MindTrotting: Cambodia

Cookie's New Year Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:40:00 +0000

It's already nearly "spring semester", and all I can think of is what I've done with my life since last January the 17th. Has it been a year? A year since I did the human dissection and anatomy J-term? What milestones has this passage of time seen, if any? I don't feel like I've much at all, and yet here we are Jan 17, 2011. It has been further impressed upon me that time isn't moving, we are. As if time is a book with empty pages, unmoving and unchanging, while we're the ones turning the pages, choosing to scrap what we will on each page. (Life as a book is one of my mum's favorite metaphors, one that I have happily co-opted.) At the same time, I feel myself losing the urgency of making every moment memorable beyond belief; I am able to see merit in the slow ways of the mundane. Profundity in the mundane.

All of this ties to the idea of how big things are achieved through small, seemingly inconsequential, steps. (So, I suppose in that sense, I still maintain the integrity of my pursuit - to witness big changes. ultimately.) But it is the small things. In terms of development work, this translates to the spirit of patience with slow changes. You cannot expect sea changes in a flash. One year? two years even? Short short blips in time. I watched a TED talk yesterday by Shukla Ghose, the lady who started the Parikrama Schools for underprivileged/ slum kids in the city of Bangalore, India. One of many take-aways from her, unfortunately contrived, yet incredibly inspiring nineteen minute talk was the phrase: It is not a numbers game. We don't always have to scale, scale, scale. If we're creating opportunities in the life of one child from primary school all the way through college, that's one unequivocally profound occurrence. One more discerning citizen to the fold, one more person equipped to impact at least one other person by way of interaction. Pay it forward style. This is an incredibly rejuvenating thought for me.

I am continually reminding myself of this little fact in my work here in Cambodia. I work with the organization called KAPE (Kampuchean Action for Primary Education) in the capital of the eponymous province of Kampong Cham. My main charge is to implement projects that fall within the realm of IT-integration, a project that in turn falls under the IBEC Project (Improved Basic Education in Cambodia). The IBECP is an integrated(joint) project between KAPE and the international org. called World Education Inc. But I am considered a KAPE employee as it's designation is that of "the on-field local implementer." Now, IT-integration relates to diversifying the ways in which IT is introduced and/or used by students. In the past four months and counting, I have been working on implementing what we call the "School Newsletter Project": we're creating starting newspaper student clubs that will promote student journalism, writing, questioning, art and design - all the while working with the medium of information technology. Pretty neat. The pilot involves 3 schools where KAPE has already established its IT Labs.

It was slightly disconcerting to find out just last week that at one of the three schools, the teacher who had volunteered to act as club advisor/student trainer, and had therefore attended and received training from yours truly all the way at the KAPE offices, had now expressed definite inability to continue. A bummer of the first order. There are so many different layers, of nuance and complexity, in the way that different people process expectations, that it was imperative that we treat this matter as delicate. Whether or not this individual had interest in the club, the individual began to express rather negative and bitter feelings toward KAPE; he'd felt forced into joining. So now, there was the matter of explaining that KAPE always stood for volunteerism without implicating the School Director who might have been mroe authoritarian than required when identifying "volunteers", and also that there was no shame in stating the truth about the pressures one felt. I got the sense, in my tete-a-tete with him that he was simply misdirecting his frustration with the perceived lack of autonomy toward KAPE...

Now, I'll draw back from the tangential anecdote to wrap up. During this phase, I kept thinking about what a pity it would be if we we were able to complete the launch at only two of the three original schools. I thought of all those kids who we'd miss in terms of the "reach" of the pilot project. (Instead of around 60, we'd impact only 40.) And then I realized, why! surely it's almost more important that the pilot will have been successfully launched at least two schools?! The positive occurrence per se was a matter of excitement. So I began realizing, even more acutely, that when we impact one, that's one more than none.

Here's to that. *Clink*

Goodbye 2010 - With and Bang and a Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:35:00 +0000

In general, "Cambodia" is going so well! SWELL, indeed. Although work matters are on a bit of a hold right now. The general mood of holidays and that sort of thing...

The school newsletter project that im implementing (in collab with folks here, of course!) is going as per plan. we will kick start the next year with first meeting (and therefore, "training") sessions with students who volunteered for the student-run newspaper clubs that we're launching. this pilot project is only being launched at 3 secondary schools that we picked out of all the schools KAPE works with. each school will produce their very own school newsletter/4-pg newspaper every month. exciting and very tangible stuff. yahoo!

It is now the best (=most comfortable) "season" in cambodia. the cool-and-dry season. come feb, it will transform to hot-and-dry. and then later in the year it becomes hot-and-wet, which is perhaps the least comfortable, albeit most beautiful, I'll bet. So the days are cooler this time of year; there's always a wonderful breeze about, and the nights can sometimes get chilly. There was this one night that I actually had to turn the fan off and pull on a heavy sweater. Whoppa.

I can speak rudimentary Khmer now. How are you? Fine? FINE! Where are you going? The market? How much is that? TOO MUCH MONEY, OLDER BROTHER/SISTER/AUNTY/OLD LADY!, NO MONEY!! and important stuff like that... :P I've also quickly picked up the necessary words that, when strung together, allow me to be sassy-in-khmer. Of course I did.

Laurel asked me what the coolest thing was that happened to me this past week. 'Well, nothing really COOL happened to me this past week. but something incredibly memorable did. and boy, can you say THAT again. ;) i was in a road accident. christmas day/ christmas miracle and all that warming-of-the-cockles-of-the-heart kind of material. I got t-boned smack on the left by a speeding motorbike fella as I was biking across a road. No mortal injuries. No broken bones. No head trauma. Oh, hello there Sheer Luck! But she did leave me some tokens: sore torso, bruises and scratches, and an bittersweet appreciation for the diversity of peoples. I encountered both, disturbingly stoic and indifferent people (who, btw, proceeded to just stand and stare at me as I lay heaped in the middle of a busy thoroughfare), and unbelievably and unfathomably kind and caring few others (whose actions made me weep).

Anyhow, all is well. Convalescence is swift and incredibly successful. Perhaps another 2 days of rest (I stopped taking painkillers couple days ago) and voila! fit as a fiddle.

Headed to Phnom Penh (PP) for some New Year's festivities. Yahoo!

Jhoom Reap Soo-er 2011!

ps- (Uh, btw, that was me saying, how are you 2011. So, this tells you how often I use the wrong phrases. Cute. But inappropriate phrasing.)

Water Festival Shenanigans: A Day Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Cambodia - the "Kingdom of Wonder" - loves its Water Festival. What other reason could there be for the good and long four-day weekend and the arrival of the masses witnessed by the city of Phnom Penh? Seriously. Millions upon millions of people come flocking over to Phnom Penh to partake in the festivities that constitute the annual "Water Festival".

Here's what makes this festival something to cheer about:
There are two characters in this short story - the Tonle Sap and the Mekong (tonle pronounced tone-lay means "river"). The two ribbons snake their way southbound and meet in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. After heavy showers a la the monsoon season, Mekong - the mightier, more aggressive and rather well traveled one - gathers up speed and force as it makes its way to the South China Sea (via Vietnam). And since "something's always gotta give," the result is a rather unique phenomenon wherein there is a reversal of Tonle Sap's flow to a northbound course. Rare and quite neat, yes? Well, it appears the historic peoples of Cambodia felt the same way, and thus was born the Water Festival.

There are stalls and stalls of food and drinks and promotional marketing. There was the feeling of being at the Fair. I think I may have seen a Ferris Wheel out in the horizon.

This is also a time when people enjoy the water games and boat races.

Pedro, Leonard and I headed to Phnom Penh on an 8am bus, arriving at 11am. While Pedro went about his own uncharted plans, Lenny and I took to a nice long walk towards the river and then hung out at a restaurant which was perfectly located for aviewing of the semi-finals of the boat races.

An unfortunate incident involving a sinking boat along the bank of the river! I have to admit, it was a bit comical. Also, this was a team that had just finished a race, so no real harm done. :)

Lenny and I on a motor (pronouned mo-toe) on our way back to Central Market.

That is where the Sorya Buses leave for various destinations. Mine? Kampong Cham, of course. Usually the ticket costs Riel 15,000 ($3.75) one-way, but during the Water Festical everything is hiked. So I paid a solid Riel 20,000 ($5) for the bus ride.

The Urban Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:22:00 +0000

JaNise teaches at a local secondary school here in Kampong Cham. This young woman in her acquaintance at the school invited JaNise to her wedding. JaNise even received a personalized wedding invite - hello! So, the rule, apparently, is that if you receive an invite, you can go ahead and invite other friends as your Plus One or Two or Three..... Or maybe that only applies to barangs (= the word for "french folk" that has come to mean "foreigner"), who knows? :)

Erin, Lauren and I joined JaNise in attendance. [The two ladies are also Peace Corps volunteers in the Kampong Cham province, but only JaNise works in Kampong Cham town within the province.]

JaNise had a few pieces of traditional Kampuchean outfits that we borrowed. You can see me here sporting a typically shiny and incredibly frilly blouse(?) that goes with the pencil skirt that is called a sampot. Of course, as you can see, the one I borrowed from JaNise is a a toned-down everyday-use version of the hello-there-sequin-and-lace-overload which ALL the Kampuchean ladies (and JaNise!) tend to show off at weddings. The more the bling, the more the bang. The wedding hall was filled with glitterings and all - of all shades of the rainbow and of all shapes of people.

Here are some pictures to tide us over the lack of visuals.

Bride's Outfit #1

Gosh, she's gorgeous, eh?

Bride's Outfit #2

The Bride and Groom, doing something that looks like the Bride's processional, from the Christian tradition: flower girl? ring bearer? white wear? At some point, she also tossed a bouquet! Weirdly random co-options from Christian wedding traditions.

Note, as it turns out, this evening wasn't actually the TIME or PLACE that the couple "wed." Confused? Me too. I'm still not sure how and when they actually get married or what their rituals are. What we attended might just have been one extravagant "reception" party.

Bride's Outfit #3

Erin, Lauren, Cookie and JaNise!
[Wedding crashers? Maybe, except for J.]

JaNise and I busting a Kampuchean dance move, no big deal. (better pics coming up later!)

An addition to the Family

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:37:00 +0000

I've been in Cambodia for nearly 2 months now. (Whoa!) About a month and a half ago, I moved into my own apartment here in Kampong Cham. About three weeks later, I was joined by a
US Peace Corps volunteer, JaNise, who I now call my housemate! She's been a year already, so she has another to go.

Now I have more great company, along with Pedro and Leonard who are in the apartment downstairs - plus, my rent is lower than it was!

WIN!

What am I doing here anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:11:00 +0000

Hello there, curious one. I am here to tell you about my work.

I work with the organizations called World Education Inc. and KAPE (Kampuchean Action for Primary Education). KAPE is the local implementer of the projects involved. The "Improved Basic Education in Cambodia Project" (IBECP) is an integrated project involving the two organizations. One of the IBECP initiatives is the IT-integration project. It aims at diversifying the presence of
information technology in the teaching-learning process, thereby enhancing the experience for teachers and students. How do we bring diversity to experiential learning, where young Cambodians might explore the myriad ways to wield information technology?

KAPE was founded by Kurt Bredenberg and few of his Cambodian colleagues. (Kurt has been in the country for a couple of decades now, and is quite the honorary Cambodian!) Kurt appears to be the de facto head of affairs, although that is not his official designation. Then there is Allie, who is another expat who serves at KAPE as "advisor -at-large", helping out heads of different projects with any documentation or strategic decisions. And finally, there is me, the third and last non-Cambodian on staff. I imagine the idea is to give Cambodians an opportunity to grow in leadership experience and emerge confident, if there is to be a fully-autonomous future.

Currently, my main charge is to work out an implementation plan for how we're going to launch our "student-run newspaper" clubs at three pilot schools. The idea of student journalism is one that is alien to the average Cambodian. This project is exciting for that very reason because it feels good to know that we are collaborating on a concept that is so very integral to the functioning of a true democracy. And where better to start the culture of asking questions and articulating oneself, but at schools? We're shooting for a late-November launch.

So, I plod away at my laptop, with lots of typing, typing and more typing. This very second I have open a document which, when finished, will be the training module that teacher-advisers will use to train the kids that join this "club." Exciting stuff!

Siem Reap - Land of the Angkorian Temples

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:36:00 +0000

It was early October, and I'd decided, quite spontaneously, what I would be doing with my Pchum Ban (pronounced puh-choom bun) vacation. This is a four-day long weekend (Oct. 7 -10) during which all Cambodians head off to their villages/ native towns to celebrate in memory of their ancestors, leaving all urban areas rather empty and bleak.

Three newly found friends, who are also in Kampong Cham working with Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) had made plans to travel north to the Province of Siem Reap. I found myself jumping on their wagon barely 12 hours before
they planned to leave. So, that was our Siem Reap Team: Jen (NZ), Dom (Cote d'Ivoire), Antonio (Italy) and myself. Huzzah!

After a moderately comfortable six-hour bus journey, we arrived at Siem Reap and headed to Lonely Planet's "pick" for budget hotels. Garden Village worked out fabulously. We had internet in the open-air lobby, air-conditioning in the rooms, $1/day rental bikes and an in-house restaurant.

We rented bikes for all three days (not counting Sunday when we would bus back to Kampong Cham), bought rations for the bike ride, and then set off every morning to explore the incredible number of Temples around the area. These temples are world renowned because they date back to circa 13th century, the time of the Hindu Kings and the Ankgorian dynasties. The most famous one that everyone quotes is "Angkor Wat" - but then there's Angkor Thom, Neak Pean, Ta Som,....and on and on. A lot of the temples were in ruins, but then again, a lot of them didn't seem that way because of their massive size - they were so extensive it didn't seem like they missing a whole lot. What is the most incredible thing about these temples is that they are constructed primarily using huge blocks of stone - an impressive architectural feat, no doubt about it.

Our evenings were spent chilling in the bustling hub of Siem Reap town, which is infested with tourists. Yes, infested. I suspect it's because Siem Reap is the only other international airport location in Cambodia, so tourists hop on a flight from wherever (esp. Thailand) and jet set into Siem Reap for an incredulous "quick trip" around the temples! In any case, at night you will find almost everyone congregated around "Pub Street" - a place of restaurants galore, offering you cuisines from around the world, and plenty of bars and stores.

This one place is called "The Red Piano" - you can see it's namesake here --->

Apparently it's been even more famous by the fact that Angelina Jolie and Crew dropped by there for meals, during the shooting of Lara Croft Tomb Raider that was filmed at one the temples. Oooh + Aaah. Trivia for those inclined: there is a cocktail there named after Jolie.

Ah, great trip! (sigh)

Truth in a Grandmother's Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:55:00 +0000

I was planning to prepare a pretty meager dinner for myself. I had just jumped into my shorts, ready to lounge for a few minutes before I began the "arduous" task of whipping up a ramen/maggi noodle storm, when I heard Mrs. Sitach Korn shuffling up
the last few steps to my apartment. Sitach, pronounced see-tatch, is my landlady and resident grandmother-to-all. Did I want to join the two tenants from the downstairs apartment, her daughter and her for dinner out on the front patio? She speaks rudimentary English, heavily doused in bouts of Khmer, and then lightly sprinkled with French (a colonial remnant). Ah yes, of course - sure I did! As she resumed shuffling back down, I took to covering up my lower limbs more adequately, for mosquitoes and modesty...

Dinner was thoroughly enjoyable. Basically, a Kampuchean version of the oil fondue. Meats, vegetables and fruits I have seen, but not bread and...eggs! Literally, an egg is cracked and proteins allowed to coagulate in the simmering oil. I passed on the egg and freshly fried bread and, towards the tail end of my dinner, ended up chomping on, or the way I like to see it, rescuing the vegetables and fruits while they were still fresh on the tray! Pineapples are in plenty here.

<-- Pedro with Yey Sitach(grandmother)

---> Leonard and Yey

But the most important gem at dinner was nearly 70 year-old Sitach's personal account of her life and struggles during the Khmer Rouge. Slaving on paddy fields, scrounging for the very rice they farmed, bearing scars of physical jibes...Exquisite in its simple and matter-of-fact narrative, it was profoundly humbling to be reminded that these are horrors I could simply never fathom. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge dance about in our imagination, two of few things that come to mind when we think of "Cambodia". Nowadays, though, perhaps the buzziest buzz words might actually be "Angkor Wat" (wat = temple) or "Siem Reap" (the location of these ancient Hindu temples, pronounced ree-up). Still, the period of the Khmer Rouge is no so far in the past - a mere thirty years. But a lot has changed, especially in the past decade, it seems. Friends who have traveled here during our high school and early college days will find that Cambodia has seen a lot of improvement since, albeit they remain one of the lowest even of the "least developed countries" (LDCs).

The winds of change blow yet...

My Very Own Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:03:00 +0000

Today I head to what is to be my home for the next nine months. The rent is a bit steep, but frills seems worth the price. Also, I think the landlady ought to be credited with a savvier sense of running a apartment rental business: she quotes a price that rolls in the cost of all the frills so that she can happily and emphatically claim that they are "all for free!" Frills, you ask? This is no shoe string budget affair, I promise you. The apartment (and landlady, to be sure) boast of its fridge, TV ("with all channels!"), washing machine (not very common to the Kampong Cham lifestyle), air conditioning, fans, two bedrooms, doors and windows doubled up with meshed ones, a kitchen stocked with utensils, and finally, a fully furnished house. All for the blessed price of $250 per month. Steep, my friends, very steep. But I took it. Reasons: the sweet old landlady lives downstairs, I can actually bike to work in under 5 minutes, and the place is close to the market as well as the Mekong River. (For travelers interested, the latter is where all foreign visitors congregate. MUWCI folks, you will recognize it to be Kampong Cham's "German Bakery")

So I opted for safety over thriftiness. While a lion's share of my stipend will go toward the rent, I think I'll be good since I will only have utilities and food of which to take care - I guess, I'm hoping they don't amount to too much. Ultimately, safety over the Tummy, eh? Maybe, I've gone a bit overboard...

First Refuge

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:29:00 +0000

- Chan Sokha picked me up at the airport in Phnom Penh, and together we journeyed the 2-hour trip to Kampong Cham, all the while battling his minimal English skills and my deplorable lack of any Khmer at all. Looking out the windows, I saw the frequent presence of Cambodian and ...Indian flags! "Cambodia" is currently rejoicing it's friendship and solidarity with India, it seems. This bilateral relationship, while not entirely surprising, is news to me in its explicit display of affection. Who knew...

I will be staying at Kurt's home until I find a place to rent in town. Kurt Bredenberg may be considered the head of operations of an integrated project involving two organizations: World Education and KAPE (Kampuchean Action for Primary Education). Kurt's home also doubles up as a staff house, with four other KAPE staff members living on one of the floors. The compound surrounding this house as well as the interior design of the house present a kind of tropical paradise, no less! Lush greenery, modest areas of lawn and generous numbers of coconut and banana trees ensconce the house. Inside, (a la Kurt?) the walls are decorated with neatly framed paintings, indigenous artwork in sculpture and, once again, splashes of "natural" decor that mirror the abundant foliage present outside.

[Indirectly related aside:
I love etymology. I discovered something today from a fantastic book on the Wonders of the World that belongs to Kurt. Did you know that the word "paradise" was adapted from the Indo-Iranic word paradeisha? The latter refers to a "supreme elevated land". I also realized how similar it is to the Urdu/Hindi word pardes (pronounced par-dayz) meaning "other/ foreign land". Now, what I find fascinating is the fact that I've been using both, paradise and pardes, my entire life, without realizing that they sound incredibly alike, without realizing that there was a time deep in history when certain peoples created the common root of the word. Oh Golly Gee! Origin of language still boggles me to no end... ]

Notes on a Visa-Stamped Happy arrival

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 02:33:00 +0000

- Phnom Penh is 15hours ahead of the US west coast. Whoa. As little or much as I have traveled by airline, I refuse to "get over" the incredibly fascinating experience of flying across time zones. I boarded my flight in San Francisco 1:40am of the 14th, slept for what seemed like the night, and completed the 11-hour journey only to arrive in Taipei, Taiwan mid-morn on the "15th"!

-I try to check in online whenever I'm flying. I always have an inner struggle involving the pros and cons of the window seat versus the aisle seat. Naturally, aisle wins. Always. But this time, it was hard. Wouldn't I be missing out on some glorious views of the Pacific Ocean, as we sailed across the skies? Well, as luck would have it, I was too tired to stay awake for the show in any case. But the few times my eyes fluttered open, thanks to the nasal flight attendants, I met with a disappointing view: a relentless, inky black curtain that refused to part.

-I was told that when I arrived in Phnom Penh there was a chance I would be asked for proof of my return journey. So, it is important that you know, for the purpose of realizing the urgency in this story, that I didn't in fact have a "return ticket"! Whoops? Not really. My stay in Cambodia ends June 2011 - there's no way to get a ticket nine months in advance (of course, for obvious reasons I didn't consider the "open ended" tickets that cost a heap more). I was also told that upon showing Cambodian visa officials World Education's official letter of hire I would be whisked through the short process. After a few mini-episodes of miscommunication, the blessed letter was "recognized" and, well,...all's well that ends well, eh?

Pre-Arrival Session

noreply@blogger.com (Cookie) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:18:00 +0000

San Francisco is the last city/town at which I will have stayed. I think it is a lovely way to end this tryst with the USA, and I say "this" because, let's be honest, another visit/stay is inevitable. But the westward journey is incomplete yet...

It hasn't sunk in that I'm headed to work in Cambodia. The "feel" of the flight is going to be very different considering most of the passengers seem to hail from either East Asia or South-east Asia, by which I'm referring to the fact that I never seem to have boarded a flight that didn't have a significant number of Indian passengers. What an odd realization; an intriguing subconscious expectation.

Eva Air flies to Taiwan, and onward to Phnom Penh, Cambodia thereafter. A few complications with the visa might emerge as it is one that can be got "on arrival", but nothing too serious to remain unsolved - that's what I am told. I'll take that attitude any day.

Adios USA, hello Cambodia (Kampuchean)!