Don't like your job???

So, have you ever complained about your job, like many of us have? Sure, it's a normal part of blowing off steam, right? I've had an excellent reminder recently, here in Cambodia, of how much I should really be thankful for my work that I love, even when it's trying or tiring.


Beside is a picture of the Boeung Kak Lake right behind our house, that is being filled in. Everywhere you see sand, is where there used to be water, houses, and foliage. It's amazing what they have done. The purpose is for development.

Now, right here is the picture of our neighbor's back yard, looking down off our rooftop, where I took the very same picture of the lake. This fairly new owner is also filling in the back portion of his property, that was all entirely swamp water just months ago. Watching this process has been one of the most humbling experiences I've had out here, and continually reminds me to be thankful for my teaching job and my education that has got me there.




It's because of this man.
The gentleman in this picture, if you look closely, is dropping the mud fill onto the property. This man has been doing this job since weeks and weeks before Christmas. He started at the front of the house, with loads of crushed brick and concrete, and has now turned into a clay-like soil.

Because the area to get from the front to back is so small, obviously the owner was not able to manouever any large equipment to the back of the property to dump the loads, so he's hired this one man, to do the entire job with physical labour! We have watched load after load after load, get dropped outside the front gate on the street, and virtually every day, this Khmer man starts work before 5 in the morning. He finishes and leaves at dusk, around 6 pm. Day in and day out, we pull out the car to go to school, he's filling two baskets with soil: We come home from school, he's carrying another load of soil: the two baskets hang off a pole he balances over his shoulder. We go on Christmas vacation--we come back. He's still hauling loads. And weekends? We come and go freely running errands, or going to school or sporting events, hosting birthday parties; He is always there, chopping the fill into the baskets and transporting them to the back of the house on the strength of his back. No "weekend" for this man. Needless to say, he's not got an ounce of fat on him. I figure he's younger than me, but the girls think he's older. He certainly is no youth.

That large pile behind Dean is the size of just one of the loads that this man has single handedly transported to the back of the property. There's been so many of them. It's heavy, it's dirty and it just never seems to end. He finishes one, another gets dumped out. For the owner, it just must be cheaper to make his own land, than to buy it. For the longest time, the worker took no notice of our comings and goings, but lately he's smiled at us, and I've been able to nod and smile back. I just can't get over the fierce difficulty of the back breaking labour, and the mundanity of it all.

Oh, and just one more thing. Do you ever complain about your pay? Not enough? Never enough? Our neighbor has told us that this man needs money, that is why he is working so hard. She found out that he makes 100,000 Riels per load. Divide that by 4000, and you'll figure out he's making $25 US, per load, for days and days of hauling soil.

Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it???

Back in the "up" swing

Nice. Happy New Year to you all.

Have to get back at a post to say Christmas break was a blessing and very restful for our family. The beach in Thailand was all that you could imagine it is (so beautiful and quiet, sleepy where we were, although it was completely packed with Russian and European travelers.) Bangkok, in Thailand, is the perfect retreat if you need to have a taste of the first world again, which we enjoyed. Basically, we were enthusiastic to return to school this past Monday, with a very restful break behind us. We hope you enjoyed something of the same over your Christmas time.

Steph and Julia were sick, though, over the break, and they were long ones! Julia woke up not well on Boxing day, and was unable to eat or stay awake all day! We were planning to start our vacation with a long drive the next day and were seriously questioning whether we could leave or not, as she was still pretty feverish. We made it though, and for the next 3 days, she was exhausted, layed down or slept for alot of the days, and ate virtually nothing. We were in Koh Chang at the beach and by the time I finally couldn't take it anymore, and said I was taking her to the doctor the next morning, she rallied, and like a switch went off, she was fine! The next day, Steph was throwing up all night and ill for the same length of time. Poor kid. She caught it just in time to miss most of new years eve show at the hotel and all of the food (for 4 days.) No one else has been sick since, except for Maya who had a bit of an episode just today. Again, she seems fine, but tired tonight.

So, the Weisses have started the New year with our annual birthdays! Maya on the 9th, and Dean on the 14th. We arrived home from holidays the day before Maya's birthday, so it was quiet, but she openned a few gifts and managed to get a cake. She had a party just yesterday, with a bunch of gr. 1 girlfriends, and it was very fun.

Dean, on the other hand, has had quite the week, being the only administrator here at Logos now until March, as Dan Hein and his wife Jessica are in the States having their second child. His first week was intense, new students to organize, tours of the school, sorting out an amazing amount of scheduling and timetable issues, but it all went fairly well. So, Friday was his birthday--On a surprise, I ordered a lovely cake from a great shop here in town called "Bloom," to have at school for all the staff. It was delicious! THEN, I announced in morning devotions to all the staff, that anyone who would sing to Dean today and correctly guess his age, would get candy! And, around his neck I strung the largest necklace of candy that he could hand out! Ha ha. He made sure he got rid of it as early in the day as possible, but he certainly had the most birthday's songs sung to him in his life! The whole elementary took a turn at it, as well.

We're heading now into week 2, and I have a very exciting news: The Logos High school is currently in the preparations of presenting "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in May, with which I will be very involved. We are already beginning to live, eat, breath and SING Joseph, so it's really exciting. The preliminary plans have been in the works since even last year, and now, we're ready to give it a go! So, Logos is more than excited to present it's first ever large scale musical/drama production. We have the stage, thanks to Jog-a-thon money, the new school facility with the auditorium on the top floor, and a strong fine arts program that can support this size endeavor. God is good! This is such an opportunity for the students to do something of such a high quality. Will be giving plenty of updates as this transpires!

While there are always diffiuclties and challenges here of what always seems like the extreme nature, it is nice to feel a bit of lightness now and then, and then to just enjoy it. Birthdays, parties and cake! Hearing all those kids singing Happy Birthday to Dean--it was fun! We received a parcel LOADED in stuff we could use, from Tim & Sylvia Smith. Yay! And, the International church we attend on a bimonthly basis, is moving to their new facility next week. After a year and a half of looking for a site and building, it's these kinds of lovely upswings that are just a blessing and something to be so thankful for our here, enjoy as long as they last! Preparing for Joseph is high on my list of things to enjoy and be thankful for.

So, here's cheers to new years, 2011. We hope and pray you've had a blessed beginning and continue in health and joy throughout. We will talk to you soon.
L
:)