Brown girl in the ring

Tra la la la la
One month in Dili.  So much I have in mind about my marvelous welcoming introduction to this country, but mostly I am humming along to “show me your motion” in my head!

The kids of the neighborhood are singing Bony M’s song. Singing in Tetum or possibly Indonesian and they only seem to know/like the chorus.
There was that moment, where I thought of the Good News Week show on Australian tv, where they sing a song using funny texts and from the tune alone, team mates guess the song. This time I was bopping along to the tune and humming along, before consciously realized/remembered that it was Boney M.

Means Timor will likely be similar to mainland south east Asia, where many classics of western songs are redone in local languages. Let’s hope that there is not that ghastly Black Eyed Peas song MyHump, My Hump, which I had to listen to on repeat for hours, from a neighbor in Ratanakiri! It is horrid in English in my opinion and redone with sympathizers and Khmer language did it no favours, I reckon. (actually am a fan of B.E. Peas but not when singing about ‘Lady Lumps’ – ugh)

So Boney M is quite classy as a kids singalong outside my window. Don’t suppose the kids will ever realize that what they are singing has a long association with children, as apparently the original was a children’s game in the Caribbean region.

It’s NOT “only Cambodia, for @#&& sake!”

For some expatriates, living in Cambodia has become a home, or at the very least a second home. It has been a privilege and joy, to use a well worn cliché, to be living here. A time of profound change for the country at times but illogically also a time of constancy and sense of not so much development. Further contradiction is that personally it’s been a time of personal change, growth, challenge and I wonder how much of that change was inevitably part of 5 years getting older and how much was specific to my experiences in Cambodia.

Recently a friend visiting from Australia, for two weeks, made the above comment about it “only being Cambodia”. Specifically it was in context of what are appropriate clothes for what establishments, with his argument being that very casual gym clothes would be completely suitable for the fine dining restaurants and upmarket night life that I was describing. Explaining to me confidently that the usual dress codes of ‘dressing up’ a little for a fancier Friday night drink, didn’t apply to Phnom Penh. More broadly it revealed his entire attitude of being in the country only a brief time and seeing it as not actually that real. I suspect that the concept of Friday drinks between work colleagues really didn’t make sense to him; why have Friday routines for a holiday destination is possibly one of the obstacles to the concept.

The location has been my home. My friends, expatriate and Cambodian, have been here. I have had all the ups and downs that most people have when living in their native countries; good jobs, yuck jobs, stressful days, extraordinary work related wins, soaring romances, devastating breakup, partying, quieter times, holidays and even the take away pizza and movie night. Friday night drinks are typical, if ya wanna join them.

I finally saw it illustrated through this friend’s attitude, that this existence of all those usual day to day experiences is hidden from people ‘back home’. Somehow the majority of my friends and family might be mistakenly thinking I am ‘treading water’ or hanging about, waiting to get back to ‘real life’. To think that I have put life on hold simply because I live in Cambodia? Well this perspective still doesn’t make much sense to me.

Yet I saw a glimpse of it through this friend’s comment.

Initially I saw the “only” comment as an insult. An insult that westerners and Cambodians in Phnom Penh alike, are not worth making an effort for. That we don’t actually truly exist. That his own etiquette or sense of ‘right’ or self worth or whatever you want to describe it as, need not apply while he was visiting Cambodia. That he was taking a vacation from the disposition to act in certain ways, as well as a vacation from a physical location. I chilled out fast enough and saw the comment as less insulting. He was correct, for him. For him, his wearing gym clothes everywhere was completely right. Equally though, it is right that those of us who live here, can see things differently to him.

Now, I could finally get a sense of why so many tourists do so many things that blatantly annoy, upset or insult locals. There is another whole story about the dreadful westerners who moved into the apartment above and who daily behaved so offensively and atrociously they had the police called on them; such people, I can only guess, must think “why should they care, it’s only Cambodia”.

Not that my friend is nasty or evil, or anything negative at all. This attitude was how he approached the holiday. What I finally realized, is that he is not the only one at all, to have this attitude. I just never had seen it.

As a wise friend reminded me, I can’t show someone in 10 days, why I fell in love with Cambodia! It’s not possible to cram years of experience into 10 days, now is it? To me this is my home. Well was my home. I am leaving this week to move to another country doing similar community development work. I still have no words to express the sadness, gratefulness and joy of thinking about goodbye. The joy is because it has been an amazing time. Thank goodness I had this time.

I know that in my new location I will be the newbie, with no local language and until I orient myself I will not even know where the typical Friday drinks are for expats, what the dress code is or even what/where/how is considered ‘usual’. Which are exactly the issues involved in all relocations. Yet I am secure in one thing, I certainly will be living life fully and not ever describing any location as “only”.

Busts n breasts

Busted in a stereotype! As the young woman giggled but grasped the breast of the statue, while staring at her friend behind the camera, it was an ‘um mah’ moment. Not that she was touching the breast. That was good thinking, as I agreed with them that her breast was delightful. Well done to the artist for indulging us all; a sawn off bolt over plate metal is easily transformed into nipple and breast …..

Um mah though cos for a moment I did think, “they can’t do that!” as I watched them from above on the stairway. They will get in so much trouble with their families if they are busted. Busted with their breast …..

Except then I remembered that women of Asian ancestry could actually be from anywhere, not only conservative families in south east Asia that I was associating them with. They might be world famous artists themselves. Or dropout New Yorkers wasting their college fund. Or Australians on a one year trip, phoning their parents nightly, before clubbing until 6am.  Maybe lovers who view my generation who ‘came out’ in their 20s as old and staid and boring, a generation with a tendency to jump to conservative conclusions when looking at the younger generation! Or anything!

And just possibly they did come from an incredibly conservative family like the traditional families I know in Cambodia, which if so, means they must be doubly glad to be away from prying eyes of their relatives.

They clearly had no problems expressing their delight in the statue and their interpretation of her anatomy. I loved them and her in London.

http://www.publicartfund.org/pafweb/projects/08/jankowski/jankowski-08.html

Bollywood goes Idol – perfect!

When adding bamboo traditional flutes with electric guitars, synthesizer and big percussions with traditional and modern drum sets, the music all works perfectly! Not that the traditional bamboo flute on India’s new competition style music show is the only highlight.

Continuing my Indian music theme of last month I am addicted to Amul Music Ka Maha Muqqabla; a talent show completely different from the American/UK/Australian Idol format in that these are already celebrated celebrity singers competing but its Idol style in its ruthless commentary on singer’s talents: http://www.starplus.in/mkmm/origins.asp
                No nasty humiliations occur but all judges and competitors are tough although supportive during the talent’s song. Wish some of the judges knew that their odd nodding of head like a vague lazy head banging move, though, does not make for good television. As I clearly not know Hindi maybe it’s all horrid lyrics of aggressive masculinity and anti women stuff or maybe a dull folk song about weevils in his lentils. But I don’t think so! Some judges speak English but 90% time I am just guessing the meaning. I am only listening to music obviously.

All of this is due to Alvin. Now I will have to be a fan of Alvin Hall I guess, who hosts the new social entrepreneur series. BBC World are running the series on social enterprise with a feature on the NGO I work for. Thus I asked my landlord to change our cable tv plan to receive BBC. So the cable tv people arrived last week and now we have 68 tv channels coming into my apartment and also to my landlord’s who lives next door. Alvin’s show is also terrific but not as memorable as my Indian music show. http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/Programme.aspx?id=350

Format style of the musical show is American to me, in the sense of making singing into a competition filled with drama. But team oriented drama. To see the over the top inane drama and mix of languages see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3j7QznA6G4&feature=related

And Himani Kapoor has already stolen by heart …. Oh, check her out and you’ll see what I mean …….. especially when she sings in English about wanting to make love to me …?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I27KM6vjYpg

I have never seen an entire Australia or American Idol show. The whole reality part of talking to each of the performers, what little country town they came from or how they are chasing fame for the sake of their newborn doesn’t interest me at all! Now Music Ka Maha Muqqabla has my attention as its about performances, on and on, with magical larger than life group and individual songs and great dance routines. Not too much chit chat at all. And if I want a translation I can always go to the English language website with recaps of each episode – altho’ that is a bit boring as whatever I make up in my mind is likely more interesting than the actual chatter between the judges!?!

Guessin my mum can’t join me in this fetish, as its unlikely this cable tv is available in Australia? Pity as we had such fun watching the live concert in Sydney in January, via text messages and tv.

Everything I love of bollywood squished into a tv series talent fest is perfection!

Live music 'with' my mum!?!?

Modern communication reduces the distance

I ‘watched’ tv with my mum last night! The Parramatta festival by famous Indian musician, A.R. Rahman (two Oscars for Slumdog’s music) was televised live in Australia and across Asia Pacific channel. Text messages meant I was telling mum how brilliant the show was, enough so that she ‘gave in’ as she said, and changed from what she was doing to ‘watch’ the show with me.

How marvelous the concert already was; I think my favourite was the sitar, bass guitar, piano, flute piece although it’s a tough pick as it was all fabulously stunning music and showmanship of the singers, dancers and musicians. A perfect example of the bollywood musical spectaculars that I adore. But this spectacular went on for 2 and half hours – much better than songs scattered throughout a movie!

Whether the Indian and Australia concert collaboration was really reaching out in solidarity to try to overcome the allegations of racist targeting of Indian-Australians is either a cynical, commercial theme for a live music show or a genuine celebratory shift in Australia’s perception of Indian immigrants, I have no idea?

However the ‘human spirit’ as quoted a few times during the concert certainly became personal for me. Personal as I watched the show from my Cambodian apartment while mum was in country NSW. As I bopped along in my living room, I knew my mum was enjoying the same fab musical event. And that she would be as fascinated by the musical compositions as me.

Every drumbeat, exotic costume and song note connected me to my mum

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/abc2live/feature.htm

Purple silk will come to no harm

The poor bonsai didn’t make it. The extreme tilt of the plant and heat combined so that it uprooted itself! No longer were the roots actually in the soil. It was time to give up on this maltreated bonsai.

Silk flowers that are so realistic that many people have mistaken them as an extravagant gift, now sit on my work desk. They were all of US$5 as a bunch and that includes the vase. No harm can come to the silk, despite the revoltingly hot, humid, stale air of an office that they share with me. Of course they are varied purple colours!