Yesterday, Princess (now 6) commented over lunch “Mummy and Daddy are so different!” Expecting a gem, I asked her how we were different. Pointing to her Dad’s muscular chest, she replied “Dad’s got big breasts”.
Then today, she decided not to eat the two pieces of fruit required before she could have a whole peanut butter cookie. “I’ll just have half because I don’t want to get fat”. I told her that it was unlikely she’ll have a problem with that. “Look at Mum and Dad. Are we fat?” Her reply “Well Mummy, you do have fat legs…”
I’m now waiting for the inevitable third strike that will send me to the dugout to sit on the bench with the rest of the flat-chested, fat-thighed, old and ugly Mummies. Innings over! Time to cheer on the next generation.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Puff and buff
The pictured shoes were my Mother’s Day present that I am working hard to deserve - no, not as a mother, as a runner.Around three months ago I began running three times a week at the local sports club. It’s the first time since being in Cambodia that I have been able to find a regular form of exercise (apart from Saturday afternoon touch footy).
While I love sports, I normally hate running. But through the casual comment of a friend who offered to run with me when we go back to Australia, I suddenly have an aim – to get fit enough to run with her. But through the process, I’ve become addicted to the numbers… 1km, 2km, 3km, 10mins, 20mins, 30mins. I’m now regularly doing 5-6kms and working to improve my time.
The newly opened sports club services a growing market for rich Khmer and foreigners seeking to work off the extra kilos that accumulate with wealth. Although some members work hard on avoiding exercise, there are also a number of very determined people who are teaching themselves how to swim. Some sink. Some float. All employ whatever technique it takes to move forward. Their courage is often my inspiration to keep running when I’d rather stop for a walk (or lie down).
Each session as I search for a machine near a fan (and still manage to splatter it with sweat), I also note with irony the construction workers outside building a new extension to the gym area. Their glistening buff bodies are surely the envy of all who workout here.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Fighting despair
In a speech at an anti-corruption concert held on May 30, the US Ambassador to Cambodia Carol Rodley sparked an uproar when she said that the Cambodian Government loses up to $500 million in public funds every year because of corruption.
The concert organisers were pulled in for questioning. Public letters from high level Government officials were sent to advise her that this is not how an Ambassador should speak. And a comedy skit by a well-known comedian (who also happens to be a colonel in the Prime Minister’s personal bodyguard unit) ridiculed local human rights groups for profiting from insulting the Government has been playing daily on three TV networks.
Three days after the concert, Transparency International released its annual corruption barometer revealing that over the last year almost half of Cambodian families have paid bribes, as did three quarters of those who dealt with the judicial system.
From what I could see, no media outlet asked the question as to whether the figures were accurate. No Government statements were made accounting for their income and expenditure. No one dared to dig further. Smoke, mirrors, lights and the issue is closed. The average citizen is no wiser and life will continue on as always. Meanwhile, non-Government organisations (NGOs) are increasingly viewed with suspicion as we seek to serve and assist the exploited poor of this country.
It’s a discouraging scenario for someone considering being involved in seeking social justice.
However, I am rebuked and encouraged by the words of Gary Haugen in his book “Good News about Injustice”.
In the Screwtape Letters, an ingenious reflection on the forces that drain the lifeblood from Christian faith, C.S. Lewis makes a startling statement. He writes that “Despair is a greater sin than any of the sins that provoke it”. And surely for Christians who look at our incredibly evil world of injustice and oppression, despair can always be found lurking at the door of our hearts, waiting to hobble us the moment we begin to take our first steps forward.
In taking one of my first steps forward, I am hoping to meet with the Australian Embassy this week with a number of Aussie friends. We hope to encourage Australia to speak out and act against the unlawful land evictions occurring amongst poor communities here (Group 78 is one community marked for eviction right next to the new Australia Embassy as reported by Dateline). I am told that previous meetings by local NGOs have not been productive.
While I use my previous knowledge and skills in Government policy to seek justice, I need to develop yet another more essential skill – the ability to fight off despair.
The concert organisers were pulled in for questioning. Public letters from high level Government officials were sent to advise her that this is not how an Ambassador should speak. And a comedy skit by a well-known comedian (who also happens to be a colonel in the Prime Minister’s personal bodyguard unit) ridiculed local human rights groups for profiting from insulting the Government has been playing daily on three TV networks.
Three days after the concert, Transparency International released its annual corruption barometer revealing that over the last year almost half of Cambodian families have paid bribes, as did three quarters of those who dealt with the judicial system.
From what I could see, no media outlet asked the question as to whether the figures were accurate. No Government statements were made accounting for their income and expenditure. No one dared to dig further. Smoke, mirrors, lights and the issue is closed. The average citizen is no wiser and life will continue on as always. Meanwhile, non-Government organisations (NGOs) are increasingly viewed with suspicion as we seek to serve and assist the exploited poor of this country.
It’s a discouraging scenario for someone considering being involved in seeking social justice.
However, I am rebuked and encouraged by the words of Gary Haugen in his book “Good News about Injustice”.
In the Screwtape Letters, an ingenious reflection on the forces that drain the lifeblood from Christian faith, C.S. Lewis makes a startling statement. He writes that “Despair is a greater sin than any of the sins that provoke it”. And surely for Christians who look at our incredibly evil world of injustice and oppression, despair can always be found lurking at the door of our hearts, waiting to hobble us the moment we begin to take our first steps forward.
In taking one of my first steps forward, I am hoping to meet with the Australian Embassy this week with a number of Aussie friends. We hope to encourage Australia to speak out and act against the unlawful land evictions occurring amongst poor communities here (Group 78 is one community marked for eviction right next to the new Australia Embassy as reported by Dateline). I am told that previous meetings by local NGOs have not been productive.
While I use my previous knowledge and skills in Government policy to seek justice, I need to develop yet another more essential skill – the ability to fight off despair.
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