A flipped computer, language training, and gender equity

I am finally updating this note while spending a leisurely afternoon in the Freebird Bar which is a wifi and American type bar. I am drinking gin and tonics and while the internet is free I am rapidly going into chronic debt drinking and eating the spring roll appetizers at the final calculation of probably $6 or $7 dollars. God, life can be so tough!I am very sorry about the delay in updates, but I have been going through a series of adjustments due to the loss of my computer. Not the actual loss, but an “oweee” inflicted by a maid during my workshop in Kampong Chnam. I thought I was being clever by sliding my computer under a pillow to keep it out of sight but when the maid came in to clean the room I am sure she just grabbed the sheets and flipped them. Of course my computer got flipped as well and that night when I returned I could not get it to power up. I tried and tried but nothing.

Later in the week I returned to Phnom Penh and went to a computer store to see what they would tell. I was not hopeful, as a matter of fact I was pleased that I had as much backed up as I did since in previous episodes I had lost everything. The fellow at the store was helpful but he said it would possibly be better to go to another store on the riverfront since it was a Mac. I did, and to make this long story a little shorter, they worked on it, sent it to Singapore and this weekend it was returned to me safe and sound.

The purpose of this long discourse is not to burden you with the routines of computer repair but to emphasize the psychological impact of losing what has come to be a very important part of my life. My music is here, my financial accounting is here, and all of my thoughts and correspondence is here. Granted this time I had a backup but even still, I was a loss without my laptop. I was actually depressed. I am aware that it may only have been the trigger for other issues but since I am not in psychoanalysis yet, I am not sure what those other issues are yet. My distance from home and loved ones, a strange and challenging country, and a ton of other factors could all play a part but I was focused on my computer. So now, all is better if not perfect, and I am a happy pilgrim again.

This week I begin language training. This is a serious point in my stay in Cambodia and hopefully it will allow me to become more effective in my daily work. I have some phrases and vocabulary that I depend on a great deal but I would surely like to converse with people even at a low functional level. I don’t think I have a very good aptitude for languages. I did enjoy Latin in high school, Spanish in college and personal efforts at learning more Spanish since school. Tagalog was a disaster since I basically blew it off after learning that everyone spoke English in the Philippines and while they said they would help me with Tagalog they always keep speaking English. So, now I am in a country that basically has been exposed to their own native language, Khmer, but also Vietnamese, Thai, Russian, and now English. The nationals know that the one constant is Khmer and if they are going to be understood, the barang (foreigners) are going to have to speak Khmer.

I have been involved in several workshops during my short tenure in Cambodia. I have been a observer in Kampong Speu for Accelerated learning, a semi-involved observer in Kampong Chnam for Accelerated learning again, and last week, a participant in the reviewing the Child Friendly School Policy in Sihanoukville, where I had had my annual conference for VSO two weeks before. This last one was my most active participation since I arrived and while I was pushing for more involvement of children with disabilities, particularly physical disabilities, I seemed to have received a reputation for advocating for gender equity. In one small working group, I had mentioned the need to focus on the recruitment for more girls in the school population, especially disabled girls. I also mentioned that the focus could not just be limited to girls in school but also on women in the teaching and administrative ranks, hopefully women with disabilities. There has recently been a letter from MOEYS (Ministry on Education, Youth and Sports) stating that it was no longer permissible to deny women with disabilities teaching jobs because of their disabilities. But time moves slowly in Asia and in a Buddhist culture everything is explored at depth and repeatedly, even government communiqués. During a summary session where all of the discussions of the small groups were collected, Mr. Richard was mentioned at least twice as advocating gender equity and most people nodded wisely at this radical idea. The fact that it is a key component of the UNICEF and World Bank programs in education did not seem to diminish its wisdom.

That is it for now. I am happy to back in the communication links with all of you and hopefully my future notes will be a little more interesting. For the time being I remain your loyal and loving far eastern companion.

Sihanoukville

It seems as though there is quite a gap in my updates/reports probably because there is. This week I have spent as a player/student in Sihanoukville, which is to the southeast of Phnom Penh. It is a resort town that was created in 1953 to serve as a deep-water port of the then budding Indochina conglomerate of countries that France had cobbled together over the decades. It was literally carved out of the jungle and rather quickly became useful as a spot for the sailors, tourists, upper middle class nationals and other assorted folks who had some excess cash (didn’t need much) to spend on beaches, drinks and good times.So, here I am at midpoint and I have been encouraged by VSO to have a good time. This has taken the form of some of the following. On Sunday when we arrived here on a chartered bus from Phnom Penh, I had the afternoon free. I hooked up with a couple of colleagues and we down to the beach front and had a leisurely late lunch and few beers and basically just enjoyed the Bay of Thailand which was sending its waves up to the shore about 10 meters or 30 or so feet away. By evening we had all arrived and checked in and had received our packets of information, which outlined the coming week.

While the days were fairly full (with the obligatory two-hour lunch), the nights were also well planned. On Sunday, there was a dinner (buffet and Cambodian Bar-B-Que) at the Sea Dragon, a pavilion on the beach. On Monday, there was another social evening with entertainment at the same venue. This had a cost of $3. Being still new to the country, I went and had dinner at the “Same, Same but Different” beach front bar and restaurant. When I got to the site where the entertainment was going to be held I discovered that a huge buffet was part of the deal. I explained that I had already eaten, but that I was pleasantly surprised. My friends explained that anytime a fee is charged like the $3 I had paid for the evening that always includes dinner. After all what else could they do with all of this cash being collected. Also, drinks, (beer and soft drinks) were also included. I guess I should have figured that out since $3 was such a high price for food and drink. The meal was followed by several exhibitions of dancing. My Filipino counterparts put on three or four dances that I recognized from my time in the Philippines. They were dressed in traditional costumes and were beautiful. I collected several pictures. More dancing followed, Cambodian folk dancing, to cap the evening off, good old-fashioned Texas line dancing, led of course by a Brit. America has exported so much culture it is frightening.

Yesterday was a day dedicated to sector meetings. This meant that the Livelihoods folks met with each other, the health people did the same and the education people did likewise. I had hoped that this would be entrance to the hall of answers to all of my questions. Not so, although it did shed light on some of the problems facing educators in Cambodia, I was left with the same problem of figuring out how to best manage in my assignment on my own. I did meet some other key figures in other ministries how will figure in my plans for the coming weeks or months. Last night was a huge soirée or fancy dress up night. This was to be a fancy dress affair (humorous costumes but everything with a theme of “P”). I was really tired so I went back to the “Same, Same, but Different” had dinner, returned to the hotel, got my laundry together, went to the pool and was in bed by 10 PM. This morning I am up bright and early feeling very good, and preparing for the midpoint of the week.

The schedule today is a mix of serious and fun. In the morning we will be regaled by a lecture on “Volunteer Engagement and Learning”. Essentially I think this will be how the Program Office helps volunteers to continue their language study but also on any of the other opportunities for culture and what not in Cambodia.

This afternoon is tam building on the beach. In this activity I will be a judge for one of the seven “Survivor” type activities on the beach. My responsibility will be “Walking the Plank” whereby I will tell each of the seven teams as they come to my station, how to master the art of using bricks and planks to walk along a predesigned course. For each little pile of sand they pass, they earn a point. Every time a plank or a body part touches the ground, they lose a point. Total scores for each tam decides on a winner.

The final or tie breaking activity is to build a sand castle, but not just any old sand castle. This has to have the shape of a pyramid, with a track running around the edge. When they are done, a ball is placed at the top and timed on its descent. Fastest time gets some more points. It really does sound like great fun and I am looking forward to the day. Tonight continues the fun and frolic for the wild and crazy members of our band of sisters and brothers, with Bingo at the hall of Events. I am not sure exactly where this is but I know there will be several folks to direct me. For the less adventuresome, there are the bars and karaoke spots in town.

Well, the sun is up and my roommate, an Indian named Rushin, has gone for his morning walk. I think I will shave and prepare for this very challenging day.