Back in the ol' USA

After nearly 40 hours on airplanes and in airports, I have successfully made it home sweet home! I am struggling with the unavoidable reality check that always seems to go hand in hand with the return of any fun adventure as well as the dreadful jet lag. I could not have asked for a more well-rounded experience and I left Cambodia feeling as though I accomplished my main objectives of the trip- to teach, travel, and gain exposure to a new culture.

To provide a recap of my last few days in Cambodia....

My last day in Kampot was filled with an invigorating truck ride and jungle trek on a tour up to see the abandoned French buildings atop Bokor Mountain. For this adventure, I hooked up with the Long Villa Guesthouse, which organizes tours for your average backpacker/tourist types up to the misty mountaintop which was developed by the French in the 1920's.

The hollowed shell buildings at Bokor now make for an eerie, deserted place that represents a dream that never came true, but but provides a beautiful viewpoint of Kampot and the ocean in the valley below.
I was amused to find that among my tour companions of 6 Swedes, 10 French, 2 New Zealanders and a handful of Brits, nearly everyone came to the trip completely unprepared for a hike (many were wearing flip flops and had no rain gear or water) yet most of them managed to remember to bring a lifetime-supply of cigarettes to smoke like chimneys throughout the day! We were lead by park rangers who just happened to carry imposing AK-47s (rumor has it there is a three-legged tiger who roams the jungle in those parts).

On Sunday I took a "taxi" (a 1989 sedan crammed with as many people that will fit) to nearby Sihanoukville and "splurged" $20 dollars on a lovely Orchidee Hotel near the beach that also had a pool, air conditioning, and an amazing complimentary French breakfast! Sihanoukville is considered to be a tourist destination, and I could tell judging by the frequent bombardments of 10-year-old bracelet sellers who all used the line, "Don't be stingy girl- open your heart and open your wallet," after I continually denied purchasing anything from them! I had an entertaining bus ride back to Phnom Penh on Monday which took 6 hours instead of the scheduled four due to the strange occurrence of having to follow what seemed like the entire Cambodian military transporting suspicious crates (my guess is that they contained dynamite?!)

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Tuesday and Wednesday I spent some quality time with my housemates and made my last visit to the Olympic Stadium I have made an offer to everyone to come see me in Montana anytime, and I genuinely hope that I will be able to make a return visit to Cambodia before too long! As John said, the world is an onion and I have only begun to peel off the first layer...

On the way home, I had a 12-hour layover in Korea; surprisingly, I ended up having a ball as the Soeul airport puts all U.S. ones to shame! I went on a transit tour of the city of Incheon and was befriended by two lovely Filipino ladies who now work in San Francisco. We were able to take a fairy ride, see a historical park, visit the immaculately clean market, and participate in various traditional Korean customs by paying a visit to the many free "Korean Cultural Experience Centers" within the airport. Who knew a layover could be so much fun?




I am starting to go back through and add pictures to my old blog posts to spruce up my written descriptions. I am also working on adding more pictures in new posts as well! Thanks for all of the support and interest- my hope is that I have helped educate you all about the incredible people of Cambodia and what treasures can lie beyond our own homes- happy travels everyone!

Kickin' It in Kampot

Chom Riep Sua from Kampot!

This week I have had the pleasure of traveling to the beautiful Kampot province, which is along the southern coast of Cambodia and is home to Dr. John's wife Thearry as well as all of her many relatives. This has by far been my most enjoyable part of my trip- the provincial capital, also called Kampot, is an incredible seaside town surrounded by mountains, farmland, and is world-renown for its seafood and pepper plantations.

We arrived Monday evening to find that Thearry and John were invited to a party. What kind of party? Thearry wasn't sure, but I came along willingly not knowing what to expect, as we all know the word "party"
carries several connotations. After winding through a few dark backyards, we came around a corner to find an astonishing scene- over 300 well-to-do Cambodians dressed as if at a wedding sitting at tables and chairs that were wrapped like presents in pink and gold silk underneath a large canopy. We were served an abundance of whole, fresh crab (John had to give me an introductory lesson on how to eat them, as I was oblivious!) as well as an amazing noodle stew with shrimp, squid, and beef. Music videos and dancing were to follow- with John being nearly 7 feet tall and myself the unknown foreigner, we were targeted by everyone to join the revelry which centered around an odd plant decorated with Christmas lights. These Cambodians know how to party!

Tuesday was a fun-filled day with a visit to the Kampot market and a sampling of foods and a boat ride out to Rabbit Island in nearby Kep. Contrary to its name, Rabbit Island is not home to any white furry creatures but rather houses a white sandy beach, pristine waters, a few thatched bungalows, and hardly any people!
It was impossible not to contemplate shredding up my passport and remaining there for the rest of my adult life, but unfortunately we had to jump on the return boat at 4:00 that was run by two strapping young lads with outrageous straw hats that gave them appearance of the Cambodian version of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

The next two days were filled with a spectrum of activities that demonstrated the diverse experiences a traveler can have in Cambodia depending on how much one has an inside connection with the locals. On Wednesday, I indulged in the very touristy activity of getting a two-hour massage with Seeing Hands Massage;
this business provides employment and living services for blind Cambodians who really know how to work out a knot! The best part was, it was only 8 dollars!

To provide a contrast, I spent the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday going out to the farms and villages to meet many of Thearry's more distant relatives who live in thatched huts without running water or electricity and range in growing bean sprouts and watermelons to raising pigs and chickens . At one stop, we drank coconut juice after watching one of the uncles shimmy up the tree,
knock down the coconut, and then hack it open with a knife for our immediate enjoyment.

I also got to meet the well-deserving family who was given two female cows by my Grandmother Charlotte last year so that they can send their children to school.

I still have a few more days in Kampot, so I will provide another update soon as I know I have many more adventures awaiting me with each passing minute! I continue to be amazed by the kindness and warmth that every person here has displayed and truly couldn't be having a better time.

Off the Beaten Track

After a week of traveling around Cambodia and beyond, I have had so many adventures I could write a novel! Luckily for me, my experiences surpassed that of your average tourist or backpacker, as I I had the pleasure of traveling with John, who spoiled me like a daughter the whole trip and went above and beyond to show me the true heart of Cambodia and its people.

Dr. John and his driver Yut picked me up early Monday morning to head for the Thai border. The motive behind my going to Thailand was so that I could buy a new Cambodian visa. My visa was only valid for four weeks and it was actually cheaper to buy a new visa ($20) then to renew ($35). Yut dropped us off at the northwestern border point of Poipet. After filling out a departure form we crossed into the "no-man's land" - a 200 meter stretch of land between Cambodia and Thailand that houses two huge casino/hotels. Rain started to fall, a drizzle that would later turn into a torrential downpour that left me soaking wet for the remainder of the journey! John wisely reminded me that luckily, we humans will not melt from a little bit of water. Had I not been with such a seasoned traveler, I probably would have wandered aimlessly wondering what it was one had to do to actually cross into Thailand- there is little signage and it seemed really unclear as to where to proceed- perhaps a tactic by the casinos to draw in confused lost souls?

Once John and I made it through the discreet administrative offices to actually end up in Thailand, we needed to find transport into the town of Aranyaprathet, which is where we stayed the night. Most people would be duped into paying 5 to 10 dollars for a private taxi/ tuk tuk, but John just happened to know that there used to be a man with a "bus" who would take people into town for about 50 cents. We waited under a covered walkway for a while to see if he would show up, and low and behold about 15 minutes later he came- not in a bus but with a military-style truck with benches in the bed. We clambered aboard among the other locals, including two Cambodian mom's with a brood of the most well-behaved small children I have ever encountered. While the bus ride was crowded and involved a search by two intimidating policemen along the way, it certainly was more entertaining and less expensive than taking a private means of transport. Aranyaprathet is a pleasant, sleepy little town with what I thought were jovial people and most delicious pad thai. We returned on the same bus the following morning after running into the driver at the market.

John had a meeting in Sisophan, another small city between Poipet and Siem Reap, so that was our destination for Tuesday. John's wife Thearry always has the inside scoop on the best places to stay as well as where to eat, so we called her up and found a lovely guest house (only $12 for my own air-con room with cable T.V. and a refrigerator!) as well as a tucked-away restaurant that was so tasty and reasonably-priced that we ended up returning the next day for breakfast and lunch! While in Sisophan, I had the opportunity to visit a French cultural school and watch some young students perform the traditional Cambodian dance as well as listen to the boys play a wonderful set of music for us visitors. We also ventured 60 kilometers to the north along a dirt road to the Bantey Chmar temple. After about two hours of brain-scrambling bumps, we arrived to find a beautiful village surrounding the ancient ruins. To my disbelief, we were the only tourists there, and I got to get out and explore to my heart's content like a child on the playground among the crumbling stone structures set in an enchanting jungle-gym of trees.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Siem Reap, with a full day on Thursday exploring Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples of Bayon, Ta Prohm (a scene location of Tomb Raider), Ta Keo, and Bantey Srei. The monstrosity of these temples is literally mind-boggling. "Temples" is an understatement- they are more like walled cities with thousands of detailed sculptures and carvings along their walls and pillars, as well as multiple levels that are accessed by terrifyingly steep sets of stone stairs. Each temple had its own personality and I truly enjoyed climbing around them, all the while gaping with my mouth half-open in disbelief at the logistical and architectural wonder of it all. As John had meetings in Siem Reap, Yut was my faithful temple buddy, which made for an amusing time for the both of us considering he speaks little English and I speak hardly any Khmer!

I returned to Phnom Penh Friday feeling incredible sore from the "temple hopping" but also enlightened to the amazing features and qualities that Cambodia holds outside the hustle and bustle of the capital city. I could not be more thankful to John, who not only restructured his work/meeting schedule to take me on this trip, but also generously paid for most of my meals and lodging! In the car, John explained to me that what he is doing for me relates quite well to the Burmese phrase "sei tana" - which means helping someone without expecting anything in return. John stated that many people have helped him in his lifetime and now he is helping me with the knowledge that I will in turn aid someone else in the future when I am able. I hope that some day I will be able to continue this incredible chain of altruism that has helped me have a truly incredible experience during my time here.

Unfortunately, over the weekend I experienced another bout of food poisoning but am feeling better now after a full day of misery. Tomorrow I will head to the South coast to see Kampot, which is Thearry's home and is located near the ocean. Should be a fun-filled week and I will report back as soon as I can!

This was an intriguing week because I finished up with my English teaching, as well as got to travel to the rural Prey Veng province to see where my students are from. Teaching English to university students had its challenges, but was ultimately a completely rewarding experience that was cemented after seeing firsthand how important education really is to all my students. The challenges I had sprouted from my lack of materials and planning resources- I came to Cambodia without any knowledge of what age or level of English learners I would be teaching, so therefore limited my stash of teaching "stuff" to a few reference books, two whiteboard markers, notecards, and a working memory of the content I learned from my Teaching English as a Foreign Language on-line course. In the end it was easy because I merely planned my instruction to fit the needs of my students based on informal assessments from their writing and speaking skills during previous lessons. I would make notes on what aspects of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary needed work, and then pick a focus from each for the following lesson. I found that games and candy also work wonders no matter the age of the student!

I have to give all of the credit for what I deem as a "successful" teaching experience to my students. I was nervous as to how I would be received as their teacher, seeing that I was only two years older than most of them and I had no prior experience! After taking a visit to their former high school in rural Prey Veng with the directors of the Chances for Cambodia Program, I soon realized the reasons behind my students' amazingly high regard toward their education. At 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, I set off with the three directors of the program as well as an English woman named Rose who is taking my place as the English teacher for a day trip that has made me further appreciate the power of education.

The purpose for the trek to Prey Veng, which is considered to be the poorest province in Cambodia, was to see the school (grades 6-12) that that the Chances for Cambodia program uses to select students for potential university scholarship programs. The school was founded and built in 2000 by a remarkable man named Kong Vorn, or "Mr. Kong," who is one of the directors of the program that I worked under. Through a captivating conversation with him on the three-hour bumpy van ride, I learned that Mr. Kong was a Japanese journalist living in Phnom Penh during the Khmer Rouge invasion in 1975. After being captured by soldiers and being faced with the prospect of imminent death, Mr. Kong miraculously escaped by kicking a guard and running deep into the jungle, managing to survive the four years of Pol Pot terror. After living for several years successfully back in Japan, Mr. Kong returned to Prey Veng, the homeland of his Cambodian wife, with the most admirable mission: to use education as a tool to prevent such atrocities from happening in the future.

I felt so honored to be in the presence of a person who had overcome so many obstacles to provide a free education for students who might otherwise not have the chance. I was transfixed by the scene outside the van window as we jolted along several miles of winding dirt road deeper and deeper into the province. Like scenes from a movie, images of old thatched-roof huts on leaning stilts that threatened to fall over on their shirtless inhabitants flashed by. The signs of poverty became more evident as I saw children working in the rice fields with the most bony of cattle being used to plow nearby. It was the closest to backwards time travel I think I will ever encounter.

We arrived at the school at about 8:00. Amidst the poor surroundings, the school is a welcoming structure that can truly be said to be the lone gem that shines a light on the poverty that encompasses it. Over 850 students attend, all dressed sharply in uniforms with blue button-up tops and black pants or skirts. Mr. Kong beamed as we were greeted by the school principal and staff. While listening to Mr. Kong during a tour of the grounds, I learned that the school had only just received access to electricity this year and has just two computers to its name. Students have to perform highly on entrance exams to be selected to attend, so it truly services the best and brightest children in the area. The teachers at the school are also of greatest quality in Cambodia and are paid some of the highest teacher salaries in the region- about 175 dollars a month. We had the pleasure of sitting in on two of the schools'English classes, one of which was taught by a Peace Corps volunteer named Norman. The students all stood in unison and greeted us as we entered, all vying to ask us questions in English to proudly demonstrate their knowledge of the language.

At 10:30, an assembly was held in the school library with all of the high-school seniors (called "year-12"students). Unexpectedly, my travel companions and I were lead to the front of the room and were seated like royalty at a large table facing the crowd. Following a speech by Mr. Kong about the importance of the students' performance on the upcoming year-end exams as selection criteria for the scholarships, we were all expected to address the crowd with the help of the translation of the other Khmer English teacher. In my under dressed outfit of a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, I did my best to deliver an on-the-fly explanation of my role as an English teacher of graduates from their school and to express how honored I felt to be so welcomed as a guest visitor. The powerful energy that surged through the crowd after each of our speeches further showed me the respect that these students had for their teachers, Mr. Kong, and anyone working to further their education.

My visit to the school was topped off with the serving of delicious traditional Khmer lunch. The most enjoyable part about the trip was listening to Mr. Kong talk about his vision and reasons behind building the school. He receives a pension from Japan, but lives very modestly as he gives everything he has towards the betterment of the school. One key phrase stood out to me that he stated multiple times during our discussion: "I work not for money. I work for my people." Listening to this man, who at the age of 70 still works tirelessly for the sake of his people, made me wonder: what would the world be like with more people like Mr. Kong? The opportunities that he has provided for so many Cambodian students have created such an impact; the most visible effect is the deep appreciation that all of the students here hold for their own education.

Sorry for making this so long- it is difficult to convey the experience and do it justice in so few words! The Phnom Penh Post just recently published a great article featuring Mr. Kong. You can access it at http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010053139381/National-news/reunion-triggers-painful-emotions-over-35-years-on.html
or by googling Phnom Penh Post + Kong Vorn. It should be the second result.

On Monday I am off to the Thai border for a night and then I will be in Siem Reap the rest of the week to visit the temples of Angkor. Should have an interesting update this coming weekend!

The Bigger Picture

This last week has been a whirlwind of teaching, sightseeing, and getting to know my Cambodian hosts on a deeper level. I have mentioned before about the devastating effects of the Pol Pot regime during the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1975-1979. While I do not want to dwell on the negative, I would like to include one last part of this picture that I experienced and relate it to how and why I am here today.

On Sunday I visited Choeung Ek, or what we Westerners have deemed to be the Killing Fields, with two of my housemates. In a previous blog I spoke of the Toul Slang Prison, which the Khmer Rouge used as a location in Phnom Penh to hold and torture citizens. After being held in Toul Slang, men, women and children would be trucked southward about 15 kilometers to Choeung Ek, which was previously a Chinese cemetery. Here, nearly 9,000 people were murdered by blunt force and then tossed into mass graves, one of which contained nearly 450 bodies. A visitor to Choeung Ek will find it hard to believe that this place was once a site of genocide; it is serene and peaceful with beautiful trees and deep green foliage. However, a quick walk reveals numerous depressions and mounds in the soil, with fenced areas indicating the locations of the mass graves. In the middle of the site, there is a tall glass memorial that showcases the thousands of skulls and bones that were discovered in the mass graves at Choeung Ek; the victims' clothes are also on display. My visit to Choeung Ek has changed me as a person, not only because of my experience here, but also because I had the opportunity to see and discuss the site with two native Cambodians whose parents and families were deeply effected by the Khmer Rouge.

In 1979, the relief effort began as foreign aid was finally able to help the huge numbers of surviving Cambodian refugees who had been displaced for the previous four years. My grandmother, Charlotte Knaub, was one of those aid workers; she bravely provided her assistance as a public health nurse at the Khao I Dang refugee camp along the Thai/Cambodian border in 1980. It was here that she met my current host, Dr. John Naponick, who was also located at Khao I Dang as a coordinator of over 40 private voluntary organizations. Charlotte and Dr. John have managed to maintain contact over the past 30 years, and it is because of their aid work during the Khmer Rouge recovery period that I am able to be here in Phnom Penh today.

Fortunately, as a person visiting what was the heart of a tragic past 30 years ago, today I see nothing but hope and kindness in the eyes of every person I have met during my travels here. The ability of the Cambodian people to overcome adversity can be seen when I chat with my students about their hopes after graduating university, speaking with my tuk-tuk driver Dara, and getting to know more about my housemates and their families through broken conversations in English. Last night I went to the Olympic Stadium for another round of dancing with 5 of my housemates. It is at the stadium when I feel most at home, because when I look around at all of the people, I know that smiles, laughter, and dancing all demonstrate a universal meaning no matter where you are in the world: happiness.

I just ate what????

As I spend more time in Cambodia, I become more and more amazed at the differences in the type of food consumption from America. This past week, I found myself in several strange circumstances surrounding food so would like to share them. We went out to dinner to celebrate one of our house mate's last night in Phnom Pehn. I have eaten out for lunch and breakfast and lunch many times here, but usually eat in for dinner as we rotate cooking every night. My first feelings of confusion arose when the servers brought out two plates filled with raw meat, raw seafood, uncooked vegetables, finished off with a freshly-cracked raw egg. My initial reaction was to politely starve that night; however, I became relieved when the servers then brought out a gas-cooker and placed it in the center of the table. In most Khmer restaurants in Phnom Penh, it is seen as the norm for the diners to cook their own food- which actually seems like a novel idea to me!
While everything was cooking, the servers then brought out a plate of cooked beef strips with sauteed veggies. Keep in mind the lighting in the restaurant was dim! I asked someone what it was, and they replied, "beef with eggs." Seemed like a safe bet to me, so I dug in. I thought it was very good and took several chopstick-stabs of the dish until I noticed a perpetual crunch that seemed odd. Upon closer inspection, I found that I had just eaten several mouthfuls of not only beef, but also fully sized, whole tree ants (nice and crispy!) accompanied by their pearl-sized ant eggs!!! These ants were about 1-inch in length and contained wings and all. The mind is a funny thing- upon realizing what I was consuming I immediately grew extremely nauseous and lost my appetite. However, prior to knowing what I was actually eating, I was in blissful state of ignorant insect consumption.
After that incident, I have become more weary of how the Cambodian views of delicacy differ from my own. Last night, for instance, the girls set to boiling eggs after dinner. I was full from the mounds of fruit that one of the girls had brought back from her mother's farm (mango,coconut, pineapple, mangosteins, etc.-mmmmm!) so declined when offered an egg. Turns out that the eggs were not your run-of-the-mill boiled eggs, but were actually carefully selected based on the criteria that the ducklings inside them were nearly fully developed! I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a duck fetus inside of one of the eggs as my roommate Leak chomped merrily away at what she said was one of her favorite treats.

Other observations:Rice is eaten at every meal and hardly any food is kept inside the house but is rather brought fresh everyday from the outdoor markets. I ventured to the market the other day with my housemate Sandap and was somewhat taken aback to see many of the sellers squatting on the tables that they sell the raw meat from with bare feet in close proximity to the products! One thing for sure is that freshness is guaranteed- when Sandap purchased three small eels they were all fully alive until our vendor battered them on the head to make them just still enough so that she could behead them in one swift chop. I have decided that I enjoy the food more when I don't see its origin!! Keep in mind that my descriptions are coming from my skewed American view and that while some of them are enough to make one's stomach churn, they are viewed as perfectly normal in the eyes of Cambodians; my roommates explained the disgust they felt when just thinking of of a cheesy pasta dish that they once tried!

Just a note- I am not able to put up any pictures :( The only reason I could the first time was because I borrowed a person's laptop that accepted my camera memory card, and that person has long gone back to the U.S. However, I will definitely post many pictures with descriptions upon my return to the U.S. on June 25th.

"Initiation" to Cambodia

Hello from 103 degree heat!!!
Two nights ago I received what my hosts have deemed an initiation to Cambodia by undergoing my first (and hopefully last) bout of food poisoning. I went to bed with a stomachache and woke up nearly every hour with vomiting and diarrhea. In the morning, it was all I could muster to crawl down the stairs and tell my roommates that I was very sick and needed to borrow one of their cell phones to call the school and inform them that I would be unable to teach that day. I am so thankful for my housemates, as they nursed me back to health by making me drink coconut juice and eat rice porridge, as hard as it was to take anything in my body for fear of immediate disposal! They also went to the pharmacy and purchased Oral Rehydration Solution, which is mixed with water and is made of sugar, salts, and nutrients that replenishes your body after such a loss in hydration. By mid-afternoon yesterday all of my symptoms had ended except for body aches and a fever, and I slept for most of the day. This morning I awoke feeling like a whole new person! It is amazing how resilient the human body can be. After examining what I ate the night prior to my sickness, I realized that a fruit drink one of my roommates gave me at dinner contained melted ice, which is usually made from tap water and is not safe for a foreigner like myself! My Cambodian hosts ensured that I would experience some sort of food poisoning sooner or later while visiting here, so I am glad to have this experience out of the way!

I was back to teaching today and enjoyed it once again. The number of students has been actually quite smaller than what I was told when I first signed on with the program (from 6-10 students) because my teaching time conflicts with some of the students work times; however, I am almost glad for this because I have been able to ask students what they would like to learn specifically and provide more individualized instruction. For most of my lessons, I have been emphasizing speaking and pronunciation. My Khmer students have a most difficult time with the English sounds /sh/, /th/, and /ch/.

I encourage everyone to check out my program's website at www.chances4cambodia.org. Here you can see the profiles of the students I am teaching, as well as watch an interview with Steve, the program director who set me up with my position. If you click on the Projects-Help In education-Finance link, you can see a picture of the school that I go to to hold classes. In two weeks, Steve has offered to take me to the Prey Veng province. Most of my students grew up there; it is one of the poorest places in Cambodia and will be helpful for me to see where my students are from and learn more of their background.