Pumpkin Pasta Casserole with Camalized Onions and Walnut Topping

This recipe is inspired from a recipe in the glorious Veganomicon. The recipe is also absolutely wonderful and will warm the stomach on any cold fall day.

Pumpkin Pasta Casserole with Camalized Onions and Walnut Topping

Main Ingredients:

• 1 pound uncooked pasta (I did GF spirals)
  
• 2 onions, sliced very thinly
• olive oil
• 1 serving cashew ricotta (below)**
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• White pepper and cayenne
• 2 cups or 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or apple cider

**To be honest I only used about half of the ricotta recipe because I wanted to save the rest for later.

Cashew ricotta (makes 2 cups):

• 1/2 cup cashew pieces (approx. 4 oz.)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh or roasted garlic
• 1 lb. firm tofu, drained and crumbled (emphasis on drained)
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt

**Second note: This recipe called for a food processor. Now I haven't tried this, but I bet ten bucks that if you don't have a food processor you could use 1/2 cup cashew butter and mix everything together by hand. It will take a lot of hand power, but will probably still be good!

Walnut Topping:

• 8 oz. walnuts, diced fine to resemble bread crumbs
  
• 1/4 c. Earth Balance or olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried, rubbed sage
• 1/2 t. ground paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9×11 or 9×13-inch pan with olive oil. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse, drain again and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, make the caramelized onions: preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Saute onions in oil until some onion bits are very brown and caramelized, about 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Make the cashew ricotta: In a food processor, blend together the cashews, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic until a thick creamy paste forms. Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor, working in batches if necessary, until the mixture is thick and well blended. Blend in the basil and salt.

Place cashew ricotta in large bowl and fold in pumpkin puree, maple syrup, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth. Add the cooked pasta and the caramelized onions. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and level with a spatula, pressing slightly.

Make the walnut topping: Melt margarine or heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir in the walnuts, dried herbs, and paprika and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture is lightly coated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and spread over pasta mixture.

Bake 28 to 30 minutes, until the top of the top is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Any Fruit Cobbler

Any fruit you say? Cobblers in general are delicious in all flavors, but the problem is that you have millions of cobbler recipes floating around out there. So I always have to look up separate recipes for 'peach cobbler' or 'apple cobbler' or 'tri-berry extreme deluxe cobbler'.

Well I am done with that. Here is a standard recipe that works beautifully with all types of fruit. It is also very versicle and can be made gluten free if needed. This recipe has been adapted from a PPK peach cobbler recipe.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 4 pounds fruit (peeled and pitted if needed)
• 3 tablespoons flour (for GF: Bob's Gluten Free Flour Mix works)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Spices to taste**

**Keep in mind what fruit you are using, for peach or apple cobbler I like: 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves. But that combination of spices might taste weird with something like...blueberries. So just use your logic!

Ingredients for the Topping:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus some oil to brush the surface
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup milk (or apple cider!)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• FOR GF: add 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

Note: This makes a thick crust. If you are not into that, just half the topping or double the filling.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
• To make the filling:
  
  • In a large sauce pan, cook the fruit over low-medium heat, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices are being released
  • Sprinkle in flour, toss to coat
  • Add remaining ingredients, mix together and let cool
• To make the dough:
  
  • In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients
  • In a seperate bowl wisk together wet ingredients
  • Slowly pour wet into dry, mixing together dough with a wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Careful not to overwork it.
• Assemble the cobbler:
  
  • Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish
    
  • Pour fruit batter into the dish
    
  • Spoon dough mixture over the top, spread with a spoon
    
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is slightly crispy
  

Done! I hope you enjoy and feel free to be creative!

Rice Milk and Rice Yogurt Recipe

So ever since I stopped eating sugar I have been having a lot of difficulty with various milks. Unsweetened soy milk is too chalky for me and rice milk is just too watery. Almond, oat, and almond milk are hard for me to find unsweetened and hazelnut is just impossible to find at all.

But then it occurred to me...why don't I just make my own milk? So I did! This recipe is from the VeganReader and makes about 2 quarts.

How to make Rice Milk

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked organic long grain brown rice
• 8 cups water for cooking
• More water for diluting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Sweetener of your choice (I like a combination of maple syrup and vanilla)
  

Directions:

• Thoroughly wash the rice.
• Put 8 cups of water in a big pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.
• Pour in the rice.
• Cover the pot and lower the heat to let the water simmer for 3 hours.
  

I will be honest, the cooked rice after 3 hours looks like a failed rice pudding you would probably throw away, but I swear that is what it should look like! Now add the salt.

Using a blender, fill it halfway with the rice mash and half way with water. BLEND. Strain twice into a large pot or directly into a mason jar. You will probably have 2 or 3 batches to blend. Now add a sweeter (if you so desire)! Done!

The final 'milk' will be really thick and creamy. Feel free to add more water to the mixture for your desired consistency. Or...keep half of it as milk and make the other half into rice yogurt!

How to make Yogurt (vegan style)

Now yogurt is something I have always wanted to try, but never found a milk I thought would be thick enough to make into a yogurt. After decided to make my own rice milk however, I knew I had to try yogurt.

The recipe is real simple:

Ingredients:

• 1 quart rice milk (or any milk for that matter)
• 3-4 tablespoons yogurt with LIVE cultures and NO PRESERVATIVES (I just went ahead and bought some real greek yogurt because of the sugars in soy yogurt, but you can buy whatever yogurt works for you or powdered yogurt cultures from most health food stores)

Directions:

• Heat the milk on the stove top to ~150 degrees F (this is to kill any unwated bacteria)
• Cool the milk to somewhere between ~100 and 110 degrees F. Warmer then this will kill off the yogurt cultures.
• Add the yogurt and mix thoroughly.
• Add the mixture to a clean and sterilized glass jar. Seal the jar. The jar MUST be sterilized or else you will get some nasty stuff in there.
• Find a warm place (again, ~100 degrees F) for the glass jar to go (I like the oven on very very low with the light on) and leave it there for 4-8 hours. The timing depends upon how sour you like your yogurt. This is the tricky stage however because if the temperature goes above 110 the cultures will die off, so keep an eye on the prize!
  

The final product will be a bit more watery then your traditional yogurt, but I hear you can add agar if you want to thicken it up.

Well there you go! Homemade milk and yogurt! What more could you ask for?

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.

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:

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!

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

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!

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!

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!