So I have neglected this blog for an entire year and I have realized, unfortunately, that I miss adventuring. Now while I am stuck on campus finishing off my senior year, there is no reason for life to be boring! So I have decided to pick up this blog again in honor of my favorite type of adventure--cooking!
I love to cook and talk about food so I hope you feel inspired to try some new recipes! Everything here is vegan, sugar-free and absolutely delicious (I promise).
Oh and please email me any time with your adventures (kitchen related or not)! Email me at KarinaHCosta@gmail.com.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Hey! I am sorry I have never posted since I've been in Brazil, but it just seems that the more and more that happens, the more overwhelming writing becomes.
I will try and be better after this though and not put it off so much. Anyway, here's my attempt at a brief overview:
I have been here in Brazil for almost exactly two weeks now, spending most of my time in Belem living in a homestay and taking Portuguese classes. Belem is an interesting city, with beautiful old old buildings, hundreds of sketchy buses, and random posters for different Amazonian destinations everywhere. It is called the 'City of Mangoes' because one of the main streets, Nazare, is lined with giant beautiful mango trees. I am told mango season starts in October and I am extremely excited about this. I of course live on the corner of this street and get to look out my window to mango trees. Across the street on the adjacent corner is the Basilica do Nazare, a beautiful church built in the 17th century. It is actually one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen--every window has stained glass, the ceiling is painted, and the boarders are painted with pure gold. My bus stop to school is just past the church and I love walking by it every day. My family itself is very wonderful--Daniell and Cynthia are a young couple around 30 and don't have any kids. The first few days Daniell's family was visiting and there was an adorable 2 year old running around the house. Cynthia's mother is also hosting one of the students, Upasana, so I get to hang out with her a lot.

With my family I have gotten to visit many places in Belem. Mostly they are parks in the city, or areas along the river. All are very pretty and picturesque. I have gone out a little bit in Belem with friends, and it usually just results in hilarity. For example, Friday we went to this music bar called ´Liverpool´ which only featured cover bands that night. One band only sang Foo Fighters songs. In general, most of the music I have been hearing here is Brazilians singing American songs. Any song you can imagine basically gets covered with a Brazilian twist. Imagine a Hookastank (Or some band of that nature) being covered so that you can dance samba too it. Then imagine that it is one of the ´couple songs´ here. So strange. Unfortunatly, I don´t have any picture because my camera broke...obviously. My camera was on the fritz in Cambodia, but I had hope it would hold out here. My friends have been very symaphetic and taking pictures for me when I ask though and hopefully I will buy a new camera soon. I will upload their photos shortly.
Classes itself have been pretty interesting. I am in the intermediate class with 9 other students and I take class for three hours every day. Since I studied Portuguese before most of it is a review but I am fine with this because before I didn't actually have a teacher. Plus, I think the advanced class would be too hard for me and I wouldn't take much from it. My Portuguese is improving in leaps and bounds everyday and I am so happy I can actually communicate with my family. When I get tired however my portuguese just falls apart and Cynthia and Daniell have learned this and know when to just talk slowly to me and not expect me to respond. They are really good at pushing me to speak though and I like that they barely speak English.
Like I said we have mostly been in Belem, or just outside the city on a farm for orientation. Next week however we get to go Sao Francisco to learn more about farming practices in the Amazon area. We also get to learn about nutrient cycles...needless to say, I am super pumped.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Siem Riep

So I have been trekking around the temples for two days now, and it has been absolutely amazing.
The first day I went around the 'Little Circuit,' which included such wonders as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Ta Kao and Ta Prohm. There is a map below of the two different circuits. Unfortunately, it poured and poured yesterday, which really damped (pun so intended) the day. For some strange reason I decided I was better then the rain and didn't bring my rain coat or umbrella. I was literally dripping water and soaked to the bone all day long. As for the actual temples, obviously Angkor Wat was beautiful but it was so packed with people I couldn't fully enjoy it. It you didn't already know--there is nothing more annoying that have three different Japanese tour groups around you at all times. Each group wearing their respective matching hats and fanny packs.
My favorite temples yesterday were definitely the Bayon (the temples of the four faces) and Ta Prohm. I visited quite a few, but those stood out to me the most. The Bayon completely blew my mind and if it weren't for all of the Japanese tourists trying to kiss the faces, I probably would have spent more time there. Ta Prohm was also incredible, and it is the host to most of the temple photos with the overgrown trees. The way the trees just grow out of the buildings and over the walls is breathtaking. This site was made especially popular a number of years ago because it was where Tomb Raider was filmed. This site was also really touristy, but I was there at the end of the day so I got to rock scramble some ruins while the guards where rounding people up.
Today however was a much more enjoyable day, mostly because it was perfect weather, but also because there were not so many tourists where I went. I realized that my impression of the different sites is 50% architecture and 50% the other people. Maybe if the tours were in English I would be more interested in the history but since I have read a little already I am pretty content just looking and petting the carvings. Today I went around the 'Grand Circuit,' which included Pre Rup, Banteay Srei, East Mebon, Ta Som and Preah Khan. The winners of today were definitely Banteay Srei, Ta Som and Preah Khan. Banteay Srei was a bit touristy, but the carvings were so detailed and intricate. This was one of those sites were my mouth was literally agape the whole time. It is a lady temples so all of the doorways were very small. It also meant that I fit perfectly. Sometimes people would laugh because I was probably one of the only people there that could actually walk through the ruins properly. Ta Som was also beautiful and to top it off there were barely any tourists there so I got to walk the ruins while listening only to the cicadas. Preah Khan used to be a royal palace, and as a result, the ruins were grand and huge. Alot of it had collapsed, but I never mind rock scrambles so it was wonderful for me. Most of the temples are several stories tall will large towers on each corner. This ruin however was only one story tall except for this one structure made from giant columns. None of the temples I had been up to that point had columns, so it was strange to see.
Overall, the temples in general are strange to see because the aging of the stone has given them this unnatural range of colors that is impossible to describe. On top of this, the intense blue sky and giant trees growing out of the tops makes me feel like I am in a dream. There also butterflies and dragonflies everywhere, which will often land on me. Yes, the temples are magical.
The whole time I am walking around the archaeological park, I am with my tuktuk driver, SteangHay. He is probably everything I could ask for in a driver--decent English, basic temple knowledge, and a good person to keep me company but is understanding when I want to just wander off and pet the trees. To seal the deal, his tuktuk has leopard print and heart windows. Its so hilarious I crack up every time I see it. Most drivers just let the customers wander off on their own, but I am glad SteangHay stays with me because walking around all day alone and clueless would get real lonely.
Since I am nor taking any officially guided tours I have few facts to sprinkle this entry with. I'll try to write some history with the photos. I leave Cambodia tomorrow, so next time I come online I will mostly likely be in Tokyo. Despite all my ragging on Japanese tour groups, I am so excited.
Pokemon? Sailormoon? Here I come!

A map of the circuits so you can have a picture of where I go:

Friday, August 1, 2008

The Last Days...

So the last few days have been extremely interesting, but also slightly heart breaking. I guess to start with my last weekend in Phnom Penh. As you probably know from past entries, the elections were this last Sunday. Now I was very excited for elections and I very much so wanted to go around and see the voting booths, etc. Well...it turns out that not many people are actually registered to vote in the city and that the Prime Minister ordered all the stores to be closed. So not only was the city completely deserted, because everyone went to the provinces to vote, but there was nothing to do or eat. I tried walking around to look for the booths (and food), but no luck. I spent most of the day just hanging out with Boddhi Tree staff and walking around with no direction. Needless to say, I was actually very grateful for the voting period to end so that I could finally eat something. As for the elections themselves, I believe the official decision has not been announced yet because of corruption charges. It is however well known that the CPP took almost everything (single party democracy...?), but some of the other parties are claiming that up to 1 million eligible voters weren't allowed to actually vote. Now the population is currently 13.5 million people, a significant portion of which are children. This means that leaving 1 million voters out is a very significant statistic.
As for the days before the election, I can't remember what I did really, but I know that I did discover Psar Orussey, which is another major market in Phnom Penh. This market however is not at all touristy and actually has all of the bizarre, kitschy Khmer things I have been seeing around. Example: I finally found out where all of the creepy baby posters come from. Don't worry I didn't buy any...yet. I also wrote up and designed a brochure for AFSC Cambodia. which will probably be printed within the next month.
Back in Sre Ambel I mostly did the usual, but one day we did go to Sihanouk ville and a waterfall near there. Now most Cambodians cannot swim, so being in the water with them was very interesting. I had told Tivea once that I used to be on a swim team and nobody believed it. So one of the staff members challenged me to race, and, well, like I said...most Cambodians can't swim. It was an unfair race but seeing all of their absolute shock at my ability to actually swim was priceless. We also played some water games, which I didn't fully understand but just kinnda went along with anyway. The waterfall however was absolutely incredible. It was a shallow waterfall so we could sit right in it and have it massage our backs. Kimnith also shampooed my hair in the waterfall, which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Yes, there is nothing like showering in a waterfall.
The last night in Sre Ambel was very heartbreaking, but the goodbye dinner was really cute. Everyone came and brought delicious food, so we danced and ate and drank all night. Everyone said a little goodbye to me and then they all gave me some going away presents. In exchange for the presents though I had to promise to come back, which is fine by me. That day I taught them the difference between the simple future tense and the phrase 'going to,' so they made me say, "I am going to come back" and not "I will come back." It was really sweet and made me proud of my students. As I've probably mentioned, I love it hear and cannot wait to return.
Currently I am in Siem Riep and am going to see the temples tomorrow. The bus right was fine enough and now very interesting, except that every house had these giant hay piles (10+ feet tall) that looked like mushrooms. It was really stange. I am ridiculously excited to see Angkor Wat though and I am sure there will be about 2 million photos to sift through. Siem Riep itself is nothing like how I expected. I had been told that is was an annoying, touristy city filled with beggars. For this reason I purposefully picked a guesthouse far from the downtown. When I got off the bus however my tuktuk driver convinced me/decided for me that I should stay downtown. I am very glad he did. My guest house is amazing, with delicious food, free Internet, a cute garden, a pool table, and a short walk to any other restaurant or shop I could want. The downtown is not at all loud or obnoxious and the city itself is pretty small. Maybe the temple area will be really touristy, but so far I have found Siem Riep to be pretty simple and basic.
As far as my usual entries go, I guess this one is pretty short. Sorry, but I really can't bare to write about leaving everyone. I will try to write about the temples a bit tomorrow, or perhaps upload photos from the last few weeks. Well I hope all is well!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Photos

So finally there are some photos here for you. You can find the links to the albums in the the right hand column. It is only about half of the pictures I have taken since I have been here so there is more, but they probably won't be uploaded.

In looking at the photos I realized that out of 481, only 10 were actually of people. My apologies. The next batch will be better. I also realized that is physically impossible to capture the beautiful of this country. Maybe if you blewup the landscape photos and surround yourself with them you would be able to understand. But even then it is only a maybe. I also noticed that my camera likes to chop off a little pit of the sides. Sorry for this too.

"Yeah man, you know to me a mountain is a Buddha. Think of the patience, hundreds of thousands of years just sittin there bein perfectly perfectly silent and like praying for all living creatures in that silence and just waitin for us to stop all our frettin and foolin."

-Jack Kerouac

A Khmer video: Here

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Working in Phnom Penh

To start off, I want to state that as much as the Khmer culture is conservative and traditional, this shouldn't be confused with formal. Many interactions are formal, at least by western standards, but overall the culture is very relaxed. There is something about a culture that holds very important meetings barefoot, or about a man who are willing to climb a tree at a moments notice to get the perfect guava or coconut while in his business pants, or about a woman in heels who will bend down in mud to crush a shell to get the meat inside, that reaches a whole different level of relaxed. It is hard to describe, but everyday I find that things are just so different. Nothing is the same, but this isn't to say I feel like an outsider. No, this country is very welcoming to westerners and eager to learn about us.
So as I mentioned I have been here in Phnom Penh for a couple days with the staff. I went to three presentations with them about localization. The first two were all in Khmer so I barely took anything from them, but last one was with the donor, ICCO, and held in English. ICCO is a Dutch donor company that funds local NGO all over the world, with the ones in Cambodia specifically geared toward peace and democracy. Or that is what the official stance is, Roger (the donor rep) admitted that you can't separate such issues as 'peace and democracy' from 'economic support.' It was interesting to learn about the processes associated with finding a donor and communicating with a donor. Every donor works different, for instance some only fund very targeted groups and other fund general projects. Some donors have specific requirements and other donors let the organizations do what they want. ICCO stands right in the middle of both those extremes. They strongly believe that an NGO's first and foremost task is to help the local people help themselves; if they are doing that right then the donor will help them. The donor wants to fund an organization that has proven they can think for themselves and want to do everything they can to help the people, not get the money. NGOs shouldn't be afraid to tell a donor if some proposed or requested is not possible because being truthful means they are being careful and considerate. A donor wants an NGO that adjusts to changes in the community and that wants to learn what the community actually needs. A good organization, if they cannot fully support the community's needs, will seek coalitions with other organization and not just leave the job half done. A donor then looks for an organization that is able to adapt and apply. I know from reading ISLP's work that they already do this--they have many partnerships with other organizations, they have representatives directly in the community, and they are constantly brainstorming new training options for the community. I trust that when local ISLP will continue these practices.
Last night I went to a presentation by several Burmese students from ACT (Alliance for Conflict Transformation) on Cyclone Nargis. The presentation was interesting because it allowed me to hear what Burmese students themselves felt about the issues. Most of them expressed their resentment for the government's lack of responsibility but their pride in the people's action. The Burmese are now a people helping themselves because the government won't do it for them. At the lecture I ironically knew already five people there, which just reiterated for me how small this 'peace community' is here in Phnom Penh. It made me proud to be involved and motivated to stay involved. My interest in this region, specifically Cambodia and Burma, is ever increasing and I am glad to see that AFSC is now looking into working with the monastic schools in Myanmar.
Now usually when I am working with ISLP I am editing papers and teaching English. This week is different however because of their training, and right now I am working on making a pamphlet on an overview of ASFC Cambodia. Usually teaching is a very consuming, tiring, and rewarding experience. As some of you may know, I have never been a grammar bug. In fact, before my junior year of high school, English was my weakest subject. I always hated to write and it wasn't until a very amazing teacher came my way that I finally learned how to write well. A year after that I became ARGO editor and then the rest is history. So teaching myself proper English grammar has been a really interesting experience. I have found though that actually having motivation to learn the rules makes the task much easier, and (dare I say it) I actually find it kinda interesting. Who know that we could only technically used an apostrophe (') of possession for living things? I didn't. Turns out using it for nonliving things is a form of personification. Now that idea just does not translate into Khmer, but its an interesting fact. I believe by the end of this whole experience I will have been studying (perfect continuous future tense anyone?) more grammar then needed. I am sure you are also wondering how on earth quiet, mumbley, confusing me manages to teach anyway. Well, I was asking myself that same question. It turns out however that when I get in front of a group of people some other worldly force comes over me and I become not only loud, but articulate and confident. Jon asked me if this made me want to be an English teacher; the answer is still a firm NO, but I have to say the idea does not completely repulse me. No, I am still committed to working with the environment, perhaps as a consultant, but being a teacher somewhere down the line isn't a terrible thought.

Well that is all for now--need to finish that pamphlet!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Phnom Chisor

So I am pretty behind in writing about events here, but I will be in Phnom Penh for the next week because the ISLP staff is having a retreat with AFSC to start their transition to a local organization. The head board of AFSC in Philadelphia decided that the organization was to no longer run programs in other countries, and instead work with local organizations. I am not sure why they decided this, but now ISLP will be separate from AFSC and be an organization instead of a program. While I think this is a good step to take, it makes me nervous because many local organizations cannot sustain themselves. Khmer Ahimsa for instance is having a lot of troubles and have ran through their initial EED budget. As a result, staff members haven't been paid in two months and might not get paid for another one.

So while I am pretty behind in writing, I am just going to write about yesterday and then try to recap the last two weeks later. I have been trying to upload photos, but it is very slow, especially since power goes out here pretty often. I have already lost half a post and 20 pictures this morning. Oh well.

So yesterday I went to Phnom Chisor, an 11th century temple ruin about two hours from Phnom Penh. I went with Jon, a Californian just a year older then me who traveled with the Burmese. It is nice getting to hang out with another American and flex my English muscles as we like to say. He is here interning for a peace organization that teaches master courses for peace workers from all over the world. All last week and all this week the classes are running and he told me to come to lecture tomorrow night on Cyclone Nargis and the refugee issue. Clearly I am very excited. Since we are both clearly interested in peace issues we have a lot in common, but he is more of a theorist while I am the go getter that couldn't care less about theory. To me, the theory is only useful when adjusted for the situation and when initially based on field research. For him, he likes to study how the theory actually applies in the field. Maybe its just two sides of the same coin, but it makes for interesting conversation. Through him I've realized that the expat community in Cambodia is very small--he is working with Margaret, the Quaker I met when I first came here. I have already realized though that the country in general is pretty small and that it is easy to find people who know each other in the city. Either that or everyone is connected to the Boddhi Tree--its hard to tell which.

Now getting to Phnom Chisor was an adventure in itself. We had to take a bus toward Takeo and get off at the turn for the temples. Sounds easy enough but it turns out the signs are all in Khmer and if it weren't for a nice Khmer women with a clue we probably would have ended up in Takeo. Once off the bus it was a 5km moto ride to the base of the hill followed by a 503 step climb to the top of the mountain. Obviously these weren't your normal steps but rather ones that were awkwardly sized, slanted, and just plain annoying. It was also clearly lunchtime, midday, and overwhelmingly hot. I could tell from the soil that it haven't raining in a while (more on this later) and air was hotter then usual. On the hike up though I got to really appreciate how much Khmer I have learned here. I can't even begin to say I can speak Khmer, but I can understand quite a bit. There are definitely times when I am teaching and I don't need the translator and there was once at dinner where one of the staff members was telling a story in Khmer and I actually thought it was in English because I was only half listening but could still understand it.  I wish I could actually speak Khmer, but listening and responding in English has seemed to work 85% of the time. 

So while the steps were overwhelming, my lunch nauseously hot, and my water bottle empty, the ruins were still stunning and the view amazing. I realized while I was there that I have never actually seen ruins before and now I am even more excited to go to Siem Riep.  It was very surreal to walk through ancient ruins overgrown with plants and try to make out the few carvings that have survived. Inside some of the remaining buildings were modern Buddhas (Phnom Chisor was originally built for Shiva) and one of them had really huge lignam. Inside the lignam room a nine year old boy decided to befriend me and follow me around the rest of time I was at the temple. He didn't say anything to me, but this kind of thing often happens. Cambodian children are always amazed by barangs and since I am not huge like other foreigners they are even more curious. Cambodian people in general are very calm and soft spoken. Often I have to strain to hear people and sometimes Khmer people will be having a conversation I can't even hear. Sometimes even I feel loud, which I know it saying a lot. They are not people who get angry easily and I have only once seem a Khmer person get noticeably upset (the man was having his land siezed...I would be upset too). When they don't understand things or are confused, they laugh. Many Americans get confused by this last trait, but it is something that I do too so I fit right in. At first with my housemates I couldn't tell if they were laughing at me or not understanding, but once I realized they actually didn't understand a word I said I couldn't help just laugh along with them.

As I mentioned, the view was incredible, but the apparent dryness of the land worried me. Once we came back from the temple and waited for the bus on the main road my speculations were confirmed. There we met a Cambodian named Vuth who is currently studying at university for Environmental Science. Obviously we had a lot to talk about. His English was pretty good, but the language barrier was too much to really discuss issues in details. It turns out, from what I understand, students from his program started the Cambodian Environmental Youth Network, which is working to promote sustainable issues among students. Right now they are trying to organize a bike ride from the capital to Sihanoukville (320 km). He was talking about the challenges they face in trying to promote the issues and I wanted to give him some suggestions but the language difference just wasn't working out. He told me more about details of environmental issues in Cambodia, especially about the farmers. Apparently 2-3 farmers die every year from misuse of pesticides (my interpretation from 'medicine') and lack of training. The farmers here are never trained on how to use pesticides or fertilizers so they almost always just end up using the wrong kind. He was telling me how the land doesn't grow as much anymore, but he didn't know why. I wanted to explain to him what happens when soil is misused, but again the language barrier. He told me how where there are only fields and no trees there is also no rain; he talked about how he thinks the lack of trees and rain are related but didn't know for sure. I told him that there was a connection, but I couldn't find simple enough words to explain the water cycle and transpiration. In talking with him I rerealized how much we need training programs/organization here for the rural farmers and how much important it is for the developed countries to help. This goes back to what I was saying about the Burmese, and about how the West needs to work with the developing world and stop just telling these organizations what to do. There are complex cultural ties associated with these environmental issues (the use of charcoal being one example). It really broke my heart to hear well educated Vuth, with four years of university under his belt (out of six), not know the connections between basic environmental science problems I learned about in high school. It has nothing to do with him, or his school, or his professors, but rather with a general lack of resources and accessibility. Again, I am not judging, I am just reappreciating what the Burmese told me three weeks ago. 

Okay so the power keeps failing on me and I am going to have to end here. I hope all is well with everyone! Thanks to those of you that sent me music!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

My Birthday, Crab Banks, and the Burmese

Okay so it has been a really long time since I've updated, so I'll be making two different entries. I've also finally loaded all my pictures onto a DVD, but seeing as this computer wont recognize it, that will have to wait. I will be in Phnom Pehn for a week straight soon, so I will definitely do it then.

Oh and before I begin: Happy Belated Birthday Baby Julia!

Okay, here we go.
I had a very relaxing but wonderful 20th birthday. I had a bit of the '20-freakout,' but it was no where near others that I have seen so its okay. On that Sunday I went to the Phnom Penh wildlife reserve/zoo (about 2 hours from the city by tuktuk) with Ollie and Nev. (Before I begin to talk the zoo adventure, let me just say Thank God for those two girls. They kept me sane and allowed me to not spend my birthday alone.) So the ride to the zoo was pretty typical and filled with the average Cambodian scenery of flat flat land, scattered palm trees and various shanty filled villages. We drove along a 'highway' so you can't say the view was stunning, but it was still pleasant. Things got really weird when we turned off the highway though onto a small dirt road that led only to the zoo. The zoo was about three km down this road and since we were in a tuktuk it was pretty slow going. About a km in, in what seemed to us to be the complete middle of no where forested area, hundreds of beggars started to appear on the sides of roads. They didn't say anything, just placed their hands out. While beggars are common at touristy sites, this zoo was in the middle of nowhere and not visited frequently. When we were there we were the only other guests. So these beggars seemed very out of place-enough so for me to write it here. What really got to us though was these two giant 15 foot elaborately decorated puppets with scary demonic faces that were also along the path. The puppets were wore by two men and standing on the side of the road just swaying the wind. Now imagine this: you are in rural Cambodia, in the forest, with no village for at least two miles, and you see two of the scariest puppets you've ever seen while the only noise you can hear is the roar of your moto and the wheels of your carriage hitting rocks. All three of us were too shocked to take a picture. When we came back, they were gone.
As for the actual reserve, its composed for three different sections. All of the animals there have been rescued, mostly from illegal traders at the boarder. The first section was completely open and almost safari like. We walked around feeding monkeys and deer and looking at some various smaller birds and rodents in cages. The martins were beautiful and the white squirrels kind of freaky. The deer were all really cuddly and nuzzled up against us. We were followed around by several Khmer boys who were imposing themselves as our tour guides. This was okay though because they knew a lot about the animals and offered to take our picture for us. I have to say though it was really funny when they asked, "Oh, you want picture with common deer?"
My favorite part of the zoo by far was the sun bears. If you haven't heard of them before, please go look them up right now because they are the strangest creatures I've ever seen. Their chests are concave and they have a beautiful yellow patch on their chest. There were a lot of other animals of course, like tigers and elephants. They were both locked up for the evening though because we got there pretty late. I know there were other animals, but I can't remember now. The pictures will explain more.
The Monday after my birthday was the staff's payday so they had a dinner together at the office. At the dinner though they brought out a cake and sang me happy birthday. It was really really sweet and I appreciated it a lot. Afterwards, I learned some Cambodian dance moves (very traditional) and suffered through some karaoke. I should mention now that the office karaoke is just the same ten songs over and over again. Half of the songs are also in the mix Tivea plays daily. Lets just say I've heard 'I will always love you,' 'The Power of Love,' (sidenote: Cambodians can't under that phrase 'power of love.' They see love and power in a different way then us and in a way I can't understand. I've tried to explain the English meaning, but it just doesn't translate) and 'Hotel California' more times then necessary. Luckily another staff member brought new music two days ago, so I think things will improve.
The first two days back in Sre Ambel (the 30th and 1st) were pretty simple besides that and mostly composed of me editing papers. I don't mind this work though because I learn a lot about the organization and the various issues. While I correct someone is usually next to me, learning about English while explaining to me aspects that aren't included in the paper. This way we both end up learning a lot. The the 2nd I drove down to Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) and Stung Hav with Tivea and Siem for some meetings. Sihanoukville itself is a decent sized city, very touristy, and has many beautiful beaches. I saw more westerners there then I've ever seen in Phnom Penh and you really have to search for the Khmer places. I went to the beach for a little bit in the afternoon, which was amazing. I was the only one in the water because Siem can't swim and Tivea is obsessed with fishing. While I was in the water a small school of barracudas jumped past me, which was both terrifying and amazing. I realized then that I had actually never seen a barracuda before; they have horrendous teeth but their silver scales reflect the water so they look this beautiful shade of blue-green. Again, one of those "OH, I'm in Cambodia..." moments.
The first day there we met with the Chief of the Integrated Coastal Management in Sihanoukville and then with a program advisor from UNDP. Both meetings were in Khmer so I obviously had no idea what was going on. I found out later though that the meetings were concerning establishing a crab bank in Stung Huv. Basically a crab bank is a way to sustainably manage a crab fishery. When the fishermen catch a female crab, they bring it to the bank and leave it there for a few days so it can release its eggs. Since the eggs can weigh up to 30% of the crab's weight, the bank offers to pay the difference. The hatched crabs are released back in the ocean and this way those crab eggs are not lost to the market. Other areas with crab banks have seen a noticeable increase in the number of crabs caught.
Animal Bank like this are the majority of the work ISLP does now. They first started to set up community fisheries and forests to allow villages to manage their livelihood in an environmentally and economically sound way. Much of the conflict in the area then was over land (as it still is today), both between villages and between villages and companies. Once the wildlife populations rebounded in the community areas, villages outside of that community began to use the resources illegally because they had completely mismanaged their own. In many cases, this also led to violent conflict. This is when ISLP realized that while the conflicts were over resources, they stemmed from an economic problem. So the Animal Bank schemes were formed, often in conjunction with Heifer International. There are Buffalo Banks, Pigs Banks and now a Crab Bank. The first two banks are run differently however, with the poorest families in the villages targeted as recipients of a female animal. Once that animal produces another female, that animal is passed on to another member in the village. In otherwords, its the gift that keeps on giving. These villagers also receiving training on how to properly care for the animals; these are techniques that in many cases have been used for other animals, such as chickens. Indeed I had read many success stories from these banks--of a widow who is now a pig and chicken raiser and of another widow who now has a rice winery because the gifted buffalo allowed her to till more land. This isn't the kind of work I expected to be doing when I first came here, but I find it really interesting. The establishment of the community areas and the Animal Banks have reduced poverty and thus conflict in many villages along the bay, earning ISLP a lot of respect because they always remain neutral and look after the community as a whole. This isn't the only thing ISLP does, but its what I have been involved with the most.
The second day was filled with more meetings about Crab Banks but unfortunately in the morning I accidentally ate fish curry and was then incredibly ill all day. I have no idea really what happened during the day. At night though 30 or so Burmese peaceworkers came to visit with Khmer Ahimsa, and that dinner was about to start my most inspirational experience here.
The Burmese were all amazing people. They were outgoing, friendly and chatty in an overwhelming kind of way. They firmly believed that peace and understand can be made through discussion and learning--this is a belief that permeated their every action. Talking with them taught me so much about why I am here and why I am interested in conflict studies. The horrendousness of the Burmese government is far worse then I realized. Myranmar has around 100 different ethnic groups, and every single one except for the leading parties' is persecuted. If you are ever suspected of being antigovernment, you and more family pays and often with your lives. Organizations of any kind are banned there and almost all of the peaceworkers I met were working illegally. In truth, they were risking their lives by just trying to keep their country together; the situation is so volatile there the government could target them at anytime. All of the workers that came were extremely well educated and possessed a determination I didn't realize a human could contain.
Before they came I was beginning to become cynical about my work here. I was beginning to feel useless because I can't speak the language. I would look around and see so many Khmer people helping Khmer people I began to wonder why I wasn't at home doing community service. I've learned the power of a local movement since I've been here and I began to question things. The Burmese made me see things differently though. So many of them would come up to me and personally thank me for coming abroad and for working on peace issues. They told me how they feel so desperately that they need the help of the western world because they don't have the resources to do it on their own. Not just the economic resources, but the intellectual ones. They told me how seeing me and the two other foreigners gave them so much hope that they didn't have to work for peace alone. In Myanmar they often feel like they are working for the impossible and that no one knows about their problems. They feel like the world has turned its back. Every time another one pulled me aside to give me this speech, each speech being a little different, I felt overwhelmed but impassioned. I feel like I get a lot more now, I get why western involvement doesn't have to be this terrible thing, and how people with that much life in them can really build peace.
On that Friday with the Burmese we all went to this island in Kompong Som Bay. The boat ride down the river was absolutely amazing and I got to see some of the most beautiful mangroves and clouds in my life. The clouds here are incredible and are unlike anything I've ever imagined. I am convinced that the sky is actually 3x as big and that the clouds are bigger then the state of NJ. They cover the entire horizon and sometimes look more like a painting then reality. Its incredible. For the island, it was also incredibly beautiful. There is nothing like a sparsely populated island in Southeast Asia. The plants...the huts...the ocean...beautiful. Unfortunately, the island is the host of a serious resource conflict. The government just signed a 99 year agreement with a seaweed farming company and the actual farm will block the fishermen's access to the ocean. This is a serious threat to their livelihood exacerbated by the fact that seaweed farms are now starting to be recognized as a serious pollutant. They create toxic water and poison all the fish in the area. Apparently the company convinced the government that people don't actually live on the island, even though the villagers there legally own land. Right now they are in the middle of negotiations to get the seaweed farm to move its location over a bit so that the fishermen can actually access the sea.
After this we went back to Sre Ambel and had a Q&A with some of the local peacebuilders. Many of the peacebuilders are women because they care the most about seeing the community hold together and because the men after busiest working for their livelihood. One of the women was a former Khmer Rouge soldier. One finds this a lot with the peace builders because the former Khmer Rouge first took up arms for peace. They are people who care a lot and want to fight for justice. Many of them have now learned from the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and feel tricked themselves by the Organization. Remember, most Khmer Rouge soldiers were just peasants looking for liberty. They never meant to tear their country apart. Unfortunately, once they realized the truth it was too late. Most did not know about places like Toul Sleng until the Vietnamese invasion, and even then they were so insulted by the Vietnamese they still took arms. The woman I met joined the Khmer Rouge in 1979, the year the Vietnamese came. Now these former soldiers have learned from their ways and are now the strongest peacebuilders in the country. Also remember that Koh Kong province, where I live, is the last place to have a Khmer Rouge resistance so the region needs strong peacebuilders.
After the Burmese left on Friday, I stayed in Sre Ambel and basically relaxed for two days straight. Both of my housemates were home and we just slept and ate all weekend. Some might say it was a waste of time, but to be honest I needed a mental break like that. I feel like I barely get time to breath here so taking two days to relax was definitely needed.
Okay so like I said I will be need to break up these entries. There is so much more to write about but I just can't do it now. Hopefully I will do it today, but we'll see.

Oh and PS my entire bag decided to go swimming...with my iPod. The camera is fine, thank god, but the iPod only flashes me a sad face. So if anyone wants to send me a song or two through an email I would appreciate it. I miss music (that's not Karaoke). Thanks in advance!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The first full week in Sre Ambel and other random things

So I haven't written in a while, so I guess I have a lot to say.

First off, last weekend in Phnom Penh was pretty fun and it is nice to be back in the city to mix things up, but over all I enjoy Sre Ambel more becuase it is just so pretty. Last weekend in the city was mostly spent relaxing, going to markets and hanging out with these two girls, Olivia and Nevine, from London who I've gotten to know pretty well. Its good have them around because most of the time I have to speak in very very limited English and after a while it starts to get to me. Also, talking to them I've learned a lot about the UK--small things that I didn't really know were so different, like our education systems and supermakets. I've also know fully embraced the words 'mental' and 'dodgy' into my vocab. As for the markets, I went to the Russian market and Central (or New) market last weekend. The Russian market is a small cramped place named such because for a while only the Russians imported clothes, music, etc to Cambodia. Now the market is filled with a wide variety of things, from DVDs, to china, to tourist souvenirs. The central market in contrast is significantly more open and much much larger. It has everything anyone could ever want, including tons of really trendy clothing stands. I am pretty bad bargainer though and need to be better before I can really buy stuff. The building that Central Market is in was built by the French well before the Khmer Rouge came into power and is now one of the prides and joys of the city. The structure is really beautiful and when an advertisement company put posters on it about 4 years ago the city people protested. I have also been to the Sre Ambel market, which is obviously small but much larger then I expected. It is often awkward for me to go out into the Sre Ambel town though because everyone stares at me and the children call me barang (foreigner). I usually don't mind but after a while it does get really weird.

As for the work I have been doing with ISLP, it has been really interesting. Right now they are rewriting the job descriptions and requirements because the previous ones were written by AFSC members who were not Cambodian and not really that involved with the program. So this is the first time the staff has really sat down to think about the work they are doing, what it means and what improvements can be made. The written descriptions and requirements however are to be written in English because it is AFSC sponsered. That is where I come in. They write ideas down, but the English is barely comprehensible so Tivea and I sit together and edit the lists. Along the way Tivea explains to me each one and I try to write it in a way everyone can understand. It is hard because sometimes they have phrases that don't really make sense in English but they are so used to I have to include them anyway. I can't think of any examples now...but there are a lot. I like this work though because I feel like I am really helping them but I am also learning how an NGO is organized, runs itself, and is essentially started. In Cambodia, there are Provinces, Districts, Communes, and Villages. ISLP works in Sre Ambel district in Koh Kong province. For every commune there is an ISLP Team Leader under whom a field officers for every village. The field officers work in the village and with each other to bring the whole commune together on issues. Often the communes are naturally seperated by their resources--so fisheries, forestry, etc. Next year, ISLP is probably going to become independent, like Khmer Ahimsa, so the work were doing now is their first steps in making that transition. It is also good timing because the election campaign just started and non political organizations are not allowed to hold big village meetings. As a result, I've just been in the office (which is outside) for the last week an not visiting any village. This weekend I am going to prepare an English lesson for the staff to teach on Monday or Tuesday. Its pretty strange to me, but some of the staff calls me Teacher. Keep in mind all of them are between the ages of 28 and 50something so its weird for me, especially since they talk in English only in the third and first person. So they will say things like, "Does Teacher want to go to the market?" or "Did Teacher sleep well?" The first time it happened I actually had no idea who they were talking about.

As for other Sre Ambel things, life it pretty simple and mostly consists of eating and teaching my housemates English. I almost always get food from these open air restaurants that have maybe 6 pots of food to choose from. Oh course nothing is vegetarian so I have to pick around the meat. There isn't a kitchen in my house so I don't really have a choice. There is no tofu either so I try to get in as much protein as possible while in the city and bring some soymilk back with me. Overall the food is simple and often some kind of soup with rice. It does get boring after a while but I've never paid more then 75 cents for a meal so I can't complain. The other week coming back from the city I did try a local delicacy though--fried red ants, black ants, termites and bee larvae. It was pretty strange to eat and I found the termites way too salty. And to answer someone's question...most of the food is eaten with a spoon and fork with the exception of noddles which require chopsticks. I have yet to see a knife in the countryside, but considering everything is soupy that makes sense.

Oh also, I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but the animals in Sre Ambel are crazy. The cows often just sit in the road, the ducks are a bizarre looking species that I've never seen before and the pigs are terrifying. I swear that some of the pigs come up to my shoulder--now I know I've short, but you have to admit that is HUGE. And when the run...its horrifying. If it came between me fighting a pig or a tiger, I am not sure which I would choose. These weird farm animals and the fact that all of them women wear matching pajamas that are like scrubs but covered with ridiculous patterns, adds a certain humor to Sre Ambel that it difficult to describe.

Ok well I believe that is all for now but one last anecdote before I leave: Every once in a while I'll get this, "Oh right...I'm in Cambodia moments..." and I got a major one two nights ago. I was sitting on my porch with Narith and Minea, basically staring out into complete darkness, with these lights were flashing every now and then. I just assumed it was a moto, but then I remembered that across the street was just open fields. Minea then told me it was fishermen. I was SO confused, I was thinking really hard about it and just kept saying to myself...Fishermen? On the fields? What? And then I remembered that fields here are rice paddies that are knee deep or more depending upon the recent rain. It was bizarre for me to suddenly have to completely rethink the word ''field'' and understand it as something totally different.

Well then. Right now I am staying at a different guesthouse then the Boddhi Tree, which breaks me heart, because it was full. I stayed at this really horrible place last night, but moved this morning to Liv and Nevs' guesthouse because I couldn't bear to be there. I think next weekend I am actually going to the beach, which should be really exciting. Hope all is well! Do write!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

The First Few Days in Sre Ambel

Hey! I am back in Phnom Penh for the weekend. I wanted to write last night but there was a downpour so heavy I wouldn't dare leave the guesthouse. Generally I find the weather to be quite wonderful here. It never gets too hot because it usually rains sometime before 10 and 2 in the afternoon. I really enjoy the rain though, because it makes the after-lunch nap cooler.

Wednesday I drove down Route 4 to Sre Ambel with Tivea because it was a holiday (the King's Mother/Queen's Birthday). The drive down was about three hours and decent enough. We pass a lot of small 'villages' whose main income centers around providing rest stops for travelers. It is hard to describe these villages because they are mostly constructed from random wood, straw and other construction material. What marks the poverty isn't the buildings themselves however, but rather the unbelievable amount of trash that lies everywhere. Everywhere you look there are just plastic bags and wrappers covering the ground. I know there is no garbage collection system here, but I am surprised that there is no disposal system, especially in the ones so close to the city. As the journey continues these small villages slowly fall away to countryside. The countryside is filled with rice paddies, as expected, and it beautiful in strangely flat sort of way.

And then come the mountains. The Cardamoms are actually impossible to describe. I have sat here for a few minutes to try and find the words, but I am afraid I must give up. I think it is that they seem to bream and thrive with wildness, indeed I wouldn't dare call it 'wilderness' for that seems too tame. Maybe it is because I am told there are tigers in the mountains, but I think I sensed their mystic before I knew that. Looking at the the forest one can see more shades of green imaginable (I kid you not, the grass at the bottom of the mountains is actually neon green). I don't even think crayola has made that many greens. Looking at them it is clear why the Khmer Rouge were able to build up their army here and why they held out here for thirty years.

Sre Ambel itself is in the valley of the mountains, in a low lying area a couple kilometers north of the delta. I can't tell if people are here because the earth is completely flat or if the land is flat because people are here--my guess is that it is a mixture of both. The main crop here is clearly rice production, but you can find cows, water buffalo, chickens, and pigs everywhere. Traffic jams are caused by herds of cows, not cars. Where I am staying is pretty nice, there is a gorgeous view of the fields and I have pretty big bed covered in the ugliest green anti-malaria mosquito net you will ever see. There isn't much to complain about except that there is a rooster outside my window that caws from 4:30am to about 7pm. It is actually the most annoying noise I have ever heard my life. I would trade sirens for that rooster any day of the week. Otherwise it is nice to have fresh air and be in the country.

My housemates are two Khmer Ahimsa staff, Narith and Minea (pronounced as if there was a 'k' between there i and n). They are both total sweethearts but don't speak much English. We generally sit around pointing at objects, while I say the word in English and they say it in Khmer. As for the rest of the Khmer Ahimsa staff, they are all very sweet. Three of them (including my housemates) are only a few years old then me. I knew I would get along with them when the first day Ramy (the third younger staff member) said to me, "Here we play a lot, eat a lot, and [be] crazy a lot." To clarify, Khmer Ahimsa is a local NGO that focuses on peace building within the communities; they used to be a branch of AFSC but now they are independent. The first day there I went with the Head Peace Manager to a local Muslim village that is having a land crisis. Nobody here speaks English very well, but from what I gathered a company has come in and kicked 68 families off of their land in order to create a sugar plantation. The people are clearly upset about this and Khmer Ahimsa is working with them to provide financial support so they can visit with government officials. Khmer Ahimsa also informs them of their rights and tells them what things they can say in resolution meetings. Cambodian people are known for not expressing anger, but it was clear even with the language barrier that these farmers are very very upset.

The second day I worked with ISLP, a branch of AFSC that works with land conflict issues as well as sustainable management. There I have a more concrete job, basically working as an editor and English teacher. All of the reports and case studies that ISLP writes are translated into English, but by people who barely speak English. As a result the reports are extremely confusing and almost impossible to decipher. I usually spend 20 minutes reading one page. Most of the problems comes from key differences between the language. For example, the Khmer language does not use articles (the, a, an) and does not use sentences like we do. Their idea of a sentence is our idea of a paragraph. It is hard work but I actually really enjoy because I get to learn about their work and reading each paper is like solving a puzzle. In the end, I will edit quite a few papers and present them to the staff, teaching them why certain sentences were grammatically incorrect and why certain phrasings are better. For this teaching part though I am going to need to buy an English grammar book...haha.

Overall I have really loved Sre Ambel so far. I probably won't come back to Phnom Penh next weekend, because I am going to Sihanoukville and then to see the community forest. I'll try to write soon though! Hope all is well!

PS In rereading this I realized that some of the phrasing seems a little awkward. For this I am sorry but please understand that my spoken vocabulary is limited to about 100 words!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Still in Phnom Penh

So I didn't actually go down to Sre Ambel on Monday because the village bought come water buffalo and was transporting them across the country and distributing them to the tribes. When Russell told me why I was staying in the city for two more days I couldn't help but laugh at the reminder that, well, I am in Cambodia. So I have just been chilling for two more days, working and visiting the sites. I still haven't finished reading about the hydropower project because Russell also wants me to read up about the current practices of both ISLP and the Race and Nationalism Project inorder to write an updated pamphlet. It is really interesting all of the things I am learning about Cambodian history and Khmer culture. There are many levels to the ethnic issues because of both modern history and ancient tensions. I don't feel comfortable enough with my understanding of the issue to write about it here, but hopefully I will be able to in the future.

As for what I have been doing the last two days...Yesterday I want to AFSC office and finally met the other office workers. Everyone is Khmer except for the Regional and Country Directors. They all seemed very nice, but seeing as I won't really be working with them the introductions were very short. I then went out with the company driver to buy a cell phone, which was an experience of itself. The whole time I basically had no idea what was happening because I am completely clueless to the language. One thing I was aware of however was that I had to pick my number. Meaning they gave me a list of about 50 phone numbers and told me to choose one...it was daunting and strange but I was later told this is because some people have lucky and bad numbers that they need to be able to select for.

After the phone purchase I went for lunch with Russell and this women from Singapore who is here as a consultant. I have no idea what her name is but she does some very interesting work. She just came back from Myanmar and had some really interesting stories to tell and pictures to show. She has been working in Southeast Asia for well over 30 years now, has been a lot of atrocities and feels that the Burmanese government is the most indignant and selfish government she has ever witnessed. She told me stories about how cyclone relief donations reach the government and stop there, or that they actually go towards supplies, food, and helicopter fuel (only helicopters can reach the region) but never leave the ground. On a hopeful note however, she was talking about how impressed she was with the local people and their drive to rebuild. Already many villages are rebuilt, donation cups are in restaurants across the country and supplies being distributed. While she sees the government as completely useless (indeed the head general's son took the helicopters out for his birthday right as the start of the crisis) she also acknowledges that the local grassroots movement is the most successful she has seen. I guess there are two sides to every coin. In this lunch I also learned that Cambodian history after 1973 is not taught in school. This means that there is an entire generation now that has not learned about the Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese occupation, or the UN elections. I found this to be very sad, but it seems that the times were too controversial for text books. Some learn about the Khmer Rouge through their parents, but often the parents don't to talk about it or the kids simply do not believe it.

After lunch then I went to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. This was a bit of a surreal experience because it is an absolutely beautiful site, one of the main tourist attractions of the city, and the grounds were completely empty. There was only a handful of people there. I can't help but compare it to the Forbidden City, where you can barely walk. Indeed there are so few tourists here that I ran into one (Tim) that was on my tour at Toul Sleng the day before. While it was interesting to see a familiar face, Tim is a Hollander (?) who lived in Connecticut for a year, wears polos and khaki shorts and is extremely cheap...so I chose to continue looking through the Palace by myself. The whole place is indeed very beautiful and once I find an interest cafe that will let me upload the pictures I will be sure to put them up. The rest of the afternoon was spend napping and then having dinner with some staff and friends from the Boddhi Tree. They are all very nice, eager to tell me about Khmer culture, and really into cheezy pop. Indeed, you haven't lived until you've seen a large group of Khmer men belting along to Britney's 'Bottom of My Broken Heart.'

Today was then spent in a similar fashion, but without the lunch and with a visit to the National Museum instead. The Museum is extremely modest on the inside but absolutely beautiful architecturally. Many of the artifacts were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge when they first entered Phnom Penh and the museum stayed out of commission until 2002. I personally find it strange that the Khmer Rouge destroyed the artifacts (and murdered the curator) because they sought to create a pure Khmer culture with the Angkor Empire being the example of both how high the culture can rise and how far it can fall. Angkor Wat is the pride and joy of the Khmer people and to deface it is it deface the people. Granted there are artifacts from both pre and post Angkor, and there could have been modern art that was completely destroyed that I am unaware of, but the whole issue still leaves me curious.

Right before I come to write this all up I met with Tivea finally. He seems very friendly and speaks English sparingly...at best. There are two other people in the program who understand English, but cannot speak it well. Basically, I should really start learning Khmer, fast! In Sre Ambel I will most likely be sleeping on a mat on the floor in a wooden hut and I am told that everything closes by 7pm. Tivea said that the living there is very simple, even for a Cambodian. All of this made me very nervous, but all of your comments, emails and support are very encouraging. I can't thank you enough for it.

Again, I hope all is well with you and I'll be back in the city on Friday or Saturday to restock on food.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Day Two in Phnom Penh

Today has been a pretty interesting and eye opening day. I am still extremely jetlagged so as a result I woke up at 4am with no idea what to do with myself and have consequently gone about the day in a haze.

Anyway, I got breakfast with Margaret this morning. Margaret is an Australian (oops, not British) librarian who was first sent to Cambodia in 1986 by the quakers and moved here permanently in 1990. She has done a lot of interesting stuff, like helping the local universities set up their libraries and worked on the war crime trails for Khmer Rouge. Since she has been here for so long she is a good source of information and took me on a little driving tour of Phnom Penh.

To start off with the tour, it should be established that there are no driving laws in Cambodia. I saw a couple of traffic lights and crossing signs, but they are generally completely ignored. Motos dominate the roads and the cars usually stick to their side but it not uncommon to find them driving on the wrong side or straddling lanes. While being both in a car and on a moto is a terrifying experience, in reality the drivers are more aware then any driver in the US and accidents are apparently rare considering the mass chaos.

The architecture of Phnom Pehn is very interesting as I learned. The buildings are an odd hodgepodge of stunning temples, beautiful french structures, dilapidated buildings, and brand new construction. During the Khmer Rouge regime, all of the people were kicked out Phnom Penh (except prisoners and soldiers). The Khmer Rouge sought to turn everyone into a working peasant class and deserting the cities was one way of doing so. As a result when the Vietnamese came into Phnom Penh they found a completely empty city. Vegetation had started to take over the city and eroded many of the building. The Khmer Rouge gouged out many of the stores and burned all the appliances (because they represented capitalism...?) and sorted the contents into huge story tall piles. They also bombed many of the significant buildings, like the National Bank and the Cathedral. Now, during the rebuilding process, everything is under construction. As a consequence however, there is a steel, brick and skilled labour shortage which has resulted in massive funding from the Chinese and Japanese (strings very attached) and not from local agencies. Margaret showed me all of the notable sights in Phnom Penh via the car and I am excited to look at each site up close. Margaret also has many connections in Cambodia and when I come back to the city she is going to set up a meeting with me and some environmental field worker. It should be interesting and exciting.

After Margaret dropped me off I went to see Wat Phnom. It is a very beautiful temple that I enjoyed very much. An elephant rested at the bottom of the temple and giant statues hide among the trees. Since only foreigners have to pay to enter ($1), most of the people there were Khmers. Being at the temple it was apparent to me the poverty that plagues this nation. Everywhere you go you see amputees and homeless children, many of whom are spooning water from puddles into dirty plastic bottles. The poverty indeed is overwhelming, disheartening and frustrating. While many NGOs have now established themselves in Cambodia, their work is clearly endless. On a slightly lighter note, there are also many monkeys who inhabit the wat and eat the offerings for the Buddha. They are very used to people and I even saw a monkey and child cuddling on a mother's lap. I found this site both cute and disturbing.

After Wat Phnom, I went to the genocide museum across the street from where I am staying. I spent a full day preparing myself for what I would see and as a result managed to get through the first half of the tour numb. The compound is composed of three buildings, with a strangely beautiful sitting area in the middle. The first building is the site of the torture chambers, the beds left as they were found with pictures on all the walls of the people found in each room by the Vietnamese. The second building is now a gallery of sorts, showing mugs shots of the people who passed through Toul Sloung. The pictures were never ending and the more and more I looked at them, the more surreal the whole place became. The last building was the hardest, with crude paintings of torture methods displayed along side instruments and skulls. Perhaps the saddest part of all however is that once the S-21 commander was put on trial, he admitted in a ball of tears that he had no idea why he did it.

I am sorry that this entry was rather sobering--but much in this city is. Tomorrow I will go down to Sre Ambel (pronounced more like Shry Am-Bal) and learn more about dams, fish and forests. Hurrah.

I have many pictures, but I am too lazy to attempt to upload them now. Another time, another time.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Arriving

Why hello!

After two days of journeying, four different airports, mild food poisoning (go Continental Airlines), seemingly endless lines, and no sleep...I have finally arrived in Phnom Phen!

I haven't gotten to go around the city much yet, but everyone I have met so far has been extremely nice. Phnom Phen is a relatively dirty city, marked by a couple major paved roads and then dozens of unpaved roads that are supposidly identified by numbers which were assigned completely randomly. The guesthouse I am staying in, the Boddhi Tree Umma, is quite possibly the cutest place I've ever been. It has a cafe and a lobby that may or may not also be a rainforest. I find the cuteness of the Boddhi Tree rather ironic however because across the street is the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, also known as S-21. S-21 is the infamous prison of the Khmer Rouge, where 17,000 people were tortured and slain over the course of four years. I really want to take a tour of the museum, but I know it will have to wait until tomorrow when I am not so jet-lagged.

As for my internship, the director of AFSC Cambodia picked me up from the airport and immediately we got started in talking about what I will be doing. Russell, the director, is a 40something Australian who has been living in Cambodia since 1993, the year of the first election. Oh, I also found out that elections will be this July, which I am very excited to be here for. I am not fully aware of the political tensions that are surrounding the current election, but I was given the impression that everything should be very peaceful. One party, the People's Party, has reigned since 1993 and while there are many opposition parties the People's Party will probably win again. Many say that Cambodians are still more interested in stability then what the party actually stands for. Just last week the NGOs in Cambodia hosted a forum for all of the party representatives (of which the People's Party did not show) to discuss the environmental future and planning for the country. The newspaper article about it should be out on Monday, and I am interested as to see what key issues were discussed.

One thing I know that was brought up was the issue of hydroelectric dam construction (ok, now back to what I am actually doing here) by the people of Sre Ambel. Sre Ambel is in the Southwest region of Cambodia and it is which I will be living while I am here; AFSC has been working in the region for a while and Integrated Sustainable Livelihoods (ISL) has been working on forestry and fishery management with the locals for a number of years now. The area is plagued with land use issues as the government leases the land to big businesses who fill in the rice paddies to grow sugar cane. The area also happens to be the host of a newly approved hydroelectric dam that is intended to help power Phnom Phen. Unfortunately, no Environmental Impact Assessment was completed before the dam was approved. So AFSC and another local NGO (River something...) took it upon themselves to do an EIA report. The report has just gone through its second draft, and Russell gave me a copy of the report to look over. So my first assignment? Read the report and be able to simplify it for the local Khmer that work for AFSC. It turns out that Russell is the only non-Khmer working for the company so many of the NGO employees are having trouble understanding the report seeing as it was written in rather confusing english. (To clarify, AFSC hired an outside consultant to write the report and conduct the analysis.) I have already read about 20 pages and it is dense material, but what can I say, I love it! No, really. The report focuses not only on the environmental impact of the dam but on the potential for human rights violations that such a major construction could impose as well. I am learning a lot about the local region and I can't wait to go to Sre Ambel and finally discuss how the locals feel about the dam plans.

Ok, well I think that is all for now! Hopefully I will be able to write again tomorrow, but after that I honestly don't know when I will be able to write again. Tomorrow I am having breakfast with some Quaker librarian who has been living in Cambodia since the late 80s or so, and as result I know she'll have a lot of interesting things to say. Apparently she has been waiting for another Quaker to enter the country for quite some time now (no one at AFSC Cambodia is actually a Friend). She sounded like the jolliest British woman who ever lived when I talked to her on the phone, so breakfast should be fun.

Love you all,
Miss you more.

Oh and please forgive any misspellings or confusing sentences. Every-Single-Key sticks on this keyboard, and I am jetlagged. Oh well.