Its the little things....

Its the little things....

Day 4 & I employed a new strategy - avoid the wards at all costs.

This morning I didn't even go to the hospital but worked from the URC office. R came to find J & I.

Our initial morning conversation normally goes something like this;

Me "Arun Sua S'day, Soksa Bai tey?" Good morning how are you?
R (with glum expression)"Ot Sabai" Not so fine
Me "Oh dear - hat-ey?' Why? 
R - generally follows a list of complaints & worries, featuring a mixture of housing, children's health, marital relations, money, in-laws, "mental health problems" - I gave him the last label a while ago & he has ran with it ever since.

But this morning R smiled breezily & replied "Baat, Soksa Bai!" Yes, I'm fine!


Puzzled at the deviation from our normal morning conversation I asked him why. Then he explained he had been to the hospital already this morning & casually told me about the baby had died at 2 am. For as long as I live here I WILL NEVER understand Cambodians.

I tried to go back to the hospital in the afternoon but karmically I had a flat front tyre (again) so I walked to my favourite bicycle repair man near the hospital. He found the puncture & identified the culprit - a small slither of metal.

In my head I started to sing Paul Kelly's 'from little things, bigs things grow'.

After he repaired it I tried to give him money - he as always refused, there then followed the usual to-ing & throwing of reil notes that in reality only amounts to pence but it matters that I pay for his work and it seems to matter to him that I don't.

When he turned to put his tools away I hid some money in his pump machine, as I cycled off he chased after me & put the note into my bicycle basket. I will NEVER, EVER understand Cambodians. I can't understand why he won't let me pay him, I don't know what is the right thing to do in this situation.

WWJD? Well she says buy him a present when I leave.

But how do I repay the daily kindnesses of Cambodians & even more importantly how does one change the attitudes & behaviour of the less kind ones?