Removing the slippers
I arrived in Cambodia at 6pm, local time, on Friday. I was greeted by 2 Cambodian men, who came with Fr Totet, to Siem Reap (a 3 hours drive!) to pick me up. I felt very honored by this, as I was expecting to get a taxi to Battambang. They dropped me off at my hotel in Siem Reap for the night as it was already late, planning to meet me early the next morning to drive back to Battambang. I was recommended to spend the evening walking around the night market in Siem Reap, and investigating 'Pub Street', in the French Quarter. As I made to leave for the market, I was met by several tuk-tuk drivers who tried their best to convince me it was too far to walk ... It took me 15 mins tops.
I walked around the market, where traders make every effort to win your custom: "Mister! Mister! You want something? For you special discount!". One guy tried to sell me some chopsticks at $15, then down to $12 as a "discount", as I show lack of interest it drops to $10, as I make for the door it's $7, and as I'm out of the shop and down the road it's $5 cause for me it's "especial discount". No doubt they were worth $1 at a push. It can get quite irritating with everyone always trying to force a sale on you, whether it's a tuk-tuk ride, or food, or a 5 minute foot bath with fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet. One woman was trying to sell me a massage at "special discount" because I was "very handsome" (nice try), and also said something about having no customers. She had a hold on my arm and, feeling quite pressured, I said "What... you mean for free?! EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! FREE MASSAGES RIGHT HERE!", pointing to the location of said masseuse. Quite annoyed, she hit me with her pricelist as I walked off. It was probably quite uncharitable on my part, and I don't mean to encourage this kind of behavior, but nevertheless it got me out of that situation. I had a cocktail and headed back to my hotel. It was sad to see how concerned people are with making money; trying whatever they can to earn. It isn't out of materialism, I don't think, but poverty.
On Saturday morning I met the warm character that is Fr. Totet - a person I can see myself developing a great friendship with over the coming weeks. He is from the Philippines, but works as a Jesuit Missionary here in the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang (posh way of saying a small diocese). I was moved at how he drove out to Siem Reap just to pick me up. On Saturdays he visits a parish in a city 1 1/2 hours from Battambang, and invited me join him there. So, after dropping my stuff off at my new home, we left for Pailin - previously a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge. Situated near the mountains, it was slightly cooler. Still, the weather is constantly warm and humid here. It gets hot when the sun is out at daytime, but it's never unbearable if you stay in the shade. I'm used to it already.
We had a vigil mass, which many Cambodians attended, especially youth. Only a few were actually Catholic and came up to receive communion; the rest turn up out of curiosity. One lad received the sign of the cross - a first step in becoming Catholic, in which the priest traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate.
After mass, we had dinner prepared by a Marist - Br. Francis, from Ghana. Several Marist brothers live at this church in Pailin, and Br. Francis made a very special effort to make me feel welcome. He put on such a great spread: making pizza from scratch, mashed potatoes and peas, spiced pork, fried fish, and freshly baked cake & custard for dessert. With french red wine to accompany it, and martini rosso (my favourite!) for afters - It was bliss! Br. Francis kept asking it whether I was enjoying the food, and took great pleasure in making me feel at home and happy.
With a full tummy I slept like a baby. Today (Sunday), we left Pailin early to get back to Battambang so that Fr. Totet could say the 8:30am mass here. It has been a restful day. I had a good conversation with Fr Totet, and he spoke about the Cambodian way, and how he has come to accept and love the culture here. He gave the example of removing the slippers. When he arrived, he was struck at how, before entering a building, Cambodians remove their footwear and only walk barefoot inside, whether its a house or a church. It was an act of humility for him to do so at first, but it bought with it a sense of freedom, and expressed a willingness to embrace the culture in all its differences. The story of Moses removing his sandals before the burning bush because it was "Holy ground" acts as an analogy, Fr Totet was saying; that you also remove your footwear in reverence for the customs and traditions of these people. I feel the same. This climate, the mosquito nets, the form of the mass, the roads, the food, the removing of the slippers - it is all foreign to me, more so than any of the practices in Brazil. But it is healthy. It is healthy to be challenged; to be brought out of ones comfort zone. This is why I desired to come: to have that British bubble burst and to be forced to experience life differently; a different way of life. Because, whether you like it or not, this is how people live their lives here. And if you want to understand the human person, which I do, you have to be exposed to its many facets. The alternative, I think, is that one becomes too close-minded: a sort of tunnel-vision world view where you are scared by something alien to your experience, or simply ignore or mock it. Sure, you can read about a foreign culture in book and so on, but it is a different thing to experience it: to breath the air and eat the food. The film "Good Will Hunting" captures this reality well: we are not computers; it is not enough to input information through learning from a textbook or a documentary, though these are good. But to be with a people is that true education that touches the heart and educates on a level beyond mental comprehension. I think this is integral in order to be an effective evangelist too; to be all things to all men. Only in being exposed to all men, you can learn what it means to be all things. I have gone on too long, and too philosophically. I finish with a quote:
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - St Augustine
I am blessed and so very grateful for the opportunity to be here; to travel. I thank from the depth of my heart those benefactors that made it possible, and I pray for you.
I walked around the market, where traders make every effort to win your custom: "Mister! Mister! You want something? For you special discount!". One guy tried to sell me some chopsticks at $15, then down to $12 as a "discount", as I show lack of interest it drops to $10, as I make for the door it's $7, and as I'm out of the shop and down the road it's $5 cause for me it's "especial discount". No doubt they were worth $1 at a push. It can get quite irritating with everyone always trying to force a sale on you, whether it's a tuk-tuk ride, or food, or a 5 minute foot bath with fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet. One woman was trying to sell me a massage at "special discount" because I was "very handsome" (nice try), and also said something about having no customers. She had a hold on my arm and, feeling quite pressured, I said "What... you mean for free?! EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! FREE MASSAGES RIGHT HERE!", pointing to the location of said masseuse. Quite annoyed, she hit me with her pricelist as I walked off. It was probably quite uncharitable on my part, and I don't mean to encourage this kind of behavior, but nevertheless it got me out of that situation. I had a cocktail and headed back to my hotel. It was sad to see how concerned people are with making money; trying whatever they can to earn. It isn't out of materialism, I don't think, but poverty.
On Saturday morning I met the warm character that is Fr. Totet - a person I can see myself developing a great friendship with over the coming weeks. He is from the Philippines, but works as a Jesuit Missionary here in the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang (posh way of saying a small diocese). I was moved at how he drove out to Siem Reap just to pick me up. On Saturdays he visits a parish in a city 1 1/2 hours from Battambang, and invited me join him there. So, after dropping my stuff off at my new home, we left for Pailin - previously a stronghold for the Khmer Rouge. Situated near the mountains, it was slightly cooler. Still, the weather is constantly warm and humid here. It gets hot when the sun is out at daytime, but it's never unbearable if you stay in the shade. I'm used to it already.
We had a vigil mass, which many Cambodians attended, especially youth. Only a few were actually Catholic and came up to receive communion; the rest turn up out of curiosity. One lad received the sign of the cross - a first step in becoming Catholic, in which the priest traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate.
After mass, we had dinner prepared by a Marist - Br. Francis, from Ghana. Several Marist brothers live at this church in Pailin, and Br. Francis made a very special effort to make me feel welcome. He put on such a great spread: making pizza from scratch, mashed potatoes and peas, spiced pork, fried fish, and freshly baked cake & custard for dessert. With french red wine to accompany it, and martini rosso (my favourite!) for afters - It was bliss! Br. Francis kept asking it whether I was enjoying the food, and took great pleasure in making me feel at home and happy.
With a full tummy I slept like a baby. Today (Sunday), we left Pailin early to get back to Battambang so that Fr. Totet could say the 8:30am mass here. It has been a restful day. I had a good conversation with Fr Totet, and he spoke about the Cambodian way, and how he has come to accept and love the culture here. He gave the example of removing the slippers. When he arrived, he was struck at how, before entering a building, Cambodians remove their footwear and only walk barefoot inside, whether its a house or a church. It was an act of humility for him to do so at first, but it bought with it a sense of freedom, and expressed a willingness to embrace the culture in all its differences. The story of Moses removing his sandals before the burning bush because it was "Holy ground" acts as an analogy, Fr Totet was saying; that you also remove your footwear in reverence for the customs and traditions of these people. I feel the same. This climate, the mosquito nets, the form of the mass, the roads, the food, the removing of the slippers - it is all foreign to me, more so than any of the practices in Brazil. But it is healthy. It is healthy to be challenged; to be brought out of ones comfort zone. This is why I desired to come: to have that British bubble burst and to be forced to experience life differently; a different way of life. Because, whether you like it or not, this is how people live their lives here. And if you want to understand the human person, which I do, you have to be exposed to its many facets. The alternative, I think, is that one becomes too close-minded: a sort of tunnel-vision world view where you are scared by something alien to your experience, or simply ignore or mock it. Sure, you can read about a foreign culture in book and so on, but it is a different thing to experience it: to breath the air and eat the food. The film "Good Will Hunting" captures this reality well: we are not computers; it is not enough to input information through learning from a textbook or a documentary, though these are good. But to be with a people is that true education that touches the heart and educates on a level beyond mental comprehension. I think this is integral in order to be an effective evangelist too; to be all things to all men. Only in being exposed to all men, you can learn what it means to be all things. I have gone on too long, and too philosophically. I finish with a quote:
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - St Augustine
I am blessed and so very grateful for the opportunity to be here; to travel. I thank from the depth of my heart those benefactors that made it possible, and I pray for you.
That's such a great thing to hear about Fr Totets analogy of cultures with the burning bush. Kieran only You could work a quote from both St Augustine and Good Will Hunting into the same text. Really good blog man, looking forward to the next post. Take care.
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