OUR FIRST SIX WEEKS

by Gabrielle Low

The MCCC missionaries in Cambodia described their first six weeks on mission

We are sure everyone is curious with what is happening to us since we arrived on June 15. The first week was “tour guide duty” to the Bruneians and also looking at apartments and re-connecting with a few friends we have made in our “come and see” Cambodia trip in April 2007.

After we had sent off our Bruneian friends at Siem Reap, we travelled back to Phnom Penh for another earnest round of looking at apartments and houses. Our first task was to look for a suitable place to live in and use as our base. However, after a fruitless search for a habitable three-storey level house, we decided to settle for a service apartment.

Front view of the apartment block consisting of 39 units

We are very blessed that we found a studio apartment, "big" enough for the three of us, at a reasonable rate. We love it because it is new and it has 24 hours security, with a few facilities thrown it. (Just like our first world country)!  The owners are Chinese Taiwanese.  When we asked for adiscount on the rent, they gave it to us as they know we are volunteers with a limited budget. Fortunately, the lady boss was a volunteer in her own country and she understands what we are about. Thus, she has been very accommodating towards us by allowing the three of us in the same studio apartment. Usually a studio apartment is meant for one or two persons (We are very thankful to the good Lord for his blessings). To put three in one place is a tight squeeze, especially when we share a queen size bed. No one is allowed to toss and turn in bed! Talk about personal space!  We are learning to live as a community and family. Each one of us has our own idiosyncrasies but when we remember the bigger picture, living together gets a little easier.

The prayer corner in the apartment

In the midst of gradually settling down, the apartment is slowly getting into shape. We have to take into consideration our needs first and not our wants, so the apartment is not really the way we want it yet.  Living in community, we have to come to many compromises; even with simple things, like colours.  It has been a struggle at times but compromises make a good umbrella. Therefore, it is hanging loose. 

Our apartment is near the Ministry of Defense. A few doors away from us is an army camp. We checked with our friends here and they told us not to be worried as the riot or army clash happened about 10 years ago. It is ONE party now, so it is safe to live near the camp! Very reassuring! Therefore, in abbreviation, it is DN but the way they say it sounds like "THEY END". Sometimes we get the accent right: the tuk-tuk drivers know where to take us, sometimes, our pronunciation is too nasal for them and they have no idea! We have to give other landmarks. Our Cambodian friend came up with DN as the closest and best landmark as we keep calling him to give the tuk-tuk drivers directions to our apartment. (Poor friend!)

The living room area which also sleeps one of the members

The staff has been very helpful but poor staff too, as old habits die hard, we imported our Singapore standards here. We may come across as a little demanding in expecting things to be done in a certain way.  HOWEVER, it is because there has been many teething problems with the apartment as it new. We have one air con named "creepy" ( a friend who has a dog named it as such as she is not too happy with it) and the other is Gerogie (she is a sweetheart, creepy is very temperamental as she just turns on by herself) and we have to shut down the power whenever we leave the apartment. We have tootsie the toaster (cause the power to trip), Philip and Sharpe, the rice cookers, (they love to over drench themselves and we have great difficulty cleaning them even though it is always soup), Cornell, the vacuum cleaner (the wire could not retract after we first used it and the pipe was stuck with debris from the construction of the building). As you can see, we have very temperamental appliances; we have to talk to them very kindly and affectionately to cooperate with us.

Mass at the Missionaries of Charity Convent

Another thing we took for granted was our meals (it is food paradise) back in Singapore. Furthermore we had our mothers or sisters to prepare our meals. Here we have to cook our meals. We have to say, it is a new experience for all of us. We have different taste, likes and dislikes. In other words, we have to adjust to each other’s taste buds, so to speak. In the beginning, we seemed to be expanding a lot of our time and energy in preparing our meals. Thus, we decided that it is much better to cook a one-pot meal, usually a potpourri of greens with rice and have it for two meals.

Next on the agenda is the learning of the language. As the writing is in Sanskrit, we can forget about learning to read and write. We are attempting to speak Khymer for now. When we have to travel, our mode of transport is the tuk-tuk. It is a motorized carriage: instead of being attached to a horse, it is to a motorcycle. It is an open, so as we travel with our clean and fresh hair, ten minutes later, you cannot run your fingers through the hair anymore.   The pollution is that bad.

The thing that bugs us is that the drivers charge us at a ridiculous price (simply because we are foreigners). After we have agreed on a price, we hop on and halfway through the journey, they want to increase the fare and insist that it is very far!  We are slowly learning how to bargain with the tuk-tuk drivers. Sometimes they agree to our price and at other times, they refuse to take us.  Thus, we have to wait for the next one that comes along.

In the first couple of weeks, we have only picked up a few words, like we know how to say 'go straight' and 'stop' and only 'turn right'! Why? Because "right" sounds like "S'daam" of Sadam Hussein. Boy! When it comes to turning right, we love it but we cannot tell the driver to keep turning right!  We will never get to where we are going! Therefore, when it is left….it is hand gestures. However, a few weeks later, we found out that “Left” in Khmer sounds like Mark “Twain”. We can go left now! 

Another thing we do as a community is to pray together.  We pray the “Lauds” in the morning and the Divine Mercy daily. We usually attend sunset mass at World Vision. The Maryknoll Fathers are the one who celebrate and preach. It is a mini UN: you named the country and it is there.  The opportunity to meet and mix with other international communities is a good bonus.  We have a regular  tuk-tuk driver to take us to World Vision for sunset mass. It is much easier and we just sit back and enjoy the polluted air on the way!  For morning mass (0630 hours), we attend at the Sisters of Missionaries of Charity.  We are looking into volunteering our services there.

In July, we visited and offered our services in Ho Chi Minh and Hue, Vietnam.  The Daughters of Mary Immaculate opened their doors and welcomed us.

With the Daughters of Mary Immaculate at Ho Chi Minh City

For our first ministry here, the Bishop of Battambang invited us in August to help their youth with their English.  As Frances had trained teachers before, she will teach the youth and teachers approaches and strategies that will enhance their teaching of English.

Frances introducing the youth leaders to the Shared Book Approach

We also render our services to the service apartment staff, fellow tenants as well as friends whenever the need arises. For now, the “arduous” task of acquiring the language is slowly seeding; our contacts are increasing and we will continue to offer our services to the local community.