Pedagogy, for beginners

There are days like this, where my low to inexistant, but daily increasing skills with children have to be sacrified for the purpose of a lesson learned. Or in other words: I am once again amazed by God's timing.

When it comes to missions and adapting to a new culture, we are always beginners. Despite my three preceding experiences in Cambodia, I admit our first three weeks in Cambodia have truely been an initiation for us. Living in a small orphenage and sharing our roof, bathrooms or even beds (Michèle you're the best!) with Hisar, Riem, Sreign, and Chet and Phally, our two lovely little flatmates, have truely been a blessing for us. But I must admit, adapting so fast to such a different culture and way of living, where privacy is quasi inexistant has been at times difficult for us. We often prayed for strenght and compassion...and slowly started to love our situation and enjoy the joy and cheerfulness, and above all the simplicity our little new friends were bringing to our lives.

It is the very moment we finished our adaptation and were fully and wholeheartedly thankful for our living situation and gave up any claim for a more confortable living that God chose to make us meet my friend Timothée (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJLjtEOU5As). Timothée is a young french missionary, who has an amazing ministry among street children here in Phnom Penh, by creating a really efficient center to act as a shelter and safe haven for them. He was about to leave for south america to visit churches and encourage communities, and was eagerly looking for somebody to look after his house. And here we are, in a wonderful villa in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, where the sun is shining, the streetlights inexistant and the access somehow..difficult. But the neighbors are very nice, and (except some weird animals) not one sound can be heard at night. The neighborhood is lovely, and there is a small church nearby that is said to be the first church in Phnom Penh.

Glory be to the Great Pedagogue! Through our amazing little friend, He taught us simplicity, trust and flexibility; and through our new living situation he taught us an important thing: he invented the very notion of timing*.

* As it turned out, and totally independantly from our knowledge, the very day we moved out five new kids where scheduled to move in the space scarce little orphenage, bringing obvious bed allocation issues.

Viet-stats

1700 km and one night in a bus

21 hours train at an average speed of 50km/h

A day in the kingdom of Kitch (aka Dalat)

100'000 dongs to hang out with authentic Vietnamese cowboy dudes

One night on the loveliest hostel in town.

Spits, sneezes and noisy throat clearing "a volonté"

But...

95 Delicious Springrolls (ie about 6, each and every day)

An average of 6 dollars per night and per person for accomodation

White beaches, Wonderful architecture, Idyllic landscapes...and an awesome people

Vietnam... ain't surely nut'n like it!

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Kommentarfunktion
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Vortrittsregeln

Règles de priorité, ROW rules

VKU (autoécole, driving school), Europa

Status quo in Phnom Penh, Kambodscha

Un casque pour mademoiselle

Qui aurait pensé que je posèderai un jour un casque de moto rien que pour moi?
– Dans le nom de la sécurité routière, nous nous sommes rendus hier dans un magasin de casque en toute forme pour choisir notre deuxième crâne. Malheureusement, les designs les plus stables n'étaient offert qu'à partir de taille L, ce qui épouse bien la tête de Monsieur, mais est un peu large sur celui de Mademoiselle. Grâce au vocabulaire khmer de Marc, on partageait cette observation à la vendeuse, suite à quoi elle a disparu pour revenir ensuite avec un casque portant le sticker "XL". Un peu déçu de nos efforts linguistiques, nous discutons si oui ou non accepter le modèle original quand elle continuait à insister que je mette sa nouvelle proposition.
Et voilà la surprise: Effectivement, j'étais beaucoup plus à l'aise avec ce nouveau XL – et depuis, je me sense pire futée avec ma grande tête. :)


A helmet for the young miss

Who would have thought that one day I will own my very own motorbike helmet?
– In the name of street security, we showed up yesterday at a helmet store in downtown Phnom Penh. Among the divers designs, we were sure to find a second skull.
Unfortunately however, the most stable models were offered only in size L or larger, which fits well on the mister's head, but is quite loose on myself. Thanks to the Marc's khmer vocabulary, we share this observation with the seller, upon which she disappears to come back seconds later with a helmet carrying a sticker "XL". A little disappointed at our linguistic efforts, we discuss whether or not to accept the initial model. All the while, the lady continues to insist that I should put on her new suggestion.
And here's the surprise: Indeed, I was much more at ease with this new model XL – and since feel incredibly smart with my big head. :)

Schön wie Hund und Affe

Interkulturelle Kommunikation in Thailand

"Oh, Michèle, du bist so schön... so weiss – wie ein Hund", sagt Kwan mit einem grossen Lachen im Gesicht, was mich leicht irritiert und Marc köstlich amüsiert. Zu meiner eigenen Verteidigung muss ich allerdings anmerken, dass unsere thailändische Freundin Hunde über alles liebt, und auch der dreckigste Strassenköter ihr ein "oh, so herzig!" entlockt.
Das beste kommt allerdings noch, denn nachdenklich betrachtet sie nun meine Unterarme, mit einem leichten Flaum kurzer, heller Haare bedeckt, wie das für Mitteleuropäer nun mal üblich ist. Kurzerhand entschliesst sie sich, ihr Kompliment auszubauen: "Oh nein, ... wie eine Mischung aus Hund und Affe!"
Zu diesem Zeitpunkt sieht man Marc's Augen schon lange nicht mehr, sein ganzes Gesicht lacht so asiatisch wie nur möglich; und rundherum begrüssen ihn alle in Thai. Nur die Sonnencrème, zu der ich ihn jeden Morgen verdamme und die er dann im Laufe des Tages stur abstösst, bildet einen weissen Film über der Haut und verrät auch diesen "Farang".

Schön ist es, Freunde mit einem Schönheitsideal zu haben, dem man auch ohne Sonnenbaden entspricht. :)

Pretty as dog and monkey
Intercultural communication in Thailand

"Oh, Michèle, you are so pretty... so white – like a dog", says Kwan with a big smile on her face, to Marc's utter amusement. In my own defense I have to add that our thai friend loves dogs more than anything and she bursts out in admiration at even the dirtiest street cur.
As if this wasn't enough, she now examines my underarms, covered with fine blonde body hair as common fro the European race. Without hesitation, she decides to expand her compliment: "I mean... like a mixture between dog and monkey!"
At this point of time, Marc's eyes have long disappeared in a big Asian smile, and people all around have long started addressing him directly in Thai. Only the sun screen that he is forced to put on every morning and which he then rejects over the course of the day, it builds a white film on top of his skin and thus denounces even this hidden "Farang".

How good is it to have friends with a beauty ideal, which to fulfill requires neither sun bathing nor epilation. :)

Practical Love

Amour pratique
Praktische Liebe