Good bye and hello

We were so used to Changiville. It's our home away from home - our kitchen. Dara was trained in Singapore and he did not use MSG in his cooking. My favourite was Pho with the soft beef tendons. That's where I started to eat with chillie padi too.

There were problems with the landlord and one day, the guest house cum cafe was gone. We are getting used to how quickly things change. Shops open and close and usually with little notice. So I started to look for alternatives. It surprised me that there were a lot of eating places around me. I could go left or right, far or near and I was happy. I was not much of a foodie but I was becoming one. During meal times I will tell the folks "I am looking for food!" and off I go, hunting for comfort food, desserts, avocado shakes and I was becoming quite adventurous and discerning.

One evening we walked into a little shop cum residence and I was OK the moment I saw soup in the pot. Bong Yod smiled widely and very warmly and I returned to eat regularly.

Think about it. I barely manage saying the numbers in Khmer and can only point or take my money out and she uses her fingers to show me how many thousands or hundreds. She will teach me how to say the amount and I am learning! And we have come a long way.

I observed that she stored her dried food items with soap and insecticide aerosols and mosquito coils in the same glass cabinet. One day I was there with a local colleague and with her help, told Bong Yod that these items should be separated. She was very welcoming about the info and explained she thought the packaging was safe enough. She even clarified what items could go together.

I also told her about the use of MSG as I could taste it and the effects on hair fall. She was like "no wonder my family is experiencing hair falls!" She quickly asked for alternative ways of cooking and I shared how I would have cooked the soup she was serving. She was concerned that local customers might not like it and I suggested having MSG available for those who want it.

A few days later the goods were rearranged. I could taste the change in her cooking too. I was surprised as a friend had told me the folks here do not change easily. She has this enthusiasm about her dishes and through her daughter who speaks English, I sometimes explain why I like some items and why not some others. My current favourites are her ginger chicken, stewed bitter gourd, fish sour soup and potato-radish soup.

This evening was the best. She was alone with her 2 year old grandson who was giving her a hard time as he wanted to be in on everything. Cars usually stop by for cigarettes or gum or just anything and junior would take his stool to stand on it next to the car and join in the conversation.

This time he was going really near the car to pick something up as the car was moving off. She shouted and carried him away while I gave him the disapproving look. He was greatly offended, got on the floor and threw a tantrum. Grandma got the cane and I quickly got an empty carton and a plastic bottle and waved him toward me on the floor. I pointed him to the bottle like "you are this guy here" then swung the carton like a car and knocked over the bottle. Then I showed him a hit on my head and he seemed to get it. He held his head like he was hit! He was smiling and enjoying the conversation without words. Grandma understood what I was trying to tell him and spoke to him.

I taught him "thumbs up" for being clever and a "Hi five" like we are friends. I waved good bye to a happy boy who waved back and rewarded myself with a dessert treat at the street corner.

Good bye Changiville and Hello Bong Yod!

New beginning

It took 4 hours and Think Pad was alive again!

On this trip to the city, connectivity was restored, I was recharged and all was well. It is wonderful to have experts who can bring new life back to a dead tool. It is as important to have relief for tired workers.

Relief teacher was a breath of fresh air. She was as she sounded on the phone and we hit off right after we met at the airport arrival hall.

I was slowly recovering from over extending myself by having 3 hours less work each day. The girls were refreshed too by having a new face, and new approach to learning English. The amazing thing is that Relief teacher shares exactly the values I hold dear. So what she did not have time to address, I picked up and it was like hand in glove - like we have been working together for ages!

Back home I was thrilled to meet the different speakers in person at the opening night of the Global Consultation of Music and Mission (GcoMM). Every day and night, I was discovering new ideas and ways of doing things. We can do a lot by not doing a lot!

Meeting new people was so refreshing and inspiring. I read Michael Card's "A Better Freedom" twice before meeting him in person. It was a blessing to be ministered to by such a gifted and humble servant of God.

I tried "Creative use of my hands" session and discovered I could express in water colours. The interpretation of my piece of work was very powerful and I am still awed by what is happening and will be happening in me on this journey. I shared this with the students I worked with the 2 days before I left. That they will be like dragon flies - resilient and staying strong through all the hard and difficult times, and like the lotus flower - untainted by the mud water it grows in and as a plant, every part of it is useful!

New beginnings at every turn. Charming and inviting, like a shining star leading me on and on. I like it.

Cool Bugs

The weather has been cooler these days. After scorching sunshine till about 2 pm, the clouds gather. The rain is short but regular enough to bring green colour back to the ground. The cows roam into our fields and it is great to see them eating. Once, some Singapore primary students actually thought these were horses! The skeletal frames of these animals show how lean they are.

Rain also brings the bugs. A regular morning will find at least 10 specimens of bugs at the wash basin in the bathroom. On a day that rains, swarms greet you. They flutter around lights and reflective surfaces. My bathroom door is white. Once, I could not proceed to shower as the swarms overwhelmed my guts. This is a hard part of life here. The next morning will find dead insects piled up outside the door. So there is daily removal of dead bodies (though its just insects).

Once I saw quite a sight. There was a "caravan"of ants taking their prized Goliaths (dead winged insects) back into their territory. The entrance though is not more than 4mm. The ants actually repositioned the large winged insect to fit - wingtip, then torso, then the rest of the wings! They efficiently negotiated the entrance and the big guy disappeared. On and on they went. My pests are their treasures! There must be tons of bugs - dead and alive behind those walls.

For sure I know there are bugs in my computer. Since Godzilla struck my notebook, I witness the breakdown of the system. No matter how I try, the functions diminish on a daily basis and it died today.

My comp is supposed to be able to survive a war but it is killed by bugs. Now I hope there will be some good bugs available to eat up the bad guys or to effectively "caravan" them away.

Less is More!

Yes I am in a one room unit that opens to a verandah greeted by vibrant pink bougainvilleas on the fence. The hotter the weather, the stronger the pink. As this room faces the west, mornings are cool, colourful and bright. I wake at 4 or 5 am. This is 5 or 6 am back home.

I have a clothes rack with adequate hangers, a table, chair, bed and mosquito netting. As it is a corner room, windows on adjacent walls give good cross currents. The power to the ceiling fan and light shuts off at 12 noon to 2pm and 12 midnight to 4 am daily. This is to reduce power consumption as the generator powers the entire women's centre and orphanage. There is the DC powered fan that was loaned to me. This wonder kicks in when the generator shuts down. And there is more.

Well water is pumped and stored and flows freely for showers and laundry. I have a bathroom cum toilet unit that I have the key to in the detached shower building. I enjoy up to 4 showers a day at its hottest and have no lack of hydration as rainwater is harvested and filtered for consumption. Water bottle is filled with ready cold water from the fridge. Wireless connection is slow in the day but fine at night. Phone reception is perfect in certain spots of the complex. Plenty of cats and no rats sighted so far. I sleep at 11 latest and wake without the alarm - and no struggle! I have the center manager's company for breakfast in her quarters and lunch and dinner with her and the orphanage manager daily.

I started "work" in the afternoon after landing at about 7.40am in Phnom Penh. As the routine is fine tuned, I train from 8.30 am to 8pm, with 2 hour lunch and 2 hour dinner breaks. The girls are motivated. They understand the purpose of Project 5 & 2 and are eager to be part of it.

So I see them daily, have 3 square meals, no TV, no snacks, and found myself having more. I could focus on them, their needs and pull out suitable "food" for the day and hour. I am all here - no fuss about what to eat, what to drink, where to have supper, what sale offers to take up, who's coming to visit or whatever. I had time to think, to read. And I was glad I brought "The Race" by Dr Robert Solomon.

As I gobble up the chapters, I was thrilled I was simplifying again. Every chapter spoke and what resonated most was Live simply - Travel light. I am on track and on the right journey.

The girls have a mattress and their bags in a dorm for15. I have a room for one. It is plenty.

I have more of me to be and give when I have less encumbrances. Less is more!

Let go

I was totally enjoying friends and family when they share my home. Even though it meant a lot of effort hosting, I always felt it was worthwhile extending myself this way.

Home is my responsibility. I kept it well and find it my sanctuary. I love coming home. After hearing myself say that a few times I realised I was growing roots. I am kind of missing the point.

One of my favourite Negro spiritual is "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through ... my treasures are layed up, somewhere beyond the blue ..."

Quite quickly I decided this place has served its purpose and my hosting season is over. I suppose when it is not my gifting, it takes a lot of effort. It is always on my mind and I am constantly making decisions concerning this responsibility. It has become a weight.

So with a new opportunity to be stationed out of country I bite the bullet and move on. I only need a room and a 2 bedroom unit brings with it the responsibilty of more to upkeep and responding to others' need of shelter.

The privilege of being single is the freedom to respond to relocation. There is no care of husband or children and in my case no longer the need to care for aged parents. Not having to tend the house to ready it for unexpected needs is a great encumberence removed.

And so I go - full and free to love my Beloved - my Treasure! He has no place to rest His head but has provided a room for me. And more than that, He loved me and loves me still and has committed Himself to me. He is my home!

Happy hours!

Fridays were happy hours for WK and his family as the children could sleep late and have special meals. I thought that was a great idea and have enjoyed many happy hours at their home. Once his boy announced "I like today!" We were just thrilled that being happy was so simple - have a bunch of friends home for a meal and just yak the night away!

I celebrated a friend's birthday once at my home. Things were pretty rough that year as her dad and dad in-law took turns to be hospitalised. I got her family, WK's family and some friends and we had a great time. I realised I like fussing about getting food and water and then the party takes a life of its own once everyone feels at home.

I began doing it more since upgrading to air-conditioning and friends from overseas started passing by. Its a tight venue but it meant really getting the guests combination right. Today's was the best yet!

It started with a "hi" when I was on line and the surprise that A from USA is actually back in Malaysia and coming to Singapore. So the date was set and everyone on the list could come. It was a joyful surprise when a missed favourite appeared before A. The excitement and chatter was music to my ears. Then someone's 92 kg brother did come with his wife and that was icing on the cake as we were like friends all over again with spouses included!

Why am I so happy?

I think it is about looking back. There is so much memory with one another that meeting again is such a highlight. There were short versions of updates and quick snapshots of what's happening. We were not tired of repeating our stories for the 10th time or more. There was depth as we noted how we have grown and changed. We were not pining for more times like this but just so thrilled we had a time like this.

This is a happy hour! So much have happened while we were apart and we have a chance to spill freely as we are a community with shared history. We were young together.