FAQ & movies

I found this FAQ on Travelfish this afternoon.  I wish I had read it before coming to Cambodia.  It would have been helpful.  My recent experience here confirms that its contents are either completely or mostly true.

My neighbour and I talked about movies this morning.  His reading and mine said that there are no cinemas in this country, other than those showing Khmer movies.  A few of this kind have sprung up to a slowly growing market.  I read of a little movie house a few weeks ago in a paper.  It could be an emerging phenomenon to see these.  I googled it to help my neighbour.  Either "the flicks" is the place I read about, or there is now more than one of these.

I thought to take my daughter ice-skating, but have yet to find a rink.  It is possible to go roller-skating, but no ice-skating yet, it seems.

2001 blog

The blog http://www.parish-without-borders.net/cditt/cambodia/dailylifekh01.htm is rather old.  Nevertheless, I think it describes the culture of present day Cambodia quite well.

Dying languages

It was interesting to hear a story about dying languages in Cambodia.  Apparently, many find it more necessary to know language of the Khmer majority rather than the language of their forefathers.  I understand that languages change over time anyway.

Apparently, a part of this is because of the school system.  The Khmer tongue is the medium of instruction for Cambodian children.  They are taught to read and write the script from Year 5.  English has some appeal because it is the most used language among the foreigners.  However, there is not as much necessity to speak one's own language when one belongs to a minority people group, especially if one does not live among one's own people and ones own people group has few people in it.

People in Cambodia

The Khmer people are 92% of Cambodia’s population.  Some of the other people living in Cambodia are:

• Vietnamese, approximately 1,000,000 people
  
• Han Chinese, approximately 523,000 people
  
• Western Cham, approximately 503,000 people
  
• Lao, approximately 29,000 people
  
• Jarai, approximately 20,000 people
  
• Malay, approximately 17,000 people
  
• Thai, approximately 11,000 people
  
• Tamil, approximately 1,400 people
  
• Saoch, Suoy, Samre, approximately 250 of each people
  

There are also about 74,000 deaf Cambodians here.  Radio may not be the best means for speaking out to these.

Citizens of other nations also reside in this country.  Many do so because of business or their work with NGO mission and charity organisations.

All people need the Lord Jesus.

Cost doubled

I heard today that the annual road tax they charge here is set to double.  I haven't verified this rumour, but it set me to think about whether to own a vehicle here or no.

If the doubling is from 600 Riels to 1,200 Riels /year, then I guess I can afford it.  However, doubling from $600 to $1200 will not be so affordable to me.  How much is typical road tax for a car or a motorbike over here?  Can I safely assume that push-bikes are excempted from such tax?

Will there be a flow-on effect of this tax into the cost of riding tuk-tuks and motos?  How will the average Cambodian citizen afford it?

Lessons learnt recently from church speakers

The following list could actually be a few posts, but I shall choose to summarise them as one.  Here are a few things I got to learn from a few ministers of the gospel I have heard recently:

• It is expected that a church minister would have a car.  After all, many of the Khmer congregation he ministers to have cars also ... even if their cars are left parked at home most of the time and only used when attending weddings.
  
  (From my own observation, it seems that the Khmer people vary greatly in their economic disposition.  Many own motorcycles, and many ride with the public motor-dops or tuk-tuks.  Some own Lexus cars.  A few ride bicycles.  Fewer walk.)
  
  
• Many of my initial reading told me that the Khmer people are rather homogenous in the sense that almost everybody comes from the same racial background and speak the same language.  However, a visiting preacher last Sunday told me of a number of minority people groups out there waiting to hear the Gospel.  Ie. this country, by and large, seems to have not heard about Jesus: most of Phnom Penh's have not thought beyond the culture of Cambodian/Sri Lankan Buddhism; neither have many of their provincial cousins or other minority people groups.
  
  
• There is persecution towards many of those who forsake their ethnic culture and Buddhist heritage to follow Jesus.  A lot of this is through peer pressure and through family relations.  Family members would force Christian converts to marry partners who are strongly convicted into the Cambodian cultural roots or Buddhist roots; hence upsetting the married lives of the converts.
  

Cost of living

I came to realise that many Cambodians earn something in the order of $100 - $500 /month as salary.

My family and I live in Toul Kork, which is noted on the map as the cheapest area to live in Phnom Penh.  (I think this is because it is not in the area of the riverside, the commercial areas or the area where many public offices are located.)  I see that it costs something between $250 - $700 /month to lease accomodation in this area.  There are more places available that are in the order of $400 - $500 /month than there are those in the order of those between $250 and $350.  Landlords want $650 or higher for the newer apartments, I am sure the bigger houses would be even more expensive.

Ie. I wonder how the Cambodians afford to live in their capital city?  The cost of accomodation is almost higher than what people earn, and people need to add the cost of food, electricity, transport, etc. to their living costs.  Ie. accomodation costs is not all there is to living.

I see that many people live with their extended families.  This is one way to reduce the cost.  I am sure, though, there are families who are unable to do this.

The calendars align

I just checked the 2010 calendar online.  Easter, is on 04-Apr this year, regardless of whether you follow the Western church calendar or the Eastern orthodox one.  Wow!  I think this is the first time this happens since the time I came to know that the two groups usually use different dates.

Not only that, but the church's calendar also aligns with the Jewish one this year!  Usually, Easter needs to align with the beginning of spring in order fit in with the date chosen for the pagan festivals.  The church does not often remember the victorious resurrection of Jesus at Passover time the way history is recorded in the Bible.  We will this year, though.

Wow!  Is this a sign of the times?  I am sure our Lord will return soon.

By the way, does anyone know where one can buy matzoh in Cambodia?

Communication facilities

I found this page to be a good guide about what is available.  http://www.tourismcambodia.com/TripPlanner/essentialinfo/?PID=communication

The page does not say it, but I also found mailing through TNT's regular mail service is a lot cheaper howbeit potentially slower.  I imagine DHL and other courier companies offer competing deals, but I have not explored these.