That’s cool-cold, another jetlag

By Tith Chandara

Feldefing – Munich- Germany – I miss my university-junior-hood when I was in Bonn, Germany and it was my first time abroad. I got a feeling of strength again because of the

Walking on the street, there are kind of this tree-wall along the way. The weather is cold enough to make me catch a fever.

time different. The weather now is about 10 Degree Celsius. That’s cold for us.

I woke up too early in the morning looking out through the window, feeling not freezing but shacking, hearing sound of birds singing in the jungle at the training center of GIZ called the International Conference Centre Feldafing (Pearl on the lake Stanberg) I am curious to see the view of the landscape. It’s a Greeny landscape covered of trees and a lack nearby.

Today is the first day of the training. Everyone is looking forward to walking round and taking photograph.

Where we go…!

Welcome me back, Germany!

By Tith Chandara

We are currently on board. Below is Kabul. We can see clearly the desert landscape and ice on the mountain.

On board, Germany (13 May, 2011) – Is this my dream? While I am writing this blog, I am now on board on the Thai Airways heading to Munich International Airport in Germany. I can’t believe I have another opportunity to come back and see you again. Nice to see you!

It’s only one hour left, then I arrive Munich after sitting, sleeping, playing game, listening to music, eating, drinking (coke, wine…) and chatting with friends. Now I feel my eyes are hurt because usually this time I was sleeping in Cambodia. It’s 11:30 p.m. in Cambodia, but 6:44 p.m. here on the plain. I need rest and sleep, but I can’t; maybe because I am so excited again to come back. I am looking forward the cooler weather, European food, the way people walk fast, tram, train, Bus, McDonald, Pizza Hut, DM store, Media store, TV tower, BMW, Audi, Mercedes car… What I should miss, people who helped me during my first visit. I wanna see something new.

Along the way, I had seen many interesting landscape. What brings me most interesting piece to see is the desert landscape in Kabul. I was WOW to see snow melting on the cliff of the desert mountains. We have 22 people from various institutions in Cambodia divided into two parts, outreach team and legal team. We are expecting to have a two-week study tour in Germany (Munich, Nuremburg and Berlin) and the Netherland (for only legal team) in the program of Khmer Rouge Tribunal Fellowship Program under sponsored by a German organization, GIZ.

Welcome myself back to Germany. I can’t wait to see you. See you soon. Almost, almost! The plain is starting to go down step by step now. I have to turn the computer off and say “Yeah! Welcome back to Germany!”

Mountain Paradise

By Tith Chandara

It was an chilly morning to climb up the Dong Rek Mount to reach Preah Vihea Temple.

It was an icy morning when I climbed up a mountain, a 320 kilometers away from Phnom Penh. On a cliff, the cloud clogs my eyes not to see the cloistral of a temple clearly. I just had nothing to say, but slipped my mouth a word “It’s fantastic… so fantastic! It’s a paradise!” I felt like I was one in the 12^th century. The ecstasy atmosphere around wraps a great celestial edified the Prah Vihear temple on 525-meter cliff of the Dong Rek Mountain.

Built in the 11^th and the 12^th century by the Suryavarman I and II, Prasat Preah Vihear was acknowledged in the UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in July, 7, 2008. It has been an argument between Cambodia and Thailand to own this temple. After the 1962 ICJ (International court of Justice) ruled this temple to belong to Cambodia.

Moving, smiling, running around and taking photo before the sun rises up. It was a bitchy

I will never forget the trip to Preah Vihea Temple.

blur of cloud. The temple serves as a stylish to a representation of the Mount Meru, the home of the gods. I could touch it; kick it as if I was one of the gods. The sculptures are dancing on the wall surrounded by flower flourishing as a fence fill more fascination charming me to take pictures more and more. Unbelievable, my camera’s memory was full; the battery was low. That trip drove me a dream to see a dramatic world of tremendous scenery. I will never forget it.

Back Home, Back to School, Back to normal life

By Chandara Tith

Sometimes back home from abroad is not always exciting. Now I’m back from a temporary life in Germany to Cambodia to continue my Bachelor degree in the Department of Media and Communication (DMC). This is the final year which I have to write my final thesis to meet the requirement to complete the degree

I just want to share what was so surprised with my class. Unbelievable, for just two months I left to Germany, my friends in Cambodia can work to earn lots of money. Now, among 19 students in class, 18 of us have our own laptop.

For this I can inspire to the future that university students may require a laptop for their study. This is also a result from the development.

An event recovered memory

I went to the 7th International Music festival in Phnom Penh, where there were performances of German classical music; I felt as if I was in Germany again when I sit there and listen to it. The place was full of foreigners mostly German went to enjoy together under the topic of Inspiration-Transformation, Relevance and influence of folklore in Western classical music.

Though the show was different from Cambodian classical performance, I fondled that I like it. A German lecturer asked me that do I like this music because most of the young Cambodian seems to like rock, pop and modern music. I replied that I don’t know myself how I like it now. Before going to Germany, I don’t like this kind of music, but now maybe I got used to the German culture and I used to go to see some performance like this in Germany, the Beethoven festival in Bonn for example. When I listen to it, I stimulated to see my activities I did in Germany. The German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Dr. Wolfgang Moser stated, “We subconsciously draw information in stimulation from the deep source of our culture for everyday life and daily activities.” Accordingly, the show reminded me the temporary life in Germany.

Come back and work on the same theme

While I was working with CARE in Germany, once I worked on an article about Climate Change. When I come back here, I have some ideas about it and make a short video documentary about climate change regarding with plastic bags. “Why plastic bags?” aims to encourage people to reduce using plastic bags and switch to use paper bags and others ways, advocate the government to implement some kind of policies or restrictions to supermarkets or markets or any others firms related in order to reduce giving their customers plastic bags, but paper bags or clothe bags that they can use more than once, encourage NGOs like CARE and involve with them in making such a campaign regarding this issue, and also to response to the climate change circumstances.

These ideas results from what I understand from CARE while I was working there on the topic of Climate Change. It gives me clear perspective of the issue.

I never regret to spending time working with CARE, but appreciate the organization that helps me a lot for my future works. As a result, the project above gives me only one week to make it done, and now I already know clearly where I should go while I used to work on it.

Life here is a very busy life. I don’t even have spare time to enjoy. Whole week include weekend is full of works. I don’t know is it a good activity to be in such a busy life like this.

What do you think about this my dear readers?

After the rain falls

By Chandara Tith
Bravo! I found the way to enjoy my life and work in Germany. I have been here 6 week 5 days 3 hours. I get used to most of the things and I feel that I can adapt the jet lag and understand how things work quite well. I have been learning, testing and practicing all the time.

Thanks for everything!

After the rain fall, the sky will be clear. After I faced lots of new problems, I realized and can deal with it by myself. I have been written something about my problem and speak it out to my friends and my colleagues about my feeling and the difficulties I have faced. Now I removed my misgiving and misery. Thanks to all people push me and encourage me all the time. You guys taught me and gave good advices.

With all comments, suggestions and criticisms, it results me to be a good man and be qualified in my career in the future.

What Should I do?

By Tith Chandara 

I want to enjoy my favorite stuffs, but while I am working on it, I feel that it’s not so interesting for me and I can’t entirely enjoy it. 

This year the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) selected me with four other classmates of mine to do internship abroad under the support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Now, I am working for CARE-Germany in the Press office where I like very much and where I wish to work. 

I like Germany. Germany is a very nice place for me to live. Since living here, I have known 

Some of the press officers of CARE are watching my video documentary I shown them. CARE has a very good office and comfortable to work. All the staff are friendly and helpful. I like my work there and the environment there, but how can I find it more interesting to me? Photo: Tith Chandara

 and understood a lot from it. However, I encountered some problems while I am working here. 

How can I enjoy my work? 

“In fact, I really really love working in the press office of CARE-Germany during my summer internship.” I like writing, I like reporting (on the CARE’s blog) and I like the working environment in the office. Everybody in the office is friendly and helpful. I found my improvement, but I don’t enjoy it very much. I don’t know why I got bored with those stuffs sometimes. 

I got a feeling that “I am not good, I’m not good” all the time and very worry of what I am doing while I think my works are not satisfied. I afraid that when I go back to Cambodia, I cannot mark the DMC and worry to be the one destroying the school’s reputation or else I might get negative criticism from my school mates. This feeling always stuck in my mind every minute. 

What I found not interesting to me is the work seems to be again and again. Besides reading and writing in English, I cannot do more. Another thing, I am not yet specialized in the field of my work. I am so young in “Humanitarian works” because I haven’t yet involved in-depth in the field. Most of the time I didn’t know where and what to start. “I have to read and read and read everyday.  “But OK!!! This is the time for me to learn.” 

I am sponsored to intern here in Germany; it’s a long journey, it’s a costly trip; I shouldn’t make my sponsors and people at school disappointed with me. I have to improve my knowledge in the international stage, making myself, my class, my generation, my school and my country marked. 

Be Polite or Serious? 

I don’t know what kind of person I am. I always please people and don’t want to see them so busy because of me and my work. I want to do things by myself first before letting the otheres to help. Am I  polite? 

In Germany, I got many suggestions not to be so polite. Some of my colleague said to me that 

I was offered a chance to an international conference in Bonn where there were many participants from different countries. A man at the conference told me that I am so polite. I should not be so polite and be polite in the right way. Photo: Tith Chandara

 being polite is important; it doesn’t mean that you (me) have to be polite all the time. You (me) have to make clear of what you (me) are thinking of and try to show up and convince people about your (my) ideas. 

OK! Now I am trying to be tougher with what I am doing. I have to throw away some of the politeness and making myself stronger. I should stand to be a strong man. What I should do now is to enjoy working and make my stuff more joyful though I got bored with those stuffs sometimes. 

Feeling of Fail 

“People cannot produce good products with the stuffs they found boring to them, “said I. 

This is a very wonderful chance for me to explore and working in the real working environment abroad. 

But, for now, I feel that I am not yet, good enough to work toward my career. 

I am not alone, few friends talked to me about thier internship, and they discovered the same problem. For that, I know what to do next.

“Personally, I like working with creative stuff and something new.” Every night in Germany, I gather all of my photos in my hard-drive and select some of them to make some designs. It helps me both: to improve my favorite skill in creative design and multimedia and also to make my brain runs and increased my ability to what I prefer for the thesis. 

For this, I will ask not only working on writing and reading, but also help the office in other press works so that I can combine all works together. Try to speak out and change my habit of “being silent” to talk more and more.

Actually, I am not a careless man. (Please give me a feedback if I am) But; sometimes, when people get bored with something we don’t like, they might just let it be so that the result is not good. 

I want my work more joyful and really want to be a good intern for this summer. I’m trying to work hard and work smart every day, but how can I enjoy it more. I don’t want to hear bad criticism when I finish my internship. What should I do?

I am a Foreigner

 

By Tith Chandara

I walked down the street off from one to another to get to know the town. I was directly walked to the river Rhine. Different from Cambodia, There is quite at 9:30 am. People were just having exercise on the street and the markets were quieted. Photo: Tith Chandara (Self-Timer Captured)

I saw foreigners found it hard to communicate with non-English speakers in my country. I could see their astonished face seems like “How can I get help?”

When you’ve never been out of the country, you never feel that you are a foreigner. You have seen foreigner in your country and say something behind them.

Really!! I’m sure that more or less you will feel being a foreigner and face some problems while living abroad.

When I travel somewhere, I need to hold two maps: the city map and the sub-way route map. People are staring at me and obviously known that I am a foreigner.

What would you do if you understand nothing?

While I went shopping, all the descriptions on the products and any other information in the market are in German. I hardly recognized what it is, but just guessed and bought it for a test.

A new me:

I temporary set up a new life in Germany. It is a completely new life. Living in the dormitory and travel by sub-way every morning is a new habit while in Cambodia we have something to eat in the kitchen and go out anytime by motorbike.

This is a development of life in the development world. Culture shock is not an issue. Having a real problem is an issue. She is my friend came to Bonn/ Germany with me, Pin Manika

At Tannenbusch, Bonn/ Germany, there is a supermarket selling various products and foods. Pin Manika is having a look at some fruit because she could not find Asian food to eat. Photo: Tith Chandara

said she never left her parents for such a long time.  “Now we are a foreigner,” Manika spoke with smile.

Cambodian parents do not let their children living further from them or leave them before married, except for some reasons. This is a culture of dependent that children, mainly daughter have to live with family until they get married.

I live alone in the room taking care of myself and any other problems occurred accidentally.

One life in two different place is like this. I realize how is life. Growing older, I have to depend on myself.

So, now I am a foreigner. I am not in my country where I know what to do and where to go. Here, I have experience new things start from getting to know, test and get it.