I'm only about a month behind on posts so remember, patience is a virtue now.

With coworkers, I went to the quiet seaside town of Kampot and up Bokor Mountain to the old French Hill Station a few weeks back. It was quiet and relaxing.

Prahoc! (smellier than stinky tofu even). But the lotuses balance out the soft with the strong at Kampot market.

We stayed at the cutest eco-lodge ITMON (in the middle of nowhere) outside Kampot. Thank you to the French owners (who work for the Red Cross)! The property was beautiful and peaceful with vines, huts right on the river, and geese and bunnies too! But there was one true darling for our trip - Thierry's adorable and good-natured daughter!

Thank you to Pheakday for organizing so well and for taking the lead on cooking all of our meals too! (I...chopped scallions)

Bokor Mountain is supposedly closed right now due to construction. But having the number of the head of the land management department in Phnom Penh does not hurt. Neo-patrimonialism at work? We picknicked by the side of the road. It reminded me of picnicking with my parents and family friends on a church lawn once... eating is appropriate everywhere for Asians =). Well I made sure we disposed of our trash properly as opposed to leaving it on the side of the street as some people suggested. So, hopefully we were at least low-impact.

The Bokor Hill Station was simply beautiful. An enigma situated in the clouds and fog with just a peak of the lush forest below. It was built by the French nearly a century ago to escape the heat of the lowlands. 900 lives were lost in the process. They left quite a structure behind - including a hotel and casino that has huge fireplaces, a beautiful tile mosaic floor, and now a romantic eeriness to it surrounded by fog. The pictures with the Theravada Buddhist monks and their vivid robes as contrasted to the grey fog and wall is really my favorite here.

Last but not least, Kampot is known for its durian. What better way to celebrate the most "aromatic" of fruits than with a huge durian statue in the middle of the central plaza.

Thanks for reading. Cheers for now!

 

 

A few weeks ago, I went with my research team to Kampong Cham Province for an initial site visit (field trip!) for our upcoming survey research. We interviewed provincial, district, commune, and village level officials ranging from commune councillors to police officers and various other stakeholders.

Pagodas including monks and pagoda committees are important influences in village life in Cambodia. Here is Tbong Khmum District with especially elaborate constructions by the local Pagoda. The district is the setting for Tum Teav, a famous Cambodian love story, with a tragic ending as all good epic romances must have. The commune police post also relies on private donations to fund its building (the last one was blown down in a storm) and activities. However, as evidenced by the simple two room building, the police post is comparatively poorer than the pagoda in this community.

The village chief operates as a general resource for villagers offering services ranging from phone numbers (painted all over the beams of the chief's house) to posters and ever-popular calendars advertising hotline numbers and trainings provided by government offices and NGOs. The chief of the village we visited was especially diligent and responsible towards his work. He had notebooks accounting for all of the trainings organized by government offices/donors/NGOs that take place in his village. He also has records of exactly where each toilet is in his village (every third house). He is a model village chief, which demonstrates the possibility of true leadership and responsibility even in the absence of incentives related to money or power (villages in this area are poor and scarce in natural resources so likelihood of corruption is also low). Here are pictures of the village chief's house and defacto office.

It was nice to have some authentically Khmer food in Kampong Cham, not mixed with Thai and Vietnamese influence. From what I can tell, soup taken with rice, sometimes with rice already in the broth, is a Khmer staple. Lemongrass, basil, fish and tens of other ingredients which I can't identify make for a rich tasting but relatively clear broth.

 

In my welcome packet for work this summer, one of the documents from the organization I'm working for strongly cautioned people against walking at night and against walking period. I dismissed it as being overly cautious. I was also driven the three blocks to and from work initially. Stubborn bird that I am, I insisted on freedom and started walking after the first few days, first the three blocks and then a little farther each day.

Quickly, I understood why walking is considered hazardous in Phnom Penh. Like many Asian cities, the city is packed with all kinds of traffic. Sharing the same space with cars are tuk-tuks, moto-bikes, hand and bike drawn rickshaws and carts (full of supplies, sugar cane, coconuts, chickens, really anything), bicycles, and the rare pedestrian. Sidewalks, if they exist, are often narrow and dedicated primarily for parking, it seems. One friend here has gotten so used to walking in the street that she eschews sidewalks even when they're clear because she's forgotten about the concept. Crossing the street at night, is like a complex game of Frogger.

Moderate traffic with the rare officer directing traffic:

Hoping to avoid becoming roadkill, I went and procured a used bicycle, just as I did at home. This efficient little device came to me by way of Japan (any suggestions for names?). She is often overshadowed by larger and more mechanized forms of transport but she does not spew fumes or create traffic jams, not even when she goes the opposite direction of traffic (which I admit I do occasionally...when in Phnom Penh....). But not to fret, I wear a helmet and ride slowly on my one-geared contraption.

The coolest part about her is the nifty self-generating light that comes attached to the front wheel. At night, you simply press down on the clip and a roller attached to the front wheel powers the light when you pedal. A dynamo bike light, I believe it's called.

Who needs a mung bean green vespa* when one can ride a robin egg blue japanese bike that lights itself? Finally my own front-facing basket...I guess I'm biased =).

 

*parked outside SAIS everyday during finals eliciting the envy of many...

I am working for an international development NGO in Phnom Penh this summer to assess a nationwide community safety and policing project. Work has been great so far because the organization is well managed and I enjoy working as a part of a small team.

Several people wanted to hear what my day-to-day is so I took my camera along on Thursday and attempted to document my day. Not quite as jam-packed as "24" but not too shabby either.

If I wake up before 6:30am, I can go for a run. But anytime after 7:30 am, it's too hot to do anything outdoors plus traffic makes it perilous. I run along Sisowath Quay (pronounced "key", not "kway", although I prefer to just rename it the "bund" - what is the difference?). Or I circle Independence Monument and the large open park in front:

I went for a run in Olympic Stadium one morning and there were a surprising number of Cambodians there, exercising. A pleasant surprise from (wait for it...) China, where I rarely saw young people exercising. I sometimes see old people walking backwards as well! And in the evenings, there is nighttime dancing and tai chi off Norodom Boulevard, just like in Houhai! Unfortunately, both of these places are paved with stone tiles which do not make my knees too happy.

I get to work by 8am. Here is my desk. Thanks to the great staff, my once-conference room turned resource library (ie. closet) is now a veritable jungle.

After finishing a literature review and preparing some questions for an afternoon meeting it's time for lunch! We have a 1.5 hour lunch break - not quite enough time for a siesta but perfect for a leisurely lunch. I had lunch on Thursday with one of the program officers who is super-chic and from Pakistan. She also did her Masters at Hopkins and took some classes at SAIS so it's nice to know alums are doing great work in the field! Thanks to her, I also learned about another great cafe in the city started by Cambodian students who studied abroad, learned the art of coffee in Australia, and returned to start a local chain called Brown's. I now know what a flat white is (similar to a cappuccino with microfoam or a latte with less steamed milk) and picked up an afternoon snack:

The afternoon meant meetings with the economic development and counter-trafficking team and a quick pow wow with my research team leader.

After work, I proceeded to the riverside. On the way, I encountered some buddhas and durian for sale:

I met up with friends who work at the Arbitration Council, a national entity that resolves labor disputes, and like many elements of the Cambodian bureaucracy is funded exclusively by international organizations like the International Labor Organization and World Bank. We went to the Foreign Correspondent's Club for drinks. Unlike other FCC's, Phnom Penh's is no longer just an association or watering hole for journalists. This one has a particularly good view of the Quay and the Palace and National Museum nearby. Passionfruit daiquiris are quickly becoming a favorite!

I proceeded to dinner with a friend who was in town conducting surveys on the quality of public education in rural Cambodia. Look Ma! I have friends (stop worrying)! We had dinner at Mith Samlanh, or Friend's cafe - operated by an NGO that houses, trains, and employs street children in Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Vietnam have many similar social business/NGO hybrids. The food was delish - hurray for curry laksa!

Thursday was a fruitful day. Ciao for now. Thoughts on architecture! food! and volunteering! to come =).