Brief Update and Message

I have not updated this blog for the whole of last week… I did not write not because there has been nothing to write about. On the contrary, I have been bombarded by many new insights and new challenges every day, in life and in work.

Sometimes, these challenges may be small things in life – navigating the busy traffic with my bicycle, biking in the tropical rains (and becoming soaking wet), wading through knee-deep floods, combating floods in my apartment, killing the intruding army of ants, cleaning up a dead mouse on my doorsteps (!!) and enduring black-outs at night. But they all add flavour to my life. I find my body slowly adjusting to the heat (e.g. I do not sweat as much now in my home and can often sleep without the fan on.). I find it enjoyable to bike in busy traffic; sometimes, I even secretly rejoice when find a way past big trucks, cars and motorbikes stuck in traffic jams. I also wonder about getting motorbike if I return to Hong Kong or to the U.S.

The local markets, though smelly, surprises me every time. There are so many types of vegetables and fruits I have never seen before. And also the people, such as the random man on Mao Tse Tung Road who spoke to me in Mandarin, can turn out to somehow cross paths with my work or my life here. This man who I just mentioned, for example, turned out to have worked for the ILO as a Khmer-Chinese translator. The random encounters with co-workers (e.g. Bunleng and Sisovann) at the Toul Tum Poung Market are often pleasant surprises as well.

In addition to the happy and exciting bits, there are of course times when I must overcome the loneliness. I am especially scared to go out at night and even the landlord worries when I return home after 9pm. Very often, on Saturday afternoons when I read books and relax, I miss the vibrant city life of Hong Kong and Washington DC. I miss the movies, the easy transportation, my friends, etc.

Challenges and new ideas also come to me every day at work. I am starting to learn about the UN bureaucracy but also enjoying conversations with local colleagues and specialists from Bangkok. I am struggling to learn about how to do employment assessments, how to negotiate with employer organizations, how to develop proposals (inc. relevant development objectives, immediate outputs, activities, indicators, etc.) and how to reference other countries’ experiences in delivering employment services and developing national skills standards. Work also requires patience – patience with local colleagues, patience with editing poorly written English reports and patience with the UN – while reminding myself day-by-day of my internship (and career) goals and keeping the ball rolling for good project ideas.

All in all, despite loneliness, long work days and occasional “disasters” at home, I am grateful and content with what I have here. I am especially grateful for Miu-Ling, Hwee-Ping, Davis, Piano, Angie, Pastor Ng’s family and Pastor Lam’s family, etc. and our almost weekly gathering at Lao Di Fang. I am grateful for the home group – for Edith and Rick and the enthusiastic Filipino group-mates – and for the kind advice of my co-workers (Sophorn [x2], Joseph, Sisovann, Anne, Tuomo, Michiel, Manuela, Geoff, David, Amy, Sukti, etc.). I thank especially for spiritual support such as from my parents and Carina.