The harsh realities of accidents and incidents.

It has been an interesting week... hang on, we could say that about every week that goes by here. But this week particularly, a couple of the harsh realities of living here have hit harder than usual.

On Wednesday afternoon, outside the school, a car hit a man off his motor bike. Traffic rarely moves faster than 30km per hour, so it was not as major as it could have been, thankfully. The man fell to the ground, his right knee taking the impact and gouging out flesh down to the bone. The car just drove off. The man's wife and teenage son were on a second bike and stopped. Two passing school parents saw the accident and attended to the man. They washed his wounds, removed the embedded gravel, gave him some pain relief medication and, as I arrived, were putting on antiseptic cream and bandages - a process that took over an hour. One of the parents spoke Khmer well and explained that he should go to a hospital and have a tetanus shot at least. The family thanked the school parents, and then the wife and son helped the father up, and hopped on their bikes to leave. The man, obviously in agony, gingerly sat behind his son, looking like he could faint any minute from the pain.

Chrissie, (one of the school parents) and I hailed a tuk tuk and offered to pay for the father's trip to hospital. I offered the tuk tuk driver $2, which was plenty. But the wife would not accept our offer and explained to the other school parent that they could not afford to take the father to hospital, but would just go home. As Chrissie and I contemplated the situation, the family readied to leave. We offered to pay for the tuk tuk to take him home at least. Again the family refused.

Before they left, I held my hands up in blessing and said ''Jesu Bless You" to each of them, the school parent blessed them in the name of God in Khmer. And then off they went.

Chrissie, who works in a medical field, despaired for the man, without treatment his knee would most likely become infected and compromise his leg. But this is the reality of being poor. We see poverty every day, this was not the first injury I have seen, nor will it be the last. Khmer hospitals do little more than give a patient a drip, and send them on their way. It is not unusual to see a family on a bike, with the mother holding up a drip attached to a child's arm, while the father sits in front of them both, motoring along. ( In case you are wondering, there are expatriate medical services which we are covered for through our emergency evacuation insurance.)


Then,
Last night one of the staff families was burgled. Laptop, wallet, phones ... gone while they slept. A harsh reality that when announced left us all quite somber. We were all warned when we arrived that it is usual, not unusual, to be burgled while living here. There are huge gates, barbed wire, massive locks, barred windows and... crafty thieves.

These events do not make me question being here, as one might imagine. They encourage me not to become complacent, yes, they automate an "it's not fair" western type response asserting that "the proverbial dog is, at least in some respects, biting a hand that feeds it". But western cultural norms do not govern Khmer society, so it is not a good basis from which to judge events as it leads to arrogance, resentment and paranoia. You could say that this place is not for the faint hearted, nor the weak stomached. ... But God does send such people here, and... He gives them the strength to keep going in obedience.

Khmer life is a mix of tragedy, irony, and beauty. It is a place where you learn quickly not to take things for granted, be it health, electricity, water, security, decent stationery, communication, transport, Internet access, decent coffee, air conditioning, washing machines, Vegemite, fresh milk, clothes that fit, a space to play, peace and quiet, school resources... and the list goes on. But this a place where God's people live in strong fellowship and value community. I suppose life is still somewhat surreal, so it is easy to say that I feel blessed to be part of God's call to the hearts of the Cambodian people, and thankful for the work He is doing in our own hearts likewise. Please pray that this is something, that we as a family, will continue to be able to say as our lives and ministries unfold here in Cambodia.