Writer's Workshop: Tarantula Haiku

Oh, eight-legged creature
Here you crawl onto my plate.
And I eat you. Yum!

[Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop: Choose the seventh picture you took last January and write a poem.]

Cambodia Issues Make American News

For those who are interested, ABC News is doing a short series on sex-trafficking in Cambodia and you can check out the stories below. Reading these just reminds me of the amazing men and women, both Cambodian and foreign, I got to know in my year there who are dedicating their lives and sacrificing their own comfort for a larger cause - whether it be fighting trafficking, providing education in its many forms or working toward economic development. My life has been blessed getting to know these people. Thanks for your hard work.

Stories from ABC News:
Tracking American Pedophiles in Cambodia
How to Help End Sexual Exploitation

Good News for Cambodian Children

As some of you might know, a huge part of my experience in Cambodia was getting to teach a blog class to the children at A New Day Cambodia. They were a bunch of bright minds who thirsted to learn all they could, and the way they thrived in such a difficult environment was a true inspiration to me.

A few months ago, a German guest speaker at The University of Cambodia asked for the name of a good Cambodian organization because her father wanted to ask his friends to make a donation for his 80th birthday. Of course, I suggested ANDC.

I just received word that the donations have been received by ANDC, totaling more than $6,000! How amazing and generous is that? The money will be put toward tuition to put the children in better schools, which I think couldn't be a better use of the funds. The children's English education, which they receive at the center is better than their Khmer education they receive at local schools. The money will allow them to attain further knowledge in their own culture and give them a chance at a brighter future.

One student, Davy, explains what education means to her and her family in an entry on the children's blog:

My family supports the value of education. They support the value to the knowledgeable people. So, they want me to study hard even if they work very hard for me to study. Even though they are tired, they’ve never complained again and again to me or my brother to hear even one time. I love them too much that they know clearly about the value of education. Education is very necessary to the people over the world to have bright futures and what they want to be when they grow up.

Interested in supporting the kids at ANDC? Start by reading their blog here. For more information about the center, check out the ANDC website here.

Keeping Composure and Desire

"The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or desire for more." - Gabriel Zaid

I've become somewhat of a book fanatic in the past year. Currently, I have borrowed about eight books from people (including Love and Longing in Bombay, which I just started) that I need to read before moving on to other literature, but despite that, I can't help myself from going into bookstores and drooling over the selection. This weekend I found two used bookstores that I can't wait to frequent.

Inside Grandview's Acorn Bookshop, Inc., readers can get lost in a sea of stacks. Every nook and cranny contains a good read, with the titles shelved vertically and horizontally and piled high on the floor. It has an amazing classics section that I can't wait to delve into - once my eight books are finished, of course. And they decorate by putting fun objects in random places. (Can you find the horse below?) Around every corner is a serendipitous find waiting to be discovered.




My second bookstore of the weekend, Village Bookshop, was housed in an old church. The bottom floor brimmed with new overstocks at highly discounted prices while the scent of old books wafted from upstairs. Dousing myself in one of my favorite scents, I spent some time browsing the upstairs.

On my stroll, I found a travel book written in the 1930s that talked about Cambodia. The writer writes, "...I would rather believe in drums as a cure for snakebite than to say that in seeing Angkor I saw only a stone building. It is the one last touch of superstition in this hard, unbelieving age, and I hug the memory of Angkor to me as a mother treasures a baby shoe. It is my faith in the immateriality of beauty, and by that faith I shall abide..." Apparently, Angkor Wat is still the sight it was 80 years ago.



I enjoyed my limited time in Columbus' bookshops this weekend. Only the fact that I'm still searching for that job is keeping me from becoming "truly cultured," as Zaid would say. I'm craving a new used book buy!

Do you love bookstores? Which one is your favorite and why?

Mother/Daughter Cambodian Tour

Hello friends. Did you have a happy 4th of July? I celebrated America with Columbus' Red, White and Boom fireworks (the largest in the Midwest they say) on Friday and saw the parade and barbeque on Saturday. Jet lag still rules my life, but I've finally had a chance to transfer some photos from camera to computer. Enjoy a taste of my mom's and my trip through Cambodia.

Mom's first moto ride. Doesn't she look nervous?
The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.

Trying to play some Cambodian music.
Last day with kids at ANDC.
Ankor Wat at sunrise.
Apsara carvings at Ankor Wat.

America's Next Top Model? Probably not.
Ancient temple carvings.
Ta Prohm temple.
Picking noses at Bayon. hehe.
Mountain top view of the temples at sunset.
Apsara dance show in Siem Reap town.
Phnom Penh's best fried noodles with Sokleak and Lakana.

Relaxing at Rabbit Island.

Mom's first taste of durian. Stinky!

Cruising the river in Kampot.

Kayaking at sunset in Kampot.

Touring the mangroves.

Hot and disoriented after getting lost in a rice paddy, we finally made it to the mountain. (Thanks to a little help from the locals.

Lizard taking a rest in the monkey god's mouth at Udong.

Chapter Closed

If my life is an open book, then here ends a chapter in the life of Rachael. But to be overly cliche and sentimental, where one chapter ends another begins. I won't deny that a tinge of fear crawled inside me as I waited for my plane to depart Phnom Penh. In this state of transition, my mind can't help but daydream about what the future holds.

What's next? People keep asking, but I've yet to find an answer for them. Despite the flitter of butterflies in my stomach as I wait out my eminent destiny, I'm surprisingly calm about my situation. Sure, it's scary not to know what comes next, but I've put myself in riskier situations and survived, so I'm confident I'll do ok. Actually, it's exciting to know life has another adventure in store. It's kind of like climbing the hill of a roller coaster - you don't know what's over the hill but you know a thrill awaits.

For now, I'm more than excited to get home to see all my family and friends who have been so supportive of me this past year. Also excited to soak in the comforts of home. I had Yoplait yogurt on the plane! Ah, the things I've missed.

It hardly has to be said, but I will always keep a part of Cambodia with me. It's been a growing year and I owe much of that to Cambodia's lessons. I thank God for all the experiences I've had and all the amazing people I've met along the way. I can only hope our lives intersect again one day.

Updates from the Road: Watch Out for those Coconut Trees

Yesterday we went kayaking and I almost died. The two events are totally unrelated.

Just to keep the suspense rolling, I'll start with the kayaking trip. As I said before, we are staying at a guesthouse by the river, so we took some kayaks out a few hours before sunset and toured an area of mangroves by boat. Can I tire of saying the scenery was beautiful? Probably, but it was. We paddled up the placid waters of the river just as the sky was turning orange above Bokor Mountain. To top it off, I took a dip in the river just as the sun said goodbye. It was peaceful and lovely.

How did I almost die? Well, after our return to the guesthouse, I was walking toward our bungalow from the boat dock when a coconut dropped straight from the tree - and I'm not kidding - not more than A FOOT from where I was standing. I'm strolling along and then all of a sudden this big brown nut as big as my head is lying at my feet. I hardly had time to be shocked as it had dropped so fast, but can you imagine if I'd chosen to step a few inches to my left? I was thinking about buying one of those shirts at the market that says, "I survived Cambodia," but if the coconut had its way, that wouldn't be necessary. As my mother would say, someone was looking out for me that night.

This morning, we took another bike trip across the river and up a mountain to see a waterfall. I'm not sure we made it to the waterfall we were supposed to see and, again, needed some villagers' guidance along the way, but we did manage to make it to a pool in the stream where we could take a refreshing dip.

Now we are off to Kep, on the last leg of our journey.

Updates from the Road: Lost in a Rice Paddy

Mom and I arrived in Kampot on Monday expecting to stay one night at a little French guest house called Les Manguiers (the mangoes), but once we set sight on our little bungalow by the river, we knew our stay would be extended. Enchanted by the view of Bokor Mountain, towering above the palm trees and peaceful river, each night we've decided we'd stay here "just one more day." Tonight will be our third.

Yesterday, we decided to explore Kampot by bike and took two of the guest house's courtesy bikes toward Phnom Chanouk, a cave in a mountain with an ancient temple inside. Our ride through the countryside was rather hot, but we were greeted by a thousand hellos as we passed by homes, restaurants and vendors selling various odds and ends.

About an hour into our trip, I managed to communicate (in Khmer!) with a woman to find out whether we were lost or still had a ways up the road to travel. It seemed, she said, we had another 7K to travel until we reached the village entrance to our destination. She was right, and we found ourselves turning off the main road onto a dirt path sweaty (dripping, rather), fatigued and a bit lost.

We cycled a bit up the dirt road to the heart of a village with the cave mountain in view just across the rice fields. When I saw a path I though would lead us to our destination, I took a turn.

We soon ended up teetering through rice paddies, trying our best not to lose our path and fall into the mucky waters. We came to a woman, presumably the paddy's tenant, who told us with a laugh that we had lost our way. Well, at least that's what I thought she said. My Khmer is still very little.

She gave us directions I had trouble following, so we left her confused and teetering on straight for their house where upon we were instructed by yelling kids with waving arms not to continue on further.

By this point we had made a spectacle of ourselves - two crazy foreign ladies trespassing on a village rice paddy, unable to speak Khmer and having lost their way.

The villagers - I'm guessing from the same family gathered around and tried to figure out what to do with us. Finally, a girl about my age hopped onto a moto and had us follow. Along the way she picked up a boy around the age of 18 (her brother?) and they led us up to the mountain near a cave, but unfortunately not the one we had just spent between three and four hours searching for.

Grateful for their kindness, we decided the sun had taken a toll on us (I've got sunglasses tan lines to prove it) and needed to head back to Kampot. We wanted to pay the kids for taking on the burden of being two crazy foreigners' tour guides, but once they led us back to the main road, they zipped off without so much as a goodebye.

Luckily, once back on the main road, we hitched a ride on a tuk tuk, that might or might not have intended to take passengers. Either way we made it back to Kampot, amused by our adventure and burnt to a crisp.

Updates from the Road: Extended Pit Stop

Mom experienced a typical Cambodian situation today - no trip to this country would be complete without one. Our bus Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was quite bumpy... we're talking bruises on the backs of our legs bumpy (only tomorrow will tell). So at our first rest stop, a normally 30-minute visit turned into 1.5 hours as we waited for a new bus to show up.

The great thing about this is that all the people are so laid back about their bad luck. In America, such things happen and you have a bus full of irritable crankpots moaning about their tardiness to their destination, but not in Cambodia. Just order another bowl of noodles and everyone is happy. I enjoyed the stop by starting Memoirs of a Geisha for the third time. I think this time it's finally caught my interest.

Tomorrow, we're off to my favorite part of country. We're staying overnight at Les Manguiers, a French guest house in Kampot a friend of mine recommended. Then we're off to Kep, my favorite sleepy beach town.

Updates from the Road: Angkor Wat-ed Out

My legs are sore and my head is a little groggy, but yesterday's trip to Angkor Wat, for lack of any better words because my brain still isn't functioning at this 6 o'clock hour, amazing. Mom, my friend Sokleak and I came up to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, on Thursday and Friday was our day of discovery.

We awoke before sunrise so that we could see the dawn of the day create a silhouette of the impressive structure of the Angkorian temple. Unfortunately, dawn was a bit cloudy, but we still were able to explore the bas-reliefs and apsara carvings as the clouds broke and shone in on the sandstone walls.

After Angkor Wat, the noted symbol of Cambodia, we continued along the Angkorian compound in our trusty tuk tuk to other ancient structures. The Ta Prohm temple being overtaken by vegetation, the 37 four-faced columns of Bayon and the mystical ruins of Banteay Kdei. The photo opportunities were amazing and I can't wait to post pictures for you. (It will be a while, since my computer and camera chord are packed in with the rest of my luggage.)

Today, we are going to enjoy a restful day in Siem Reap town. Sokleak has found some "real" Cambodian food hot spots. Mom isn't so sure if noodles for breakfast is quite her thing, but she already enjoyed the Khmer delicacy baby duck eggs, so I think her stomach will survive.

Updates from the Road: Phnom Penh Through Tourists Eyes and Saying Goodbye

It's been a whirlwind of a week as I have been showing Mom my Cambodian home and wrapping up loose ends, packing my bags and saying final goodbyes.

Luckily, upon our return to Phnom Penh from Kratie, Mom's bags had arrived and we were able to pick them up from the airport. That meant we could tour the sites without that worry over our heads.

Seeing the city from a tourist's perspective has fun. Mom is handling what can be an overwhelming hub of chaos pretty well despite continuously facing the fear of crossing streets and dodging moving cars on sidewalks. (There was a chance today that we could have gotten run over on the footpath. Oh Cambodia...) Our three days in Phnom Penh have included:

• Killing Fields
• Tuol Sleng
• Russian Market
• Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
• Massages
• Street food
• Way too many "Oh Cambodia..." moments

Today was my last day with the kids at the center. It was hard to say goodbye. Apparently I didn't make it clear that it was my last day because the kids were upset I didn't tell them. Some were so cute and wrote me quick goodbye notes, which I will, of course, cherish forever. Others looked like they wanted to cry. Or maybe it was just me who wanted to cry. Either way, I'm glad I made some sort of positive impact in their lives and I hope they grow up to reach their potential.

Read our last post together here on their blog. They played journalists for the day, interviewing my mom and writing a collective story about her.

Well, I think I need to wrap up this note from the road. The heat of the day is affecting my brain and words, thoughts, emotions and fatigue are all mixing together. Tomorrow, bright and early, we head onward to Angkor Wat.

Updates from the Road: And We Saw Their Noses!

It's a beautifully warm evening in Kratie. Mom and I finally made it up here after a 6-hour bus ride turned into 8. We stopped for 20 minutes every 20 minutes. I'm not joking. It took forver.

But it was definitely worth the trip. We saw a ton of Irrawaddy dolphins strolling the river as the sun began to set over the Mekong. The most impressive sight was a whole pod that emerged at the surface at once. There must have been seven or so of them.

And we saw their noses! These dolphins don't have the typical porpoise nose that you would imagine. Instead, it's flat and rounded. They were close and coming up fairly high so we got to see a good bit of them. So cool!

In other trip news:

• The airlines lost Mom's luggage in DC, so at the moment, she is living off the bare necessities.
• Mom road her first moto. She looked a little stiff and nervous, but is holding up well. (Pictures to come!)
• Mom also had her first encounter with a spider (the soon-to-be edible, but still alive variety) at one of our rest stops. A girl selling fruit asked if Mom would like to hold it. She declined.
• Savoring the last bits of amazing fruit before heading home.

Done!

I sent the final proofs of the newsletter to the printer yesterday so today has been a busy morning full of errands. I finally got to the print shop and am having $88 worth of photos printed from the year. Wow! I'm only paying 350 riels, which is like 5 cents a print. Just think if I waited to print them in the States.

On a sad note, the zorb is closed for the rainy season. I'm sure Mom and I will still enjoy our beach vacation, but too bad she has to miss out on the silliness of zorbing.

Since I'm all packed, I've got an afternoon to waste. Mom's plane doesn't arrive for about 9 hours.

What shall I do...?

Nearing the End, the End is Near

I've been a little blog lazy lately and I sincerely apologize. I've been doing things all week to wrap up my last days in Phnom Penh thinking, "Oh, no need to rush. I have a few days." Now it's Thursday. Eek!

So here's a little wrap up of how the wrap up is going:

• Finished my last U.C. Bulletin, bigger and better than ever. Look for it online here by the end of the week.

• My replacement was hired and I have 2 days to train her. Yay!

• Still haven't printed photos due to technical difficulties, but it's slated on the agenda for today.

• Bought some awesome multi-printed fabric on a whim a few weeks ago, and still plan on having a dress made out of it before I leave. I've taken a look at some JCrew styles to copy. Give me your vote: brown or white?

• Still sifting through my "take homes" and "leave behinds." One suitcase is already packed and one is half full. For all of you in Cambodia, I have a good-size grab bag going so let me know if you want to take a peek.

• Thinking a lot about what Mom and I are going to do. I just found out there's zorbing in Cambodia! What a silly and fun activity! This is a definite must. (See these photos from my first zorbing experience in New Zealand.)

My mind is boggled and it will take a miracle to do everything I need to in the next couple days. Until then, I leave you with this beautiful quote posted by naturally nina. It's the perfect reminder for this period of transition I'm about to enter.

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~E.M. Forster

Photo courtesy Ferenc Ecseki.

Hello Weekend!

What are your plans for the weekend, friends?

I just realized it's my last weekend in Phnom Penh and I have so much to do! I'll be saying goodbye to friends, sifting through photos from the year that I want to print and doing yoga on a boat at sunset.

My mom arrives a week from tonight! I'm so excited to see her - it's been almost a whole year!

Photo courtesy www.powerful-mind.com

Kitten Found a Home

As you all know, I was looking for a home for my kitten that I found a month ago. (I say my kitten like I formed some sort of attachment to her. Ok, I'll admit it's true.) Last night, her new mom, a cat lover named Caroline, excitedly took her home. I met Caroline about six months ago when she had just moved to Phnom Penh. With good luck, she recognized my name on a forum announcement I sent out.

I'm so happy I found the kitten a good home, but I was a little sad to see her go. She was a little miracle in my life that got me through my final month in Phnom Penh. Playful company to bridge that gap between a month of travel and my departure home - a perfect distraction.

Do you believe in mini miracles? I do.

Countdown to USA: Windows Down

Motor running. Windows down. Radio blasting. Sunglasses on. Hair blowing in the wind.

I've hardly ridden in a car for the past year, let alone driven one. How I long to get behind the wheel and speed along the open (paved, orderly) highway. Because I don't see the PCH in my near future, Columbus' 270 outer belt will have to do.

Hopefully Cambodia's lack of traffic regulation haven't corrupted my driving skills. I'm afraid I might drive down the wrong side of the road in order to make a left hand turn or carelessly forget to heed red lights and traffic signs. Reacquainting myself with America's roads will be an adventure in itself and one I'm greatly looking forward to.

Anyone care to join?

Photo courtesy kevindooley

Cambodia, Just Tell Me "Why!"

“A year, ten years from now, I'll remember this; not why, only that we were here like this, together.” -Adrienne Rich

If you are in Cambodia long enough, you figure out that there are things that just don't make sense in this country. Like, why is it when you walk past a moto driver and are heading down the street in the opposite direction that he then decides to call on you and offer a ride? Or, why do all retailers sell the same product in the same area of town - a street for bikes, a street for light bulbs, a street for pomellos?

In my most recent encounter with the bizarro, I can plug in my computer in my office, but in my bedroom it refuses to charge. Why?

There seem to be an endless number of quirks about this country. There are questions that will never be answered.

Why is it ok to drive down the wrong side of the road?
Why is it ok to buy meat covered in flies but fruit after 3 p.m. is a bad idea?
Why do people feel the need to buy GPS systems when the roads change every three months?

I've driven myself to tedium trying to answer the unanswerable. I've always been the one to question norms and generalizations, only to find that I myself have been living inside my own box labeled "Normal." It's a devastating reality, but one of the joys have having lived in a culture so different than my own.

After spending some time in Cambodia, you learn to stop asking "why?" at the unnecessary and trivial and just learn to be. Of course, there are times when you let your guard down and all you want to jump up and down in the middle of the street screaming and crying and throwing a royal temper tantrum because it all just doesn't make sense. But it's a beautiful revelation to find that piece within yourself that makes it is possible to live outside the comfortable and familiar, to realize that my way of doing things isn't necessarily equivalent to the right way of doing things. (If there even is such thing as the right way.)

Perhaps it's the ambiguity of life in Cambodia that makes living here so attractive at times. I often wonder, when will the impacts of my experience here set in? Can I already see changes in myself? Will these changes be evident when I step foot on home soil? Maybe the lessons of Cambodia won't reveal themselves until five or 10 years from now.

By then, I predict the obstacles of "why?" will become obsolete. (At least I hope I won't be haunted by the ever present conundrum of Cambodian daily life.) Maybe I'll even yearn for the day when life doesn't have to be explained.

200th Post!

This is my 200th post, can you believe it?! Thanks to you for following me and my adventures! A pat on the back is in order. Or perhaps a round of applause. Maybe even a great big hug.

How was your weekend? Besides dancing to some great ABBA (along with other hits of the 70s and 80s) at the FCC, I bustled around town soaking in one of my last few weekends in Phnom Penh. This included meals with friends, great conversations and thrift shopping.

At the Japanese Thrift Shop, located just past Wat Phnom, I acquired some great finds, including a skirt splashed with bright green, blue, red and yellow spots. It's what one might consider an "old lady skirt," complete with high waste and a millions small pleats, but with inspiration from fellow thrifters Lauren and Lil, I'm going to see what I can do to make it young and fun. So I buzzed over to Beautiful Shoes to custom make some bright yellow, high-heeled, patent leather loafers. (I've been dying for an excuse to get yellow shoes!) I had something like this in mind when designing my creation:



I hope they turn out well.

I also got out to play some tennis at Olympic Stadium. This is the most popular venue in town for evening hatbrand (exercise), but my first official visit. The huge soccer stadium transforms into a circus of aerobic classes, joggers and sports of all kinds.

Photo courtesy 3nOna

Hello Weekend

It's a beautiful, sunny weekend in Phnom Penh. I just finished a yoga class and am meeting a friend for lunch at Living Room. Later tonight I might attend the Mama Mia sing-a-long at FCC. Fun, eh?