He said, she said... whatever!

We opened our schoolyear two weeks ago. A very unique incident (for DB Cambodian schools) happened. One of the students accepted for the girl's sewing department passed off for a girl (looks like a girl, dresses like a girl, but really a boy- check out the picture!). She/he even got a place in the girl's dormitory until the girl's found out that she/he was not of their kind.

So the rector searched out the documents after a complaint from the girl's hostel. All school documents registered him/her as female.... but the family book entered his birth as a boy. After meeting with the parents, the rector concluded that obviously and definitely he/she could not be accomodated in the girl's hostel.

As for studying in the sewing department, the rector allowed him/her to continue on one condition (school policy)... that he/she dresses up like a boy. But he/she couldn't give that up cause "she was a girl trapped in a boy's body" and decided not to stay. So we wish him/her good luck in her next course of action.

I know You love us all for what we are, but sometimes we're never really contented with what you give and what we have. And as they say, true peace can only come with contentment.

School Pedestrian Lane

Normally in many countries, the policeman stops the traffic or the motorists stop by themselves whenever they see children crossing the street after school.
Today I saw two parallel lines of children, hand in hand, literally blocking the vehicles coming from both sides of the road, so that other school children could cross the street safely after class hours. It was like Moses parting the red sea so that the Israelites could cross.

Is it the lack of patience or the lack of concern on the part of the motorists here that made school children resort to such unique tactics? or is it just lack of discipline? There seems to be little regard for traffic laws in this country . On the roads you see both LHD and RHD vehicles (the latter being illegal). Motorcyles, bicycles and cars easily counterflow and are not caught. But an interesting thing is when you are caught by the police you could bargain for the fine (like from $10 going down to $1 - depending on the violation and how many policemen there are waiting for you).

This reminds me of religious discipline. Would I need an external barricade or would I stop on my own because I believe in it?
Discipline, they say, is when you do things you are supposed to do even without anybody watching! (hmmm... except You, of course!)

A longing to hope for

Captured these moments this morning:

(1) Little girl: Oh, goody, goody, here's the ice cream man!

(2) Little girl: Now, how do I get past these big guys...

(3) Little girl: See, small doesn't mean weak if you really want something bad enough!

After Sunday Mass at the Sihanoukville parish, children would run towards the ice cream man. Their excitement tells me that it's something that they've been longing to do for the whole week.... to grab an ice cream and relish it!

Now that sets me thinking... how wonderful it must be for us older ones if this is the same way we feel with our longing for YOU every Sunday. After all, isn't "The Bread of Life" far more nutritious than ice cream?

A Series of (un)Fortunate Events

Yesterday I met Albeiro again in Phnom Penh. Last time I saw him was when we gave him a send off some four years ago to proceed with his theology studies in Israel. Now he's back and at present is working in Don Bosco Streetchildren Center Poipet (that's at the Khmer-Thai border). More pictures of the streetchildren work can be found in his spanish site: http://tinyurl.com/c37pf

We both arrived in Cambodia in 1999 after Oscar fetched us and in turn, we saw him off to Africa (see previous post).

What astonishes me is the fact that Albeiro was ordained a priest the almost on the same week Oscar died. Only days separated the birth of a salesian priest from the death of one.

Now I believe that guy Job was right about You: You know when to give and when to take away.

The Times of Your Life

Yesterday some of my former Khmer students (whom I taught English, Computer, Marketing, Origami, and even Basketball) came to visit me. We then chanced to look at their picture of years back (like the one displayed here) and talk about those times.
How different things are now. This time some of them are already mothers (one even brought her two year old for me to play with).

I heard it once said that for a person's destiny to be complete one has to do three things in life: (1) plant a tree, (2) write a book, and (3) sire a child.

Well I've planted my trees but I don't think I could do the two latter ones. It seems my students are ahead of me now... But I'm not envious... I'm happy when I hear them call me "Father." And now to their kids, they point at me and tell them: "That's Lohk Tha (Grandfather)."

So You see, I'm happy calling You: "Abba" too. But I wonder how Your Name would sound had I sired a child?