booked you in the 10km'. At first I thought it was a joke. On Saturday, after a visit to the registration point and a dozen calls & texts, I had a race bib and a timing chip in my hand. But I realised that 'I got you a number' doesn't mean quite the same thing as 'I have officially registered your name at full price through the appropriate channels'!!

I started half way though the pack and ran a very conservative first few kilometers. It was a bit of a surprise to get to the turn-around point at 5km and realise I was the fifth female. I soon passed the two women just ahead of me, maintained a consistent pace and found some kick for the final few hundred meters for a comfortable third. Then I got disqualified! No worries... I didn't have time to stick around for the prize ceremony anyway because I had a to rush home to give a speech in Poipet for the youth soccer league at midday!

I'm really learning to 'reframe failure'.. and I would never have expected that a DNF and a DQ could be so much fun ; )

Introducing soccer star Srey Nit!

2011-11-21T11:52:00.004+07:00

It was a long shot.

On Monday, November 7, eleven year old Srey Nit left her family in Poipet to try out for the Girls National Under 13s football team. I picked her up from the one-bedroom house that she shares with her parents and her six brothers and sisters. Srey Nit set out for the five-day training camp carrying on small bag containing two T-shirts and two pairs of shorts.

She was the youngest, shortest and least-experienced person at the try outs!

I visited Srey Nit after the camp to hear more about her experience. The short answer: she loved it! She saw the beach for the first time and enjoyed swimming in the ocean every day. She met other girls who are passionate about football and who train regularly. She noticed that the National Under 13s Girls are several grades ahead of her at school and that they also study English and Computers outside of their public school studies. When I asked Srey Nit about her favourite part of the training, she said, "Playing football!"

The group practiced twice daily with their Swiss-born, Khmer-speaking coach, Sam Schweingruber. Sam praised Srey Nit for her positive attitude and her enthusiasm. "She was courageous," he said. "From the first day she was chatting and laughing with the other girls. She wasn't intimidated by them at all. In every session she participated well, even though she was obviously less skilled compared with the other players.

Srey Nit came back to Poipet with two new uniforms, two pair of shoes, socks and a sports bag. More importantly, she now has a glimpse of what is possible for her as an emerging athlete and as a student. She will being training with a local Under 13s boys team and get involved in the girls' development programs we have in Poipet. She will continue her education and keep studying English. I hope that next year Srey Nit can try out for another representative team.

It will still be a long short, but now we have a better idea of what she's aiming for!

Project Compassion

2011-11-18T15:31:00.005+07:00

From Monday November 7, to Thursday November 10, thirteen volunteers from the US came to serve Poipet by offering a free medical clinic.

A Cambodian asked if we have these kinds of clinics in Australia? Not exactly. If the did, would I go? Would I get up early and give up half a day's work? Would I line up for hours outside to speak to a foreign doctor through a translator? Would I be happy with a written diagnosis in a language I didn't understand? Be content with some free medications that would last me a month or so? Probably not. But this isn't Australia. I'm convinced that a short medical clinic meets a felt need in Poipet.

In four days, the Project Compassion team saw over 1200 medical patients. Almost 1000 people received free glasses and 60 people had free dental treatment.

One of the highlights in translating was being the first person to tell a young woman that she and her husband are having a baby! She was pleased and I was delighted to be the messenger.

Part of the time I spent working in the pharmacy department. We gave out hundreds of packets of labeled antibiotics, ibuprofen, Tylenol, cough syrup, multivitamins, iron tablets, de-worming tablets and other less common forms of medication. Next to the 'tick-a-box' list of medications for the doctors to fill in was also a space marked 'other'. On day 2 I read the words 'flip-flops' scribbled in this section. I asked one of the Project Compassion volunteers and found a huge bag of 'other' goods such as shoes of all sizes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, stickers and other small, useful gifts. As I gave the rubber flip-flops to the woman in her seventies, I pointed out to her that the pink matched perfectly with the floral blouse she was wearing that day! The woman's face lit up like she'd just won first prize in a Melbourne Cup sweep! She said, "Are those for me?! But I already have a pair of shoes!" (Nevermind that they looked Pol Pot 1970s vintage...) I replied, "Yes, aunty, the doctor says these are for you. Now you have two pair of shoes!"

There were some more serious cases too... accidents, injuries and chronic illness. Lynn posted on her blog about meeting a woman who complained of exhaustion. She had fifteen children! Lynn reflected that there wasn't much she could do for the family. We gave iron tablets, vitamins and a bit of love.

One day the doctors simply didn't have enough time to meet with everyone who showed up. In the afternoon I was asked to help with a triage system. Our task was to talk with everyone, give most one of several kinds of simple medications that were taken from the pharmacy and refer a maximum of twenty patients to the doctors. It was hard to help people feel heard when our conversations were only about a minute long. I felt a bit helpless so I just told them: Thank you for coming today. Thank you for waiting. I'm sorry that this is all I can give you today. God bless you and your family. Surprisingly, the patients weren't angry or disappointed. They were thankful. For them, it was worth coming.

I was also involved in the prayer and counseling station. There were a few phrases that I repeated a hundred times: Let me tell you about the purpose of this team's visit. They are volunteers. They came because they love the Cambodian people. They came because they are Christians. The medicine and glasses we are giving out today are all free. They are a gift from the team and a gift from God. Sometimes I was compelled to stop my stream of words and pray for the people: May God bless you with healing and health. May God bless your family and your community. Again, it wasn't much. But the people seemed to be thankful to receive a bit of medical attention and a little bit of love.

Pursat River Run- one last pic!

2011-11-15T09:58:00.002+07:00

I had to post this photo! Steve left his camera behind in Sri Lanka so he borrowed mine over the race weekend. He snapped this pic during the 5km race. Love it!

Pursat River Run- Sunday November 6, 2011

2011-11-15T09:39:00.002+07:00

This year marked the fourth consecutive year that I've entered the 10km event at the Pursat River Run. The flat, scenic course and the opportunity to run with local Cambodians draws me back. I enjoy getting away for a weekend, catching up with seasoned runners and meeting new people who are interested in sport. This year one of my highlights was standing on the podium with Cambodian superstar runner Ly Nary! (I finished third.)

After the 10km, I begged a ride with a helpful race official and lined up for the 5km event. This time, as I ran with Sok Eang from Poipet, I was free to notice the spectators who lined the streets, the children who called out, "hello barang!" and to see the determined effort it takes runners to complete a distance event.

As we passed the 3km marker, I met a local Grade 8 student named Mom. She was running with a group of her friends but they were starting to tire. I said to them, "Little sisters, don't stop! Let's run slowly all together! Do you think you can do it?" They nodded in agreement. I ran with the teenagers. They sipped water from my bottle. I praised them and gently pushed them to continue. After the 5km race, Mom came over to our group of friends, pointed at me and told one of the guys, "She is the one who gave me courage!" When she went up to receive her prize, I chapped and cheered. Wow! Now that is a memory worth keeping!

Poipet Run Club sent a contingent of twelve runners. We trained for 10 weeks leading up to the event. This year seven people ran the 10km event and the remaining five completed the 5km. Four runners received a prize in the presentation ceremony (Boray, Tharith, Paul and Pip). One team member, Theary, also used the Run Club to find motivation for other life goals. He shared, "Running 10km seemed like an impossible goal. But I thought that if I can rise to the challenge of running 10km, I can pass Grade 12 this year." Having finished the 10km in 52:10, Theary has confidence that he can apply himself to his studies and pass the Grade exam.

Thanks to individuals and groups who have helped to sponsor a runner's prize this year and also to those who contribute to our sports programs in general. It's a joy to run with young people and see them find strength to succeed in the goals they set for themselves.

Pursat River Run Pics

2011-11-14T17:21:00.002+07:00

The tuk tuk drivers

2011-11-14T09:00:00.002+07:00

There are moments I get to be unreasonably generous with other people's money.

On Saturday, an American short-term team arranged for a 'fleet' of tuk tuks to take them around the Angkor Wat temple complex. Plans changed the night before, however, when some decided they wanted to hire bicycles instead. In addition, several visitors didn't want to go to Angkor Wat for the whole day. (The Siem Reap markets, restaurants and massage venues were also calling...) But the tuk tuks were already booked. So on Saturday morning we made a plan that the vehicles would be available to the American team members and to the Cambodian staff who were with us to take people anywhere they wanted to go from 8am until 3pm. The price was set at $13 per driver.

At 3pm I went to talk with the drivers and pay them. I was asked to help just in case there was any complaints or any last-minute haggling. However, I was in a good position because these Southern Californians tip generously. I talked with the tuk tuk drivers and asked them about their day. Some of them weren't so busy. On the other hand, one guy told me that he'd done lots of short trips and another said that he drove further usual. They were hoping that those who worked harder could get $15 for their efforts. After a full fifteen minutes or so of conversation, I thanked all of the drivers for their efforts.

I turned to one and said, "Uncle, you said your passengers wanted to travel a long distance today. Thank you for taking them." I gave him $20. I turned to another driver and said, "Little brother, you are the one who made many trips today. Correct?" I handed him $20. For the remaining five, I gave them each a twenty dollar bill.

It was a simple way to show that sometimes life isn't fair. It's better. There are moments when we don't get what we deserve. We receive more.

smooth

2011-11-04T11:22:00.003+07:00

It's Friday. I'm sitting at my desk alone working quietly while the rest of the team has a day off. I wonder how if I'm doing ok at training our staff, letting them do their jobs and giving them time to rest? I hope so.

But what I do know is that they've worked overtime recently. (No extra pay and no complaints from anyone either....) While I was in Thailand, they coordinated the final three days of the Adults' Futsal tournament in Poipet. When I was swimming in the ocean, they were receiving a team of four guests from Australia.

The team had heard some of the buzz words like 'localisation' and 'empowerment'... so I trust that in their first stop in Cambodia they could see something of how this works out when the foreigners can't be in town and the Khmer step up, take over, make decisions and run the show. I asked Pern how he thought it all went? He summed it up in one word, "smooth". (Very cool!)

A new sport for me

2011-10-31T21:18:00.004+07:00

This is how I picture a triathlete. I chose this photo (Chrissie Wellington = legend).. because it's a bit cooler than trying to explain what I looked like with a borrowed bike, sneakers, lycra shorts and a cotton tank top grinding up the hills of Phuket over the weekend!

I signed up for a training camp because I'm about to do my first triathlon at the end of November. Another triathlete asked me recently if my background was in swimming, biking or running? I honestly thought about it and then explained that I have a "willing to get off the couch" kind of a background more than anything. But already I love triathlon! Here's why:

1. It's fun! It's a different way to play. At the training camp we did ocean swimming, pool swimming, running drills, road running and lots of biking up and down hills. I loved every session... and the rest times of snacking, napping or having a beer at the beach were pretty awesome too.

2. It keeps me humble. Yes.. it was intimidating. I was more than a bit freaked out. Who is this chick from Poipet rocking up to Phuket with zero tri experience with a swimming costume she bought in 2004?! (Haha! True.) It's easy to think that some sports are only accessible to the rich who have time and money for expensive equipment, professional coaching and all the latest gadgets... but there are ways around these barriers. In tri, it is possible to participate with great athletes even though I will never compete against them. We all play in the same water, ride over the same hills and run the same course to finish. The pros (and probably any guy under the age of 60) just get to finish and take a rest a little earlier than I do! No worries! (I will update my swimsuit though...)

3. It is motivation to improve my fitness. This is an incentive to structure my exercise around this three-in-one sport. It's natural cross-training and that makes sense on days that I'm sick of running.

4. It helps my work. We have over a thousand people involved in different sports activities in Poipet. On November 20 we plan to kick off our Youth League for the 2011-2012 season. I'm always trying to motivate others to push past their fears, to get involved in sport in new ways and to stretch themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. So I get to walk the talk because triathlon stretches me.. big time.

5. It's a great way to meet interesting people. At the training camp I discovered that nobody really cares if one of the group is a bit slower or faster. Nobody cares if someone has to modify a session because they can't do all the sets. Nobody cares when there are a few minutes that separate us at the end of a 2-hour mini-race. We chat together- sweaty, red-faced and grinning from the endorphin high!

How To Wash A Shirt

2011-10-22T11:01:00.002+07:00

One of Sim's highlights for the week was to help a family she knows find temporary work washing clothes in Poipet. I asked Sim yesterday to explain what it takes to wash a shirt?

Firstly, you need to look at the shirt. Don't just start washing it straight away. Check the areas that are commonly dirty, such as the collar, the cuffs, the lower back section and underarms. Focus on these areas.

Then you wash the shirt. Most of the time you can use a brush, but it depends on the fabric. Some people think that just sitting on a low stool, brush in hand, surrounded by foamy water you look like you know what you're doing?! Nope! Use the brush but only when you need it!

Wash the shirt until it is clean. Then you need to rinse it two to three times until there is no trace of soap. Before you hang it to dry, shake it out... and make sure you hang it properly so the shirt doesn't wrinkle. Also, it is easier if you can hang the clothes near to where you wash them. You can waste a lot of time walking back and forth from where you are washing the clothes to the place you have to hang them.

It's quicker and easier to work in pairs. One washes the shirt while the other rinses and hangs.

The going rate is 1 Thai Baht per shirt. If two people are skilled and hard-working, they can earn 400-500 Baht for a full eight hours of work (approx US$13.30-$16.70 between two people). It's decent money... but don't forget that dirty clothes in Cambodia are not like dirty clothes in Australia! You go from the office to your car to your home. We step out of our houses into the mud!

It is important for Cambodians to know how to wash a shirt properly. If you only ever wash your own clothes, then I guess it doesn't matter so much. But if you ever want to work washing other people's clothes, you need to know how to do it correctly. My two older kids wash their clothes now. I think everyone should learn before they are ten years old. My mother taught me and I teach my kids.

The Usual

2011-10-21T09:16:00.002+07:00

This morning after a usual Friday morning 6am run, I went to my regular coffee place and ordered 'the usual'. I have a few 'usuals'....

There's a Phnom Penh guesthouse I usually stay in for short trips to the Capital (and I'm often in the same room). There is the usual taxi driver who takes me and other passengers to Phnom Penh in the morning or back to Poipet at 2am. Apart from that, there are many more one-off, special, first time, last time, one-time-only, irregular, unplanned or unexpected types of events!

Here are a few photos from a mini football tournament that our team organised a couple of weeks ago at a Drug Detention Centre. (This was a first-time thing that might turn into a semi-regular activity!)

What about you? Do you have many 'usuals' in your weekly routine?

2011-10-16T20:38:00.003+07:00

This weekend four Poipet runners from four countries on four different continents went to race in Thailand. Paul ran his first half marathon and Chris from Cambodia ran his first 10km. (This was also Chris' first trip outside of the country!) Both their times, therefore, were personal bests. Gretchen knocked a couple of minutes from her fastest 10km record. I was pleased to shave a few seconds from my 21.1km PB, despite the hilly course. (The trophy was a bonus!)

There were many inspiring runners to chat with after the race: I spoke to a 72-year-old Thai who was running her 148th marathon and a high school student who had to settle for fifth place in his age category in the 10km because the fastest guys ran 30 and 31 minutes! (Wow!)

Another highlight was coming back to Poipet to see five local Run Club guys coming back from an extra Sunday training session they scheduled by themselves. I look forward to seeing Poipet runners achieve more PBs in the upcoming races in Pursat and Siem Reap.

The Horse Wins!

2011-10-13T08:04:00.004+07:00

Across Cambodia one of the challenges in delivering flood relief is how to get to the goods to the villages that are affected. Road testing the motor-bike powered three-wheeler vs the horse & cart, the sure winner for short journeys is certainly the horse! Low-tech... but very efficient.

Press Release

2011-10-12T20:36:00.003+07:00

If this was the Poipet Post, the newspaper headline would read: Local Leaders Cooperate To Deliver Flood Relief.

On Tuesday, October 11, 2011, a church, a non-government organisation and a village leader worked together to deliver food relief to sixty three flood-affected families in Poipet.

Village Leader, Mr Ban Sovann, identified the most vulnerable people in his community, many of whom he had personally assisted to find temporary shelter last week. On Tuesday, Christian Care For Cambodia Poipet (CCFC Poipet) and Bible Life Church served with Mr Sovann to deliver 392kg of rice and 487 cans of fish to the 341 needy flood victims.

Across the country more than 200 people have drowned, over 1 million people have been affected by the floods and over 100 000 hectares of rice paddies have been damaged.

Day-workers in Poipet are also impacted by seasonal flooding. The construction industry slows, pulling hand carts across the border in the mud becomes more difficult and it is much harder to walk the flooded streets looking for rubbish that can be recycled. As tin roof shacks sink into the mud, life becomes a struggle to survive. Pastor Barnabas from Bible Life Church observed, "These people usually work for their daily needs. Now they can't work and they're hungry."

CCFC Poipet was pleased to work in partnership with the local church and to cooperate with the village leader. During the distribution, CCFC Poipet Office Manager, Mr Pov Sopern, addressed the recipients saying, "Please don't think of this as simply a few kilograms of rice and some cans of fish. Receive this as a gift of love and a gift from God."

The first distribution is complete, but CCFC Poipet Project Director, Pip Miner, maintains, "The flood season isn't over yet."

October

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000+07:00

Run Run Run

2011-10-10T14:48:00.002+07:00

Our group is getting ready for the Pursat River Run on November 6 (10k & 5k events). We've had two time trials with a total of 16 participants. There are an additional five more time trials scheduled for this month in order to get us race-ready. So we run, run, run even though October is also all about rain, rain, rain! (More about the this year's flood relief to come...)

Back To School

2011-10-05T15:09:00.003+07:00

This is the first year since I've moved to Poipet that it's been dry enough for public schools to start back at the scheduled time of October 1. I see kids walking to school or riding new bicycles. They seem to wear their new uniforms with pride. I spoke with Titus this week about his experiences at school and his hopes for starting university on October 10.

My name is Titus and I am 20 years old. There are five people in my family; my mother, my older brother, my younger brother and my younger sister. (We don't have a father.) My mother and my older brother work for two separate NGOs in Poipet. Our combined family income is $330 per month.

When I was small, my mother was the principal of my primary school. I always got good marks and skipped a grade when I was young. I moved to a different school for Grade 7 and stayed at that same school until I finished Grade 12 in 2011. My best subjects in Grade 11 and 12 were Khmer, English, Geography and Social Studies. I wasn't so good at Maths.

My whole family became Christians in 2003.

When I first started High School, my older brother and I were the only Christians in our whole school. In Grade 9, I went to a conference about how to share the Gospel. I decided that I wanted to share faith with the people at my school. It wasn't easy at first. At school they teach Buddhism. One day, a teacher asked if anyone in the class was a Christian. It was difficult to stand up and say that I'm a Christian but I did acknowledge that I was a believer. Then the teacher asked me to explain Jesus' teaching, "If someone hits you on the cheek, you should turn the other cheek." I said that this was about not taking revenge, but being kind and gentle, even to your enemies. The teacher then asked, "Do you believe this?" I said, "Yes." Then they said that they were going to hit me in front of the class to test whether I really believed. Eventually, nobody dared hit me. But it was a difficult test. I felt humiliated but it also make me stronger in my convictions.

After a while, a small group of people in my school became Christians. Then some students who were already Christians changed schools to study at the same High School as me. Now I would say that there are about fifty students who believe. I have also shared faith with some teachers and invited them to church activities, such as Christmas outreach programs.

This year I will start a Bachelor of General Management at Build Bright University in Svai Sisophon. Before I decided to study there, I didn't know where I would stay. However, I found out about a small dormitory run by a church. There is a room for four students and we don't have to pay rent.. just electricity and utilities. They have some land and a small dam, so we can catch fish, plant vegetables or raise some animals (e.g. chickens). I don't have much experience in agriculture or gardening, but I hope I can learn some new skills from the other guys! Maybe the best thing about finding out about the dorm is that I now have friends in Sisophon. Actually, these guys have received my like a brother, not just a friend. If I wasn't a Christian, I wouldn't have these blessings. So I think that this is a huge gift from God!

I hope that in my first year of university I can focus on my studies and also share my faith. In the four years that it will take me to complete my degree, my goal is to see myself in the graduation cap and gown, receiving my certificate. I want to make my family and friends proud!

Cupcake & Curry

2011-10-04T12:51:00.002+07:00

This sums up my holiday last week~ good food, great company, fun training sessions at the track, pool, gym and on the dry streets of Phnom Penh!

Fear of Flooding

2011-09-22T10:24:00.003+07:00

Last week one of my friends had a dream. In his vision, the sky was falling around him in a deluge of wind, rain and fury. He dreamt that he cried out to his ancestral gods to save him... but to no avail. Then he cried out to Jesus. Calm was restored. He told us about the dream, slightly embarrassed that his first instinct was to call out to false gods. However, his confident testimony was that Jesus is still King over every calamity.

I'm freaking out over the possibility of flooding this year. There are public holidays next week and our office is closing from Monday to Friday. I want to get away. I need a break. Everything in me is craving time out to do anything but think about work. That's why I fear flooding.

Floods are overwhelming. Yup. Flooding means that I have to walk downstairs to a river running through our office. Flooding means every kind of work we had planned to do gets cancelled. It means that I'm forced to think about the other 100 000 people in this city and how they are trying to handle life in the mud. I feel like I have no idea how to respond. I don't like the switch from sport, education, development to having to think about emergency relief. It's stressful. I know that Jesus is bigger than any disaster. I also hope that this belief isn't tested in the next couple of weeks.

shout out to Plunge in Oz

2011-09-15T16:10:00.002+07:00

Plunge 2011 have said goodbye to Cambodia! (Yeah, I wish I could have jumped on the plane with them, even just for a long weekend in Sydney.)

Plunge have been such a positive, flexible, encouraging group. You get the vibe from this one summary sentence on their team blog, "Wow, what a life-changing, life-giving and all-together beautiful two and a half weeks we've had together." If you want to read more about their trip, go here.

Thank you Plunge.

Bridge Jumping

2011-09-13T15:54:00.002+07:00

Cate and I had a day off in Siem Reap yesterday. I had hopes of long runs around the temples but many parts of the city were underwater so that wasn't an option.

We spent a couple of cautious hours poking around the market area in the morning, sitting at sidewalk cafes and buying snacks from the vendors. By the early afternoon, the sun had broken through and we found ourselves at the river. It was crazy! The river had burst it's banks and flooded half the city. Teenagers jumped from the bridge into the dirty water, swimming across the current to the shore again. Tourists took photos and kept dry.

Cate and I watched the fun for a few minutes before I broached the subject, "Do you want to jump?" She said yes. We dumped our stuff at our downtown guesthouse, walking back barefoot. We avoided the police who were patrolling the bridge, stood on the top of the central pillar, counted to three and leapt into the murky flow! So great to play like a kid again!

Siem Reap

2011-09-13T15:52:00.000+07:00

Stories like these...

2011-09-07T16:42:00.005+07:00

One day a young woman walks into the village carrying her seven-month-old son. She has a small bag with a spare shirt, a phone and a few notes worth about nine dollars.

First she finds a place to live. She moves into a tiny, one-room, thatched-roof, low-to-the ground shelter made from bamboo, rubber and thatched leaves. It's almost like camping. But there are no roasted marshmallows at night. There's no sizzling bacon in the pan for breakfast or packing up the car or driving home to a hot shower, soft bed and an alarm set for an early start to beat the Monday morning traffic.

The woman is hungry. She sells her phone for eleven dollars to buy food: rice, oil, salt, eggs, garlic, soy sauce, fish.

Some women in the village notice her arrival. They talk with her and feel compassion. To her surprise, they visit with cooking pots, coals for the fire, bowls, spoons, forks, a light cotton blanket and clothing. She wonders why they show her such kindness and they tell her about Jesus.

Some men in the village also notice her arrival. They see poverty and desperation; loneliness and need. They see an opportunity. Some think, "Maybe she has a trade that requires very little in terms of start-up costs? Perhaps this woman has something she is willing to sell?" A few men make suggestions but she refuses their advances. Still, the question lingers in the village like smoke from the evening fires, "Maybe she does have something to sell?"

The young woman is quickly caught up in the warmth and love of the Christian ladies at the local church. Someone from outside the village sends her five kilos of rice. She feels more secure with food in her stomach, hands of these new 'aunties' to hold her baby, the prayers offered to a God she doesn't know but somehow feels, the talk of NGOs who might be able to help. The embrace of this community gives her courage to think about new possibilities.

A few days later she asks one of the teen aged girls in the church to look after her baby for a while. She comes back with cash in her hand. She doesn't try to hide where and how she earned the money. Whether or not it was deserved, she already had a reputation as being, "that kind of girl". Why hide the reality of her occasional business? She has a baby and she's sick of him being sick. She is tired of being hungry.

The ladies in the village church keep praying and keep loving. They are hopeful that God might provide an alternative way for her to earn money as well as take care of her son.

The donor who gave the rice knew it probably wasn't ever going to be enough. She sips her morning coffee and scribbles in her journal and wonders about the next chapter. She hopes the woman will stay. She fears the more likely scenario is that the young woman will soon move to a new village where nobody knows her and nothing has changed. The story starts over again:

"One day a young woman walks into the village carrying her eight-month-old son...."

Guys are funny...

2011-09-05T10:01:00.002+07:00

On Saturday afternoon I was leading a group of visitors to a village church for some children's ministry. We left the van and driver on the road and walked the last few hundred metres down muddy tracks. Just before we got to the church, there was a group of three or four guys in their twenties sitting on their motor scooters on opposite sides of the narrow road.

One young bloke called over to his mates, "Oh- many beautiful women."
He paused for moment before adding the punchline, "Maybe I should start going to church?!"

Oh..funny! Funny that someone understands what you said. Funny that maybe you should go to church. Funny that maybe you should go to meet up with Jesus, not to hook up with chicks!

How to Plunge Cambodia

2011-09-02T11:09:00.004+07:00

The Plunge team arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday morning. After 1.5 days of briefing, introductions and survival language lessons, they have split into three smaller teams of nine. Over the next ten days these teams will explore several cities and villages around the country. Plunge is here to learn and to be challenged. They are here to give what they can: offering smiles, games, cooking assistance, English conversation, cultural exchange, a partner for a game of ping pong, curious questions, encouragement and some tourist dollars that help local people.

Yesterday team one spent a day exploring Phnom Penh by Tuk Tuk. They had questions to answer and various activities to help them get out an engage with people. (Cultural Anthropology 101.) They visited a Cambodian pre school and met one of our team members for dinner.

Team two visited a medical centre in the morning and Peace Bridges in the early afternoon. They met two of our long-term team members at their home yesterday afternoon for dinner.

Team three spent 8.5 hours traveling up the highway to Poipet. Arriving at our home/ office at 4pm, we repacked essential equipment (mosquito nets, sheets, food, water and torches) for an overnight village stay. One of our Cambodian staff went with them. The road was muddy and the team had to walk the last 800m to the thatched huts. But I hear they've had a good time meeting widows and women affected by HIV Aids, worshipping with them and playing with children who live near the centre.

This morning they will Plunge into life in Cambodia all over again.

Soon September

2011-08-30T08:18:00.002+07:00

It's been a while since the Battambang meeting. I looked back through my journal this morning and one line stood out from entries over the past couple of weeks:

Things have come together even though there were moments when I wasn't completely together!

Things have come together for Chanty to take a month out of her regular duties of cleaning, cooking and coaching ping pong to attend a course on cooking and food preparation. Chanty has a place to stay in Phnom Penh with a Cambodian family, a regular moto taxi driver to take her and from class and a work experience opportunity with an Australian who is more than happy for Chanty to try out her new recipes at her house!

Things came together last week for the futsal/ streetball tournament. It was an intense six-days but our team did a fantastic job coordinating the 28 youth & children's teams that joined. We also had some middle distance running races through the week and a Taekwondo demonstration on the final day.

Things came together for filming part of a DVD series in Phnom Penh the weekend before last. (I was being interviewed.) The crew did an amazing job working in the hot, humid early afternoon sunshine. I predict that my short quotes will be edited down to about 22 seconds total screen time. We'll find out early next year...

In a couple of hours Plunge is due to land in Phnom Penh. It's our biggest team in six years of receiving teams in Cambodia (27 people). I'm sure there will be times when it's obvious to them that I don't have it all together and I haven't mastered the Buddhist ideal of being calm and controlled no matter what. There's life in it's uncertainty, mysteriously coming together. And I'm okay with that.

School is Out

2011-08-28T17:19:00.001+07:00

Sport is In

2011-08-28T17:16:00.001+07:00

August 11 Forum

2011-08-14T12:57:00.004+07:00

First for the bad news: I think I snotted on the Governors. I was worried that my Khmer language skills wouldn't be up to scratch before attending a one day forum in Battambang last week. (The topic was Enabling Environment for Development Effectiveness.) It was the least of my concerns.

My indiscretions started the moment I arrived. It seemed like a good idea to rent half of the front passenger seat for the 100km+ trip from Poipet. Why not?! It's normal around here. Five bucks for a taxi ride... who cares if you are squeezed in with another local woman in the front seat with four guys in the back? However, when we stopped in front of the large, spacious hotel, I noticed the car park was already crammed with SUVs and 4WDs with NGO and Government plates. The parking attendant politely opened the door as I uncrumpled my body from the crowded Camry. He gave me a questioning look before helping me negotiate a zig-zap route between the vehicles to the lobby. Hmmm...maybe there is a different kind of normal here?

The next morning I awoke with a killer sore throat and a cold. We were a bit out of town so it wasn't easy to stop into a pharmacy and buy some drugs. A hot coffee with sweet milk revived me somewhat and I checked the schedule. Registration from 7:30am, official start at 8am. I thought I was punctual to enter the conference room at 7:45am but the seats were already about two-thirds full. I noticed a table near the front was almost empty so I joined the two men who were already seated. My judgment was based partly on the fact that I wanted to be close to the front to give myself every opportunity to stay awake during the forum! I didn't realise that I'd sat down with two of the Provincial Governors and that our table soon filled up with the most senior government officials out of the 70 or 80 delegates that were present. Oops! I was probably the only person in the room silly enough not to recognise any of these guys and naive enough to sit down at their table, knowing that there would be group discussions about problems between NGOs and Government in enabling development. Haha! Good luck there Pippy!

But perhaps you are still wondering about my mucus faux pas? Less than an hour into the meeting, I sneezed. This was no ordinary sneeze. Out of my huge, honking, foreigner nose came a violent expulsion. There was but a millisecond of awareness that the sneeze was coming... so I lurched forward, desperate to grab a wad of tissues from inside my bag. I was only partly successful. Some of the snot was caught in the wad of tissue paper, some splatted on the outside of my bag and some splashed down the front of my shirt. I would not be surprised of some of the Governors were similarly baptised. Not good.

The day did improve after 9am! It was great to hear intelligent, articulate Cambodians put development into a global perspective. We heard that the US and Europe's focus is on Africa and that if other poor countries in the bottom billion are going to compete for the 'aid dollar' we need good project implementation and transparency in our reporting. It was also fantastic to hear a Provincial Government leader admonish his peers by saying that money given from generous sponsors for the community is for the community. "It is not money for your pocket," he said. "You must have a separate bank account and separate accounting systems for this money." It is donated by generous people for the poor. Finally, despite feeling sick, I was able to exchange some name cards and have short, interesting conversations with some of the other delegates. As a female under the age of forty, I was in the minority. As a white foreigner.... well I was the only one. I hope that if I go to similar meetings in the future, I will recognise some of the leaders and they will remember me too. I just hope they don't remember that sneeze!

CSO is the new NGO

2011-08-09T09:07:00.003+07:00

This week I'm attending a one day regional forum between Government and NGO representatives on the topic of Good Governance. "The main objective of this forum is to enhance enabled working environment between Government and NGO for promoting effective application of Good Governance principles and development effectiveness principles."

In my study so far this morning, I've learned that the term CSO (Civil Society Organisation) seems to be quite in vogue. It's used interchangeably with NGO (Non-Government Organisation). I was also surprised when I did a bit of research to find that there are many permeations from the simple NGO starter too. For example:

ENGO: Environmental NGO
INGO: International NGO
TANGO: Technical Assistance NGO
MANGO: Marketing Advocacy NGO
BINGO: Business-friendly International NGO
QUANGO: Quasi-Autonomous NGO

Wow! This jargon might all be enough for my brain to grasp in English but I need to do extra homework preparation because the seminar is in Khmer. Okay... back to cramming NGO-speak!

language confusion continues...

2011-08-03T15:11:00.003+07:00

I'm trying to learn some basic Thai.

The other day a fruit seller spoke to me in Thai, I replied in Thai and it wasn't until I left on my moto that my brain even registered that I was speaking Thai, not Khmer. Plus one point.

Last night a Thai staff at the gym asked me on my way out where I was going. I understood the question and replied, "To eat food". Unfortunately, I picked the wrong language. Regressing more than ten years, I responded in Chinese?! Negative one point.

Let's see if I can get some more points in August in this game of learning basic Thai.

Saturday's complaint

2011-08-01T10:25:00.002+07:00

On Saturday I was working at the office when Chanty came in after Ping Pong. I asked, "How was it today?"

Her face looked slightly troubled and she replied, "There were nine young people. But they want to change things a bit. They want to spend less time playing and more time reading the bible lesson and talking about faith!"

What a great complaint to receive from the kids!

Students of the Month

2011-07-30T11:19:00.002+07:00

Every month we get to give out books and school supplies to Grade 1 and Grade 2 students at one school. It helps the teachers to set monthly exams. It helps the students, who are rewarded for good grades and also for effort. Soon most of the Grade 1 and Grade 2 children will have received a resource pack, all of them having earned it in some way.

Child Protection Policies

2011-07-29T12:14:00.003+07:00

We often talk about how we need to take our work seriously in order for kids to have fun! Part of loving the children and youth in our programs is protecting them from potential harm. Therefore, we spent two days in training presented an NGO in Phnom Penh this week. We also helped to organise their visit so that other local church leaders could benefit from training on Child Protection.

It's hard work! I've been reviewing 'The self-audit web' for organisations who work with children and seeing how we're doing in our:

Philosophy & principles
Policies & procedures
Implementation & training
Monitoring & review
Information & communications
Good practice & prevention

It takes time. It takes effort. We're not yet where we need to be but we're working hard to keep kids safe as they have fun.

Pics from Training this week

2011-07-29T12:10:00.000+07:00

Secret Tabloid Headline Obsession

2011-07-21T10:30:00.003+07:00

Snap Poll: How many of us have a curious appetite for Woman's Day headlines? Sure, it might not be the kind of literature we studied in High School, but you have to admit that some trash mag headlines are awesome!

A quick check of freebie goss from WD reveals these 'True Confessions':

I rigged the Easter raffle.

I still check my ex's emails.

What we're on about..

2011-07-20T16:35:00.002+07:00

I've been writing our organisations' core values. This probably won't be the final version, but I think it expresses something of what we're on about:

EMPOWERMENT
We acknowledge our dependence on God and express this through prayer, worship, asking for advice and listening to the Scriptures.
We recognise each other's gifts and skills. We also build out capacity through training, coaching and professional development.
We recognise that a long-term commitment needs to be made to see transformation in individual people's lives, in churches and communities.

HONESTY
We strive to keep our commitments.
We honestly evaluate the communities we live in and our responses to the people around us.
We share information with our team, donors and the government and friends and family through formal and informal reporting.
We acknowledge that we don't 'have all the answers' but we are continually learning.
We take risks, make bold plans, offer second chances, forgive mistakes and hold onto hope, knowing that failure isn't final.

SERVICE
We value people and maintain a respectful attitude to people from all cultural and subcultural backgrounds.
We 'put the last first' by removing barriers to participation in our activities. We especially encourage participation of children, women, the poor and people with disabilities.
We develop relationships with the people we serve.

SUSTAINABILITY
We initiate and sustain cooperative relationships with churches, NGOs and schools in Poipet through our work.
We prefer to work in partnership with other groups rather than doing any activity by ourselves.
We are patient with each other and the people we serve, accepting people as they are and encouraging them to be what God intends them to be.

FUN
We relax in the security and joy of God's love.
We encourage lunchtime naps and time off on weekends and holidays to keep our smiles and our sanity.
We seek to infuse all our activities with some fun and to help others' recognise their own moments of joy.

Warning

2011-07-18T11:27:00.002+07:00

Over the weekend I went into a department store in Thailand on a mission to buy some mud coloured pants. (Not chocolate brown, not beige, not tan...) I decided it is essential to have at least one pair of pants that blends with the mid-brown around town. Even when I was shopping for my mud-coloured clothing, I wondered, 'Is this a sign that I've been in Cambodia too long?"

Other warning signs that you have been in Cambodia too long might include:

You wear flip-flops every day, everywhere.
In the wet season you wear your pants rolled up to your knees.
In the hot season you wear a long-sleeved shirt over your t-shirt for extra sun protection.

It's okay to eat rice every day for breakfast. Then lunch. And dinner.
Your top three ice cream flavours are taro, corn and green tea.
You're fine eating with a spoon and fork or chopsticks.... but trying to use a knife and fork you feel something between awkward and inept.

You pay for everything in cash (in one of three currencies if you live in Poipet).
You spend ten minutes bargaining over the price of something silly, partly because you're enjoying the convo.
You feel generous when you give a trip that equates to fifty cents.

You sometimes forget words in English.
You think you speak Khmer fluently.
You are actually pretty fluent in NGO-speak.

work not ping pong today...

2011-07-15T15:04:00.003+07:00

There's a banner hanging over the highway: Cambodia To End The Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016.

My first thought? Pathetic! If this is an important issue that needs an urgent response, what's with this vague reply with a deadline half a decade away?

I did some research and found out that ILO (International Labour Organisation) stats from 2001 showed that 52% of 7-14 year olds in Cambodia, over 1.4 million, were 'economically active'. Perhaps it isn't easy to change the lives of 1.4 million children overnight. So we think about the children working in the 'worst' forms of labour....seven year old boys in Battambang working in brick factories, nine year old girls puling carts across the Thai border with their brothers and sisters, ten year old kids begging on the streets of Bangkok. These are dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs. Sometimes (often?) these children are forced to work without payment.

More recent ILO surveys conducted in Poipet in 2010-2011 found there are approximately 2 246 children in Poipet who are working. About 500 are employed pushing carts across the border. The rest collect rubbish, sew, work in agriculture and beg.

As I sit writing this blog, our staff return to the office from Ping Pong looking a little disappointed. They say that the kids didn't come today.
Nobody at all?
Well, only two. The rest were working. We saw some of them pushing carts down main street while we were waiting at the front of the building. They said they wanted to play but they had to work today to help their families.

Kids need to learn to play. Ending the worst forms of child labour by 2016 seems almost like a token response. But it's a start.

Super Birthday

2011-07-13T09:49:00.002+07:00

Yesterday Katey sent a text from Hong Kong, 'Hope you've had a super day with all your new friends...' In reply I let her know that some of the friends who shared my birthday lunch were so new, in fact, that I didn't yet know their names!

Yesterday, a team from Australia came for an 'Experience Poipet in 6.5 Hours' tour. In addition, one of our Khmer staff had a relative visiting from her home province. As we sat around the table and I tried to introduce everyone, I realised that it was probably quite indicative of my life that I was sharing a birthday meal with old and new friends from both Cambodia and Australia.

Gretchen came to visit in the evening with this awesome cake (fun & delicious)! More messages, phone calls and emails into the night left me feeling known, remembered, valued. Thank you : )

Be Stupid

2011-07-11T14:25:00.003+07:00

The top pic was taken from the back of a magazine at Palais (coffee place in a Poipet casino....)

I read today that the Diesel Be Stupid campaign was banned in the UK last year. Sad. Some people were offended by the nudity. (One picture shows a woman in designer jeans standing on a ladder flashing her chest in front of a security camera, for example.) Yeah, stupid. Other people think that members of the general public need no encouragement to Be Stupid.

Some of the images are......err.. suggestive... but I like the idea to risk. Life is play and what looks like stupidity may actually be genius disguised?! So when was the last time you did something Stupid?

Friday Quotes

2011-07-08T16:36:00.003+07:00

Friday quotes from The Grace To Race:

'When you think about it, everything in triathlon is very natural and childlike. You learn to balance a bike at an early age, toddlers often break into a run rather than walk, and we all floated in our mothers' wombs without fear. So what is the big deal? Some traithletes tend to get puffed up about themselves; I would like to burst their bubble.' page 109

'People always ask me how I'm able to compete in the Ironman competitions at my age and do so well. I have a very simple answer: I don't know.' page 132

Sport and Rec

2011-07-06T21:39:00.003+07:00

Next week we've got a new employee starting in the role of Sports and Recreation Worker. So, yeah.. he pretty much gets to help people play: ping pong, run club with guys 12-17 years, sports and games for primary school kids and monthly visits to guys & girls in a Drug Detention Centre.

I've been reviewing some resources stashed in our office to give him ideas. My top find so far is from a bootlegged copy of a NSW Department of Education, 'Games Book' (circa 1972).

ROLLING PIN THROWING

Make a dummy husband by filling a sack or a pillow slip, tying it to a pole or sitting it on a chair. Put a hat, etc. on the dummy. The women are given five hits with a rolling pin- 7 metres distance away. Score one point for each direct hit- none for glancing blows.

Just wondering which group to try this with first?!

The Grace To Race

2011-07-01T17:53:00.002+07:00

A few weeks ago a friend sent me a message before a race to say: Run FAST.. and with grace. A few days later I started reading a book by Sister Madonna Buder called The Grace To Race.

Sister Madonna Buder is an 80 year old world champion triathlete known as the Iron Nun or the Flying Nun. She started running when she was 48 years old and competed in her first marathon four years later (in Boston). Not long after, she transitioned to long distance triathlon. How far is a long distance triathlon? Well, this Sister does the full Ironman distances (2.8km swim/ 190km bike/ 42.2 km run). I thought I could get some inspiration on how to race with grace from this amazing woman who has set countless world records & keeps pushing the organisers of races to have to open new age group categories! I will pull some quotes from her book and update you every week.

For this Friday's inspiration on The Grace To Race, Sister says:

"Running does change people's lives. When I first entered the religious life at the age of twenty-three, I was set apart from the world. Once I began to run and compete, my path opened wide to include the whole world. God's ways are not our ways. I would probably be less effective sitting in the convent than i am now, being thrust into the public life where I can influence people by example."

Phuket Pics

2011-06-29T11:40:00.002+07:00

This island in Thailand is a perfect place meet friends, meet ya bro, swim, surf, run, eat Pad Thai, drink iced coffees, nap, read, watch DVDs... and spend a few seconds pitying all your mates in Sydney, Melbs & RAdelaide who are freezing in winter ; )

Phuket Pics

2011-06-29T11:32:00.002+07:00

Adults' tourni Finals

2011-06-26T20:42:00.002+07:00

On Sunday June 12, I was running a half marathon in Thailand. Meanwhile, our staff were making sure everything went smoothly for the finals of the Adults' Football Tournament.

They hosted the referees at our office/ my home, set up the equipment, made sure the fields were prepared, checked player's documentation, introduced the teams, played the national anthem, made speeches, made sure the event started and finished on time, interviewed the team captains about their experiences in playing in the tournament, took photos of the event, presented the trophy and prizes to the winning teams etc. etc. etc.

A Canadian friend who dropped by just to check it out was impressed by how professionally it was organised. Yay team! (I had no doubts you guys would pull it off.)

Adults' Tourni Finals

2011-06-26T20:34:00.002+07:00

Enthusiasm

2011-06-24T09:08:00.003+07:00

It is impossible to overstate the excitement of the Bridge of Life Under 13s team as they prepared for the Regional Championships last Saturday, June 18. The three winning teams from Poipet (Under 17s, Under 13s and Girls) met the other first-placed teams from Pailin and Battambang for the holiday tournament. The boys were told a month before about the upcoming Championship. Thirty whole days of waiting! Hundreds and thousands of hours and minutes to wonder what it will be like to compete against teams from neighbouring Provinces!

Our Sports Coordinator, Chanthy, was worried that the youngest team might sleep in and miss the 5am departure. So rather than risk missing the bus, he invited the crew for a sleepover at our home/ office the night before! We borrowed mattresses and spread them out across the floor. The soccer players were supposed to come at 7pm, after dinner, but they started gathering from 2pm. (That's keen!) No surprise, then, that they found it difficult to get a full night's sleep. Phoeurn also crashed at our house to help supervise and, since all of the kids were awake at 2:30am, he grabbed a whiteboard and talked soccer strategy. At 3am they tried to sleep again but by 4am they all up, dressed and ready to go!

The Under 17s and Under 13s lost both of their games but gained experience through playing better teams. (Maybe they will do better next year if they get more than a couple of hours of sleep the night before?!) The Girls had a friendly match and they won that game. Win, lose, whatever... the kids and teenagers had a great time.

Lost: God

2011-06-20T12:02:00.003+07:00

When was the last time you were sitting in your favourite coffee place and a stranger walked over to ask if you could help his search for God? Yeah.. I know.. this doesn't so much happen on a regular basis but it did happen to me last night. I don't think I have any special, holy glow about me so it was kinda cool that a Cambodian guy in his late twenties would sit down with his hot drink and doughnut to talk faith.

I discovered that he's been working in Poipet for almost a year and decided just last week that he wanted to know God. The Christian God. 'Dy' asked around and a friend of a friend of a friend thought he knew of a church in Poipet. On Saturday he went looking for the church but couldn't find it. When he saw me in the coffee shop he decided to take a punt. Do you speak Khmer? Do you mind if I sit down? Are you a Christian? Great! Because I want to find God.

Anyway, an hour later we had talked about life, religion, sport, work, Jesus, the bible and etc. We exchanged numbers and I will give Dy a bible and information about local bible study groups and church services. The funny thing was that Dy also asked if I get many strangers asking me similar kinds of questions? Umm...not so much.

adults tourni 2011

2011-06-10T11:31:00.005+07:00

Last night we had a thank you dinner for the referees, assistants and team leaders who've been involved with the adults football over the past six weekends. It was a fun time to hang out, drink soft drinks, talk about highlights & lowlights from the tournament and eat together at a nearby restaurant.

It was also an opportunity to ask for feedback. We can think that we're doing an okay job, but it was helpful to do a quick survey to check. We read that the referees have gained knowledge and experience from the training and practical opportunities given to them in May & June. Some wrote about growing their competence and confidence as team leaders, others wrote about things coming together for them in terms of using the whistle to stop play, using hand signals to communicate their decisions etc when they ref games. They all agreed that adults tournaments have social & health benefits. Some wrote that it helps them and their peers stay away from drugs. Other said it gives them something positive to do rather than engaging in "immoral behaviour".

I thanked the referees last night and today I want to thank everyone who donates to our sports projects. May these smiles bless you!

PS Finals for the adults tourni are this Sunday.

Event of the Week

2011-06-08T16:26:00.003+07:00

Cults, Religion and Boredom

2011-06-08T16:09:00.003+07:00

Yesterday I joined a meeting with Pastors, Church leaders and Christian NGOs. Our hosts: the Provincial Government leaders from the Ministry of Cults and Religion. (Yeah, I know... established, mainstream denominations and kooky cults are on a level playing field in Cambodia!) The purpose of the meeting was to tell us all that Churches need to be registered. Fair enough. I would have been okay with an email but communicating this message in the local style required a full-day conference in the Provincial Capital.

It was boring. Don't get me wrong... I did learn some stuff. I now understand that if a church has a sign in a foreign language as well as in Khmer then the Khmer script must be at least one-third larger than the foreign letters. I learned that a new Christian church cannot be started within 2km of an existing church. Our attention was drawn to a 2003 document that states that Christians are forbidden to sit and wait and use the words, "God has come already." (Maybe this was a reference to the latest End Of The World predictions late last month?) Anyway...

On the whole it was boring. But that's one of the reasons I went. If I'm going to send a staff member to these public meetings I should be willing to endure one occasionally. I took notes. Last night I reviewed the single page of scribble that read: "I'm so tired... Jesus is NOT coming back on May 21. I will not sleeb todxyx__....." I blame the hot weather and the early start from Poipet with no time for coffee. I put it down to not sitting directly under a fan and having to sit through long speeches in formal Khmer.

But I guess we all have parts of our work that are boring?

Columbia Trailmaster Pattaya

2011-05-30T21:48:00.003+07:00

Look closely and you will see why I especially liked the first 200m of this 21.5km trail run. See to the left of the photo a woman with a black top and a red cap? That's me. See the guy running BEHIND me with the lime green singlet? He's one of the Kenyan prize winners. Yes.. that first dash was wonderful! ; )

Hard Situation Family

2011-05-26T16:59:00.002+07:00

I asked one of our staff to write a short report on a family we visited this morning. Here's what Pern wrote [edited slightly]:

Hard Situation Family

At 10:15 on Thursday May 26, 2011 Pip and I went to visit a family in Kbal Spean village. When we got to their cottage they said hello and prepared a place for us to sit. Mother was cooking rice porridge, Pip and I introduced who we are and where we are from then asked her permission to ask some questions. The following is information of her family:

Her cottage is situated on a block of rented land in Kbal Spean. She doesn't have her own land. She pays 5000 riels (US$1.25) per month for rent. Her cottage is one room and very old and small with the roof and wall of rubber which have several holes. I think do not really have enough room for all of them. In addition they do not have toilet or enough water to use; they just have jar to contain rain water.

She is married with three sons and four daughters. All of them except for one daughter live in the house. They also have a girl and a boy that they take care of. The oldest son (25yrs) has a mental problem. He was normal but after working for one year without getting paid he became like that. The second son (23yrs) is deaf and mute. The oldest daughter is disabled because of a motorbike accident. She is 17 years old. She is supported by World Vision to learn to sew. One 14 year old girl and 12 year old boy study in pre-school at Mercy Ministry Foundation organisation (MMF). And the other two little girls do not go school. The boy and the girl they take care of do not go to school.

All of them are rubbish collectors. They normally go across the border to Thailand to collect rubbish, except her husband he is a cart pusher, but also works at the border of Thailand and Cambodia. All together could earn approximately 150 to 200 Baht (US$5 - 6.64) per day.

This isn't a hypothetical case study. I met these guys earlier today. And since I've already confessed that I'm not the expert in making decisions that affect other people's lives, I was just wondering if you have any comments or questions... What else would you ask this family? What would you do if they lived down the road from you? Send me an email if you're not sure about posting your comment in this public space. Thanks.

Grade 6

2011-05-24T10:03:00.002+07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was at my local coffee place studying some Grade 6 Khmer texts. A guy came in and bought ice cream for his daughter. They sat at the next table. The guy noticed that I was reading so asked: Are you studying Khmer language?

Me: Yes, I'm reviewing some old lessons.
Him: That's good. Please ask if there are any words you don't understand!
Me: Thanks very much.
Him: Excuse me, do you work for an NGO?
Me: Yes. Our NGO does sport and education here in Poipet.
Him: That's great! Thank you for coming here to help our people.

I didn't say it but later thought, "I'm touched by your words but you should know that it really is a joy!"

Aquathon

2011-05-23T19:52:00.004+07:00

Over the weekend I had some time to hang out in Phnom Penh. I'd heard about a group long run that leaves from the Independence Monument every Sunday at 6:10am so I dragged myself out of bed early and took a motorbike taxi to the meeting point. I was a few minutes early so was very surprised that a group of about half a dozen runners had already taken off down the street by the time I arrived! I got off the moto, threw some money at the driver (too much but I couldn't find the right change!) and started to chase. Even at six in the morning the streets are starting to fill up with vehicles, so it was good to catch up and then to be able to run with other people. A Khmer coach was riding on his motorbike along the route and giving out water & encouragement every few kilometres. I told Coach after about 12km that I wasn't sure that I was up for the full 21km training run that day... (I was a bit discouraged that I couldn't keep up with the guys after 45 minutes!) and that I was going to take a short-cut to run home and finish with about 16km logged. He was okay with that. I said I'd like to run with them again next time I'm in the Capital.

Showered, changed and with an iced coffee in hand, I went to the Olympic Stadium to check out a sprint distance swim/ run organised by the newly-formed Cambodian Triathlon Association. There were about 50 people who raced: some professional runners, some experienced triathletes and some determined amateurs. I clapped and cheered for everyone! Some of the Khmer runners really struggled in the swim section, but I was stoked that my friend Dara (almost last out of the pool) totally blitzed the 5km run and finished in second place. I didn't stick around for the prize ceremony and so I only found out afterwards. But I sent Dara a text today to say I'd heard about his great result and to offer congratulations. He replied, "YES IT REALLY INFORMATION. TANK YOU." And that made me : )

Visitors

2011-05-18T14:17:00.004+07:00

On Sunday afternoon our Team Leader & her hubbie visited Poipet for the first time. We followed a sort-of schedule: Adults' Football Tournament on Sunday afternoon, visit Pre-School children at school on Monday morning and help teach an English class on Monday afternoon. In between, my attention was taken up with a guy with a broken arm, a woman who is mute and a child who got bitten by a dog. In all three situations I had the familiar feeling that I don't know what I'm doing.

Do you get that feeling? Being stretched? Trying to respond in love but not sure if you're doing the right thing? Being out of your depth? Wondering how people think that you are somehow qualified to make decisions that affect their lives?

Anyway, the broken arm incident happened at the first game of our Adults Comp on Saturday morning. (I guess these things are going to occur from time to time...) The referees stopped the game, bandaged the left arm with a splint, made a sling and sent the young guy to hospital. By the time I got back from a weekend retreat, the young man had already been to Emergency in Battambang, got his arm x-rayed and put in a cast, and visited his football team at the field on Sunday just to let everyone know he was okay. I called him to our office, talked with him, made a copy of his medical receipts, wrote an incident report, gave him money for his expenses and prayed for him. Pretty simple.

Two hours later we were about to start teaching an English class when a young girl was bitten by a dog on the grounds of the church. There were two deep puncture wounds and gashes across her chest. She was crying, hurt, afraid. I ended up taking over the class while Teacher Heng took the girl to the doctor for Rabies & Tetanus shots. We finished the class with a prayer/ blessing for the students. I felt awful for the girl... prayed a silent prayer after class that we'd be wise & that the other kids would be protected from being mauled by crazy dogs on the church grounds!

Earlier in the day while we were walking down the street I saw a woman, about my age, who is mute. I saw her a couple of weeks ago in the market across the border. Someone was asking her about her baby. She replied in clear mime: I was pregnant. I didn't have enough food to eat. I gave birth. The baby died. (Not hard to imagine why her story and her face made an impression on me...) On Monday we bumped into each other again when I gave a push to a disabled guy whose cart was stuck in the mud. The woman saw that a guy had already come to help, smiled at me and through hand actions said: 'You don't need to do that!' We were walking in the same direction so we started something like a conversation. It seemed like she could understand my Khmer... in any case I tried to face her directly in case she was lip reading? I also tried pulling out a pen & a notebook but the Khmer letters that she scrawled didn't form any meaningful words. Towards the end of our interaction, I pulled out my business card. I pointed to her pocket and said, "Here is how to contact me. Keep this." It was a bit weird. Saying to somebody who cannot speak, "Call me." But I didn't know what else to do in order to invite a relationship.

So the Team Leader visited some projects. And I think she saw my stumbling attempts to try to love people. God knows I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time. But that's what happened in the midst of our nicely scheduled program visit.

Update

2011-05-12T18:44:00.000+07:00

I got an email from Phnom Penh saying that the distribution of toys last weekend went 'extremely well'. The older children we excited to receive the sports equipment. In fact, they loved the soccer stuff so much that the NGO that delivered the toys is looking to start soccer games as part of their trauma workshops. How cool is that?!

games

2011-05-05T16:34:00.000+07:00

games

2011-05-05T16:11:00.003+07:00

Permit me to begin with a brief historical account....

Israel, circa 1 500BC. King David is on the throne.
An army led by Abner meets another army led by Joab. (There's no indication that they planned to meet. They just happened upon each other at the pool of Gibeon.) The two groups sit down, facing each other from the opposite sides of the pool. Abner suggests to Joab, "Let's have a few of our warriors put on an exhibition of hand-to-hand combat." Joab agrees so twelve men from either side are chosen to fight each other. Twenty four men fight. Twelve men die. The story continues, "The two armies then began to fight each other and by the end of the day Abner's forces had been defeated." (2 Samuel 2.)

Interesting. Two bored armies meet by a pool. Their commanders come up with a game. Brilliant! Let's get a dozen of our best men to fight each other until one stands victorious and the other is sprawled out, dead in the dirt. Not satisfied with a few of their soldiers spilling blood, the leaders allow the situation to escalate into a full-scale battle. Brilliant! What a great idea! Let soldiers do what soldiers do. Two armies happen to face each other- let the slaughter begin.

There are two armies who have met each other at a border not far from here. They sit, facing each other from opposite sides of an ancient temple. Their Commanders sport with the soldiers. The leaders in Capital Cities let the game escalate to war. Sometimes it seems like it's just a bit of entertainment to them. Let soldiers do what soldiers do. Like it's no one's fault when 30 000 people flee. Nobody is to blame when homes and farms are destroyed, kid's schooling is interrupted and women can't sleep because they're afraid.

This week, our NGO in Phnom Penh has had the opportunity to partner with another organisation who is sending toys to kids who have been displaced by the recent conflict. They will also counsel the children to help them work through the trauma they've experienced. In Poipet we've been able to gather some of the 'leftovers' from the last soccer league and pass them on. We packed a sports bag with 8 soccer balls, 20 plastic cones, 2 rugby balls, a pump, 10 tennis balls, colouring books, 2 boxes of colouring pencils, 4 puppets and some additional colouring sheets. It was great to be able to give some good stuff that was first given to us. It's not a lot to share with 30 000 displaced people, but it's a start.

This is my kind of entertainment. Forget the sport of war. Let bored Generals learn rugby?

mellow

2011-05-03T13:24:00.005+07:00

It's been over a week and I'm still relaxed from holidays- not rushing during the day and not working at night. B2 has teased me relentlessly but I'm enjoying the new mellow me. It makes me think about the words of wisdom:

There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under the heaven.

A time to make things happen
and a time to watch it unfold.
A time for marathons
and a season for yoga.

A time to question everything
and a time for simple stories.
A time to preach
and a time to shut up.

A time for second-hand
and a time for a hot new pair of jeans.
A time for taxis
and a season to take the bus.

There is a time to share a bed
and a time to sleep alone.
A season to rise at dawn
and a time to sleep until the sky is bright.

There's a season to lead
and a time to let someone else forge ahead.
A time to explain
and a time to let things be.

There's a time for everything.
A season for everything.
Relax a little.

legal?

2011-04-26T21:04:00.006+07:00

This afternoon I'd just started telling my story to an Australian traveller when she interrupted with the strange question, "Is that legal?" (Huh?! What a weird question for these parts? Legal?!!) The story I was telling her is about the ring I was given this morning. These two rings were made from a five Euro coin that I brought back from holidays. And the point of the show and tell about the ring was because...

Yesterday I read the part in the drama where Jesus feeds thousands of people with a couple of small fish and a few bread rolls. In John's account I was struck by the line: "Now gather the leftovers... so that nothing is wasted." Jesus' students started with almost nothing. Yet, what they had was enough to feed a massive crowd of people. Actually it was more than enough because Jesus tells them to collect the scraps. Twelve baskets full of bits of bread, says John, when they only started with five barley loaves.

Yesterday I wrote in my journal about how it makes a difference whether we think we have nothing or just enough or a more than enough with stuff to give away. I wondered about the 'leftover' things we can give individually and as an organisation here in Cambodia. What do we have that we're not using? How can we make better use of our time? Are there areas in which we need to save money and resources? How can we work together with others so that we're not trying to do the same thing?

And yesterday as I was scribbling these questions someone was turning a little coin that I thought was useless into two golden rings. "Is it legal to reuse Europe's legal tender?" I have no idea. But I think it's cool!

The Removalist

2011-04-24T14:23:00.000+07:00

back home

2011-04-22T16:59:00.002+07:00

I ran for 33 minutes yesterday. It was long enough for some guy to see me and yell across the road to his friend- "Check out the foreigner! She runs like a man!" Oh... the joys of being such a curiosity. I must be back in Cambodia.

5000 words from KNY Holiday

2011-04-21T16:30:00.001+07:00

Paris Marathon

2011-04-20T16:46:00.003+07:00

On the upside: I watched the Paris marathon on April 10. On the downside: I watched the Paris marathon.

My health wasn't 100% and a week earlier I'd struggled through my slowest ever 10km run in the UK. So I decided that for this one very special occasion, I'd be a spectator. On the upside: I had more time to relax, eat, drink and run at my own pace to explore the different quarters of Paris. On the upside: there will be more marathons!

Paris Marathon

2011-04-20T16:31:00.004+07:00

Last Kick

2011-03-30T09:18:00.006+07:00

I've got mixed feelings about the youth football league having finished last Sunday. I'm looking forward to reclaiming Sundays as a day of rest. However, there have been so many great things that have come from the relationships that coaches, referees & assistants have built with their players so it's sad to see the season end. For three months of the year I get out every Sunday to see children and youth have a great time playing soccer! We work hard to see them have fun. Some highlights from last weekend's final games:

Great weather! Cool, overcast skies.

Having morning friendly games with a dozen teams.

Playing fun games and eating snacks.

Hosting 6 referees and volunteers from out of town.

Enjoying watching the final games and seeing how the kids have improved.

The 'organised chaos' of the tophy presentations.

Seeing the Under 13s all show up for the champion's dinner in their winner's T-shirt, medals & soccer shorts. Hearing the appropriately rowdy celebrations over dinner.

Talking with some of the teenage girls about playing and coaching.

Last kick last weekend tho... now it's time for me to run away to Europe for a holiday.

Football Finals

2011-03-28T11:46:00.002+07:00

Football Finals

2011-03-28T11:43:00.001+07:00

Football Finals March 27

2011-03-28T11:37:00.002+07:00

a simple black T

2011-03-25T17:54:00.005+07:00

I was copying some handouts for my 3pm English class today when I noticed a T-shirt worn by one of the employees in the shop. It read-

I started with nothing
and I've got almost all of it left.

It reminded me of an article I read last week in the Cambodia Daily about migration. It quoted the Cambodian Development Resource Institute (CDRI) as saying that less than 5% of migrants leave Cambodian with proper paper work. If this is accurate, 250 000 people may have left the country in 2009 alone. Most of them pay to go illegally. They generally do 3D jobs that nobody else wants to do. (3D = dirty, difficult, dangerous). They work in construction, fishing, agriculture and factories. Sometimes they get paid between $3 and $8 per day for their efforts. Sometimes they get nothing. And there's always the risk of getting caught, locked up and spat out in Poipet. The Cambodian Daily article added that government officials said that more than 100 000 illegal Cambodian migrant workers were deported by Thai authorities via Banteay Meanchey's Poipet border crossing in 2010. Enough stats already? Here's the story of one young woman who started with nothing...

Chantha, a 19 year old from Banteay Meanchey, grew up in a poor family of four. She was unemployed and decided to go to Thailand to seek work after hearing from other villagers that there were well-paid jobs available there. She contacted an organiser who had already taken a few villagers to Thailand... To go to the intended workplace, the organiser asked her for 250 000 riels (about USD60). Chantha's household could not save such a big sum and was forced to borrow from a moneylender. The $60 did not cover everything. Chantha needed to pay for transport from her home to the border [which took four hours and cost a further $7.50].

Chantha earned 14 000 riels per day [about $3.50] while daily consumption cost her only 2500 riel [about 60 cents]. She worked hard but was happy that her hard work paid off. She expected to save 172 500 riels per month. With that, she could pay off the debt and send some money to support her family. On the 15th day of work, her expectations came to a sudden end when she and other Cambodians were seized and jailed by the police. She could not even recover the cost of transportation and the fee paid to the organisers. She was kept in a crowded room and provided food like pig feed. The room was so packed with illegal migrant workers that it was impossible to move. On the third day of her imprisonment, the police extradited her and the others to Cambodia via Poipet.

Although Chantha had such a bad experience, she believed that working in Thailand allows workers to earn more income, which can lift their families out of extreme poverty, and to learn new skills and get to know foreign places.

(Case study from CDRI)

Maybe perspective will come... but right now I'm stuck on the stupid, depressing T-shirt!

mid March

2011-03-21T11:48:00.002+07:00

I don't know about you, but at this time of the year I'm often asking myself a few questions such as, what am I doing? why am I trying to do so much? & how come I'm so tired when it's only March?

In response, I've been thinking about my job description. (Yay that I can write and rewrite my own role whenever i need to!) Here's what I want to do:

- to make suggestions
- to get the money
- to tell stories
- to say thank you

To make suggestions. In networking with other community leaders and finding ways to cooperate in shared activities, I can't tell them what to do. I need to make suggestions and be flexible with the outcomes. Similarly, in working with a team of staff & volunteers, there's great value in throwing around ideas and seeing what seems to spark interest in the team. While our staff are still young & are growing in there stills, there remains a need to direct at times (even command!). However, I want to spend much more time making suggestions rather than giving orders!

To get the money. Yeah... I guess 'donor relations' or something would be the more commonly used term. We don't need a lot of cash but we do need some. It's my job to ask for it. I think we're a good cause!

To tell stories. I love telling stories about the work that is happening here, both to encourage other people and to motivate myself to faith, love & hope! It's great to tell stories in one-on-one conversations, group meetings or in writing. I also love telling stories about Jesus and want to keep getting better at articulating my faith using clear, interesting Khmer language.

To say thank you. There are always reasons to be thankful. I work with volunteers every week; people who invest their time coaching sports teams, helping as referees and teaching English classes. I pick up packages from friends in Australia with gifts for our work and for our staff. A few times a year I receive unexpected gifts with 'little luxuries' (mostly edible or readable!). I appreciate always having reasons to say thanks.

English class

2011-03-14T19:49:00.001+07:00