Many Things to Celebrate and Others to Remember

Call me sentimental or nostalgic if you like, but today, on the 1^st anniversary of my graduation from Kenyon College I celebrated by watching Josh Radnor’s film Liberal Arts under my mosquito net. I saw friends and familiar places pass by on the screen (note: it was filmed at Kenyon the summer before my Senior year while I was working on campus in the International Education office.) and couldn’t help reflecting on the years I spent on the Hill. But as the final credits rolled and I found my eyes dry and a sense of contentment and acceptance. The kind of feeling that the character Jesse embraces in the final scene as he talks about how the process of getting older kicks you’re a** but that it is all okay. Call me silly or young and naïve, but a year out of college (and a heck of a year it has been!) I can appreciate the sentiment that I should embrace the fact that time moves forward and we with it. So on this anniversary I raise a Nalgene half-full of lemonade (courtesy of my flavored drink packets) to my fellow classmates and friends, professors and mentors. Because for all those days off of the Hill that really suck, there are so many others for which to be truly thankful out here in the “real” world.

In other news, the past 2 weeks since G.L.O.W. there have been many things worth celebrating:

GLOW Community Educations

The eight girls (Hanny, Kimsan, Leat, Neat, Phann, Salom, Sophann, and Thea) who participated in G.L.O.W.  from my community, spent last week making preparations for their first of a series of community education sessions. They jumped right into plans and last Sunday over 30 7^th-grade students participated in a 2 ½ hour program about goal-setting. I am so proud of these young ladies! They will be well on their way to educating the target number of people (100) after the next session on Tuesday.

One of the GLOW Superstars, Hanny, talking about goal-setting

Mothers’ Day (belated)

Shout out to my mom, GG, Nana, and all the other mothers out there! I interact with mothers and women who are expecting on a daily basis here since my role in the health center involves discussing nutrition for newborns, infants, children, and mothers primarily. Here, babies abound often in the arms of lovely mothers (although more fathers and uncles and doting older brothers are finding their way to the health center). So although Mothers’ Day (or Fathers’ Day for that matter) hasn’t found its way to Cambodia quite yet, I want to take the time to celebrate all the mothers here and the world around (biological, adoptive, or otherwise connected) who continually sacrifice for their children’s wellbeing. I appreciate you!

The King’s Birthday and Time Off

The current sovereign is King Norodom Sihamoni (spelling varies) was born on May 14, 1953 to the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk (see previous posts from October discussing his passing) and the Queen Mother Norodom Monineath (still alive). King Sihamoni has ascended to the throne in October 2004 after years as a ballet instructor and cultural ambassador in Europe. Although the current King is not revered as much as his father was, the country celebrates his birthday every year as a 3-day public holiday, observed May 13 - 15. Not much is done during this time. Some people use this time off to visit family or vacation to other places in Cambodia.  I took this holiday to visit southern Cambodia, specifically Kampot, Kep, and Rabbit Island on the Gulf of Thailand, with my friend Sam. While the K5s (the group of volunteers before my group) were in Phnom Penh for their close of service (COS) conference, Sam and I celebrated our 10^th month in country eating crab and squid and exploring the coastline. It was a great trip, but it is good to be back at site.

view from the bungalow on Koh Tonsai

Other happenings:

Shoe Factory Collapse

Cambodia (especially near to Vietnam) is home to many many factories. Mostly producing clothing and apparel, these factories are typically closed to the public and health volunteers working in communities where there are factories tell stories of trying to speak with factory employees but being prohibited by managers, employers, etc. I cannot comment  firsthand on the conditions within these workplaces, but one factory in Kampong Speu province (mid-western) made international news this week when it collapsed, trapping workers, injuring at least six and killing at least two. Here is the BBC Worldwide News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22559531.

NYC Exhibit

If you cannot make it out to Cambodia (or even if you can) and you are around New York City in the coming months, you should check out this exhibit by a Khmer artist at the Met. Here is the information: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/sopheap-pich (now through July 7th!).

GLOWING!

Camp G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World) is a popular Peace Corps project done around the world. It began in Romania in 1995 with the purpose of encouraging young women to become active citizens by building their self-esteem and confidence, increasing self-awareness, and developing their skills in goal setting as well as career and life planning. Since that time the project has expanded to include 6 main topics: gender equality, self-esteem, leadership, health, aspirations, and volunteerism. The number of participants, focus of the camp, topics presented, facilitators involved, number of days, etc. differs from country to country and within countries depending on the participants needs and the focus of the camp (i.e. different topics and activities). This year in Cambodia, there will be at least 7 of these camps ranging from 1 to 4 days in different provinces. 

Blair, Sally, Trophie, Katie, Neysa, Kateri, and me

Since January I have been working with 6 fellow PCVs (Neysa, Katie, Trophie, Blair, Kateri, and Sally) in Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces (northwest of Siem Reap) to put on a 4-day Camp G.L.O.W. in Siem Reap town for 62 girls and 3 female teachers or counterparts from 7 different high schools. In February, we applied for and received a small grant to fund the hiring of facilitators from 3 Khmer NGOs to present on topics like puberty, women's health, domestic violence, self-awareness, career planning, goal setting, and how to be an effective community educator. The grant also included food, lodging, and facilities while each community contributed supplies and raised funds to cover transportation costs. Needless to say it was a big undertaking and I am happy to say that our Camp G.L.O.W. successfully ran May 2nd-5th.

Sophann, Salom, Phann, me, Thea, Neat, Leat, Kimsan & Hanny

Eight 9th grade girls from my high school's girls club, chosen by application and attendance record, participated in the camp. Although age doesn't seem to really dictate what grade you are in in Cambodia, my girls were in general the youngest there, but I am proud to say that with some encouragement they definitely held their own. In sessions with Our Strength, the Women's Resource Center, and the Royal University of Phnom Penh's Career Advising Service team, the girls from my community asked and answered questions and volunteered for activities. 

The PCVs led icebreakers which included "find someone who..." human scavenger hunt, a name game (where there are two teams and a person from each team steps up to opposite sides of a bed sheet and when the sheet is dropped and they see each other the first person to shout the other's name wins and the other girl joins the other team), and a balloon game (where you tie a balloon to your ankle and while defending yours you try and pop everyone else's balloon by stomping on them). 

For those who don't know me, I was completely in my element. As a 7-time camper and 3-time camp counselor, I easily slipped back into my old role (except this time speaking Khmer!) and found my stride explaining and creating groups for a newspaper fashion show (including plastic bags, string and tape), distributing t-shirts, and leading a trip via remorks (motos attached to hayride type platforms) to Angkor Wat. Our last night, while hanging out with my girls, watching a Thai soap opera, painting nails, and making friendship bracelets, one of the girls turned to me and said that she didn't want to leave. Then all the other girls chimed in to tell me the names of all of there new friends for the different communities.

These girls are the next generation of leaders in Cambodia. They formed relationships across communities, gained knowledge, and built upon skills. They will now go out into their respective communities and share that knowledge as community educators; roles they might have shied away from less than a week ago.