Pchum Ben Festival

It's been 5 weeks since my last entry! I didn't expect to neglect my blog so quickly. I'll try to recap what's been going on without turning this into a novel.

When it comes to holidays, the people of Cambodia don't mess around. Last week ended the 2-week Pchum Ben holiday and the country shut down Wednesday through Saturday to observe it. Pchum Ben is a festival to honor the dead, so people go to the Buddhist Wats to pray and offer food and goods to the monks and spirits, and visit family members. After being in the city working for a few weeks, I was eager to take advantage of the holiday and head out to Wat Opot to visit my Khmer family members, all 72 of them :)

It was a beautiful week for a holiday... until it downpoured for 3 days straight.

When I arrived on Wednesday, big things had already been happening. The Wat next door was busy with visitors, decorations, and lucky for us, a new sound system. Part of the tradition includes monks chanting ALL. DAY (and night). LONG. At first it was "o that's nice" but it quickly turned into me plotting ways to destroy the provinces electricity so that my ears would stop bleeding. I realize it's not appropriate to say these things, after all they are monks, but when you've heard the same old man screech at nonhuman pitches for 4 solid days through a scratchy but very loud speaker set, you start to think in a different way. So the festival had its one downside, but other than that minor setback, it was a beautiful time. Since it's based on families honoring and setting themselves right with the deceased, the children had a lot of visitors.

Thy (pronounced Tee), is an 11-year old HIV positive boy who has no family, or so he thought. One day during the festival, his father, stepmother, and grandmother showed up at Wat Opot to bring him money and noodles and pay their respects to Thy to honor his mother. Neither Thy nor anyone else at Wat Opot knew that he had any family. I'm still not sure of the details, but it's my understanding that he was tossed between orphanages at such an early age after his mother died that he probably forgot his family. He will stay at Wat Opot, but now he knows that he has family! I'm not sure how he was doing processing it, or if it had really even hit him yet. I also don't think that his family has any intentions of taking him in, as they were most likely just trying to clear the slate with his mother's spirit, but who knows what the future holds for them. Thy's big week continued when he and three other boys got to go on holiday on the coast for a few days with Caroline, a French nurse working in Cambodia who is very involved with the Wat Opot community.

Virak, who I pictured and wrote about in my first Wat Opot entry- the 4 year old HIV positive boy whose grandmother held him for the first two years of his life after his mother died of AIDS- also had a lot of excitement. He had been having a bad day and was throwing temper tantrum after temper tantrum caused by not having a nap and me making him clean up his toy cars (I'm so mean!!). Side note: turns out the whole time I was comforting him and trying to get him to calm down, he was swearing some very colorful words at me that he had learned from the older boys. I've studied up on my Khmer foul language and that mistake won't happen again. Once we found out what he was saying, we all couldn't help but laugh. It's not everyday that little kids get consoled and hugged for calling you, well, nevermind that. Anyway, so there little Virak was, throwing his fit, when his grandmother and older brother pulled up on a moto. He wasn't sure what to think of it at first and was very reserved. His grandmother collected his clothes and medication to take him home for a few days and loaded him up on the moto between herself and his older brother, behind the driver and his child (in Cambodia this 5 person on a moto with 3 of them being small children scenario is nowhere out of the ordinary). It wasn't until they just started to move that I watch a huge smile slowly start to spread on his face. I think he needed to be moving away to know that, yes they love me and they're taking me home for a visit. It was so precious to see and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little teary eyed.

Virak pre-temper tantrum

So many other kids had similar experiences, family members that they knew of and didn't know of coming to visit for the holiday. It's sad to see the children that have one or both parents who don't want them home, like Little Nak. Nak is 8 years old, and like his parents has HIV. His mom and dad own a small shop in a nearby village, and the community only knows that he is positive and not his parents. Nobody would come into their shop because he was there, so his parents needed to essentially get rid of him in order to make an income. I guess it's not as easy to pick up and move to a new town or village in Cambodia as it would be if this was taking place in the States, but still. I can't imagine Nak being my child and not wanting to keep him, but I guess were not supposed to understand other cultures, just respect the decisions that people have to make to survive. It's not our place to judge them for their decision, only to be thankful that we don't have to face those kinds of choices.

Little Nak

They all have different backgrounds and stories, but each one ends the same, at Wat Opot. They might have parents, grandparents, brothers, and sisters, but Wat Opot is their home. Little Srey Nith, the 3 year old who I also mentioned in my original Wat Opot blog post, had a visit from her grandmother who took her home as well. She came back so confident and different, like I know that I have some family, but Wat Opot is where I belong. I am so happy that I could be there to share the holiday with the kids (and Wayne and Melinda!).

Srey Nith with a fly on her face and a napping Ty Ming in the background.

Srey Lec, one of the oldest girls at Wat Opot, got a visit from her Grandmother.

The kids had another reason to celebrate, thanks to Billy Bigelow, who mailed me a huge package full of toys and activities! The box was a HUGE success and the kids absolutely loved their new toys. In order to avoid destruction and loss of the items, Melinda and I have put them in a special place on our big screened-in porch. We bring the kids in a few at a time to get some individual attention and play. It works well until a group gathers outside pleading to come in and join. They're starting to understand that they have to take turns playing with the toys and when you're in there, it's your special time. THANK YOU BILLY :) My mom and the Falk family just sent over another big box of toys that I'll add to the collection soon! THANK YOU MOM, LANIE, AND LORIE :)

Ms. Conthea with her baby doll. Conthea is the child with the bad fungal infections I had discussed earlier. Her head is healing up so well and she's even starting to grow hair back. She is so beautiful :)

Wey playing cars with our new puppy, Alfie.

Somnang anxiously waiting for his magic Spiderman towel to open up.

Worth the wait!

Chai and Nak racing cars.

Baby Rotana (18 months) and her sister Cha Ney (8 years) became the two newest members of the Wat Opot family when their mother recently passed away. She spent over an hour putting crayons in and out of the box. She is a very happy and content little girl.

This week wasn't just eventful for the kids, it was also a turning point for me. After doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do with my life, I have decided to pursue international public health. Before I go after this further, I want to have a year abroad under my belt. Since I've already put in 3 months and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wat Opot, I've decided to come back in the early spring to Wat Opot for an undetermined amount of time. I will be coming home to the US for nursing boards in November, but then I'm coming back to Cambodia. This time, however, I'll have a specific purpose. I am planning a community outreach project that I will implement individually but with the Partners in Compassion organization which Wat Opot is a project of. I have absolutely no money, so I'm selling a bunch of jewelry, electronics, etc. (in case anyone's interested in Tiffany silver or my iMac!) when I get home to support myself. I have never in my life been happier than when I'm at Wat Opot, and I have my whole life to go back to the US and work, so for now I'm just going to ride out my crazy dreams and see what happens. I guess you can't make a living off being a volunteer so I'll have to grow up eventually, but not just yet.

Thanks for checking in and I'll try not to be so tardy on my next posting! Have a lovely week :)

Wat Opot Pictures

I have finally uploaded pictures of the kids and the community! My album is on facebook, but anyone can view it with or without a facebook account.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056497&id=1224690042&l=4315d03f8c

Enjoy and have a great day :)

Home Today?... nope.

A few weeks ago, I was dreading this day. Today is September 12, my 22nd birthday, and the day I should be leaving to go back to the US. Since I'm young, without any commitments, and the happiest I've been in a long time, I am staying in Cambodia until at least mid-December. I don't want to leave this country, the children that I've come to love, or the opportunities here to do something good in a place with such a dark and tragic past. To finance this 3 month extension, I have taken a job as an English tutor for a private company. The job is part time in the afternoons and pays very well for Cambodian standards. My mornings will be spent working with Global Service Corps, but shifting from volunteer to assistant volunteer coordinator. With my experience with this organization in Tanzania, and now having been here for 2 months, I think that I will be able to establish a larger presence for GSC in Phnom Penh and find a variety of work placements for future volunteers. In exchange for my work with GSC, they will continue to provide me with a place to live in the city and a weekly food allowance. The BEST part about this whole set-up is that I now have 12 more weekends that can be spent at Wat Opot with the kids :) Some of what I will be doing involves working with Partners in Compassion, the Wat Opot foundation, to get public health volunteers into the villages looking for and providing a solution for malnutrition, setting up blood pressure clinics, teaching HIV/AIDS awareness classes, and providing home care for community members with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, etc. This is a very exciting opportunity for me and I am beyond happy with the way things have worked out in Cambodia.

My leg is back to normal, no more crutches and very minimal pain. The recovery has been so much easier than anticipated and I'm very lucky for things to have turned out as they did.

Molly and I went out last night and she treated me to a lovely dinner for my birthday and has been spoiling me all day today. We also just got a new volunteer this morning, a professional HIV/AIDS counselor from Oregon who will be a great asset to the program. Tomorrow begins my official GSC duties and I couldn't be more excited. I really hope, however, that these next 3 months go by MUCH slower than the first 2 which seemed to have just melted away.

As I mentioned before, Wat Opot has been really struggling to finance the community. Wayne gets money every month from the US government in Social Security and from being wounded in Vietnam, and literally every cent goes right to the kids. He doesn't own anything for himself and is selflessness in its purest form. For my birthday, please (only if you can) make a small donation to Wat Opot. Their website is on my blog.

Thank you and I hope everyone has a great Sunday :)

Back to Wat Opot

Last week I spent another incredible week at Wat Opot. Though the days absolutely flew by, I made the most of them. I came into Takeo province on Sunday night before bedtime and got to give out hugs and kisses to giggling, happy little kids. I was so happy to be back with them, and I think some of them might have been just as happy to see me. I spent the first night in the staff house getting to know the newest volunteer, Melinda. Melinda is from Kansas, and has lived all over the world. She recently spent a few months in Nepal working at a Children's Peace Home, but due to Nepali visa restrictions, had to leave the country for a few months. She is spending 3 months before returning to the Peace Home at Wat Opot. With a background in Peace Studies and working all over the world, she will be a great asset to Wat Opot these next few months teaching English, tutoring, and learning about this culture to share with others.


Virak, Rith, and Chai were so excited to have KAT back! Chai immediately climbed into my backpack, which is bigger than him :) Eventually I had to pry him out of it so that I could take it inside and he could go to bed!

This week at Wat Opot, I got a chance to practice nursing again. I administered my first pediatric IV (on the first try!!) to a child who had had a fever for 5 days and was incredibly dehydrated. The boy, Sompoa, was so good and did not complain at all. In Cambodia, and most third world countries, they use a strange kind of IV with no catheter, just the needle. When you first take it out of the packaging, its just a needle with a tube attached to it. It was like nothing I had ever seen and I was honestly very nervous, but I did OK. I thought for sure Sompoa would be in pain and discomfort having a long needle just sitting in his arm for 8 hours, but he didn't say a word. While staying in the hospice with the IV drip, I also had another patient, a smaller boy also with a high fever. Melinda set up her computer so they could watch movies like Finding Nemo and sleep. Another day I was called into the hospice where I found Wayne sitting with a boy from the community. The boy had fallen against a tree and a small branch went into his lower lip straight through to the other side. Being that it was a dirty and odd shaped object, there was a high concern for infection. It was extremely swollen after only about an hour. We cleaned both sides thoroughly and sent him home with antibiotics and peroxide.

During my first visit, I noticed that the kids at Wat Opot all had long and dirty fingernails. They also had a lot of mosquito bites that they scratch and infect. When we scratch mosquito bites with our fingernails, our immune systems kill off any germs that may enter the body, but the little ones with HIV have depressed immune systems and aren't as able to fight off infection. I brought back nail clippers and nail scrub brushes to clean the fingers and toes of the kids and hopefully reduce some of the infections.

I left Wat Opot on Friday to go to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Vietnam. The older kids knew that I would be returning on Tuesday morning, as the latest bus on Monday to Takeo would leave after the bus arrived in Phnom Penh from Saigon. The smaller ones were worried when I came outside with my backpack to leave, and one even had me circle in his calendar (which I don't even know where he got it from) when I'd be back. Unfortunately, today is Thursday of the next week and instead of running around with them, I am sitting in my apartment. Since coming to Cambodia, I have been a feast for mosquitoes. They love me and I am covered in bites in various stages of healing. One bite, however, went to an extreme and got really infected. The irony is I just spent two days cutting fingernails of kids to avoid exactly what happened to me. The whole weekend in Vietnam this one bite was getting more and more swollen and red and when I finally got back into Phnom Penh on Monday night, the swelling in my entire leg was so bad that it cut off all circulation to my toes! I couldn't touch anywhere below my knee and walking was very challenging. I got some antibiotics and pain medication at a clinic in Saigon, but nothing was getting better. I went to an international hospital Monday night where I had a minor surgery to clean and suture the site. It brought pain to an entire new level, and the whole time all I could think about was little Sompoa. If he can sit there for 8 hours with a 1 inch needle in his arm, I think I can go through this, I said to myself repeatedly. It was awful, and the daily follow-ups and dressing changes are no walk in the park either. I'm now on crutches with limited mobility, waiting to get better enough to go back to Wat Opot. Until then, I luckily have my wonderful roommate Molly who's being a great nurse :)

This brings me to another important update... this should be my last week in Cambodia, and I should be boarding a flight on Sunday that's headed to DC. I have decided, however, to stay in Cambodia for an undetermined amount of time. There's still so much to be done and I'm not ready to leave. As I told my best friend Alyssa, I'm in no rush to go home and enter the real world when I'm living in the real world right now. I have big plans that I'll share as they develop, but now I'll go rest this bum leg and save my energy for the exciting months to come!


I left my card reader at Wat Opot so I am unable to upload any pictures except the one, but as soon as I get my things back I will definitely share more, even though I feel like I keep saying that over and over!

Thank you for checking in and I hope you have a great week :)

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SECOND MOTHER, SUSAN ANDERS XOXO

HIV/AIDS class

On Tuesday morning, the first day of my HIV/AIDS teaching, a pre-test was administered to my class. There were 17 pretty basic questions just to see what they already knew... or didn't know. True or False. "AIDS is a disease for only immoral people," all but one said TRUE. "Mosquitos transmit HIV," half TRUE, half FALSE. "Condoms have small holes that allow HIV to get through," again all but one said TRUE. As I scored the pre-tests, each grade became more alarming than the last. These are 20-30 year olds who have been to secondary school, and most of them are in University. They are all educated, how can their preceptions of HIV/AIDS be so wrong?! I knew immediately we'd have our work cut out for us.

Christina and I spent Monday as a lesson planning day, modifying the curicculum I used in Tanzania this past January to fit Cambodian culture; from what foods to feature in the nutrition portion, to Cambodian statistics on HIV/AIDS prevalence and mortality. We made games, flipcharts, and student manuals, assuming that most of what we were teaching would be just reinforcing what they already knew. I didn't expect University educated Cambodians to have more skewed ideas about HIV/AIDS than uneducated Tanzanian villagers.

Throughout the week, we covered basic biology, disease progression, infected and uninfected body fluids, transmission, prevention, nutrition, health and hydration, life skills like communication and decision making, and empowerment. Because of the pre-test results, we were sure to reiterate whenever and wherever possible, that ANYONE can get HIV, not just immoral people like they seemed to think, and that you can't tell by looking at someone if they are infected, another question they failed miserably on. Teaching and discussing HIV/AIDS is a tricky subject because you want to convey that people with HIV/AIDS are just like everyone else, that they shouldn't be treated any differently and that they deserve to be respected in society, but at the same time you don't want to make it seem like its something to be taken lightly. In college I wrote a paper about HIV/AIDS in America, before I started traveling to learn for myself and teach others on the subject. In my paper, I discussed how America has dismissed HIV/AIDS as a serious problem. My generation learned about it once in school, but not really knowing anything about it, we don't see it as a threat to our society. We're not afraid of it and careful like we should be. As research for my paper I sent away for a magazine for HIV positve gay men. The magazine was full of ads for different HIV medications, most featured big strong men rock climbing or weightlifing, and one that I especially recall was a man breaking the ribbon at a marathon finish line. What do ads like these tell the audience? It implies that HIV is no big deal, take the medicine being advertised and you'll be fine, able to run marathons and climb mountians. Yes, people in the US with HIV are generally healthy due to proper nutrition and an availablity of medication, but the message being sent out is that HIV is a simple issue that can be easily taken care of with a small pill. The ads show that people with HIV are just like everyone else, but they lack the message that it is a serious disease. It's not an easy thing to discuss and teach, you want to make people accepting of something while trying to scare them from it at the same time. We're trying to make the sudents understand that it's a terrible, lethal infection that they should be extremely cautious not to contract, but also try to get them not to treat those infected any differently. Easier said than done.

This week we taught two classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, both of similar ages and background knowledge. The translators we used had a difficult time, and that aspect was much different from Tanzania where we had fluent English and Swahili counterparts, but we made it work. Each class asked great questions and we made sure not to progress until we were certain they understood. The post-test scores came in yesterday and reflected a big improvement in knowledge. Like in Tanzania, we talked about how they can share what they have learned with others to spread awareness and reduce stigma. Knowledge + Attitude + Skills = Behavior change, not just in themselves but in others.

While I wrote this, I got to talk to my sisters Amy and Alyssa :) Love you girls and I miss you XOXO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL MOTHER, DIANE, AND MY FAAAABULOUS BROTHER, DAN <3 <3 <3 Love you two and I hope you have wonderful birthdays!!

I'm leaving tomorrow to go back to Wat Opot for 2 weeks!! There is limited internet in the office, so I will try to post pictures and write about the children while I'm away. In case I can't post before my return, I want to plug in that my birthday is September 12 and if you REALLY REALLY want to do something for my birthday, please go to Wat Opots website posted on the right-hand side of my blog and make a donation to their paypal. Every cent goes directly to the kids and running the community, and the private donations they rely on have slowed down significantly. Thank you :)

From Kat to TeachAH

When I went to write an email this afternoon, I noticed the date. August 23?! Is that right?! There's absolutely no way I have been here for 5 weeks. It feels like I've been here for 5 days, but at the same time I'm already having trouble remembering what life was like before Cambodia.

For the past two weeks since making my tearful departure from Wat Opot, I have been working alongside the newest GSC Cambodia volunteers in a low-income primary school in Phnom Penh. Christina, a 28 year old trauma nurse from Detroit, joined me my first weekend back in the city. I had previously mentioned this school in a past blog post. It caters to the very poor, mostly children of factory workers. Cambodia's government is very corrupt, as is the education system. Public schools are supposed to be free, but if you don't pay your teacher they won't acknowledge you in class, make you sit in the very back, and refuse help requests. So the "public" school system that should be available to everyone, is only available to those who can pay. This school we have been working at charges a flat monthly rate of about $1 US so that students can be guaranteed fair education and treatment.

Me with some of the students before dismissal.

At this school, I had two roles. My first role was that of "TeachAH" of English and mathematics. Instead of calling their teachers Mr. or Mrs. LastName like in the States, all of the children here just call their teachers, teacher. With their pronunciations, or lack thereof, they said it so cute and it never got old to me one bit! As an English teacher, I covered pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary per their curriculum. Math was simple addition and subtraction (LUCKILY for me... and them!!). My other role, together with Christina, was nurse. For a few hours each day, we conducted basic check-ups on each student one by one covering all basic systems, vitals, and health history. Healthcare is expensive in Cambodia, and many of the students had never seen a healthcare provider ever in their lives. The kids for the most part were very healthy. The bottom of each child's sheet (which will be kept on file in the school) featured a section for Follow-up Considerations. For most we noted dental hygiene education, one child had a faint heart murmur which we reported to the Director to ensure follow-up with the family, and a few children had noted visual impairments. One little girl stated, via translator, that she kept having daily headaches that always started half-way through the school day. We asked if she could read the board during class, she said yes. We then asked her to read a poster that was only about 10 ft away, and she couldn't do it. It wasn't until someone had asked her to read something right then as a test did she even realize she couldn't see well. The only thing is, I wondered whether or not her family was in a position to be able to get her glasses or even a more official eye exam. Since most of the children had decaying teeth, we implemented a dental hygiene program. Each morning and afternoon we taught a different class about teeth brushing, why its important, how many times per day, which parts to focus on, how much toothpaste to use, etc. It helped that I taught dental education to kindergarten classes as part of my community health clinical just before graduation this past spring. I think it was effective, and we have asked the teachers to ensure follow-up with the students on dental health.

The little tiny boy is the brother of the kid behind him. He is too young to attend school, but refuses to be without his older brother. He follows him to all of his classes and just sits next to him patiently. They love each other so much, and it made me miss my Amy!!

Last weekend, the third GSC volunteer arrived in Phnom Penh. Molly is a 23 year old recent graduate from Santa Clara with a degree in public health. During her orientation week, she spent some time with us at the school. Her orientation also featured a day trip to Wat Opot and I got to go! I was in heaven and loved every second being back with the kids. My shadow Srey Nith, who I mentioned in my last blog, has started getting a bad fungal infection on her head. She had had one before that was healing, but now is back. It broke my heart to see her head with oozing open sores, but she was the same little happy goof ball. Love her :) I can't wait to go back there this weekend!!!

I have lots to share about my last two weekend adventures. One weekend was spent in Bangkok, Thailand and the other in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on the Gulf of Thailand. The former was a cheap, spontaneous trip, the latter was included in our GSC program fees. Both weekends were so much fun and I'll be sharing about them in my next post.

I hope that everyone who's going back to school in the next few weeks has a great start! Thanks for checking in, and have a wonderful day :)

Wat Opot

I apologize for going so long without posting to my blog! I have been back from Wat Opot for over a week now and have had the hardest time writing. During my writers block, one of my closest friends in the world, Whitney (who also has a birthday today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!) said, "just start with the first squishball and go from there." Taking your advice, Whit, lets see what happens...

After settling in to my new room and getting the initial tour of Wat Opot, I sat down for lunch with Wayne, the Wat Opot director, in an outdoor covered dining table next to a fish pond. No more than 10 minutes into lunch I saw the first child, a little tiny bald boy with a big bandage on his head wearing a matching red plaid PJ set walking around by himself. I could only see him from behind. Wayne explained to me that he was about 3 years old and HIV positive. His mother had died and his grandmother carried him around for the first two years of his life afraid that if she let him go, he would die of AIDS too. I cant remember exactly what happened, but his grandmother ended up bringing him to Wat Opot. He had never walked or done anything for himself. It was a tough adjustment to be thrown in with 59 new kids running and playing and he didn't take it well. He cried and screamed all day long and refused to leave his bamboo mat/bed. When Virak turned around, I expected to see a sad, lonely little boy. Instead I was greeted with a devilish smile letting us know he was up to no good. For the rest of lunch, Virak hid behind the chairs giggling, stood on the edge of the fishpond until told by Wayne to backup, running away in a laughing fit, "hiding" behind small bushes and trees, and doing silly dances. His feet are turned out, but he is recovering well from his early sheltering and apparently is now fitting in great. Hearing his story and seeing him now, I couldn't believe it. How does a small child recover from something like that so quickly? I knew that this place would be special.

My first day was unreal. Before leaving, Kristen and Cora -- another two of my closest girlfriends-- helped me pick out lots of fun things to do with the kids. My only regret of this trip is that I didn't bring MORE bubbles, balloons, glow sticks, stickers, colored sidewalk chalk, silly bands, crayons, pens, and playing cards. I was so foolish to think that 3000 stickers would be enough!

All afternoon we played with the goodies I brought as I tried to learn names and faces. I already struggle at home remembering Abby, Sarah, and Maddie, throw in names like Srey Nith, Nak, Socheat, Ty Meng, Sey Oun, Vis Na, Conthea, Srey Pao, and Neapeah and you've got yourself a struggle. My name on the other hand, they picked up easily although they called me Kat rather than Kate. I loved it and thought it was so cute to have herds of kids yelling "KAT KAT KAT!" wherever I went. It didn't take long for me to get attached.

Dinners at Wat Opot are so much fun. I eat with Wayne and Mark, a long-term American volunteer, as children slowly gather around waiting for us to finish so they climb in our laps and play. Medications are passed out at 6:30, but before then, we walk over to the on-site crematorium to pray. On my tour when I arrived, Wayne showed me the crematorium which was still warm from the 4 month old baby who had died of AIDS the day before. Wat Opot was started 13 years ago by Wayne, a former US Marine medic who was wounded in Vietnam, and a man he met in Cambodia, Vandine. Together, an American Christian and a Cambodian Buddhist started Partners in Compassion. Their focus was care and awareness of HIV/AIDS, and they opened Wat Opot (named after the Buddhist temple it is located next to) first as a hospice center. Over the last 13 years the hospice has allowed over 500 people to die of AIDS comfortably and with dignity. The crematorium was built early on when there were too many bodies to keep up with. Today, Wayne and Vandine run separate PC projects. Vandine handles the home care and community health center, while Wayne oversees the orphanage. Wat Opot has grown slowly to become the family it is today. Most of the children there have been left behind after their parents, siblings, and friends have died on the grounds.

Pictured to the right is the side of the crematorium building, and in the background, where the ashes are kept. Looking in the the window in the side room, you will find a wall lined with pictures and urns of just some of those who have died. In the room there is also a gong, candles, and incense that is lit each night while a special Buddhist chant and Christian song are sung. The nightly participants vary as the prayer sessions are open to anyone. There are usually 5 or 6 children that attend, sometimes even the little ones. It is just awe-inspiring to see these little children who have been running around all day like regular kids turn into mature adults in seconds. Some of these kids have experienced more emotional trauma in their short lives than some of us will experience in a lifetime. Once the prayers are over, the children once again return to being kids. Without knowing some of these kids stories, you would never suspect they have experienced what they have. Little Srey Nak, for example (pictured left), came to Wat Opot with her mother who was dying of AIDS. She sat at her mothers bedside for 2 months watching her slowly die. Once her mother had passed, she was cremated on site and Srey Nak became part of the Wat Opot family. From what I've heard it took her a long time to smile. She would scream and cry if anyone came near her, and it was near impossible to make her comfortable. Today, she is a happy little girl in a giant loving family. She was one of the kids I became most attached to. Look at those precious curls :)

Srey Nak is HIV positive and on antiretroviral medications. The children who are seropositive follow strict medication schedules, taking them at 6:30 am and 6:30 pm sharp each day. These drugs are serious. Other medications if missed may cause a headache or fatigue, but when you skip out on ARVs, you risk resistance and in countries like Cambodia where second-line drugs are the last option, you can't afford to mess around. This is why our group had such a hard time in Tanzania seeing HIV positive people in poverty who may have gotten medications from the government but would take them irregularly because they couldn't afford food to take them with, causing them to feel sicker. I saw many vicious cycles in Tanzania like that, people were too sick to work, so they had no money, so they couldn't buy food, so they wouldn't take their medications, this caused the HIV infections to worsen, causing them to be too sick to work and on and on. These people had drugs so they thought they were OK taking them occasionally. Imagine telling someone who can't buy food that by not taking her medications, they were in some ways just killing themselves faster. The kids at Wat Opot know there is no messing around when it comes to taking pills. Even the little tiny ones swallow big pills no problem because there's only one thing, besides stealing, that Wayne absolutely does not tolerate, and that is refusing to take medication.

Over 2 wonderful weeks at Wat Opot, I tried my best to stay busy. That included cleaning and covering open cuts and wounds, especially those of the HIV positive kids, wiping runny noses, scrubbing fungal opportunistic infections off one little girls head, then holding her as she cried in pain afterward, caring for the mumps outbreak that started right before I arrived, giving out hugs and kisses, playing games, throwing kids into the air and spinning them around, coloring, and just being there to hold them, especially the little ones. I got particularly attached to one little angel, Srey Nith (right). On my second day, I ran over to a little girl after she fell off a swing on her face and was screaming and crying in pain. I picked her up, brushed off her face, and let her cry as she laid her head on my shoulder and held on tight around my neck. That was it. After that, she was my shadow. Srey Nith is 3 years old. 6 months ago, her mother died of AIDS leaving her behind with 2 older sisters. That same day that she lost her mother, her uncle had all of the girls tested for HIV. Srey Nith was the only result to come back positive. Her uncle immediately had her sent to Wat Opot. Maybe he was scared of HIV, maybe he wanted the rest of the girls to be sheltered from perhaps losing their little sister one day too. Whatever his reasoning behind it, Srey Nith was suddenly alone without her mother and her sisters, never knowing her father. I think her father had died, but I'm not sure. Srey Nith is fitting in well to her new family. She is the sweetest little girl with a smile that just melts my heart. Her head is shaved because of a fungal infection that is healing beautifully. Luckily her head didn't require scrubbing I don't think I could have handled it!! One night I was thinking before bed, that if I was a little older, had some money, and a place to live, I would adopt her in a heartbeat. Nevermind that the US apparently doesn't allow HIV positive kids to be adopted in, I would have done it. Then I thought more. Why would I take her out of Wat Opot? This place isn't an orphanage. It's a family. Children don't come here as a waiting room for adoptions. In fact, Wayne has only adopted out two children and didn't want to see either of them go. Sure these kids sometimes drive each other crazy, but isn't that part of any family? They love each other, and they care for each other. There's only one child that I (I hate to even type it)... didn't like?! Can I admit that?? He was just such a bully most of the time to the others and I would get so mad and frustrated. However, one night little Virak was sitting outside of the medical building crying and waiting for someone to come get a painful splinter out of his foot. I was walking over to him but still pretty far away, when I saw this bully walk over to Virak. I picked up my pace afraid of what would follow, but stopped in awe when the bully sat down next to crying Virak, put his arm around him and hugged him. He sat there with Virak until I got there so that he wouldn't be alone. These kids all have a common bond: they know what it's like to lose everything and everyone that they have in the world. The Wat Opotians have amazing lives. They are happy, as healthy as possbile despite their diseases, get three full and nutritious meals a day, have a bed to sleep in, a school to attend, and a big family to love and comfort them. If someone tried to take my sister from me, I wouldn't have it. Same rules apply here.

As I said my goodbyes and drove away from Wat Opot, I was so sad to leave but so happy. I have never experienced anything like this place in my life and am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and love these incredible people. I am happy to report that I am going back to Wat Opot for my final 2 weeks in Cambodia!! I will restock my treats, hugs, and kisses and wake up each day until my return with a smile :)

Thank you so much for your help in getting me to these beautiful children.

It's already been a week?!?!

Today (Thursday) concluded my orientation to Global Service Corps Cambodia and what a week it’s been. Tuesday morning I had a basic Khmer (pronounced kuh-my) language lesson, then went to meet the students and teachers at a school that I will be teaching at in August. The school is for the children of extremely poor factory workers and farmers in the outskirts of Phnom Penh. There is a huge problem in Phnom Penh, like in cities all over the world, with street-working children where poor parents send their kids out to sell things to tourists rather than attend school, so while my trip was supposed to be primarily orphan-oriented, I am more than happy to step in at this school. Other NGO’s and volunteers rarely visit this type of school which is unfortunate. I went in each classroom and introduced myself, then helped the teachers line the students up for morning dismissal where I got to take some pictures and videos. THANK YOU THANK YOU to my wonderful sister Amy for giving me a camcorder for graduation!! I already have amazing footage of the kids and can’t wait to collect more!!

So Tuesday started off pretty smooth, and I assumed it would be a typical day in Cambodia… but I was so wrong. I generally consider myself to be a pretty adventurous person, but never ever in my wildest dreams have I imagined doing something as daring, as risky, and as adrenaline-pumping as I did on Tuesday. Ok, so there I was having lunch with the Director of the school and his wife when she asked me what was in the neighborhood of my apartment. I replied that I had seen a coffee shop, some nice Khmer and foreign restaurants, a bookstore, a pharmacy, a salon, and casually mentioned that I thought about stopping into the salon for a haircut while I was here (but not seriously), and that was it. Game over. As if I had said I needed emergency surgery, she urgently sprang up and said she had a friend who would just love to do my hair!! Before I knew it, she had made me an appointment in 20 minutes and asked her husband to drive me over. Half of me didn’t have the heart to decline especially with how excited she was about it, and the other half was curious as to how this would end. I arrived at the salon and was escorted to a chair by the owner and presented with a “book of style” to pick a cut. I flipped through the pages and the worried feeling in my stomach grew with each page flip as the styles got worse and worse. Finally, I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “this is going to happen and there’s no point stressing over it. When In Cambodia. Just have fun. Go with it.” So I did just that and asked for just a trim, showing her that I just wanted about an inch off. 10 minutes and a heap of hair on the floor later, I looked in the mirror to see my mop/mullet/puff/Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club look for the first time. Some of my hair sits on my shoulders, but most of it comes right to my ears. It’s interesting to say the least but you know what, the smile on her face after I put my thumbs up and said I loved it was enough for me. Hey, it may not be the most stylish look but it was the most fun haircut I’ve ever had.

After I got all beautified, Sophy took me to a temple to learn about Buddhism, and then we went to a meeting with the director of Friends International. This NGO is an amazing organization that works with street children to give them resources to better their lives. They have helped over 2,000 Cambodian children get off the streets by providing education, vocational training, and employment opportunities. Tourists who come through this and other cities take pity on child beggars and children selling things, when the truth is the children rarely benefit from donations. There is almost always someone above them who will take all or most of the money. This is why you should never give money to street children even though it breaks your heart not to. You’re just fueling the cycle and making it worse for them instead of making their lives better. This is why NGOs like Friends International, and the school I mentioned earlier are such wonderful organizations. They are doing something about the problem and giving the poor youth of Cambodia brighter futures.

Yesterday and today were spent learning Khmer, visiting schools to assess their educational needs, and touring Phnom Penh. It’s interesting that I so far have only had one negative experience in Cambodia (no not the haircut) and it was with an American. I went to a school this morning to meet the teachers and find out what the educational needs of the school were and was treated terribly by an American teacher, a man probably in his 50s. This brand new school is operated by the CSCS (Cooperation for a Sustainable Cambodian Society) and I was asked to provide first aid and basic child health and hygiene training to the teachers as well as whatever they wanted to learn. He yelled at me for interrupting his schedule, though I was sent there by his own organization at that time, and tried to put me down in front of the other teachers. Lucky for me, I’m still in my haircut mindset of SO WHAT. I brushed him off; if he doesn’t want to learn it then he doesn’t have to come to my training. The other teachers were very nice, so despite his sour behavior, I’m looking forward to returning.

Tomorrow I am going to Wat Opot and I could not be more excited!!!!!!!!! I posted the link on the right hand side of the blog page if you want to check it out. This is the orphanage that I told a few family and friends about that was opened by a former US Marine that cares for orphaned children, and adults incapacitated by AIDS. This should be a very life-changing experience that I look forward to sharing when I get back. I’m going about an hour outside of the city with no internet connection, so check back into my blog on August 6 when I return.

Thank you to everyone who is actually reading this! And as always, THANK YOU again to everyone who offered their money, prayers, and support to get me over here. Have a great day and a great 2 weeks :)

PS Sorry about the lack of pictures, I'll be sure to post some in my next entry about Wat Opot!

Day 1

After 6 months of planning and fundraising and 32 hours of traveling, I arrived in Cambodia late Saturday night. I was greeted by a humid, vibrant, busy city that won me over in the first ten minutes by its colors, sounds, smells, and its friendly people.

I got settled into my air conditioned (!!) hotel and got, surprising, a great and refreshing night’s sleep. Sunday morning I got up and set out to explore the intriguing Phnom Penh- but don't worry Dad, I didn't wander far from the hotel by myself. I managed to get a phone and SIM card and lunch without speaking a word of Khmer. Most people speak at least some English, but those who speak none are still very nice and try to help. In the afternoon, I had a visitor at the hotel- Sophy, the GSC Cambodia In-country coordinator, who came to move me to apartment where I will be staying during my time in Phnom Penh. Sophy is very sweet and smart. She has a degree in Food Technology and studied HIV mutation in a laboratory in Phnom Penh for 2 years before taking on this job with GSC. The apartment is a spacious 2 bedroom unit with a wonderful balcony. I will be living here alone until another GSC volunteer arrives in August, which normally would terrify me, but private security guards monitor the street and there are residents above and below me.

Today, Monday, began my orientation week in Phnom Penh and was focused on Cambodian history, especially the Genocide. We first visited Tuol Sleng prison which was a secondary school converted into a prison during the Khmer Rouge regime. The classrooms had been converted into cells and torture chambers. We walked through the rooms that were covered in pictures of the victims, as well as actual photographs taken of the prison during its use. Anyone who is not familiar with the Cambodian Genocide of the 1970s should research it because it is really worth studying. Between 2-3 million Cambodians were killed during 4 years under Pol Pot. The devastation is being felt even today, and families are still grieving. Sophy’s parents both survived the Khmer Rouge, but her grandparents and all other family members were killed. We never learn about this in American schools, and while I understand there is a lot of world history to cover, I feel that this is too significant to skip over.

After visiting the prison, we traveled 15 km south of the city to the Choeung Ek killing fields where 20,000 prisoners from Tuol Sleng were taken to be killed in mass graves. Seeing this place was very disturbing and numbing. I won’t go into much detail, but the kinds of things that these people did are just beyond sick. Some of the leaders are just now being tried by the UN but no sentence will make up for their actions. In 1980 some of the mass graves were dug up to find and count remains. Over 8,000 bodies were uncovered before efforts ceased, though only about 60% of the graves were explored. A monument was constructed at the site to house the remains in 17 tiers. The bottom tiers that were visible to us featured countless skulls that left an unsettling feeling in my stomach.

When we were still at Tuol Sleng, Sophy pointed out a man to me who was sitting on a bench in the prison courtyard and shared with me his story. He was a prisoner at Tuol Sleng and was sent to the killing fields. Standing in front of the mass grave, a Khmer Rouge soldier hit him in the back of the head and knocked him unconscious into the grave below. He laid unconscious all day and the soldiers assumed he was dead, but during the night he came to. When he realized where he was he quietly looked around to find no guards present, got out of the grave and escaped to the forest where he hid until the regime was over. He is one of 7 people to survive Tuol Sleng and today sits quietly in the courtyard and reflects.

My first day orientation day in Cambodia was jarring, yes, but has already made me appreciate this culture so much. It’s been only 31 years since the Khmer Rouge lost power and in that short time, this country has come back to life. In 1979 there was no religion, no education, no economy, no electricity, no family networks, nothing. But here they are 31 years later, alive and thriving.

I found free Wi-Fi at a coffee shop down the street close to my apartment, but it’s starting to get dark so I better be getting home. I hope everyone has a great day, and thank you again to all who helped me get here :)

Welcome to my blog :)

From July 15- September 13, 2010 I will be traveling around the Phnom Penh area with Global Service Corps, an international volunteer agency based out of San Francisco, CA.

To embark on this amazing journey, I raised almost $8,000 from friends, family, local businesses, and fellow parishioners. I will try hard to update my blog as much as I can while away so that everyone who donated their time, money, and prayers to my cause will know exactly what their generosity is providing! Thank you soo much to everyone who made this possible for me :)