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.

Well wishes

So many thoughts and so many impressions, particularly as I walk down the street or do something a little differently from what I did a few hours ago. I find myself comparing my experiences to arriving in the Philippines five years ago. At that time I was much more intimidated by a new culture and by people whom I knew to be friendly but were so clearly different from me and what I had known that I was not sure how I would survive let alone succeed. One major difference between then and now was that the Peace Corps was nursing me along as slowly as possible and giving me plenty of time to make little mistakes and learn from them. The VSO on the other hand has dropped me into the stew and I think I am supposed to know the culture, the politics, the yin and yang of survival in a foreign land. Hmmm? I don’t. Simple to say, but in reality I bless the two years I had in the Philippines because that introduced me to Asia which is a major part of what I am experiencing at the moment. I am still surprised by the traffic and the incredibly sanguine reactions from everyone concerned. I still feel a little paranoid about people staring at me, but in this response I am probably reality based. People do stare in Asia, at objects and people who are unusual. I am an old white guy who still likes to walk in a world where only poor people walk. I still am a little surprised when I turn abruptly and some little kid is just standing there staring at me with a puzzled look on his face. I check my fly and my nose for any boogers, but no, it is me he or she is looking at. It was the same in the Philippines.I moved into my new apartment today. Once again a major difference from five years ago when the Peace Corps had lined me up with a host family, and I began my training immediately in language and culture. Here I was responsible for finding my own flat, negotiating most of the terms, and then going to the markets to furnish what didn’t come with the flat like dishes, pots and pans, some sheets and other linens, groceries, some lamps to light up the dark areas of the flat. At the time of this writing I have purchased some of those things but not all. Tomorrow and Saturday will be the major excursions into the market place.

In these little notes from the front I am not sure if I should tell you more about public life or history or just some more of my daily screw ups. I have plenty of the latter but one of the beauties of being in my age group is that I am often forgiven most anything. The fact that I am still sitting up and drawing breath is a marvel unto itself. But to be fair, I am constantly aware of those of you out there who do truly have longevity at bay and are enjoying life so well. Henrietta and Aunt Ann jump to my mind. Or, I will continue to just throw in whatever I happen to be thinking about at the moment and like the Chinese meals that are in such abundance here because of their low cost, you will get a lot of flavors and tastes. Use your chopsticks to stir it around and pull out what looks or feels good. Throw the rest on the floor like the Cambodian airborne guys I see in the restaurants here. I am sure that the one main necessary in a life full of poverty and hardship is having a military that one can be proud of. Or even having one you’re not very proud of.

Well, that is it for the time being. I am going to make my bed and read a little before I retire in my brand new flat. Life is very good for your little wandering pilgrim as I hope very earnestly it is for you.

First day adventure

I have just this moment sat down after going through the twistiest, lengthy, and generally pleasant lines of my less then unique travel experiences. I got to the airport about 2:30 and thought that I would have a great deal of time to read, have some coffee, and just generally people-watch until my flight to London would be called. As it has turned out I have about 20 to 25 minutes before boarding and I can share some of my early thoughts with all of you regarding this new adventure.I am more excited about this coming experience than I ever was before I left for the Peace Corps. I think it relates more to the fact that I have a somewhat better idea of what I am in for than I was at that time. I know it will be hot; I know it will be a matter of communication problems, and I know it will be a job that will be low on a sense of accomplishment and high on new and fascinating experiences. When I left for the Philippines, I really did not have a clue as to what to expect but I knew it would be a challenge and more than that – fun. I still expect a great deal of fun, but this time I believe that I might be able to do a little more in the sense of accomplishing something since I have a better idea of what I am supposed to do.

As I understand my role, I will be assigned to the Ministry of Education in Phnom Penh, specifically to the MOEY (Ministry of Education and Youth), which also includes sports. I have long ago given up trying to fathom why certain departments are lumped together, even in America. Defining my role further I will be working with the primary levels of education (grades 1 to 6) and focusing on the inclusion of special education. This will also involve the necessary goals of VOS (Volunteers Serving Overseas), which are to bring about better gender equity and minority equalization.

So, from this lofty and somewhat grandiose charge I suspect I will be doing many tasks that were my job “back in the day” which were working on a “School Improvement Plan”. These were some of the most exciting times of my educational career and made more sense than any of the other educational innovations that had occurred during my tenure. In simple terms this focus had stated that teachers and administrators were to look at what they were teaching, to whom they were teaching it, and how well they were teaching it. We were obliged to break down the statistics (“disaggregate”, for those of you who are subject to professional jargon) and find out why or how certain groups or certain students had not accomplished what we said they would learn. Sorry about this divergence from the really interesting bits about ME, but this time in education still holds promise and can be possibly translated as giving every child an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) without that child being in special education. It was and still is, a great time.

So, this brings me back to what I will be possibly doing. I think I will part of an inspection team that will visit several primary schools in six different provinces. This team might do an inspection that will do basically a school improvement plan but without the threatening notion of “improvement” in the label. Once the inspection is completed, a report will be developed and given t the administrators and staff of the school and an “evaluation’ might begin. This evaluation should essentially be self-administered and determine where or what the school personnel wish to see occur in their school. Of course there are mandates that come out from the central or head office of education, but in reality each school should decide what it want to accomplish specifically within the guidelines of the State (as in country) view of what the educational system should be accomplishing. Here it might become tricky.

Once the school system decides what it wants to do, it becomes our job to help them do it. At least that is how I think it might develop. I have a lot of ideas along those lines but we will see if there is any connection between what I think is the case and the reality of the situation. I am reminding myself on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis, that I am a guest, a visitor, a volunteer that is there to support and assist. My name is not Moses, nor Sampson. I have to be responsive and supportive and not be the ugly American (or in this case, the ugly Canadian).

(Later)
I am winging my way over the Atlantic and am rather comfortable in my “steerage” seat. The flight to London is approximately 6 or 7 hours and is not too bad considering it will be about 11 or 12 hours to Bangkok with another 1 or 2 hours to Phnom Penh. The London to Bangkok leg will be the real test that will separate the men and women from the boys and girls and will test the bladders, restless leg syndrome, and social adaptability skills of even the most hardened of travelers.

I am still marveling at the incredible length of the lines in the airport as we were herded along from check-in to security. Somehow I forgot the restrictions or my packing guidelines and when I was clearing out my car before coming to the airport I took my Leatherman all-purpose knife and tossed in my carry-on. Sure enough, as the hardened security guy was patting my surgical repaired knees, another suitably cynically conditioned security guy had my baskets with my “flow-through” items of wealth, in his clutches. When I moved away from my new friend’s hands, he pointedly asked if he could “look” inside my case. “Of course”, says I. And like a genie producing a wish, out comes my Leatherman and a smile appears on the face of my interrogator. “You should pack this with your checked-in bags,” says he. “I should have my head examined,” thinks I. Of course my Leatherman will not accompany me to London nor anywhere else for that matter.

Later – the same day or at least the same trip.

My winging has been confined to the airport at Heathrow. I hope my contributions to Cambodia’s educational system are better than my mastery of the airline transfer system. I failed to pick up my bags when I deplaned from British airlines to go to Thai. Thai is several meters or kilometers away and required a bus. When I tried to check in the fellow there told me that my bags were not transferred and I had to then go through everything again to finally get vouchered. So I am here waiting for my plane to Bangkok, an 11.5-hour flight. Plenty of time for reading. Despite the momentary lapses in traveler judgment I am still ok with the trip. I have upgraded for the leg to Bangkok and my bags will be transferred and I will be processed like a regular guy. So far so good.

Just a note on my constant companion – my motorcycle helmet. I would advise everyone to carry one when traveling. It is a great conversation starter and after the first time or two when I try to explain that I really don’t drive motorcycles, I just need a helmet; then I begin fabricating and describing my “hog” and how I plan to bike all over southeast Asia and what not. There are big lies and not so big lies. This falls into the latter category. I have also inscribed my new nom de guerre on the Helmet (Paco) and a nice heart with mom written in the center. I am sure that I must look like a Darth Vader “wanna be” with a mother fixation. There is worse persona that I could be working on.

I was really pleased with my second trip through security. I only had to get frisked for my knees and separate my gels and toothpaste, but I didn’t have to take my shoes off. Until, I had passed the first stage and then there was a special conveyer just for shoes. Travel has definitely moved into the twilight stage or as my daughter Julie says, “Really Kafkasque”. Again these are minor bumps on the road to adventure. More later.