Weekly Update

So I finally got access to the internet, so I figured I would go ahead a crunch out a quick entry. Life here is the same as usual. I am still teaching a good bit of English, hanging out with all of the kids here, and I went out with home care last week as they made rounds throughout the community. In addition to checking up on ill patients, I managed to see a 150 pound pig mounting another pig, 3 little girls peeing along the side of the road, and the village cross dresser. I continue to say that nothing in Cambodia surprises me anymore. The food here is still really good, and it is nice because I have seen a lot of meat options recently. In fact, we had an interesting meal the day I returned. Earlier that morning, one of the communal goats got a bucket stuck on its head, fell in a nearby pond, and drowned. Humorous as it sounds,I bet you can guess what we had for dinner that night...(and lunch the next day).

I have never really gotten to talk about the wildlife here (aside from the kids, of course). On a typical day, I come across several goats, cows, chickens, squirrels, and lots and lots of insects. Bugs have recently been going to town on my left leg, and I have the battle scars to prove it. Unlike my bug bites in the US, my bites here are pretty gnarly. They get really swollen the pus for days. I am constantly having to medicate the bites while avoiding additional ones. I have also seen several enormous geckos (probably a foot and a half long), frogs, and of course the massive catfish we fish out in the nearby ponds.

The weather here is still paralyzingly hot, but at this point I have gotten used to it. My Khmer has gotten a lot better too, even much so that I often surprise myself with my conversational skills. This being said, everyone still laughs when I open my mouth.

On a final note, one of the women in the gave birth to a baby boy last night. At about 1 am, kids came screaming, waking Wayne and myself up, letting us know that the baby was on the way. The pregnant woman hopped on board a moto, travelled 45 minutes to the Tako provioncial hospital, and gave birth shortly after. Interestligly, both the mother and father are HIV positive. Without approrpiate medication, a baby has a 1/3 chance of being HIV positive to an infected mother. However, if given ARVs within 24 hours of birth, the baby should be safe. Im assuming that the baby boy was born negative, but I don't know for sure. Also, the last woman to give birth here did so in the back of a car on the way to the hospital...a monk was driving.

Thats all for now, and I probably won't post again for another week or so when in Phnom Pehn

Heading Back to the Village

I have about an hour to kill before I head back, so I figured I would go ahead and post a quick blog entry. I have basically spent the last couple of days relaxing, eating, and walking around town. I am going to catch a tuk tuk back to Wat Opot and stay there for about 2 weeks. From there, I am coming back to Phnom Penh, only to leave again heading north towards Siep Reap to visit the ancient Anghor Temples. While I was here, I managed to renew my visa for an additional month, and I went ahead a planned a 6-day trip to Bangkok for mid September. When I tried to book on my own through Orbitz, the cheapest flight available was around $350. Susan then suggested that I try booking through a travel agent here in town. Fortunately, they managed to find me a flight for only $90. Because I was able to save so much money on the flight to Tailand, I am thinking about planning another, shorter, trip Vietnam towards the end of my stay. I can take a 6 hour bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City for only $12 each way.

There are a few cultural things that I want to touch on. The teenage boys in Wat Opot, like the teenagers in Phnom Penh, still style their hair rediculously. The music that they listen to is bizarre as well. In addition to the traditional Khmer music heard everywhere, I have heard a lot of random 80s music and lots and lots of Michael Bolton. Most of all, kids enjoy listening to hip hop. However, Cambodian hip hop is simply taking an American song from 3 years ago and rewriting it with Khmer lyrics. Artists can afford to do this because copyright laws here are essentially obsolete.

Anyway, thats all for now, but I will try to make a post while in the village...no promises though.

I finally have internet access

So I finally have access to the internet after being internet free for over a week. I can't begin to explain the hassle with trying to get connected to the internet at Wat Opot. I gave up on getting connected a few days ago. After spending a about two weeks in the village, I decided to take a two day vacation back to Phnom Penh. Getting back to the city was easier than I thought. In traditional Cambodian fashion, I decided to take a fully occupied van to the hotel. While the fare was a meager 6000 riel ($1.50), there were 14 other passengers in the crowded vehicle, non of whom spoke a single word of English, and a half dozen live chickens resting in the rear. Mom and Dad don't worry, I obviously made it back in one piece. Once I got here, I did what any normal American guy would who had been living in a village for a couple of weeks...I gorged at the local fast food chain, Lucky Burger. While the food at Wat Opot is delicious, most meals lack meat, bread, cheese, and most importantly, chocolate. At the burger joint, I ordered a double Lucky Burger, large fries, large coke, large oreo ice cream cone, and then I went to the supermarket and bought a giant chocolate candy bar. I am currently drinking an iced chocolate drink as I type this blog entry (lunch was only an hour ago).

Life at Wat Opot has been unbelivable. I continue to tutor a few monks for an hour everyday (along with a couple of other local villagers). I can see improvements everyday, which is pretty cool. The temple in the town is beautiful. Every Saturday night, Wat Opot hosts a 45 minute Buddhist ceremnoy, which is one of the coolest ceremonies I have ever witnessed. All of the kids are in attendance and their chanting is amazing. It is hard to imagine 60 or so kids sitting still for over 30 minutes, but their patience is unreal. Embedded within the service is a 15 minute meditation period, and once again you don't hear a single peep from any of the kids. Meditation is a huge deal here, and Buddhists use it as a way of cleanising the mind. Srey Aun, the 25 year old volunteer I work with, told me about a 10 day meditation session she did where you don't say a single word the entire time. You honestly sit and meditate all day every day...I will not be taking part. Refardless, the Buddhist culture is so fascnating to me.

There are some really unique kids that I work with. All of the kids at Wat Opot have a story pertainting to HIV. Many kids are HIV positive themselves, while others are orphaned after their parents deceased from the virus. One of the kids here, Pesei, is now 18 years old and is a damn good artist. He grew up in a wealthy family until his father went away on business, slept with an HIV positive prostitute, and contracted it himself. He then gave the virus to his wife and passed a few months later. Unable to support her daughter and son, Pesei's mother sent him to the streets begging for money. Barely living on nothing, Pesei, his mother, and his sister, Srey Lak, moved to Wat Opot. His mother passed a couple of years ago, and Pesei's artwork reflects the relationhship he had with her. Another kid that I have been tutoring in English and computers, Chanadara, is an aspiring singer. Last week, he took me to an older woman's home so he can show me his singing skills. In her home was an old fashioned karaoke machine, microphone and all. I heard him sing about 8 songs at 200 riel a piece (a few cents). When riding him I joked that we were two celebrities, him for being a singer and me for being White. I think that I enjoy spending the most time with the little kids. There are a group of about 6 little girls who enjoy jumping all over me and have me spin them around in circles. They tire me out and are the reason why I sleep so well at night.

So for the most part, I have been teaching English and computer skills. I didn't venture out with the home care team last week. Their work has changed drastically over the last couple of years because fewer and fewer people are getting sick with the availability of ARVs. I started playing volleyball with some of the older kids, but it is just too hot outside. This past week was particularly unbearable. It was between 95-100 degrees for about 5 straight days....and no AC. It is imposisble to get anything done between the hours of 11-2 betweens it is simply too hot. I use that time to read. Miraculously, I am in the middle of reading my 7th book in two weeks. Sleeping has been pretty difficult too, but I have gotten used to it. Also, the water pump hasn't been functioning over the past few days, so I just took my first real shower in about 5 days 20 minutes ago (best shower ever).

Volunteers have come and gone since I have been here. Fiona and Merica, the two New Zealand ladies, left on Friday. It was nice having them around, and we even visited a nearby Wat on Mt. Chisor together. Every evening, we spend time at the local "coffee shop," where coffee is a quarter, and you can get a plate of fried potatoes and bananas with sugar for only 12 cents. It is a treat when some of the volunteers bring some novelty foods, such as bread or instant mocha latte. Regardless, the normal food is still delcious. I have eaten more rice the past 2 weeks than I have the previous 22 (almost 23...wink wink) years of my life.

Anyway, im going to be in the city until Wednesday, so I will try to report with anything that I forgot tomorrow. It is also interesting because I havent kept up with the news over the past two weeks. Apparently there is a huge monsoon in Taiwan, Hussein Bolt broke the 100 meter dash record, Mike Vick is on the Eagles (wow), and Tiger just lost a a major championship after leading going into the final day. Crazy. Also, I feel like a moron because I left my camera in the village so I can't post pics yet. Sorry Shane.

Here Thus Far

Hey Everyone,

So, after 6 days or so,I finally got access to a computer. I hope to check my e-mail and post an entry every 4-6 days, but who knows. Anyway, things here are amazing...I have having such an unbelievable experience. I have met some great people and I can't wait to see what is in store next.

My days are typically as follows: I usually wake up at around 6:30 and mess around until breakfast at 7:15. Recently, at around 9, I travel with members of the home care team and make rounds throughout the local community. On Thursday we traveled roughly 10 km to distribute bowls and welfare to HIV infected families in the community. I initially thought that I was in the middle of nowhere when I first got here, but then we penetrated deeper into the rural area. Most of these families have never seen a White person before...ever. Some kids stare and touch me, while others take one look at me and run away crying (not very good for my self-esteem). However, most people are very accepting and more than happy to extend hospitality. On Friday, we visited a support group meeting about an hour away. While I don't understand anything that was discussed, I did witness an authentic demonstration on how to properly put a condom on a wooden penis. I don't really know what is in store for me next week.

We usually eat lunch around 11:30, then veg out for a bit. There is a lot of downtime here. I have been here for almost a week and am halfway through my third book (a new personal record). I do much of my teachings in the afternoon. Everyday from 2-3, I teach the local monks English. Monks represent a sector of the community that is typically neglected when it comes to education. This being said, they really really want to learn English. For my first couple of lessons, I had a class of about 7-9 students...not too shabby. However, I think many of them find the language very tough and give up. I only had 3 ambitious monks show up for class on Friday.

I have also been teaching English to many of the older kids. They are quite good with the language and are very eager to learn. I also find myself teaching them how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. I don't thing many young volunteers come through here, so they really enjoy hanging out with me, playing sports, listening to my ipod, etc. It doesn't even cross mymind that many of them are HIV positive. The younger kids enjoy hanging with me too (and by hanging I mean hanging all over me). They like when I toss and twirl them around.

The food here is still great, even though I am starting to grow tired of eating rice at every meal. I am really really craving some chocolate, which is obsolete here (I ran out of my oreo stash the second day here). Regardless, the food is great and I am not loosing any weight. It has been very hot here the past couple of days, but I have gotten used to constantly sweating. Sleeping at night is a bit more difficult, but I am getting the hang of it. The other volunteers here are great and I love spending time with them (we spend a lot of time together).

If anything, my experience here has taught me not too take things so seriously. There really is not a need to check the internet every hour and watch tv 6 hours a day like I usually do (or so it seems). It is nice not to worry about facebook, and I am really enjoying reading.

Anyway, thats it for now, but I willpost pics when I visit Phnom Penh in abuot a week.

I finally Made It

So I finally made it to the village in one piece. I am stationed in a very small community about and hour and a half away from Phnom Penh. Wot Opot, the name of this community, only has about 2000 residents. The bulk of the village rests around the periphery of a gorgeous wot (Buddhist temple) in the center of town.

The program that I am volunteering with is unbelievable. Wot Opot used to serve as and HIV/AIDS hospice for very ill children. Children would be sent here if orphaned for being HIV positive or if their parents were HIV positive and passed. At one point, only a few years ago, two or three children would die a week. This used be be an extremely somber setting. However, since ARVs have become avaliable for essentially all infected persons (about 2 years ago), the community has changed from one of dispair to one of hope. Today, there are roughly 60 kids, ages ranging from about 3-18, living at Wot Opot. About half of the kids are HIV positive while the other half are negative, yet have no family support. Wayne, the man in charge of running Wat Opot, has done a phenomoal job in protecting these kids, giving them food, shelter, clothing, and most importantly, a life. What most people don't realize is that ARV's can potentially add 40 years to an infected life. I look at pictures from the community a few years ago, and I see decrepid children on the verge of death. Today, all of the kids look perfectly healthy. Aside from taking a multitude of drugs every morning and every evening, these kids lead normal lives. They go to school, they play with one another, they strive to be accepted as normal kids.

When I first pulled into the village, I was scared. It is not every day that I am dealing with dozens of people infected with HIV. I was nervous when the kids first started holding my hand and jumping all over me. However, this tension soon passed. All of the kids take ARV medications, and fortunately, the drugs dilute the virus in the bloodstream and make it very difficult to infect others, even if exoposed. Furthermore, HIV is not transmitted by holding hands, hugging, sweating, kissing, etc., only through blood semen, breast milk, and vaginal secretions.

There are 3 other volunteers here besides myself. Two older women are from New Zealand and are teaching the kids arts and crafts. The third girl is 25 and was born here. She has pretty much taken me under her wing, helping me to organize activites to do with the kids. She and I also have a good bit in common. I plan on getting involved with several projects while here. First and foremost, I plan on teaching English to the kids, some of the staff, and monks (tomorrow I plan on holding a 2 hour English class with 9 monks next door). I am also repsonisble for instructing some of the older kids how to use microsoft office programs. The older kids speak some English, but profiency from the younger ones remains minimal. I also plan on improving my Khmer while here. I also met with the head of the medical team today, and I plan on shadowing the staff as they make rounds throughout the village (even though consultations will be conducted in Khmer). Finally, I want to spend time playing sports with the kids. I just introduced them to (American) football, but I also want to take them fishing (there are enormous cat fish here).

My living arrangments can't be any more basic. We only have electricity from 7-9 pm, so sleeping with a fan is not an option. I sleep in a bed outside, surrounded by a mesquito net. We have no hot water (sometimes no running water) and it gets very hot around here. I must admit that it is difficult o sleep at night without a bed sheet. I am fortunate that the food here is fantastic. While meals are vegetarian, they are delicious. Lots of rice, pasta, fruits, and veggies. Every meal, the entire volunteer crew gathers and enjoys a relaxing meal. There is a lot of down time here, so I have been reading a good bit. We get up very very early (6:30 am), so but 9 pm I am ready for bed. I am looking forward to everything while here and can't wait to help change the community.

My computer is about to die, so I got to go. Ill try to make a post every 3 or 4 days.

Final Days Before I head to Wot Opot

My Khmer is gradually getting better and better. I can now reject tuk tuk drivers in their native tongue when they flock me searching for service. On Thursday, Susan and I met up with Arn, a close friend of Susan's. Living in a remote village about an hour outside of town, Arn has an incredible story. The Khmer Rouge took power when he was about 10 years old, and he only managed to survive through his impressive flute playing. After seeing friends and family die at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, he fled to the jungle, where he took refuge for an extended period of time. He survived through basic means: creating his own shelter and catching his own food (he spoke about catching monkeys, heating them up by sitting on them, then eating them). He was then found by an American, who proceeded to ädopt"him and took him to the US. Arn spent 20 years in the states, went to boarding school then Brown, and toured around the country telling his story. He even spoke at Emory in 1983, and Jimmy Carter wrote him a recommendation letter for college. Today, Arn lives in Cambodia, yet travels to the USA every few months to speak. Aside from telling his story, he writes his own music, breakdances, and creates his own music videos. He is now becoming very popular in Cambodia, and his "lady friend,"who also happens to be a famous singer, is now recognized by everyone across the country. I bought a CD of theirs ($2), so feel free to listen when I return to the states.

Yesterday, we we visited Oudong, about 2 hours outside of Phnom Penh. Oudong served as Cambodia's capitol until the mid 19th century, and today houses several temples built in the 16th and 17th centuries. With monuments placed on top of a giant hill, two young boys served as our tour guides. Aside from the intricute designs on the buildings, ornate Buddhas reside within every one. Another cool part of Oudong is the number of monkeys that have habituated themselves with humans...seeing the monkeys up close made me question whether I should have gotten that rabies shot. Regardless, after the tour we had lunch in the village. We had chicken soup (with LITERALLY every part of the chiken in the soup), morning glory (asparagus-like vegetable), rice, and a giant, non-gutted fish. I am still adjusting to this new diet, so it will only be a matter of time before I leave a traditional meal completely full. I showed our young tour guides my ipod, and soon had a giant following hovering over my mp3 player.

There are a few strange things that I have noticed about the culture here. First, the young men here have very trendy hairdos. Susan and I joke about how metro these styles are...these guys just look rediculous. It looks like a mix between AC Slater and the hairdo of a short-haired black woman. Second, many of the women wear pajamas in public. Im talking full pajamas with pajama bottoms, a button down top, and rediculous designs. We laugh at them too. Finally, more traditional women cannot be seen in public with men (like one man and one woman) unless they are dating. Kunthea, my female Khmer teacher, told Susan before I got here that she would not be able to take me around the city because it would be inappropriate. Very traditional.

Anyway, thats all for now. There is a casino here and I have already lost a little money. This is why I will never be able to live in a city with a casino (cough cough Brenton). Also, I just read that the Braves traded Kotchman for Adam LaRoche. Frank Wren should be fired and the Braves are going to miss the playoffs yet again.