Himalayas

Bill has had the privilege of seeing the Himalaya Mountains from both sides. When we flew from Paris to Hong Kong in 2003, our flight took us along the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. We were glued to the airplane window in awe for nearly 2 hours as the endless snow-covered peaks displayed in front of us.

By flying in and out of Kathmandu earlier this month, Bill saw the Nepali side of the "top of the world". He filmed his climb out of Kathmandu. So, now you too can sit by the window and enjoy glimpses of the Himalayan Mountains for several minutes until the plane turns south toward Thailand.

The longest day??

Maybe not. But a REALLY long day indeed.

When I woke up on Wednesday, March 30, in Singapore at 4 a.m. to get ready to leave for the airport, it was still 4 p.m., March 29 on the East Coast of the US. Some 24 hours later we landed at Dulles Airport outside of Washington DC, on Wednesday, March 30. It is now 6 hours later. We are at our son's home near the airport. It is STILL Wednesday, March 30, and it is not even midnight yet.

This has been a really long day.

More on Cambodia, Nepal, and Singapore is still to be posted on the blog, but the travel of the past few days has meant that more information will have to show up in several stages. Stay tuned...

des français! ... and ... cricket

Today there was a new couple that came to church for the first time -- an American/French couple that lives in Paris. What a treat to be able to speak some French again! I was glad I had decided to wear my French Huguenot cross today. The man is retired from a financial company and they come to Phnom Penh every year for a few weeks. I guess we aren't the only ones who have discovered this pearl of a city!

And, cricket? No, not crickets, the insects; but cricket, the game. Did you know the Cricket World Cup is presently being played? Since we have people from England, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India attending the church, we are quite aware of the games. This week Australia and England were just eliminated in the quarter finals, and the semi-final games will be India-Pakistan and New Zealand-Sri Lanka. I still have little idea of how the game actually works, even though excerpts are always shown on the news here. But, I must check on Internet after I get home to see who wins the semis later this week.

Yes, our time in Cambodia is nearly over. We fly back to Singapore tomorrow. Our six weeks here have gone by so quickly. It has been a very rich and enjoyable experience. We are very grateful to the Church of Christ our Peace for welcoming us in such agreeable conditions.

Kathmandu

Kathmandu! The name in itself evokes far-away, exotic places with endless mountain vistas.

As Bill discovered when he visited Kathmandu earlier this month, the reality is a bit grittier. This city of over 1 million people squeezed into a tight valley at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains gives the impression of being rather jumbled together and is highly polluted. The infrastructure is not developed in a coordinated manner, with buildings and roads put up as opportunity presents itself. Electricity goes off regularly, and most travel sites describe the water distributed in the city system as “toxic”!

Bill visited this city because this country has had some amazing “people movement” church growth since the instauration of religious tolerance just over a decade ago. He was there to look into partnership opportunities between our home denomination, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and one of these fast-growing churches. He spent several days visiting churches and pastors in Kathmandu as well as in nearby hill provinces.

In the attached videos you can ride along with him on a road into Kathmandu (notice the pollution haze in the background) as well as follow him as he surveys a typical market street scene.

Teaching session

Our final teaching session with the Khmer staff was held all day Thursday and Friday morning. The following 2-minute video clip gives an idea of how it was done with translation.

My teaching was on lessons for living with each other in the Christian church, based on the epistle of James.

The pastor doing the translation has an amazing but tough story. He was born to a Buddhist family in a distant province. His family was killed by the Pol Pot regime, the "killing fields", so he was raised as an orphan. He first heard the gospel when an aunt who had taken refuge in the US and become a Christian returned for a visit. The first opportunity he had to have ANY schooling was when he was already 18 years old. He eventually attended Bible school and was ordained in 1998. He is now the senior pastor in the Anglican Church of Cambodia. We are finding that his life story is very similar to that of many people of his age group.

His English is rather limited. We had to use simple sentences and basic vocabulary so he could translate correctly into Khmer. Sometimes we both struggled to find an appropriate word. It appeared from the students' reactions that he handled the task rather well. Our biggest difficulty arose from his limited possibilities for translating back into English any questions or comments from the students.

In spite of these limitations, our contact with these Cambodians working to build the church in their country was very stimulating.

Don't

In addition to the usual cultural sensitivity that should be shown whenever visiting any country that is not your own –- modest dress, not being loud, always polite rather than demanding –- there are particular things that can be perceived as being impolite or even offensive in each culture. Here are a few of the “don’ts” when visiting Cambodia.

DON’T point your feet at anyone. Be careful when seated not to cross your legs in a way that has your feet at pointing at someone (better not to cross your legs!). This rule applies even when seated on a mat on the floor. Pointing at someone with your foot is considered an insult. Shoes should be removed when entering a home or a temple. (Don’t worry, no one will take them!)

DON’T pat anyone on the head, even children. The head is considered the most sacred part of the body and should not be touched. Don’t point at someone’s head; don’t count the people in a group by pointing at their heads.

DON’T kiss and cuddle in public. Overt displays of affection, even among married couples, are frowned on everywhere in the country. (This one was tough since we are used to holding hands when walking together!)

DON’T wear shorts or spaghetti straps in public. Upper arms and legs should be covered, at least to the knee.

DON’T walk in a monk’s shadow. This superstition is thought to lead to illness since walking on the shadow can release the demons of ill health.

DON’T lose your temper or talk loudly and aggressively. That will only aggravate a situation and make it worse. Smile. Don’t criticize. Allow others to “save face”.

DON’T use your left hand to give something to someone. The left hand is considered dirty. Use either the right hand or both hands together.

DON’T touch a Cambodian woman if you are a man, even in friendliness or joking.

DON’T cross your fingers (like a “good luck” sign in the US), this is an obscene gesture in Cambodia.

We have observed that not all Cambodians observe all of these rules very strictly, especially young people. But, it is up to them, not us, to decide where the limits can or cannot be relaxed, so we try to be aware of situations where these norms apply and respect them.

Rainstorm!

Remember when I said it doesn't rain here during the dry season? Well, I guess it does, occasionally. We have been away for 3 days visiting Angkor Wat (more on that later -- fabulous!!). On the way back yesterday afternoon, the bus drove through a heavy rainstorm about 20 mn before arriving in Phnom Penh. But, upon arrival, our tuk-tuk driver said there had been no rain in the city. That storm did come through our part of the city about half an hour later. And, there was another very heavy rainstorm just after supper. After asking if this is normal, we were told that there are "occasional" rains during this period, before the "big dry season" starts in April. The main result of yesterday's rain was to bump the humidity level up a notch.

Street sweepers

Every morning I wake to a soft swish, swishing sound. The guardian is sweeping the courtyard, as well as the sidewalk and curb outside the church property. As I leave for my sunrise walk, everyone up and down the street is doing the same thing. Every morning all the leaves that have fallen in the past 24 hours are swept up. There are sweepers on the open public spaces as well, and street sweepers every morning at various places on surrounding streets.

Street sweeping is bottom-of-the-line labor, but it is a job that is helpful and appreciated. The street sweepers I see here in Phnom Penh are all women. There have been street sweepers most of the places where we have lived. Most French cities have them. In the last French town we lived in, the same 2 men swept the streets in our part of town and we would greet them as we went about our morning business.

I guess sweeping the streets is only important in a society where people walk around neighborhoods to shop or to go to the bank and post office and doctor’s office. I guess that wouldn’t make any sense in a “cars only” society. Too bad. I appreciate street sweepers.

Follow-up traffic report

After my post yesterday on traffic patterns, I had the surprise this evening while walking back to the apartment during rush hour, to see someone directing traffic in the middle of an intersection about 3 blocks away. He was wearing a uniiform of some kind and, with wild gestures and much whistle-blowing, was stopping and releasing the flow the traffic. The only visible result, as far as I could see, was a two-block back-up on both of the intersecting streets.

Traffic patterns

My first impression of traffic in this city of 1 million people was summed up in one word: chaotic. Without following any particular lanes, motorbikes, SUVs and tuk-tuk crowd each other along the street. There are hundreds of thousands of motorbikes, interspersed with thousands of SUVs (relatively few sedans), tuk-tuk, and pedestrians in the street. (A tuk-tuk is a covered, open-sided carriage pulled by a motorbike and is the main means of paid public transportation—it can easily seat 4; and 6 passengers fit if you squeeze a bit.)

I have since learned that there is a definite pattern to what happens on the streets of Phnom Penh. The movement is kind of like a slow-motion dance. If you follow a couple of basic rules, you can merge into it quite well.

Normal Western rules-of-the-road are only followed in the most general sense. There are stop signs, but I have never seen anyone stop for one. There are so few traffic signals in the city, that city maps indicate every one of them. This means that every intersection has to be negotiated. But, to my surprise, it all seems to work very well, and I have yet to see an accident.

This morning I had an appointment out on a far corner of the city. That meant a half-hour ride in a tuk-tuk, so I again observed this “dance” from right in the middle of the “dance floor” since we took some of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.

The secret is that no one goes fast, so there is continual, gradual merging in lanes. At intersections, the heaviest flow of traffic seems to have the priority and everything – bikes, motorbikes, trucks, tuk-tuk – gets through at the same time. When crossing an intersection, you slowly merge your way into the center through this crossways flow until you get across. The same rule applies to pedestrians. You keep your eye on the oncoming flow of traffic and start walking slowly across it, being careful not to stop or make a sudden move. Everyone sees you and adjusts accordingly. If they are not going to let you go in front of them, they honk – and you’d better listen!

Traffic goes on the right side of the street, like in the US – usually. Several times I have found myself intently watching the arriving flow of traffic as I step out into the intersection and am startled by a motorbike that beeps because he cuts me off, coming the other direction! A couple of times my tuk-tuk driver has also taken the left lane in a divided street so he could turn left at the next intersection.

Pedestrians walk in the street along with the flow of vehicles. There are wide, tiled sidewalks along most major streets. However, they are rarely available to walk on. Whoever owns the building also owns the sidewalk in front of it. This means that he can set up his shop all the way out to the street or, more commonly, use it for parking. When walking, it is just easier to walk in the street rather than slalom through all these obstacles. I’ve also found, contrary to my intuition, that it is safer to walk along with the flow of traffic rather than facing it. Motorbikes are used to avoiding pedestrians in front of them, but they don’t seem to know what to do when they find you facing them.

I actually find all of this vaguely beautiful and very fascinating. And, yes!, it works!

Teacher! Teacher!

I enjoy teaching, especially adults. So, I gladly accepted when Lawrence asked if I could teach the conversation class for the pre-intermediate level at the Four Rivers English Language Center. I've done it a couple of times now and have had a good time. Fortunately, the students seemed to enjoy it, too.










































These two Khmer sisters are adorable, and very clever.











This 22 year-old Korean student insisted on joining me for my 6:30 a.m. walk so she could practice English with me. Now, that is dedication!

A real Cambodian wedding

A wedding in Cambodia is a BIG thing. A traditional wedding lasts three days, although modern families usually reduce it to just one. I had a front-row seat this week to a Cambodian wedding, and it was quite an impressive affair.

The bride and groom were a young couple from the Khmer congregation. Neither of their families are Christian, but the couple wanted a Christian ceremony. The bride’s parents basically said that none of their Buddhist friends would come to a ceremony in a church, so if she wanted it that way, she would have to pay for it! The church rallied around and provided a fabulous wedding. The families did attend the church ceremony.

Preparations started 2 days ahead of time with the construction of the wedding tent that covered the whole church yard and half of the street out front. A huge outdoor kitchen was set up along the curb. The wedding day began very early with a sit-down Cambodian breakfast (various kinds of soups, rice, and noodles) served to all the guests at beautifully decorated tables. This varied from a traditional wedding which begins with the groom’s family processing to the bride’s house to present the dowry and begin the ceremonies, which take place in the home.

The wedding itself began about 8:30 a.m. It had most of the elements of a traditional US wedding ceremony – giving away by the parents, exchange of vows, exchange of rings, and lighting a common candle. One very nice touch was when the bride and groom each knelt and washed each other’s feet. Since public displays of affection are not acceptable in Cambodia – even for married couples, the usual “you may kiss the bride” was reduced to a discreet peck on the forehead and each cheek.

I was told that since there is little audience participation at a Buddhist wedding where the monks chant on and on, people are used to talking on their phones, drinking tea, etc. during the ceremonies. So, the atmosphere in the church was less than hushed, and when the sermon went on a bit long, many of the Buddhist family members gradually got up and went outside to visit.

At the end of the ceremony, the bridal party disappeared, only to re-appear about 15 minutes later. They had all changed out of their white dresses and tuxedos and now wore fabulously ornate traditional pink and gold Cambodian costumes. Then there were more ceremonies in which each set of parents, followed by other relatives and friends, sat down beside the couple kneeling with their hands joined on golden pillows to give them words of blessing and encouragement. Many Christian friends prayed for them at this time. Of course, everything was in Khmer, of which I don’t understand a word, so I was depending on brief explanations given by those around me. This second time of ceremony ended with more prayers by the pastor and the couple being showered with flowers.

After the ceremony, the family members left, but the other guests were again given a lunch of soup, rice, a sort of omelet dish with vegetables, and a delicious steamed fish. That ended the 4 ½ hours at the church, but the day wasn’t yet finished.

Late in the afternoon over 200 of us gathered at a banquet hall in another part of the city for an elaborate Cambodian meal. Hot meat or fish hors d’oeuvres were followed by steaming plates of poultry, meat, fish, vegetables, salads – there were over a dozen dishes in all. The whole thing was accompanied by a band with singers performing very good, but very loud, Cambodian music.

During the whole dinner, the bride, groom, and entire wedding party stayed outside at the entrance to the banquet hall to greet all guests as they entered or left. I suppose they got to eat at some point, but they had not yet come inside when the party I was with decided to leave.

Part of the tradition is for the whole wedding party to change costumes numerous times during the various ceremonies so that they can be seen in various colors. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza for which no one wants to cut corners. Cambodians are a naturally beautiful people and, I must admit, the visual effect was stunning!