Today is Tuesday… and it’s my last day. My last day in Cambodia. Maybe if I say it again it’ll start to make sense. Appropriately enough, I spent my last weekend in Cambodia largely the same way I spent my first weekend in Cambodia: Quality time at the Pavilion, Pontoon, and the Russian Market. I got my hair cut and nails done…
I moved back into the Program Office when I got back from my last trip since my lease on my apartment was up. And it’s been a lot more painful than it was the first time around: the room seems hotter, the water is colder, the water pressure is awful, and I found my first cockroach in the bathroom! Ugh.
I saw all my friends last night for a “Going Away and Birthday” party, only this time around the birthday was Nono’s. The VSO girls got me a T-shirt that said “I <3 Pontoon” which was so sweet of them. And it fits me too! I’ll really miss small sizes when I get back to America… I’ve come around full circle. It was the first night it really started to hit me and I wanted to cry.
My co-workers are so sweet... They threw me a going away party yesterday at the same place we went to for New Years. This time genuine Khmer-only Karaoke was included in the day's activities so of course we had even more fun. Today they gave me a gift and insisted on taking pictures with the whole staff and having some sort of lunch... it was the second time thus far I've been so moved I almost cried. We haven't gotten to lunch yet but I can't wait to see what's on the menu!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
The Office
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Southeast Asia for over 3 months now. Originally, my placement was set to end on June 4th and I was planning to travel for a few weeks after that. Fortunately and very happily for me, my parents agreed to come visit me for this trip, but they had some timing constraints so I ended up traveling with them earlier than expected and then returning to work for a couple weeks to wrap everything up before I go home. So if it seems like all I’ve been doing out here is traveling and enjoying myself, you should know that I will literally be working at the office until the day I leave! In fact I’ll be at the office all day TOMORROW and then my flight is at 11.30 PM to arrive in the states at around 10:30 AM the next morning! I know my entries have been less than reliable lately, so instead of waiting to write new entries until I’ve caught up with my travels (it’s hard work!), I’m going to post these last entries and then go back and turn my memories and jotted down notes from Kampot, Kep and Rabbit Island, Laos, Thailand, Siem Reap, Malaysia and Singapore into blog posts after I have returned.
On that note, even after 3 months, Cambodia never ceases to surprise and amaze. Returning for a few days to show my parents around after a week of travel to Thailand, I decided to meet up with my friends one Saturday night on the rooftop of Chow on the riverfront. I knew the general location, but wasn’t exactly sure where it was, so after riding up and down the street once, I let the motodop go and pulled out my phone to call Erika to get specific directions. In that instant, the phone still ringing before she had a chance to pick it up, a moto whizzed by, knocking me in the head as it flew down the street. At first, I had no idea what had just happened and was just thankful that I had not been hit harder. I thought the moto had not seen me or had misjudged the distance between us… before I realized my phone was gone. The m*%^f(*#er stole my phone! In the 2 or 3 seconds that it took me to realize this, all I could do was scream “HEY!” after it; obviously completely futile and helpless. A cyclo driver who happened to see the whole interaction rode towards me, repeating “crazy motos” and offered me a free ride home or to a shop to buy a new phone. At first I got in, thinking that I should obviously just go home now, but after a few seconds, I thought, “Why should I go home!? The phone wasn’t worth that much… Why let it ruin my night?” So I told the cyclo to go back, figured out where the place was and went up to see my friends. Upon leaving an hour or two later for a different venue, the cyclo driver was still outside and he had the nerve to ask me for money! For taking me on a 1 minute ride in a circle… when he had claimed the entire 15-20 minute ride back to BKK would be free! I must admit, I'm still a little scared of the riverfront, but I still force myself to get up the courage to go, even if I am guarding my belongings and self with a hawk's eye the whole time.
Upon my more quasi-permanent return after another 2 weeks from “tourist lala land” to “serious volunteer mentality,” I noticed that quite a few things had changed in this short span of time:
On that note, even after 3 months, Cambodia never ceases to surprise and amaze. Returning for a few days to show my parents around after a week of travel to Thailand, I decided to meet up with my friends one Saturday night on the rooftop of Chow on the riverfront. I knew the general location, but wasn’t exactly sure where it was, so after riding up and down the street once, I let the motodop go and pulled out my phone to call Erika to get specific directions. In that instant, the phone still ringing before she had a chance to pick it up, a moto whizzed by, knocking me in the head as it flew down the street. At first, I had no idea what had just happened and was just thankful that I had not been hit harder. I thought the moto had not seen me or had misjudged the distance between us… before I realized my phone was gone. The m*%^f(*#er stole my phone! In the 2 or 3 seconds that it took me to realize this, all I could do was scream “HEY!” after it; obviously completely futile and helpless. A cyclo driver who happened to see the whole interaction rode towards me, repeating “crazy motos” and offered me a free ride home or to a shop to buy a new phone. At first I got in, thinking that I should obviously just go home now, but after a few seconds, I thought, “Why should I go home!? The phone wasn’t worth that much… Why let it ruin my night?” So I told the cyclo to go back, figured out where the place was and went up to see my friends. Upon leaving an hour or two later for a different venue, the cyclo driver was still outside and he had the nerve to ask me for money! For taking me on a 1 minute ride in a circle… when he had claimed the entire 15-20 minute ride back to BKK would be free! I must admit, I'm still a little scared of the riverfront, but I still force myself to get up the courage to go, even if I am guarding my belongings and self with a hawk's eye the whole time.
Upon my more quasi-permanent return after another 2 weeks from “tourist lala land” to “serious volunteer mentality,” I noticed that quite a few things had changed in this short span of time:
- Central Market’s renovation is moving along with a nice looking newly painted bright white and yellow exterior.
- The trees all long the entire stretch of St 63 have been robbed of their branches, which have been chopped at the base where they connect to the trunk. Would this ever happen in a developed country? I guess I should just be thankful they didn’t chop entire trees down…
- I still feel like I'm going to die every second I'm on the streets... but nothing new there.
As if spurred by my leaving, more interesting things have been happening at the office this week, things you probably would never see at your office…
- On a weekday afternoon, a man with just a kroma (scarf) wrapped around his waist like a skirt sits on a step in front of a water spout in the office courtyard next to the bathrooms, scrubbing his head lathered with shampoo. Next to him on the sidewalk are a pair of glasses and a cell phone. By the time I come back out of the bathroom, his hair is shining wet and clean, he is now scrubbing his body with soap. A guard walks by and they have some sort of exchange of words but the guard just continues to walk off.
- The cleaning woman at our office is a very kind woman in her 40’s or so who generally spends most of her time sitting in the very small cubicle of a kitchen in the corner of the main room. She is the only one in the office who says “hello” and “how are you” to me in Khmer, which I like very much, but I realized the only reason she does this is because she speaks no English… so that is the extent of our conversations. Over the last few weeks, she has started bringing her granddaughter, a very small and quiet 4 year old to work with her everyday. The girl's parents both work... jobs where you can't bring your kid to work with you apparently. The girl spends most of her time sitting with her grandmother in the kitchen, being very good, eating or sleeping on the kitchen table. She doesn’t seem to have too many things or companions to play with, but incredibly, she rarely makes very much noise or cries or disturbs the office at all.
- On another trip to the bathroom, I see a man in a wheelchair exit the men’s room on his way back to the main building. The bathroom is handicap accessible and there is a ramp leading down to the courtyard and another from the main building to the parking lot, but between the bathroom and the building there is a small step. Another man is walking by and the man in a wheelchair is forced to ask him for a favor, to push the wheelchair over the step. The whole exchange only takes a second but it summarizes a core issue in Cambodia: Remarkable progress is being made at the cost of important details. But my outlook has changed since I first got here and I am confident in Cambodia’s development; over time it will all come together.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Day in the Life
After two and a half months, my weekdays in Phnom Penh have become a comfortable routine and a breath of fresh air between my intermittent holidays and travels. I wake up around 7 AM every morning to get ready and have breakfast before I get to work around 8. Some days I wake up earlier to Skype with my parents or get some other errands done before I go to work. My “commute” consists of walking down 4 flights of stairs and then riding my bicycle for about 10 minutes down St. 63 over to Monivong. On my way to work, there is a young security guard who used to yell “Hello!” at me every time I rode by. Now that I’ve learned to appreciate that most people who say hello to me are really just being friendly, we’ve gotten into the habit of exchanging a high-five every time I ride by. It makes me sad to think that one day I’ll stop riding by and he’ll probably be left wondering what happened to me.
In the first couple weeks of work, I was gaining as much background information as I could about DAC and the Cambodia Disability Resource Center (CDRC) while simultaneously working on my 3 month project plan. With my team, I visited four other resource centers at two banks and two NGOs (The World Bank Public Information Center, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), CCC and CDRI) to observe and learn the standard in Cambodia. Each visit was fascinating, and all the staff spoke perfect English and were really helpful and informative. I used the knowledge I gained from these visits to devise the information architecture, classification code, and policies for the CDRC library and website.
Once these systems and documentation were reviewed and finalized by the the DAC directors, it was time for my team to hit the ground running with lots and lots of manual work. It’s been all hands on deck since then with an intern, an assistant from MoSVY (Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation) and even the cleaning crew helping to attach classification labels to books and arrange them on the shelves according to the code.
Since we have practically next to no budget on this project, I’ve spent most of this time calling, sending emails, and meeting with partner organizations to acquire assistive technologies for our public computer, including JAWS (an English screen reader), Khmer Reader and a special mouse for arm and hand disabilities. These visits have been even more interesting than the library visits. I visited the Association of Blind in Cambodia (ABC), where amongst other services blind people of all ages are trained to work as masseuses in the famous “Seeing Hands Massage” centers you see all over the country. I also visited Krousar Thmey, the School for the Blind, where an extremely professional and well-spoken computer teacher who was blind himself walked me through the JAWS program and the way students use it for their work and leisure. It was fascinating to learn that some blind people in Cambodia are actually better educated and better off in the international world than anyone else simply because they are forced to perfect their English: there is no such thing as Khmer Braille and the Khmer screen reader is very limited. I also made a brief visit to a school for children with intellectual disabilities, who won me over with their lighthearted fun and crazy antics.
Lately I’ve been working on my final responsibility under this contract, creating marketing material for CDRC and a promotion strategy. This is the trickiest part of the project because we can’t have a successful resource center without visitors but we can’t handle visitors until we are fully functional (which we aren’t yet). When I’m not visiting other institutions, I’m usually working at my computer at my desk in a room with 3 of my co-workers. Sarah is a British VSO volunteer who works on the Inclusive Education project with Sokhim, and Seka manages the Livelihoods project. Seka is the easiest person to relate to at work and one of my favorite people: she is a 28 year old single woman living on her own in the city (her family lives in a village) who is also getting her masters degree on the weekends. Seka and Sokhim are Cambodian and they always lighten the mood in the office by taking turns playing Cambodian music on their computer speakers.
About a third of the 15 DAC employees are disabled people who lead promisingly healthy and successful lives without the use of any assistive devices. My direct report is a bright young college graduate named Sokdin who has an amputated hand. He does an incredible job of hiding it because it took me 3 weeks of sitting next to him everyday to even notice his disability! I’m not sure if this is a very impressive or very sad fact… Our office is a small run-down facility in the parking lot of the beautiful brand-new MoSVY building whose lobby is ironically twice the size of our entire space. For a disability organization, our building is the opposite of accessible as there is a step to get into the front door, the aisles are all narrow and cramped, and we don’t even have our own bathrooms! We use the non-accessible MoSVY bathrooms all the way across a courtyard in the main building!
There are other daily frustrations at work… lack of internet, lack of electricity, lack of budget, lack of resources, lack of staff, lack of professionalism… you name it. One of my co-workers, who is otherwise a very pleasant man, seems to think I am only good for English translation, as he never approaches me for help with the project or anything other than to correct his English in completely unrelated documents he is working on. Another one of my coworkers, my direct counterpart, the Information and Communications Officer, has a bad reputation for being very difficult to work with; others had pre-warned me that he doesn’t take initiative and doesn’t follow up to the point where the directors had to create a weekly plan for him and literally monitor his hourly activities. His work is so poor that after 11 years, his contract was not renewed and will expire around the same time I leave. Needless to say, I was very wary of working with him until I got to know him better and got to hear his side of the story and the root of the problem. He told me that the DAC directors never give him any autonomy over his projects or respect his input. They make decisions over his head that he only finds out about after the fact. For example, one day Sokdin showed up to work and sat next to him and he had no idea who he was. He asked, "Who are you?" and Sokdin said "Your Assistant." He told me that when the directors started doing this, he made the decision that from then on he was just going to ignore them. Simple as that. And that is the reason why he doesn’t take initiative or respond or follow up. I couldn’t believe it.
Most workplaces in Cambodia have a two hour lunch between 12 and 2 PM, but at DAC we only have an hour and a half from 12 to 1.30. When I first arrived and before I knew any better, I used to eat at a local buffet with the DAC directors for only $2. Pretty soon I got sick of not knowing what crazy scary dish i was about to eat next, so I started eating out with my other friends, visiting the market, doing laundry or relaxing at home during lunch. Our hours also run until 5.30 PM which is kind of annoying because most of my friends are free to go home at 5. After work, I either go out to eat with friends, go online at a restaurant with free Wi-Fi or an internet café, or partake in different workout classes I’ve tried out, including yoga, kickboxing, and capoeira. When I first discovered a local group who practice capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, I was in love, and I used to work out 3-4 nights a week. Sadly, however, with all the holidays, travel, and the stress of trying to wrap things up at work these last few weeks, I've had barely any time for organized physical activities. Even though I am grateful for all the travel and adventure the timing of this placement has allowed me, one reason I sometimes wish I could extend my stay would be to live a more fulfilling “normal” everyday life here.
In the first couple weeks of work, I was gaining as much background information as I could about DAC and the Cambodia Disability Resource Center (CDRC) while simultaneously working on my 3 month project plan. With my team, I visited four other resource centers at two banks and two NGOs (The World Bank Public Information Center, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), CCC and CDRI) to observe and learn the standard in Cambodia. Each visit was fascinating, and all the staff spoke perfect English and were really helpful and informative. I used the knowledge I gained from these visits to devise the information architecture, classification code, and policies for the CDRC library and website.
Once these systems and documentation were reviewed and finalized by the the DAC directors, it was time for my team to hit the ground running with lots and lots of manual work. It’s been all hands on deck since then with an intern, an assistant from MoSVY (Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation) and even the cleaning crew helping to attach classification labels to books and arrange them on the shelves according to the code.
Since we have practically next to no budget on this project, I’ve spent most of this time calling, sending emails, and meeting with partner organizations to acquire assistive technologies for our public computer, including JAWS (an English screen reader), Khmer Reader and a special mouse for arm and hand disabilities. These visits have been even more interesting than the library visits. I visited the Association of Blind in Cambodia (ABC), where amongst other services blind people of all ages are trained to work as masseuses in the famous “Seeing Hands Massage” centers you see all over the country. I also visited Krousar Thmey, the School for the Blind, where an extremely professional and well-spoken computer teacher who was blind himself walked me through the JAWS program and the way students use it for their work and leisure. It was fascinating to learn that some blind people in Cambodia are actually better educated and better off in the international world than anyone else simply because they are forced to perfect their English: there is no such thing as Khmer Braille and the Khmer screen reader is very limited. I also made a brief visit to a school for children with intellectual disabilities, who won me over with their lighthearted fun and crazy antics.
Lately I’ve been working on my final responsibility under this contract, creating marketing material for CDRC and a promotion strategy. This is the trickiest part of the project because we can’t have a successful resource center without visitors but we can’t handle visitors until we are fully functional (which we aren’t yet). When I’m not visiting other institutions, I’m usually working at my computer at my desk in a room with 3 of my co-workers. Sarah is a British VSO volunteer who works on the Inclusive Education project with Sokhim, and Seka manages the Livelihoods project. Seka is the easiest person to relate to at work and one of my favorite people: she is a 28 year old single woman living on her own in the city (her family lives in a village) who is also getting her masters degree on the weekends. Seka and Sokhim are Cambodian and they always lighten the mood in the office by taking turns playing Cambodian music on their computer speakers.
About a third of the 15 DAC employees are disabled people who lead promisingly healthy and successful lives without the use of any assistive devices. My direct report is a bright young college graduate named Sokdin who has an amputated hand. He does an incredible job of hiding it because it took me 3 weeks of sitting next to him everyday to even notice his disability! I’m not sure if this is a very impressive or very sad fact… Our office is a small run-down facility in the parking lot of the beautiful brand-new MoSVY building whose lobby is ironically twice the size of our entire space. For a disability organization, our building is the opposite of accessible as there is a step to get into the front door, the aisles are all narrow and cramped, and we don’t even have our own bathrooms! We use the non-accessible MoSVY bathrooms all the way across a courtyard in the main building!
There are other daily frustrations at work… lack of internet, lack of electricity, lack of budget, lack of resources, lack of staff, lack of professionalism… you name it. One of my co-workers, who is otherwise a very pleasant man, seems to think I am only good for English translation, as he never approaches me for help with the project or anything other than to correct his English in completely unrelated documents he is working on. Another one of my coworkers, my direct counterpart, the Information and Communications Officer, has a bad reputation for being very difficult to work with; others had pre-warned me that he doesn’t take initiative and doesn’t follow up to the point where the directors had to create a weekly plan for him and literally monitor his hourly activities. His work is so poor that after 11 years, his contract was not renewed and will expire around the same time I leave. Needless to say, I was very wary of working with him until I got to know him better and got to hear his side of the story and the root of the problem. He told me that the DAC directors never give him any autonomy over his projects or respect his input. They make decisions over his head that he only finds out about after the fact. For example, one day Sokdin showed up to work and sat next to him and he had no idea who he was. He asked, "Who are you?" and Sokdin said "Your Assistant." He told me that when the directors started doing this, he made the decision that from then on he was just going to ignore them. Simple as that. And that is the reason why he doesn’t take initiative or respond or follow up. I couldn’t believe it.
Most workplaces in Cambodia have a two hour lunch between 12 and 2 PM, but at DAC we only have an hour and a half from 12 to 1.30. When I first arrived and before I knew any better, I used to eat at a local buffet with the DAC directors for only $2. Pretty soon I got sick of not knowing what crazy scary dish i was about to eat next, so I started eating out with my other friends, visiting the market, doing laundry or relaxing at home during lunch. Our hours also run until 5.30 PM which is kind of annoying because most of my friends are free to go home at 5. After work, I either go out to eat with friends, go online at a restaurant with free Wi-Fi or an internet café, or partake in different workout classes I’ve tried out, including yoga, kickboxing, and capoeira. When I first discovered a local group who practice capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, I was in love, and I used to work out 3-4 nights a week. Sadly, however, with all the holidays, travel, and the stress of trying to wrap things up at work these last few weeks, I've had barely any time for organized physical activities. Even though I am grateful for all the travel and adventure the timing of this placement has allowed me, one reason I sometimes wish I could extend my stay would be to live a more fulfilling “normal” everyday life here.
I heart Uncle Ho and Pho: Vietnam
On Saturday morning (April 11), Meghan, Erika, Nono, Hollie, and I boarded a Suraya bus that was supposed to get us to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in 6 hours. After just 45 minutes however, the bus came to a halt and then a dead crawl for 3 (!!!) hours waiting to get on a very small ferry to cross a river in rural Cambodia. THREE HOURS! Just to cross a river! Can someone please call Obama and ask him for some money to build a bridge? At first the wait wasn’t so bad; it was almost kind of fun because I was hungry and there were lots of vendors coming up to the windows of the bus and in some cases even climbing up to sell us food. The longer we waited and the more bored I got, the more precaution went out the window (literally): I bought some waffles, a sandwich, and still regret that I did not buy these mangoes I was eyeing. To be fair, the wait for the ferry is usually a mere hour and was only so bad because of Khmer New Year.
Finally, after a 5 minute ferry ride and surprisingly speedy border crossing, we were in Southern Vietnam. Vietnam was immediately completely different from Cambodia; much more developed and clean, but with surprisingly even more motos and less cars. (Wouldn't you think more developed=more cars?) After a week of observation I have realized that the biggest socio-economic difference between the two countries is the existence of a large middle class in Vietnam. One of the most disheartening things about living in Cambodia is that you can only really visit two types of venues: local places that are a bit scary or expat coffee shops, restaurants, pools, and lounges that make you feel like a spoiled self-indulging tourist. In contrast, in Vietnam it was really refreshing to find ourselves sitting side-by-side with locals in nice places. HCMC was huge and spread out, but there was something enticing about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it was the vibrant backpacker district or the street after street of modern and colorful shops we passed on the way there, but whatever it was made me fall in love with Saigon.
On Sunday morning, we flew to Hanoi in Northern Vietnam and set off on a walking tour of the Old Quarter, where we saw the juxtaposition of brightly colored shops and markets next to ancient gates, houses, pagodas and even a St. James Cathedral! We ate lunch on the top floor of a restaurant overlooking the understated, but beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake. That night, it took us forever to find the secluded Hoa Sua, a teaching restaurant that takes kids off the street to train them in culinary careers, but the atmosphere and yummy food were totally worth it. Even though we had a good time in Hanoi, I still didn't like it as much as HCMC. I think it was too much of a big, crowded commercial center in contrast with the unique old world charm and warmth that I have grown to love about the rest of Southeast Asia.
The next morning, we took a 3 hour bus ride to the highlight of any trip to Vietnam: Halong Bay. I was SUPER excited for it from the pictures I had seen of my sister’s trip back in 2007, and my expectations did not go unmet. Halong Bay is an absolutely stunning body of water filled with huge limestone karst islands jutting up out of the water… over 3,000 of them! Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site not only for its natural beauty, but also for its cultural importance: it is still home to numerous floating villages of local fisherman.
After enjoying the view from the top deck of our “junk” (what they call antique looking tour boats) while we cruised into the bay for several hours, we visited a cave on foot and stopped at one of these floating villages to check out their seafood traps (dinner). Then we kayaked around some shallow caves and ended the night singing karaoke with some cool Canadian girls we met on the boat; another unexpected highlight of the trip! Our group dominated the mic until long after everyone else had gone to bed, with the exception of our Vietnamese tour guide who was very serious about his ballads (including Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” which he had to share with the Canadians of course).
The next day we went for a swim in the Bay and jumped off the top of the boat, which was absolutely thrilling! Sadly however, before we knew it we were back in an overstuffed mini-van on our way to Hanoi, where I tried to make the most of the afternoon by leading the girls on a ridiculously quick tour of the museum district, stopping (just for photos) at the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum. I knew nothing about Ho Chi Minh before we arrived in Vietnam, but it did not take us long to figure out that he is THE man, the most famous and revered leader in Vietnamese history. Every single village, town and city in Vietnam has streets and museums named after him and a line forms around the block to visit his embalmed corpse (built contrary to his desire to be cremated) in the Mausoleum every morning it is open. The area around the Mausoleum was surprisingly modern-looking and reminded me more of Europe than of Southeast Asia.
That night we FINALLY ate Pho at a fast food joint called PHO 24 (it was still scrumptious) before heading to a see a Water Puppet Show. Even though it was in Vietnamese, the Water Puppet Show was pretty cute, but the best part was the live band who played unusual instruments and the two women singing whose voices gave me goosebumps. Late that night we departed for an overnight train to Hue, in Central Vietnam, that would arrive around 11 AM the next day. We knew to prepare for this trip by buying light silk sheet sleeping bags and a can of Raid, but it was still pretty nerve-wracking to sleep that close to God knows how many small bugs and cockroaches. We had the four middle and bottom bunks in a 6-bunk sleeper; I felt sorry for the two Vietnamese sleeping in the top bunk who had to put up with the stifling Raid, but with the amount we sprayed we probably killed the bugs around them too.
The second we stepped off the train in Hue, we were overwhelmed by about a million “touts”: drivers and hotel marketers vying for our business, so we had to stop for a coffee to clear our heads. Hue is a small city that was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty whose reign started in 1744; I was impressed by its endless riverside parks and ancient ruins. That afternoon we visited its main site, the Citadel, which reminded me of the Secret Garden. I realized I am a sap for ruins, because I lost all my friends and ended up wandering around alone for hours, exploring seemingly deserted old buildings that reminded me of ancient Greece. There were so many ornately adorned gates and palaces that renovation workers had turned some into makeshift temporary homes… while they were renovating them!
The next day Nono and I went on a private riverboat up the Perfume River to the ancient tombs of the Nguyen emperors while Meghan and Erika were on a night bus down to Nha Trang. We had to book the private half-day tour because we didn’t have time for the typical full-day, but whizzing around the countryside on two motodops rather than being stuck on a tour bus all day ended up being the best part of the experience. Again, I felt like I had gone back in time because there were random ruins all over the place, nonchalantly mixed in with villages, vegetation, and rolling green hills. At one point, we actually passed a herd of cows grazing on what seemed to be a forgotten (but beautiful) tomb that was overgrown with weeds.
That afternoon, after a well-deserved pizza lunch, we went on a surprisingly scenic 3 hour bus trip to Hoi An that included a pit stop on the side of a beach surrounded by green mountains. We arrived that night just in time for a delicious curry dinner and a swim in the hotel pool. Hoi An is another World Heritage Site, a really cute seaside city that is known for its tailors. The shops were a bit of a tease, because the displays of beautiful clothing were just samples of what you could have made rather than actual garments you could try on. The next morning, we went for a leisurely breakfast by the river and rented bikes that we rode to the Cua Dai beach 5 kilometers outside town. The beach was an unexpectedly beautiful and long stretch of white sand and palm trees. The noon-time sun was brilliant so we ended up hanging out there for a couple hours. In the afternoon, we went on a self-guided cultural tour of the city, visiting wats, assembly halls, historical homes, and the famous Japanese bridge. Most of the bridges in southeast Asia seem to have been donated by either the Japanese or the Koreans, so perhaps they are the ones I should contact for money to build that bridge in Cambodia…
That night we took a bus to the nearest big city, Danang, and flew back to Saigon. The next morning we went on a tour of the CuChi Tunnels, the system of tunnels that the Viet Cong used to hide from the American army and attack from within South Vietnam. Our tour guide was ridiculously prejudiced, but admittedly hilarious; within the first 5 minutes of the ride out of town he was going on about fat American soldiers who smoked too much grass, three-dollar bills, lady-boys, and chocolate babies…
Learning more about the Vietnam War was incredibly interesting, though the extent to which it reminded me of recent affairs with Iran and Iraq was uncomfortable. Obviously everyone has heard of the Vietnam War, but the extent of the damage done, the gruesome effects of Agent Orange, the sheer number of bombs (way more than in all of WWII), land-mines, and UXO dropped not only on Vietnam, but even on neighboring Cambodia and Laos (the most heavily bombed country on earth) is something that I never could have imagined before I came here. It’s truly sad how little we have learned from our mistakes.
On the way to the tunnels, we visited a handicrafts warehouse where we watched Agent Orange victims creating some of the most popular art sold to tourists, including paintings made with eggshells and mother of pearl. Although this visit was obviously more of a tourist trap than anything else, I still found it to be sad and inspiring at the same time, and I was really glad we got to see it. We continued our uplifting (scarcasm!) day of learning about the war that afternoon by going to the War Remnants Museum, one of the most popular museums in Saigon. We ate dinner at a coffee shop, did some shopping, and ended our last night in Vietnam by reuniting with Meghan and Erika at a hookah place.
On our last day in Vietnam, we went to visit the Reunification Palace, which used to be the home of the South Vietnamese head of government until the war ended and the capital was moved to Hanoi. Thus, the palace looked like something straight out of the ‘70’s, including an eerie basement that still housed "ancient" radio and communication technology. Video footage of Viet Cong tanks overrunning the gates to the palace and forcing the South Vietnamese government to surrender was equally creepy. On our walk back, we passed another famous St. James Cathedral, the French colonial style post office, and ate at a yummy Indian restaurant. Then we boarded the bus for the long trip home, including another FOUR (4!!!) hour wait for the ferry. This time we got out and walked around a bit, taking in more of rural Cambodia.
I arrived home around 11 PM to a dusty rain-splotched floor (what was I thinking leaving my windows open while I was gone?). It was weird for me to return a weary traveler from a long exhausting trip without really returning HOME. It brought back all the initial loneliness and home-sickness I had felt in my first few days in Phnom Penh and made me feel like I had to start all over again. It was so sad to realize that after all this time, I didn’t really feel at home here. But I think much of it was just the stress of the crazy trip and the cleaning and catching up I knew I had to do, because after a few days I miraculously felt eons better.
Finally, after a 5 minute ferry ride and surprisingly speedy border crossing, we were in Southern Vietnam. Vietnam was immediately completely different from Cambodia; much more developed and clean, but with surprisingly even more motos and less cars. (Wouldn't you think more developed=more cars?) After a week of observation I have realized that the biggest socio-economic difference between the two countries is the existence of a large middle class in Vietnam. One of the most disheartening things about living in Cambodia is that you can only really visit two types of venues: local places that are a bit scary or expat coffee shops, restaurants, pools, and lounges that make you feel like a spoiled self-indulging tourist. In contrast, in Vietnam it was really refreshing to find ourselves sitting side-by-side with locals in nice places. HCMC was huge and spread out, but there was something enticing about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it was the vibrant backpacker district or the street after street of modern and colorful shops we passed on the way there, but whatever it was made me fall in love with Saigon.
On Sunday morning, we flew to Hanoi in Northern Vietnam and set off on a walking tour of the Old Quarter, where we saw the juxtaposition of brightly colored shops and markets next to ancient gates, houses, pagodas and even a St. James Cathedral! We ate lunch on the top floor of a restaurant overlooking the understated, but beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake. That night, it took us forever to find the secluded Hoa Sua, a teaching restaurant that takes kids off the street to train them in culinary careers, but the atmosphere and yummy food were totally worth it. Even though we had a good time in Hanoi, I still didn't like it as much as HCMC. I think it was too much of a big, crowded commercial center in contrast with the unique old world charm and warmth that I have grown to love about the rest of Southeast Asia.
The next morning, we took a 3 hour bus ride to the highlight of any trip to Vietnam: Halong Bay. I was SUPER excited for it from the pictures I had seen of my sister’s trip back in 2007, and my expectations did not go unmet. Halong Bay is an absolutely stunning body of water filled with huge limestone karst islands jutting up out of the water… over 3,000 of them! Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site not only for its natural beauty, but also for its cultural importance: it is still home to numerous floating villages of local fisherman.
After enjoying the view from the top deck of our “junk” (what they call antique looking tour boats) while we cruised into the bay for several hours, we visited a cave on foot and stopped at one of these floating villages to check out their seafood traps (dinner). Then we kayaked around some shallow caves and ended the night singing karaoke with some cool Canadian girls we met on the boat; another unexpected highlight of the trip! Our group dominated the mic until long after everyone else had gone to bed, with the exception of our Vietnamese tour guide who was very serious about his ballads (including Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” which he had to share with the Canadians of course).
The next day we went for a swim in the Bay and jumped off the top of the boat, which was absolutely thrilling! Sadly however, before we knew it we were back in an overstuffed mini-van on our way to Hanoi, where I tried to make the most of the afternoon by leading the girls on a ridiculously quick tour of the museum district, stopping (just for photos) at the One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum. I knew nothing about Ho Chi Minh before we arrived in Vietnam, but it did not take us long to figure out that he is THE man, the most famous and revered leader in Vietnamese history. Every single village, town and city in Vietnam has streets and museums named after him and a line forms around the block to visit his embalmed corpse (built contrary to his desire to be cremated) in the Mausoleum every morning it is open. The area around the Mausoleum was surprisingly modern-looking and reminded me more of Europe than of Southeast Asia.
That night we FINALLY ate Pho at a fast food joint called PHO 24 (it was still scrumptious) before heading to a see a Water Puppet Show. Even though it was in Vietnamese, the Water Puppet Show was pretty cute, but the best part was the live band who played unusual instruments and the two women singing whose voices gave me goosebumps. Late that night we departed for an overnight train to Hue, in Central Vietnam, that would arrive around 11 AM the next day. We knew to prepare for this trip by buying light silk sheet sleeping bags and a can of Raid, but it was still pretty nerve-wracking to sleep that close to God knows how many small bugs and cockroaches. We had the four middle and bottom bunks in a 6-bunk sleeper; I felt sorry for the two Vietnamese sleeping in the top bunk who had to put up with the stifling Raid, but with the amount we sprayed we probably killed the bugs around them too.
The second we stepped off the train in Hue, we were overwhelmed by about a million “touts”: drivers and hotel marketers vying for our business, so we had to stop for a coffee to clear our heads. Hue is a small city that was the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen dynasty whose reign started in 1744; I was impressed by its endless riverside parks and ancient ruins. That afternoon we visited its main site, the Citadel, which reminded me of the Secret Garden. I realized I am a sap for ruins, because I lost all my friends and ended up wandering around alone for hours, exploring seemingly deserted old buildings that reminded me of ancient Greece. There were so many ornately adorned gates and palaces that renovation workers had turned some into makeshift temporary homes… while they were renovating them!
The next day Nono and I went on a private riverboat up the Perfume River to the ancient tombs of the Nguyen emperors while Meghan and Erika were on a night bus down to Nha Trang. We had to book the private half-day tour because we didn’t have time for the typical full-day, but whizzing around the countryside on two motodops rather than being stuck on a tour bus all day ended up being the best part of the experience. Again, I felt like I had gone back in time because there were random ruins all over the place, nonchalantly mixed in with villages, vegetation, and rolling green hills. At one point, we actually passed a herd of cows grazing on what seemed to be a forgotten (but beautiful) tomb that was overgrown with weeds.
That afternoon, after a well-deserved pizza lunch, we went on a surprisingly scenic 3 hour bus trip to Hoi An that included a pit stop on the side of a beach surrounded by green mountains. We arrived that night just in time for a delicious curry dinner and a swim in the hotel pool. Hoi An is another World Heritage Site, a really cute seaside city that is known for its tailors. The shops were a bit of a tease, because the displays of beautiful clothing were just samples of what you could have made rather than actual garments you could try on. The next morning, we went for a leisurely breakfast by the river and rented bikes that we rode to the Cua Dai beach 5 kilometers outside town. The beach was an unexpectedly beautiful and long stretch of white sand and palm trees. The noon-time sun was brilliant so we ended up hanging out there for a couple hours. In the afternoon, we went on a self-guided cultural tour of the city, visiting wats, assembly halls, historical homes, and the famous Japanese bridge. Most of the bridges in southeast Asia seem to have been donated by either the Japanese or the Koreans, so perhaps they are the ones I should contact for money to build that bridge in Cambodia…
That night we took a bus to the nearest big city, Danang, and flew back to Saigon. The next morning we went on a tour of the CuChi Tunnels, the system of tunnels that the Viet Cong used to hide from the American army and attack from within South Vietnam. Our tour guide was ridiculously prejudiced, but admittedly hilarious; within the first 5 minutes of the ride out of town he was going on about fat American soldiers who smoked too much grass, three-dollar bills, lady-boys, and chocolate babies…
Learning more about the Vietnam War was incredibly interesting, though the extent to which it reminded me of recent affairs with Iran and Iraq was uncomfortable. Obviously everyone has heard of the Vietnam War, but the extent of the damage done, the gruesome effects of Agent Orange, the sheer number of bombs (way more than in all of WWII), land-mines, and UXO dropped not only on Vietnam, but even on neighboring Cambodia and Laos (the most heavily bombed country on earth) is something that I never could have imagined before I came here. It’s truly sad how little we have learned from our mistakes.
On the way to the tunnels, we visited a handicrafts warehouse where we watched Agent Orange victims creating some of the most popular art sold to tourists, including paintings made with eggshells and mother of pearl. Although this visit was obviously more of a tourist trap than anything else, I still found it to be sad and inspiring at the same time, and I was really glad we got to see it. We continued our uplifting (scarcasm!) day of learning about the war that afternoon by going to the War Remnants Museum, one of the most popular museums in Saigon. We ate dinner at a coffee shop, did some shopping, and ended our last night in Vietnam by reuniting with Meghan and Erika at a hookah place.
On our last day in Vietnam, we went to visit the Reunification Palace, which used to be the home of the South Vietnamese head of government until the war ended and the capital was moved to Hanoi. Thus, the palace looked like something straight out of the ‘70’s, including an eerie basement that still housed "ancient" radio and communication technology. Video footage of Viet Cong tanks overrunning the gates to the palace and forcing the South Vietnamese government to surrender was equally creepy. On our walk back, we passed another famous St. James Cathedral, the French colonial style post office, and ate at a yummy Indian restaurant. Then we boarded the bus for the long trip home, including another FOUR (4!!!) hour wait for the ferry. This time we got out and walked around a bit, taking in more of rural Cambodia.
I arrived home around 11 PM to a dusty rain-splotched floor (what was I thinking leaving my windows open while I was gone?). It was weird for me to return a weary traveler from a long exhausting trip without really returning HOME. It brought back all the initial loneliness and home-sickness I had felt in my first few days in Phnom Penh and made me feel like I had to start all over again. It was so sad to realize that after all this time, I didn’t really feel at home here. But I think much of it was just the stress of the crazy trip and the cleaning and catching up I knew I had to do, because after a few days I miraculously felt eons better.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Meeting the Minister
Just when I thought I had experienced the last of Khmer New Year and was almost ready to get out of the office on Friday afternoon (April 10th), the Executive Director asked me to accompany him to the home of the Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation. I was a bit flustered because in typical Cambodian style, no one had told me anything about this until the last minute. This sounded like a very important man and I wasn’t exactly wearing my best outfit nor was I prepared at all, but I went anyway.
We drove to one of the many houses of the Minister with a huge bouquet of yellow flowers. The large courtyard was full of beautifully dressed women in white lacy, ruffly blouses and traditional long colorful skirts, men in suits. The minister’s house was huge and gorgeous, with intricately carved ceiling decorations and immaculate wooden furniture that reminded me of my relatives’ homes in Iran. There were several separate living room type areas, with the Minister and his wife sitting in the center of one while another was being used as a “waiting room” to meet with them. Official looking people and guards were standing and hovering everywhere, ensuring the smoothness of the process.
We only sat and waited for a few minutes before we were ushered into the main area. I thanked the Minister and his wife for their hospitality and praised their beautiful home in the choppy FOB English I’ve adopted here so as to be more easily understood by the locals. They responded in fluent English, which was embarrassing, as I realized for the first time that I was interacting with an entirely different class of Cambodian people. They introduced me to their two young sons who have both gone to high school and college in the States and Australia. I was so excited to meet Cambodians that I have more in common with that we dominated the conversation. One of the Minister’s sons who is now a high official in the Ministry (can we say nepotism, anyone?) even gave me his card to contact him afterward. After only a few minutes, however, we all stood for a very official-looking photo and had to move on to allow for a group of 15 who were waiting for their chance to wish the Minister a happy new year. A few days later, to my dismay (I was wearing a black top and dark skirt on the happiest occasion of the year and looked awful, a fact made only more obvious everytime the Minister's wife tried to tell me I was beautiful and that I look very similar to Cambodian people except for my nose...), the photograph showed up enlarged in a beautiful frame over the door of the DAC Executive Director’s office.
I felt very special, not only for the opportunity to meet a member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet in a small, intimate group, but also for the meaningful conversation and bond that I was able to have with him and his family. It made me realize why Westerners give up the comforts of home to stay in countries like this. Because while back home you may be nothing, here you are VIP, rich in comparison, privy to the highest upper class and almost like a celebrity to people who stare at you in the streets... even when you look like crap.
Nono has told me before that Cambodians just think of us as "crazy barangs" (word for the French that has adapted to encompass all foreigners) no matter what we do, so it's like we can do no wrong.
We drove to one of the many houses of the Minister with a huge bouquet of yellow flowers. The large courtyard was full of beautifully dressed women in white lacy, ruffly blouses and traditional long colorful skirts, men in suits. The minister’s house was huge and gorgeous, with intricately carved ceiling decorations and immaculate wooden furniture that reminded me of my relatives’ homes in Iran. There were several separate living room type areas, with the Minister and his wife sitting in the center of one while another was being used as a “waiting room” to meet with them. Official looking people and guards were standing and hovering everywhere, ensuring the smoothness of the process.
We only sat and waited for a few minutes before we were ushered into the main area. I thanked the Minister and his wife for their hospitality and praised their beautiful home in the choppy FOB English I’ve adopted here so as to be more easily understood by the locals. They responded in fluent English, which was embarrassing, as I realized for the first time that I was interacting with an entirely different class of Cambodian people. They introduced me to their two young sons who have both gone to high school and college in the States and Australia. I was so excited to meet Cambodians that I have more in common with that we dominated the conversation. One of the Minister’s sons who is now a high official in the Ministry (can we say nepotism, anyone?) even gave me his card to contact him afterward. After only a few minutes, however, we all stood for a very official-looking photo and had to move on to allow for a group of 15 who were waiting for their chance to wish the Minister a happy new year. A few days later, to my dismay (I was wearing a black top and dark skirt on the happiest occasion of the year and looked awful, a fact made only more obvious everytime the Minister's wife tried to tell me I was beautiful and that I look very similar to Cambodian people except for my nose...), the photograph showed up enlarged in a beautiful frame over the door of the DAC Executive Director’s office.
I felt very special, not only for the opportunity to meet a member of the Prime Minister’s cabinet in a small, intimate group, but also for the meaningful conversation and bond that I was able to have with him and his family. It made me realize why Westerners give up the comforts of home to stay in countries like this. Because while back home you may be nothing, here you are VIP, rich in comparison, privy to the highest upper class and almost like a celebrity to people who stare at you in the streets... even when you look like crap.
Nono has told me before that Cambodians just think of us as "crazy barangs" (word for the French that has adapted to encompass all foreigners) no matter what we do, so it's like we can do no wrong.
Khmer New Year
With the advent of Khmer New Year, everything in my newly settled home and schedule that I was starting to get used to was suddenly turned upside-down. Things got crazy at work, I started traveling, and even more time-consuming, I started planning lots of travel. So I apologize for not posting at a time when I have the most to post about, but I'll try my best to catch up!Khmer New Year is celebrated in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos during the week of April 11th, though I think it goes by different names in the other countries. Regardless, it’s an all-out week-long celebration during which most Cambodians go home to their villages to celebrate with their families. I was torn on whether to travel in rural Cambodia to partake in the celebrations or to take advantage of the week off to explore another “must-see” country on my Southeast Asia wish list. In the end, four other volunteers and I decided to take advantage and embark on a trip-of-a-lifetime (more for the company than for the sights :) to Vietnam. Luckily, before I left, I got to experience some laid-back Khmer celebration during our half-day office party at a riverside restaurant…
We left around noon on Wednesday (April 8th) and drove for over an hour, crossing the river to the outskirts or even suburbs of the city. This was my first opportunity to finally see rural Cambodia, and I must admit, it was a bit of a shock. Rural Cambodia, with its remedial dirt roads, is nothing like the capital city. Most of the homes are stilt houses, which are actually really cute, but there are some more pathetic-looking slums as well. The cows are sickeningly thin and bird-flu roosters, geese, and chickens run rampant. Some of the countryside is green and beautiful, but most of it is just muddy and dirty, overflowing with garbage.
The place we went to was absolutely gorgeous. It was a large open wooden structure with hammocks instead of chairs separating each square eating area on the floor, no tables. It was also empty save for us so we spread out and lounged in our own hammocks drinking fresh coconut juice out of coconuts. We played cards (universal entertainment) during which I learned some new games and lost a dollar or two. I learned that you can’t play cards in Cambodia unless you play for money and that everyone slams cards down in an exaggerated manner; it’s just how they play. We had some corn and delicious lychee fruit for snacks and ate a not-so-amazing lunch mostly consisting of fish, rice, and vegetables. There was also a whole chicken, which I had a few pieces of, being very careful to avoid the head, beak, and feet that others were eating like a delicacy.
After the meal, some took naps while others played more cards or just hung out and chatted. I had an amazing time getting to know my co-workers better and finally got the opportunity to take some really good pictures of them that you can see with their descriptions if you click on the link to my Picasa photo gallery to the top right!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Rain
This week I’ve gotten a little taste of what rainy season must be like. It’s been raining almost every night, usually very late or early in the morning when I’m at home sleeping. This makes me happy because it makes the weather slightly cooler and means I don’t have to water my plants (the only downside of having a private balcony, I have lots of plants and no hose so I have to go back and forth with a watering can. Who knew this could be such an annoying chore). Of course it only rains on the nights when I have already watered my plants, never when I've been too lazy.
The one time the rain really got in my way was on Wednesday night when I was at a dinner party with a bunch of Kiva fellows (fancy word for volunteer) that I met last weekend. I had heard of Kiva, an innovative micro-lending start-up, back when I worked in the Technology Labs, so I was super excited to meet real people who work there.
So I'm at my friend’s house when it starts raining at around 10 PM. I was ready to go home, but thought I would just wait it out for another 15 minutes, since the rain usually doesn’t seem to last much longer than that. Well, I ended up waiting 2 hours and it had only gotten worse… So I biked home through a torrential tropical storm and a flood in the streets that was almost up to my calves. This is nothing, as I’ve heard it will get up to your knees in rainy season (because the drains just can’t handle the pressure), but imagine biking through a shallow river, hoping you won’t have to hit the brakes the entire way home! Luckily my friend let me borrow a North Face rain jacket and I only live about 4 blocks away, so I got home safe and dry, at least from the knees up.
PS. I forgot to mention in my last post that Cambodia has no postal system or public transportation system. No local buses or trains, not even private mini-vans like they have in Africa. I expect most of my friends who are in love/hate with the CTA in Chicago to balk at this idea.
The one time the rain really got in my way was on Wednesday night when I was at a dinner party with a bunch of Kiva fellows (fancy word for volunteer) that I met last weekend. I had heard of Kiva, an innovative micro-lending start-up, back when I worked in the Technology Labs, so I was super excited to meet real people who work there.
So I'm at my friend’s house when it starts raining at around 10 PM. I was ready to go home, but thought I would just wait it out for another 15 minutes, since the rain usually doesn’t seem to last much longer than that. Well, I ended up waiting 2 hours and it had only gotten worse… So I biked home through a torrential tropical storm and a flood in the streets that was almost up to my calves. This is nothing, as I’ve heard it will get up to your knees in rainy season (because the drains just can’t handle the pressure), but imagine biking through a shallow river, hoping you won’t have to hit the brakes the entire way home! Luckily my friend let me borrow a North Face rain jacket and I only live about 4 blocks away, so I got home safe and dry, at least from the knees up.
PS. I forgot to mention in my last post that Cambodia has no postal system or public transportation system. No local buses or trains, not even private mini-vans like they have in Africa. I expect most of my friends who are in love/hate with the CTA in Chicago to balk at this idea.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Sustainable Development
Last Saturday night, Nono introduced me to a few girls in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps has only been in Cambodia for two years, most likely because it was considered too unstable before that. I learned that the Peace Corps is much stricter than VSO. While VSO vols are required to bring certified helmets with them from their home country (you can’t even buy a decent helmet here) and wear them on motos at all times, Peace Corps aren’t even allowed to ride motos. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to get around, especially in the more remote and spread out provinces, without motos! Peace Corps and US Embassy employees are also not allowed to go to a sketchy club called the Heart of Darkness that everyone has been telling me about. Apparently this place is famous for shootings and violence… A must see? Also, Peace Corps does not place any vols in PP or even in any of the provincial capitals because there are too many NGOs.
This is true. There are so many NGOs here that there are whole NGOs whose work is just to coordinate other NGOs, including DAC in the Disability sector. There are so many NGOs that there is a whole neighborhood called “NGO Land.” There are so many foreigners that I see them every time I step outside... I can’t imagine how much more crowded it must get during tourist season when the economy is good. I also can’t help but wonder what all these NGOs are doing here and whether or not they are able to make a positive difference?
Cambodia is a country that is getting ahead of itself and struggling to keep up. While every amenity is available here, there are cuts on a daily basis. I’ve been told that there are more power cuts this time of year because it is the hot season and too many people run A/C. The first night I experienced a power outage was in my first week when I was riding my bike to meet up with Meghan for dinner and the whole street suddenly went dark. Somehow, Meghan still found me but it was terrifying riding through pitch-black streets and we couldn’t eat at the restaurant we were planning to go to anymore; though it wasn’t too hard to find another place with a generator. The weirdest power outage I’ve experienced so far was just this last weekend in the supermarket, which is as large, modern, and brightly lit as any Super Wal-Mart in the US. I was like, what!? How is this possible? Couldn’t I just run out with my groceries right now? Will I still be able to buy them because I really don’t want to have to come back and pick out what I want all over again!
The internet operates on a satellite, so no matter how reliable your network is, if it’s a cloudy day, it’s going to be slow. My first few weeks at work the internet would go out for at least an hour or two every morning and again every afternoon… it was SOO frustrating. Since we’ve moved, we don’t have a generator, so on top of the internet going out, the power in the entire office goes out on a regular basis. I’ve just learned to deal with it by saving reports I have to read or offline documents I have to write for these times. I also take it as an opportunity to read the newspaper and chat with my co-workers, learning more about Southeast Asian life and culture.
In my apartment, my water even goes out! At least a few times during every shower, it will stop running for a few seconds. It’s very odd, but not too disruptive.
This is true. There are so many NGOs here that there are whole NGOs whose work is just to coordinate other NGOs, including DAC in the Disability sector. There are so many NGOs that there is a whole neighborhood called “NGO Land.” There are so many foreigners that I see them every time I step outside... I can’t imagine how much more crowded it must get during tourist season when the economy is good. I also can’t help but wonder what all these NGOs are doing here and whether or not they are able to make a positive difference?
Cambodia is a country that is getting ahead of itself and struggling to keep up. While every amenity is available here, there are cuts on a daily basis. I’ve been told that there are more power cuts this time of year because it is the hot season and too many people run A/C. The first night I experienced a power outage was in my first week when I was riding my bike to meet up with Meghan for dinner and the whole street suddenly went dark. Somehow, Meghan still found me but it was terrifying riding through pitch-black streets and we couldn’t eat at the restaurant we were planning to go to anymore; though it wasn’t too hard to find another place with a generator. The weirdest power outage I’ve experienced so far was just this last weekend in the supermarket, which is as large, modern, and brightly lit as any Super Wal-Mart in the US. I was like, what!? How is this possible? Couldn’t I just run out with my groceries right now? Will I still be able to buy them because I really don’t want to have to come back and pick out what I want all over again!
The internet operates on a satellite, so no matter how reliable your network is, if it’s a cloudy day, it’s going to be slow. My first few weeks at work the internet would go out for at least an hour or two every morning and again every afternoon… it was SOO frustrating. Since we’ve moved, we don’t have a generator, so on top of the internet going out, the power in the entire office goes out on a regular basis. I’ve just learned to deal with it by saving reports I have to read or offline documents I have to write for these times. I also take it as an opportunity to read the newspaper and chat with my co-workers, learning more about Southeast Asian life and culture.
In my apartment, my water even goes out! At least a few times during every shower, it will stop running for a few seconds. It’s very odd, but not too disruptive.
Monday, March 30, 2009
The weeks are already flying by...
This week was really hectic and fun. On Monday night I went to a yoga class with Sarah, the other volunteer at DAC. Tuesday and Wednesday nights were spent buying some essentials and setting up my new place. On Thursday, my office moved locations from the huge house we were in to a very small office a few blocks away. Moving meant that we couldn’t get any work done and still don’t have our computers or internet set up today (Monday, I am hand-writing this entry). Thursday night I went to an hour of meditation with Sarah and Erika at Wat Lang Ka, a beautiful Buddhist pagoda.
All Friday morning, I had a committee meeting where I met an AVI (Australia) volunteer who is both blonde and Bahaii, random! She could tell I was Persian and wants to come visit the temple in Chicago. It's funny how easy it is to find SOMETHING in common with almost everyone, no matter how different they may seem.
The office was still a mess that afternoon, so I spent most of the time running errands. I had lunch at a noodle stand at Phsar Toul Tum Poung (Russian market) for $1! I started talking to a couple of very friendly women there who have been living here for 13 years or so. They told me all about the ups and downs of long-term expat life. One of them was from Chicago and offered to take a package for me when she goes back for a wedding next week. I thought that was so unbelievable and sweet of her since she had just met me! Anyway, my purpose for going to the market was to buy sheets and a towel, but I ended up running into a stall that had all the kitchenware I needed for half the price at the Supermarket, so I bought all that, ran out of money, and had to go home and come back for the other stuff. In between trips to the market in the southern part of town, I went up north to pick up my water filter from the VSO office.
On Friday night, we went to a circus at the French Cultural Center. The crowd was, not surprisingly, mostly kids and the traveling performers from Europe were pretty silly. There were a few Asian acts, however, that were breathtaking. There was a contortionist accompanied by a male gymnast who was doing handstands over her contorted body and then pushing her into new positions by pretending to fight with her, giving some meaning to her contortions. I don’t know if it was the love story or the beautiful music, but this was my favorite act.
On Saturday I spent a lot of time shopping. First Meghan and Erika and I met up with Leonie and Kate (two vols from the UK) at a very posh designer boutique with unique party dresses running around the same price as they would in the States. Next we all met up with NoNo at a Japanese second-hand clothing store with items from all over the world. Nono calls herself an “international brat” because she has lived all over the world, including the US, but she is originally Danish and anything but a brat (she's so sweet)!
After this, Meghan and Erika and I went back to the Programme Office, where we randomly ran into Hollie. Hollie works in Stung Treng, a beautiful province to the north, but luckily, none of the provinces are too far from Phnom Penh, so we get to see vols like her pretty often on the weekends. Hollie was only supposed to be here for a year, but after a month or two, she got a mosquito born illness called Dengue fever. She was out recovering at the Programme Office and friend's houses for 10 weeks over Christmas-time! She is such a good sport, she never went back home, and on top of that, decided to extend her placement for another 6 months to make up for the lost time at work! She’s so nice and mature that I was surprised to learn that she is only 22 and came here with a competitive youth volunteering program within VSO called Youth for Development (YfD).
On Sunday I spent some quality time at the pool catching up online and chillin with more vols. I got to know Perry, Sarah's husband as well as a fellow VSO vol, who told me some scary stories about all the accidents he's seen and even been in... and he's only been here less than a year! Luckily, he has never been severely hurt, but it made me realize that I should be more careful on the roads.
All Friday morning, I had a committee meeting where I met an AVI (Australia) volunteer who is both blonde and Bahaii, random! She could tell I was Persian and wants to come visit the temple in Chicago. It's funny how easy it is to find SOMETHING in common with almost everyone, no matter how different they may seem.
The office was still a mess that afternoon, so I spent most of the time running errands. I had lunch at a noodle stand at Phsar Toul Tum Poung (Russian market) for $1! I started talking to a couple of very friendly women there who have been living here for 13 years or so. They told me all about the ups and downs of long-term expat life. One of them was from Chicago and offered to take a package for me when she goes back for a wedding next week. I thought that was so unbelievable and sweet of her since she had just met me! Anyway, my purpose for going to the market was to buy sheets and a towel, but I ended up running into a stall that had all the kitchenware I needed for half the price at the Supermarket, so I bought all that, ran out of money, and had to go home and come back for the other stuff. In between trips to the market in the southern part of town, I went up north to pick up my water filter from the VSO office.
On Friday night, we went to a circus at the French Cultural Center. The crowd was, not surprisingly, mostly kids and the traveling performers from Europe were pretty silly. There were a few Asian acts, however, that were breathtaking. There was a contortionist accompanied by a male gymnast who was doing handstands over her contorted body and then pushing her into new positions by pretending to fight with her, giving some meaning to her contortions. I don’t know if it was the love story or the beautiful music, but this was my favorite act.
On Saturday I spent a lot of time shopping. First Meghan and Erika and I met up with Leonie and Kate (two vols from the UK) at a very posh designer boutique with unique party dresses running around the same price as they would in the States. Next we all met up with NoNo at a Japanese second-hand clothing store with items from all over the world. Nono calls herself an “international brat” because she has lived all over the world, including the US, but she is originally Danish and anything but a brat (she's so sweet)!
After this, Meghan and Erika and I went back to the Programme Office, where we randomly ran into Hollie. Hollie works in Stung Treng, a beautiful province to the north, but luckily, none of the provinces are too far from Phnom Penh, so we get to see vols like her pretty often on the weekends. Hollie was only supposed to be here for a year, but after a month or two, she got a mosquito born illness called Dengue fever. She was out recovering at the Programme Office and friend's houses for 10 weeks over Christmas-time! She is such a good sport, she never went back home, and on top of that, decided to extend her placement for another 6 months to make up for the lost time at work! She’s so nice and mature that I was surprised to learn that she is only 22 and came here with a competitive youth volunteering program within VSO called Youth for Development (YfD).
On Sunday I spent some quality time at the pool catching up online and chillin with more vols. I got to know Perry, Sarah's husband as well as a fellow VSO vol, who told me some scary stories about all the accidents he's seen and even been in... and he's only been here less than a year! Luckily, he has never been severely hurt, but it made me realize that I should be more careful on the roads.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Accidents Happen
I've been in Phnom Penh for less than 3 weeks and have already seen 3 moto accidents. The first one was minor and all I saw of the second one was a SWARM of at least 50 people shouting and holding up traffic in a chaotic circle in the middle of the road. The scene brought new meaning to the term “gawker’s delay.” VSO has taught us to stay out of situations like this for our own safety, so I was a good girl and moved on.
The third accident, however, really shook me up. I was riding my bike home at around 9 PM or so two nights ago and was only about a block away when I heard a loud thud. Suddenly, everyone over a block away was shouting and running in the direction of the sound. What I wouldn't have given to hear what they were saying and to know what exactly had happened. I knew I should stay out of it, but curiousity got the best of me. All I did was ride my bike by, but it was enough to see two men lying on the street, eyes closed like they were sleeping, but in un-natural positions. Two motos were also lying abondoned on the street about twenty feet apart. A small crowd was already growing so I didn't hang around to see more. What I had already seen twisted my stomach and frightened me enough to have me franticly praying and thanking God the rest of the way home and up the stairs to my place. Eventually, about 15 minutes later, I heard sirens out the window. I didn't see any blood so I pray to God that those men are okay and that I never end up in a similar predicament.
EDIT (4/1/09):
In retrospect, after talking to other volunteers, I realize I may have overreacted a bit. People have been telling me all sorts of stories about cross-country buses running over passers-by without even stopping, trucks falling off cliffs, bloody car accidents. During the day, I feel "relatively" safe because everyone drives so slowly and cautiously that accidents are usually too small to cause too much damage... to the point where I think I'm starting to get a little reckless myself and need to stop cutting people off, weaving between cars, riding up on sidewalks, running red lights and turning left down the wrong side of the road just because its easier than cutting all the way across (everybody does it!). At night, however, it can get really dangerous because the streets are dead past 10 PM and the motos go FAST without taking the normal pre-cautions to slow down or stop at any crossroads.
The third accident, however, really shook me up. I was riding my bike home at around 9 PM or so two nights ago and was only about a block away when I heard a loud thud. Suddenly, everyone over a block away was shouting and running in the direction of the sound. What I wouldn't have given to hear what they were saying and to know what exactly had happened. I knew I should stay out of it, but curiousity got the best of me. All I did was ride my bike by, but it was enough to see two men lying on the street, eyes closed like they were sleeping, but in un-natural positions. Two motos were also lying abondoned on the street about twenty feet apart. A small crowd was already growing so I didn't hang around to see more. What I had already seen twisted my stomach and frightened me enough to have me franticly praying and thanking God the rest of the way home and up the stairs to my place. Eventually, about 15 minutes later, I heard sirens out the window. I didn't see any blood so I pray to God that those men are okay and that I never end up in a similar predicament.
EDIT (4/1/09):
In retrospect, after talking to other volunteers, I realize I may have overreacted a bit. People have been telling me all sorts of stories about cross-country buses running over passers-by without even stopping, trucks falling off cliffs, bloody car accidents. During the day, I feel "relatively" safe because everyone drives so slowly and cautiously that accidents are usually too small to cause too much damage... to the point where I think I'm starting to get a little reckless myself and need to stop cutting people off, weaving between cars, riding up on sidewalks, running red lights and turning left down the wrong side of the road just because its easier than cutting all the way across (everybody does it!). At night, however, it can get really dangerous because the streets are dead past 10 PM and the motos go FAST without taking the normal pre-cautions to slow down or stop at any crossroads.
Friday, March 20, 2009
I have an apartment!
I finally have an apartment! Yey! Like my bike, this small acquisition has made a monumental impact on my level of happiness.After heading out on several ventures with my real estate agent, I was starting to get frustrated! At first, I was looking for 2-bedroom places because Meghan and I wanted to live together and even briefly embraced the idea of living with another new volunteer from the UK named Erika. Erika is around our age and also used to work at Accenture so we have a lot in common. Unfortunately, since we are all staying different lengths of time (3, 5, and 6 months), we couldn't expense a 3-bedroom place for the whole 6 months. So I had to set out on my own, and in retrospect I'm glad I have because I love having my own personal space and I know I will still see these girls all the time.
Surprisingly, the places I had to choose from were very nice, almost all had hot water, A/C in the bedrooms, and cable TV. Many felt very new and clean and even had brand new mattresses and washing machines in the unit, which is a luxury you rarely get in apartments back home! In the end, I went with a smaller place in a great location close to work. I was drawn to the vast private gated balcony that is so large and secure it would be better referred to as outdoor living space. I felt a little silly and impractical not going for the biggest or newest place, but to me it was worth giving up other amenities to have this unique design that I could never take advantage of back home (because it's too cold!).
My apartment is on the 4th floor above a restaurant that the owner also lives in and 2 other apartments on a main street (in true Golli style, though it's no Clark street!) in the very expat-friendly area of Boeung Keng Kang (BKK1). Next door are a couple travel agents and internet cafes... I think I made the right decision. Being on the 4th floor of a corner unit also gives me a stunning, far-reaching view of most of the rooftops of Phnom Penh on two sides.
It's amazing how much better I feel these days than I did in the very beginning. I honestly believe that no matter where you live or what you are doing, the simple things in life can make the biggest difference in a human being's level of happiness. Beyond food and shelter... autonomy and freedom, familiarity and a sense of purpose. Access to internet and air conditioning. OK so those last two are a stretch that I should probably learn to live without, but you get the idea...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The market
I have a confession to make, I've been cheating. I've been spending much of the last couple of weekends relaxing pool-side in beautiful gardens of fancy hotels with free wi-fi. This weekend I was pretty much alone in the city since the rest of the new volunteers went to Kampong Cham, a province, for language training. Since most of them are here for 2 years, they get five weeks of language training, while I'll only be here for 3 months and don't get any. My friends who are here for 6 months will only get a week or so, so they'll be back soon. I wasn't too upset because I haven't really been alone since I got here, so I was perfectly content going to relax at the pool by myself, but I decided to venture to Central Market first...The market is not for the faint of heart, the sensitive nose, or anyone with any indication of any social anxiety disorder. First, you pass or avoid the food section, which mostly consists of raw meat and seafood that has been sitting out all morning and smells like it. It STINKS. And there is a lot of weird shit on sale. Live fish and crabs jumping out of their enclosures right in front of my feet, live chickens just waiting to give me the bird flu. They love fish and fish heads here. I don't know if I've seen any fish dish without its head. Apparently, the head is the delicacy.
With every step, there is someone hollering at me from every angle, "Hello!" "Miss!" "Lady!" "Buy one?" "Motodop?" "Tuk-tuk?" "Hi?" Sometimes I just want to scream "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" and stick my middle finger up at them. I suck at bargaining. The only time I can get things for cheap is when I genuinely don't want them anymore. Don't ever ask a shopkeeper how much something costs unless you intend to buy it. Once you ask that question, if you decline the item, they will assume it is because of the price and they will not leave you alone. "OK one less dollar, ok what is your last price!" I tried just ignoring them and walking away a couple of times, but they were still calling after me! One time a girl chased me 3 stalls down. Of course, whenever you try to bargain for something that you actually want, the shopkeeper just says "No, too low" and then you try to walk away and act all cool and nothing happens. They don't come after you.
To make matters worse, I got lost on my way home in the mid-day heat and sun. After 15 minutes, my throat started hurting from the pollution and I was stressed out. Walking in the streets is almost as bad as the market. Everyone wants to say hello and everyone asks you if you need a ride. If I needed a ride, I would be looking around for one! I want to know how often this tactic actually works for them to continue to annoy people with it. Sometimes I know the Khmer sitting on the side of the road say Hi to me because they are genuinely nice people with curious smiles, but it still makes me want to scream and run away. There is nowhere to sit, no shade to stand in, nowhere to hide from all the sun and attention and chaos.
This is why I ran away to the hotel garden, it's not so much for the clean air created by the green plants surrounding me. It's not for the peaceful quiet free of honking and moto engine revving. It's because its the only place where I can get away from it all and relax in the shade without being cooped up in my room. Where I can just be another person blending into the background.
Friday, March 13, 2009
First day of work!
Today was a day of many firsts! It was my first day of work! I had no idea what to expect when I walked to the VSO office to meet Rith (my placement officer), but was pleasantly surprised when we jumped into one of a posh VSO vehicle to drive to the DAC. Once there, ironically the rest of the day progressed not too differently from the first day on any Accenture project. I first met with the client in the resource center/big meeting room for an hour or two. This first meeting was with the Executive Director of the DAC and his Deputy Executive.I was impressed to learn that the DAC is on a national, Ministry level. However, they are trying to preserve their autonomy so they can continue to be a member organization and continue to support virtually every disability organization in Cambodia without too much government influence. I was also impressed by how professional and organized they were and how well they seemed to "have their shit together." I had ups and downs between feeling like the task ahead may be too daunting to feeling like all my work had already been done for me! Again, typical consulting project. Except this time, I felt the heavy weight on my shoulders of being the main person responsible for the success of the project.
Afterwards, I met the "real people," my colleagues who I would be working with on a daily basis. Everyone was really nice and their English was very cute. They sent me emails welcoming me to "the DAC family." I went to lunch with the executives just like any other first day. We DROVE to a nice restaurant; I offered to pay but they took care of the bill. I was surprised... VSO has trained us well not to expect any of the perks of corporate life such as expensed lunch meetings. But the executives of this company at least seem to do well, after all my boss does own a car.
In the afternoon, I met with my colleagues to get up to speed on things and received a bunch of documents that I still have to finish reviewing tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about what I will be doing! At the end of my day, I was DRIVEN home again. I was very spoiled with all the time in the car today. In this single day, I have spent more time in a car than in my whole first week of being here. And probably more than I will in all of the rest of my time here.
Another first! I got my bike from VSO today. I love it! It's a bright blue older model from the '70's with a basket in front. Life on two wheels is so much better than life on two feet. At first it was a little scary, but once I got the hang of it, I felt much safer than I did when I was walking. My bike also has a zippered cloth enclosure around the basket to keep my belongings safe from purse-snatchers.
Today I used my motorcycle helmet for the first time! I rode on the back of my real estate agent's moto to look for apartments. How strange! But the apartments were all really nice! Much nicer than I expected. I feel like I'm cheating or spoiled because I get to have things like A/C and a washing machine. But it's nice and I'm happy to have it. I'll leave the roughness the like of Africa for my next adventure.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Cyclo Tour
So what have I actually been doing here other than attempting to survive the chaotic traffic? Well, I have been in training for the last few days, which has been pretty laidback, lots of breaks. These are well appreciated because we're all tired and jet-lagged, but it also makes me feel like I'm not doing a whole lot a lot of the time. We had an introduction to the VSO Programme Office and the different Programmes, which include Health, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Education. My project is in the Education Programme. We also had a safety and security briefing with the Country Director and a health briefing with a local doctor, which were both incredibly helpful. The Country Director is an energetic British woman named Alice and our local doctor is a nice Filipino woman we call Dr. Marissa.Today we took a Cyclo (which is like sitting in an adult sized stroller attached to the front of a bicycle) tour of the city which was really fun. Because our cyclo drivers are not educated and speak no English, we also had a quick Khmer language lesson the day before to help us direct our drivers which way to go. It was funny, when we first walked out to meet our cyclists, one of them immediately called dibs on me. I'm assuming it was because I am small. Imagine 15 cyclos slowly winding their way around town; we made quite a scene. We stopped for a drink at the FCC and I had a delicious banana coconut smoothie. We wandered around Wat Phnom and visited the Russian Markets, where you can buy brand names like Gap, Banana Republic, H&M, and others at a margin of the US retail price, since most of these clothes are made here. Short sleeve shirts are $2, long sleeves are $4, I bought a backpack for $12. A hot breakfast at the guesthouse is usually $2 and our cyclo drivers were each paid a whopping $6 for a full day of toting us around! Tomorrow I have the day off so I'm not sure yet what we will do.
I am here with 13 other new volunteers and 3 of them have brought their partners. Overall, VSO Cambodia consists of about 100 volunteers spread out over the many provinces of the country and is one of the biggest VSO country programmes. I never realized before just how international VSO is, but even the volunteers are from all different parts of the world: 6 people are from the UK, 4 are from the Philippines, 3 from India, 1 is from Kenya and 1 from Uganda. Meghan and I are the only ones from the US. While in theory, I think this is great, in practice it is frustrating. People tend to stick to their own countrymen and some have a hard time communicating in English. Someone mentioned to me that being in Cambodia was enough of a culture shock without having to deal with multiple other cultures at the same time, which can be overwhelming. The age ranges are across the board too, with Meghan and I being the youngest. Many people are our parents' age, which leaves us with little in common and again makes it's hard to bond... but is also somewhat comforting.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Traffic
The scariest thing about Cambodia is that we walk in the streets. Literally. Sidewalks are rare and sporadic; one block will have one, the next one won't. And they are not really sidewalks; they are more like parking spots on the side of the road, so they are usually obstructed by parked cars and motos. At first, I would try to go in between the parked cars and squeeze myself between them and the buildings, but eventually I realized that this was futile. I was going to have to walk in the street at some point anyways, so I may as well just get on with it. So we usually walk alongside traffic, my exposed and unprotected toes mere inches away from the wheels of motos and huge SUVs. My sister Leyla has been here before on vacation and had warned me that she hated not being able to walk on the sidewalks, but I don't think I really understood what she meant until I saw it for myself. Every second I feel that I may be run over and die. But this is nothing new for me actually. I feel like this even when I cross the streets in Chicago.
The worst part was when we were walking during the after-work rush hour and some motos started driving up onto a rare sidewalk. That was the only place that was ours. Where I could walk without fear of being run over and feel somewhat safe. But not anymore; they came up so fast, like it belonged to them. And that was when I first realized... No one else walks here. No wonder I feel so unsafe, I SHOULD. Maybe I shouldn't be walking at all. I suppose that if you had a bike and especially a moto, why would you ever need to walk? It's not like it is too cold out or there is any lack of parking. You just put your moto wherever you want (Or at least that's what it looks like to me?). Why would you ever walk? Maybe I won't need to anymore once I am given a bicycle. That would be nice.
The cars are huge. Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota... all their windows are completely darkened. Back windows, front windows, even the front windshield! Makes me wonder who is driving these huge, beautiful new cars that they need to hide... Are they druglords? Rich people? White people? To cross traffic you are just supposed to step into the street walking at a steady pace and the motos will go around you. But not the cars. The cars will not stop for you so you better not get in their way. There are no crappy or even somewhat older looking cars. The cars are ALL brand new, shiny top models. I suppose if you are rich enough to own a car here, then you are rich enough to own a nice new car and to keep upgrading it. But the sharp contrast between the new cars and falling-apart motos is unnerving. It reminds me never to forget the huge gap in earning power between the rich and poor.
The worst part was when we were walking during the after-work rush hour and some motos started driving up onto a rare sidewalk. That was the only place that was ours. Where I could walk without fear of being run over and feel somewhat safe. But not anymore; they came up so fast, like it belonged to them. And that was when I first realized... No one else walks here. No wonder I feel so unsafe, I SHOULD. Maybe I shouldn't be walking at all. I suppose that if you had a bike and especially a moto, why would you ever need to walk? It's not like it is too cold out or there is any lack of parking. You just put your moto wherever you want (Or at least that's what it looks like to me?). Why would you ever walk? Maybe I won't need to anymore once I am given a bicycle. That would be nice.
The cars are huge. Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota... all their windows are completely darkened. Back windows, front windows, even the front windshield! Makes me wonder who is driving these huge, beautiful new cars that they need to hide... Are they druglords? Rich people? White people? To cross traffic you are just supposed to step into the street walking at a steady pace and the motos will go around you. But not the cars. The cars will not stop for you so you better not get in their way. There are no crappy or even somewhat older looking cars. The cars are ALL brand new, shiny top models. I suppose if you are rich enough to own a car here, then you are rich enough to own a nice new car and to keep upgrading it. But the sharp contrast between the new cars and falling-apart motos is unnerving. It reminds me never to forget the huge gap in earning power between the rich and poor.
Friday, March 6, 2009
First Impressions
The first thing I remember when I arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday was the VSO representative waiting for us at the airport. It was funny because I had just told Meghan "I've always wanted to have someone waiting for me to arrive at the airport with a sign with my name on it" and then we turned a corner and there he was! OK so my name wasn't on the sign, it just said "VSO" but it was close enough. Even though I have traveled internationally on corporate business before with all expenses paid (which I do appreciate!), no amount of money is as valuable in those first few hours as having a local person greet you when you arrive and help you with your Visa, luggage, and transport from the airport.
The second thing I remember (or maybe this was actually the first) is that it was hot, not just hot but HOT... SAUNA HOT. I am basically in a sauna 24/7. Hopefully this means I will start to look like the people here. Who are TINY. It's funny to think that some people fret about not having hot water in a country like this, because I can't imagine ever having a use for it. The water is already warm enough. I am grateful for running water at all, for electricity, and for the cleanliness I have seen so far in this beautiful country which has surpassed all my expectations. Of course I am also grateful for VSO. The program office is awesome, it's huge, clean and nice, the food is amazing, the people are all incredibly friendly and warm. I only hope my placement office is half this nice.
The third thing I remember is coming out of the airport and being reminded of Iran. I'm not sure if it's the pollution, the markings on the curbs and roads, the parking lot, the people, the mayhem of traffic on the street, or what. Maybe it's just that this place is so different from the US that it seems more similar to the developing country I am most familiar with. I often feel this way in a new country, I even felt this way in some parts of Europe! The biggest difference, however, right off the bat, between here and every other country I have ever been to in my life is the vast number of motos (motorcycles and mopeds) on the streets that dominate the traffic. Cars are in the minority here, making up only perhaps 10-15% of total traffic. That is a sign of how much poorer this country is, and that is where the comparisons end.
The second thing I remember (or maybe this was actually the first) is that it was hot, not just hot but HOT... SAUNA HOT. I am basically in a sauna 24/7. Hopefully this means I will start to look like the people here. Who are TINY. It's funny to think that some people fret about not having hot water in a country like this, because I can't imagine ever having a use for it. The water is already warm enough. I am grateful for running water at all, for electricity, and for the cleanliness I have seen so far in this beautiful country which has surpassed all my expectations. Of course I am also grateful for VSO. The program office is awesome, it's huge, clean and nice, the food is amazing, the people are all incredibly friendly and warm. I only hope my placement office is half this nice.
The third thing I remember is coming out of the airport and being reminded of Iran. I'm not sure if it's the pollution, the markings on the curbs and roads, the parking lot, the people, the mayhem of traffic on the street, or what. Maybe it's just that this place is so different from the US that it seems more similar to the developing country I am most familiar with. I often feel this way in a new country, I even felt this way in some parts of Europe! The biggest difference, however, right off the bat, between here and every other country I have ever been to in my life is the vast number of motos (motorcycles and mopeds) on the streets that dominate the traffic. Cars are in the minority here, making up only perhaps 10-15% of total traffic. That is a sign of how much poorer this country is, and that is where the comparisons end.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Almost there!
I am in the airport in Taiwan where I have found free Internet! Yey! 4.5 hours to San Fran with a 4 hour layover, 14 hours to Taipei with a 3 hour layover, and in only 3.5 hours I will finally arrive in Cambodia after almost 30 total hours of traveling time! Whew!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
It's Official!
It's not official until you have plane tickets... And I have plane tickets!!!
I will be leaving for Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, on March 3rd to volunteer for 3 months with VSO as a resource center development advisor for the Disability Action Council (DAC) of Cambodia. While I am super excited for this opportunity, I am truly sad to be leaving my friends and family and will miss you dearly while I am gone :(
I have been overwhelmed by the amount of kindness that my friends, family, and colleagues have shown me these last few weeks and I want to thank you for your support. I never expected such positive reactions and warm gestures, but I am very thankful.
I have been running around like a manic chicken with its head cut off preparing for my departure! All the help and advice and precautions have made me better prepare for this trip then I ever have for any trip before. I don't even keep any Tylenol in my apartment, and I have already bought and packed a small pharmacy to take with me.
I'd like to end my first post with the CUSO-VSO (Candian chapter that I went through) one-liner: Changing the world, one volunteer at time.
I will be leaving for Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, on March 3rd to volunteer for 3 months with VSO as a resource center development advisor for the Disability Action Council (DAC) of Cambodia. While I am super excited for this opportunity, I am truly sad to be leaving my friends and family and will miss you dearly while I am gone :(
I have been overwhelmed by the amount of kindness that my friends, family, and colleagues have shown me these last few weeks and I want to thank you for your support. I never expected such positive reactions and warm gestures, but I am very thankful.
I have been running around like a manic chicken with its head cut off preparing for my departure! All the help and advice and precautions have made me better prepare for this trip then I ever have for any trip before. I don't even keep any Tylenol in my apartment, and I have already bought and packed a small pharmacy to take with me.
I'd like to end my first post with the CUSO-VSO (Candian chapter that I went through) one-liner: Changing the world, one volunteer at time.
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