Kaleidoscope

Living in Phnom Penh is like living in a kaleidoscope. Life constantly shape shifts and colours constantly change.

Just living among a coming-and-going community is kaleidoscopic enough. Off the top of my head, apart from Cambodians, I've met or got to know people from Denmark, Holland, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, France, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, Nigeria, Korea, America, Indonesia, Germany, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Japan, Poland, Scotland, Vietnam, England......

And people who are medics, musicians, teachers, entrepreneurs, caterers, activists, managers, linguists, missionaries, parents, community workers, therapists, business people, artists, caregivers, students, designers, counsellors, abolitionists, social workers, pastors, trainers......

Which all makes for a heady mix.

Worldviews, opinions, priorities and passions rattle around like bits of broken glass. Sometimes they clash, sometimes they sharpen each other, sometimes they scratch and sometimes they cut deep.

The only way to make sense of it is to let in the light. And see how it catches on the multicoloured surfaces and worn and sharp edges.

Living here is like living in a kaleidoscope. Dazzling. Blinding. Baffling. Beautiful. All depending on the light.