My apologies. Apparently someone is actually reading this and I've been chided for not updating, rightfully so. I've been rather pathetic about updating this trip, and have no real excuse except that Belgrade nightlife can keep you busy. So I'll update what I'm actually doing now, instead of detailing Belgrade since I'm not actually there. School ended and I took off that same evening to begin a short jaunt around the southern Balkans. Beginning in Montenegro, winding through Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Bulgaria before finally making my way back to Serbia. I'll only be traveling through these countries for about 2 weeks, not a long time.
I began in coastal Montenegro, where I traveled with a friend to her grandmothers home in Sutomore, a seaside town full of Serbian vacationers. I spent most of the 3 days fending off her aunt who spent the time trying to convince me to marry her son. We took a day trip to Kotor, a walled city north of Sutomore which reminds me of a mini Dubrovnik and spent the rest of the time lounging on the beach enjoying the sun.
From there, I caught the train to Bar, where my friend Brendan met me, and off we went to Albania. Well, getting into Albania was a little bit of a story. We arrived at Bar and had to find a bus to Ulcinj, and from there a bus to Tirana. Well the bus to Tirana was a daily 6am bus (this was about noon) and we were going to have to wait. Instead of waiting however, we caught a taxi to the border, where we were handed off to an Albanian taxi driver just before the border, (insert images of missing American students lost in the backwoods between Montenegro and Albania news stories here) and got a ride to the northern Albanian city of Shkoder. Caught a 12 seater mini bus called furgons to Tirana, and made it there exhausted and sweaty after a marathon of taxis, buses and furgons in 38 degree heat. We wandered around the capital in the evening, which is a brightly painted maze of commie condos and grandiose buildings, and crashed early to catch a morning ride to Berat.
Berat is a 500 year old Ottoman city preserve by the communist regime as a museum city set in the hills above a river in a spectaular setting. It was settled by the Romans and a fortress looms above the city. Its quite spectaular, but with no major museums or anything. Its white washed building and windowns look out over the valley and we wandered in and out of the mosques and streets over the afternoon. We watched the grapes grow and enjoyed the views from higher up. We intended to get a bus to Kosovo from Tirana that evening but missed the last bus by an hour and spent an extra night in Tirana where we went out to dinner with a friend of a friend. At an italian place, we were finishing up our dinner when a fight breaks out in the alley next to us (which is seperated only by an iron fence) with 2 groups of early 20 something kids. They are throwing punches as everyone in the restaurant terrance looks on, and suddenly someone shots a gun in the alley (apparently trying to break up the fight???) and sends them running. I hear that and head straight inside (and the only one who did which I find disturbing) and later find out that it was actually a cop who shot the gun. Thank god no one else decided that shooting was a good way to break up a fight. That could've sucked.
The next day we get up bright and early to catch a furgon to Northern Albania via a ferry ride that will take us to Kosovo. We find the furgon at 5am, climb abroad and hope for the best. Instead of taking the ferry route though, apparently the driver had an argument with the ferry driver and so now we are going overland. Then we get a flat tire. Then it gets fixed. Then the road has construction requires us to pull over and wait. Then we are told that our best chances for finding a ride to Kosovo is to get off in a diffrent town and ask around. Its all good. Eventually we make our way to this little town and get a cab with a guy who is also headed in the same direction. But the cab is down. Broken apparently, so we wait some more. Finally someone who is willing to give all of us a ride picks us up and hauls us to the Kosovo border, where for the first time that I can remember, was explicilty welcomed because I am an American.
To be continued....(out of internet time)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Belgrade
After nearly three weeks of travelling, I finally have regular access to the internet. I think that’s probably the longest its ever taken me. I’ll try and be quick about everything I’ve done so far and everything I am doing.
Officially I’m in Belgrade to study Serbian for six weeks, complete the second year intensive language course so that I torture myself with third year next year. Why Serbian (officially its Bosnia/Croatian/Serbian)? Well that’s a complicated question I’ll answer later. For now my short answer is that I have to. And I want to.
I got here on the 16th, although my luggage didn’t, and went directly to Vis once my luggage finally arrived. The family of a friend lives on the Croatian island of Vis and I enjoyed 4 days of sun filled swimming, eating and reading. It was a nice recovery to what has been a very packed year. It’s pretty idyllic: wake up, eat, walk to the sea, swim in sea, lie in the sun by the sea, lunch, nap, swim in the sea, lie by the sea, eat dinner, swim in the sea, sleep. I could get used to that. Since I came out about 10 days before my program started I had some time to kill and after 4 days I took off for the Bosnian city of Mostar, where previously I had only spent an afternoon wandering in between waiting for buses from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo. I stayed 4 days, had my ritual infestation of bedbugs which added to the collection of scars on my right arm, and spent a very pleasant time with a very interesting German who grew up in East Germany (and thus had very good stories). I’ll write more about Mostar later, as I want to get this somewhat caught up to what I’m doing now.
My class started on July 28th and I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out where to live in Belgrade. I arrived on the 27th, and stayed at a hostel for a week while I tried to follow every lead I had for housing. This ranged from a friend who is interning in Belgrade for the summer, to an rental agency, to a friend of a friend of a friend of two people who work at the hostel I stayed at. Believe or not, the one to actually come through (both of them) were actually the friend of a friend of a friend. So now I am moved into the swanky area of Vracar, renting a room in the home of a very sweet Serbian woman, along with a Ducthman from Rotterdam. It’s about a 10min bus ride to the center, or a 25 min walk. I have class in the morning until 1pm and then am completely free, which actually makes it a little dull in the afternoons. If it weren’t so hot, I would be happy to spend my afternoons wandering but with the heat, I’ll turn into a puddle. So I think I may begin volunteering with the American Corner, where people can go to practice their English and have a conversation partner. I’ll head over tomorrow to take a look. Hopefully it will cool down soon and I can spend more time outside. Last night it was so warm I couldn’t even sleep it was so warm and humid.
I’ve rented the room for two months, though I’m leaving Sept 5ish to travel in the area and will fly to Paris on the 24th. That way I can leave some things here. Hopefully a friend will be joining me, he was with me here in 2005. I plan to head back to Bulgaria, and then on to Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. On the weekends I’ll be going to Budapest, Vienna and Ljubljana. Maybe I’ll go to Greece, who knows. My passport is full and I have to go to the embassy to get new pages as I still have 4 years left on it.
Now that I have internet access (I’m borrowing Peter’s computer, he’s the Dutchman) I’ll be able to update more regularly. I’ll update again soon.
Officially I’m in Belgrade to study Serbian for six weeks, complete the second year intensive language course so that I torture myself with third year next year. Why Serbian (officially its Bosnia/Croatian/Serbian)? Well that’s a complicated question I’ll answer later. For now my short answer is that I have to. And I want to.
I got here on the 16th, although my luggage didn’t, and went directly to Vis once my luggage finally arrived. The family of a friend lives on the Croatian island of Vis and I enjoyed 4 days of sun filled swimming, eating and reading. It was a nice recovery to what has been a very packed year. It’s pretty idyllic: wake up, eat, walk to the sea, swim in sea, lie in the sun by the sea, lunch, nap, swim in the sea, lie by the sea, eat dinner, swim in the sea, sleep. I could get used to that. Since I came out about 10 days before my program started I had some time to kill and after 4 days I took off for the Bosnian city of Mostar, where previously I had only spent an afternoon wandering in between waiting for buses from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo. I stayed 4 days, had my ritual infestation of bedbugs which added to the collection of scars on my right arm, and spent a very pleasant time with a very interesting German who grew up in East Germany (and thus had very good stories). I’ll write more about Mostar later, as I want to get this somewhat caught up to what I’m doing now.
My class started on July 28th and I’ve spent the last week trying to figure out where to live in Belgrade. I arrived on the 27th, and stayed at a hostel for a week while I tried to follow every lead I had for housing. This ranged from a friend who is interning in Belgrade for the summer, to an rental agency, to a friend of a friend of a friend of two people who work at the hostel I stayed at. Believe or not, the one to actually come through (both of them) were actually the friend of a friend of a friend. So now I am moved into the swanky area of Vracar, renting a room in the home of a very sweet Serbian woman, along with a Ducthman from Rotterdam. It’s about a 10min bus ride to the center, or a 25 min walk. I have class in the morning until 1pm and then am completely free, which actually makes it a little dull in the afternoons. If it weren’t so hot, I would be happy to spend my afternoons wandering but with the heat, I’ll turn into a puddle. So I think I may begin volunteering with the American Corner, where people can go to practice their English and have a conversation partner. I’ll head over tomorrow to take a look. Hopefully it will cool down soon and I can spend more time outside. Last night it was so warm I couldn’t even sleep it was so warm and humid.
I’ve rented the room for two months, though I’m leaving Sept 5ish to travel in the area and will fly to Paris on the 24th. That way I can leave some things here. Hopefully a friend will be joining me, he was with me here in 2005. I plan to head back to Bulgaria, and then on to Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. On the weekends I’ll be going to Budapest, Vienna and Ljubljana. Maybe I’ll go to Greece, who knows. My passport is full and I have to go to the embassy to get new pages as I still have 4 years left on it.
Now that I have internet access (I’m borrowing Peter’s computer, he’s the Dutchman) I’ll be able to update more regularly. I’ll update again soon.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Seoul
Hello again from Seoul!
I spent a very cold day in Seoul with a friend, after a red eye from Bangkok and now am only about 10 hrs from home! Yay! Not much to report expect that I think I flew the scariest aircraft ever from Siem Reap. It was suppose to be a Bangkok Air flight, and it was, but in a Royal Bhutan Air Jet circa 1950. Seriously the smallest plane I've ever seen in my life, held only about 40 people and probably held together more by it carpet than anything else.
Ok here we go again. I hate long flights over oceans. See you all soon!
I spent a very cold day in Seoul with a friend, after a red eye from Bangkok and now am only about 10 hrs from home! Yay! Not much to report expect that I think I flew the scariest aircraft ever from Siem Reap. It was suppose to be a Bangkok Air flight, and it was, but in a Royal Bhutan Air Jet circa 1950. Seriously the smallest plane I've ever seen in my life, held only about 40 people and probably held together more by it carpet than anything else.
Ok here we go again. I hate long flights over oceans. See you all soon!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Culture Shock
So I've been trying to update from Siem Reap but the internet connection was horrible so I'm doing it from the airport as I'm waiting for my flight to Bangkok.
Siem Reap is a horrid little town, full of obnoxious Western tourists and not worth the time for the lack of charm it has. I've experienced a MAJOR culture shock coming from my lovely little Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. What happened to the beautiful Cambodia I've come to know and love?? Tourists, that's what.
I missed Sothear (guy that works at the desk), the moto drivers outside the guesthouse, the incredibly refreshing lack of tourists, the huge NGO community. Phnom Penh has nice people in it too, whereas Siem Reap is becoming so used to tourists that people are rude and aggressive. Both Cambodians and the tourists. While Phnom Penh is full of people working to change their society, Siem Reap is full of gargantuan sized blondies (deutch ja?) and aggressive little Japanese that try jocking for a place at the top of Angkor Wat and in process send people spiralling down three flights of ancient stairs. (Ok, no that didn't happen but it could've!) In short, I am rather disgusted by it.
Ok enough bitching about Siem Reap, its an ugly little tourist town that offers none of the charms that Phnom Penh has. So why have we come here? Simple, the temples. And despite all the trappings of this town, the temples are amazing.
We saw Angkor Wat at sunrise, along with nearly another 1000 other people, but it was amazing. These structures are impressive, and are about a thousand years old. They are incredibly well preserved, and the extensive restoration process has, if you'll allow a little mellow drama, brought out all their glory. The complex is huge, in fact its thought to be the largest religious building in the world. Climbing to the top of the structure, you can see all of the flat, open land out in front of you and the temples beyond it. I'll have to post pictures when I get home as its a difficult place to describe.
We visited all the major temples, Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Phrom, and various smaller unique temples a ways out of the main complex area. Its like an adults Disneyland. Climbing, exploring, simply put, gazing in awe at everything around you. The bas reliefs cover nearly every temple, all telling the particular story of whatever king built it in addition to religious stories and histories. Ta Phrom is undoubtedly one of my favorites (Tomb Raider temple). They have not completely resorted it and allowed the gigantic trees that have covered it to remain and so you see tentacles of roots everywhere, covering the structure in the most picturesque ways. In fact, its so amazing that this morning we returned since yesterday we had bad lighting.
So Siem Reap is worth it for the temples. I'll be posting photos when I get home, so stay tuned. (If anyone is actually reading this :-) )
I'm leaving for Bangkok and from there I have a red eye to Seoul. I'm super excited as I'm meeting up with my friend's husband and her friend and hanging out with them. Unfortunately I she has to work but it will be good to have someone to hang out with while I'm in Seoul. What I'm not looking forward to is the temperature. I'm going from consistent 90F to about 30F. Damn, that's going to suck.
Cambodia is amazing but I doubt I'll actually process everything I've seen here until I spend sometime at home. Its certainly inspired me and I think may push me in a direction I never thought I would go, law, but we will see what happens. I already have a list of the organizations I'd like to work with someday. Its a start. I have a lot to think about on the way home.
I'll post from home with pictures!
Siem Reap is a horrid little town, full of obnoxious Western tourists and not worth the time for the lack of charm it has. I've experienced a MAJOR culture shock coming from my lovely little Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. What happened to the beautiful Cambodia I've come to know and love?? Tourists, that's what.
I missed Sothear (guy that works at the desk), the moto drivers outside the guesthouse, the incredibly refreshing lack of tourists, the huge NGO community. Phnom Penh has nice people in it too, whereas Siem Reap is becoming so used to tourists that people are rude and aggressive. Both Cambodians and the tourists. While Phnom Penh is full of people working to change their society, Siem Reap is full of gargantuan sized blondies (deutch ja?) and aggressive little Japanese that try jocking for a place at the top of Angkor Wat and in process send people spiralling down three flights of ancient stairs. (Ok, no that didn't happen but it could've!) In short, I am rather disgusted by it.
Ok enough bitching about Siem Reap, its an ugly little tourist town that offers none of the charms that Phnom Penh has. So why have we come here? Simple, the temples. And despite all the trappings of this town, the temples are amazing.
We saw Angkor Wat at sunrise, along with nearly another 1000 other people, but it was amazing. These structures are impressive, and are about a thousand years old. They are incredibly well preserved, and the extensive restoration process has, if you'll allow a little mellow drama, brought out all their glory. The complex is huge, in fact its thought to be the largest religious building in the world. Climbing to the top of the structure, you can see all of the flat, open land out in front of you and the temples beyond it. I'll have to post pictures when I get home as its a difficult place to describe.
We visited all the major temples, Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Phrom, and various smaller unique temples a ways out of the main complex area. Its like an adults Disneyland. Climbing, exploring, simply put, gazing in awe at everything around you. The bas reliefs cover nearly every temple, all telling the particular story of whatever king built it in addition to religious stories and histories. Ta Phrom is undoubtedly one of my favorites (Tomb Raider temple). They have not completely resorted it and allowed the gigantic trees that have covered it to remain and so you see tentacles of roots everywhere, covering the structure in the most picturesque ways. In fact, its so amazing that this morning we returned since yesterday we had bad lighting.
So Siem Reap is worth it for the temples. I'll be posting photos when I get home, so stay tuned. (If anyone is actually reading this :-) )
I'm leaving for Bangkok and from there I have a red eye to Seoul. I'm super excited as I'm meeting up with my friend's husband and her friend and hanging out with them. Unfortunately I she has to work but it will be good to have someone to hang out with while I'm in Seoul. What I'm not looking forward to is the temperature. I'm going from consistent 90F to about 30F. Damn, that's going to suck.
Cambodia is amazing but I doubt I'll actually process everything I've seen here until I spend sometime at home. Its certainly inspired me and I think may push me in a direction I never thought I would go, law, but we will see what happens. I already have a list of the organizations I'd like to work with someday. Its a start. I have a lot to think about on the way home.
I'll post from home with pictures!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Good-bye Phnom Penh
We leave Phnom Penh tomorrow, head up the river to Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat is, and spend our final days as a group playing tourists. A welcome change.
Traveling with a group is always challenging but this one is the most challenging yet. There is a clear clash of personalities and I'm actually looking forward to be on my way home (that never happens, though I guess if I knew I had time to travel on my own I wouldn't be so excited). Unfortunately its gotten in the way for some people, but groups are groups. They can suck sometimes. Which is why I try and avoid them as a general rule.
Cambodia has been amazing though, it has the best and the worst of the world and I have to say the scales tip towards the worst. The social problems, corruption, health concerns, and the unwillingness to deal with the incredibly powerful legacy of the KR. Its so much to process in fact, that I'll have to deal with it at home. There's just too much in a day here, meetings in the mornings, after lunch, until 6pm. You meet so many incredibly amazing, inspiring people dealing with such difficult issues in an even more difficult settings, its so inspiring but so overwhelming.
I'm really a fan of Phnom Penh, though I don't know if I could be here more than a few months at a time. I'd like to come and volunteer for a while, I have a running list of organizations and there are two here that I'm particularly interested in, DC-Cam and Cambodia Center for Human Rights.
Ok I'm tired but will update from Siem Reap. Today was a very long day and I still have to finish some homework and pack. We met with some returnees and it was incredibly depressing but I'll write about that another day.
We leave tomorrow at 6am on a boat and head up river for a few hours. I really hope that we don't get stuck in the mud.
Traveling with a group is always challenging but this one is the most challenging yet. There is a clear clash of personalities and I'm actually looking forward to be on my way home (that never happens, though I guess if I knew I had time to travel on my own I wouldn't be so excited). Unfortunately its gotten in the way for some people, but groups are groups. They can suck sometimes. Which is why I try and avoid them as a general rule.
Cambodia has been amazing though, it has the best and the worst of the world and I have to say the scales tip towards the worst. The social problems, corruption, health concerns, and the unwillingness to deal with the incredibly powerful legacy of the KR. Its so much to process in fact, that I'll have to deal with it at home. There's just too much in a day here, meetings in the mornings, after lunch, until 6pm. You meet so many incredibly amazing, inspiring people dealing with such difficult issues in an even more difficult settings, its so inspiring but so overwhelming.
I'm really a fan of Phnom Penh, though I don't know if I could be here more than a few months at a time. I'd like to come and volunteer for a while, I have a running list of organizations and there are two here that I'm particularly interested in, DC-Cam and Cambodia Center for Human Rights.
Ok I'm tired but will update from Siem Reap. Today was a very long day and I still have to finish some homework and pack. We met with some returnees and it was incredibly depressing but I'll write about that another day.
We leave tomorrow at 6am on a boat and head up river for a few hours. I really hope that we don't get stuck in the mud.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Hell on Earth
Two days ago we went to the dump.
Its about 20min out from where we are, which is in the center of Phnom Penh.
A lay missionary from Japan, Yuki, gave us a tour since she works there distributing medicines and helps run the schools they have begun. The houses are worse then most of the slum houses I have seen before. Most I have seen in the past are made of tin and cardboard, these are made of mats and straw and tarps. There is no water, electricity, or plumbing. There is no sewage system, so you can use your imagination as to the sanitary state of the place. Water has to be bought, $1 for water in a place where they survive by scavenging the dump for recyclables, the average daily income doesn't even reach a dollar here.
The schools the missionaries have set up here try and reintegrate the children in to the general public school system. Having no source for education, they are even more behind in their schooling than usual, and these schools hope to bring them up to par. Considering that schools are distant and that they are also needed at home, who knows if they will be reintegrated into the system. The children are amazing and beautiful, hilarious with their pranks and they love to flirt with the camera. (I really have to figure out how to post pictures.) Diseases run rampant, TB, lice, skin diseases, and of course the ever present HIV/AIDS virus. While there, Yuki handed out medicine to a TB patient who was lying in one of the straw huts, and smearing the children with an antibiotic ointment on their multiple cuts and bruises.
The dump itself. Well you walk behind the ramshackle huts and encounter a wall of trash. No kidding, a wall. About 30-45 feet high. You walk, over the trash, to the main dumping area, and its something out of a sci-fi movie. They burn most of the trash, and so smoke is burning your eyes with a wind that's blowing ash and god knows what else into your eyes and mouth (I have found another use for Buffs, they make an excellent mask) and you can’t really see as everything is hazy. People are everywhere, collecting a shifting through trash to make a living. There are makeshift houses there too, on top of the trash itself. They look like aliens, covered head to toe in rags, shifting through bags of clothing, rotting food, plastics, everything you could imagine. It really is hell on earth. Burning fumes, the repulsive smell, the haze obscuring your vision. As the dump truck comes, people clamor over themselves to be the first to look through the heap. Everyone is there, children, men, and women. The kids play, riding their bicycles through the area, reminding you that children will be children anywhere.
It’s a horrible life, but it’s also a living so who am I to judge?
It’s hard to put into words what the dump is like. It stressed our whole group out. It made me angry; at myself, at our country, at the Cambodian government. I have trouble processing why I was born into a healthy, safe and supportive community and the people here were not. This place really does defy any sort of logic, any idea of justice. How does one decide who is deserving and who is not and who is it that makes those decisions anyways (If anyone)??? Screwed sense of humor I tell you.
Cambodia is full of these questions. And I’m not sure if there is an answer to why these children are going to spend their lives rummaging through trash and living with diseases while other aren't. Fate? Coincidence? Dumb luck? I guess it depends on your spiritual beliefs and since I don’t really have any, I’m in a bit of a hole here. How do you explain injustice when it’s a matter of circumstance? Blame the government, blame the policy, blame the international system that keeps people in a state of poverty and despair. Do you blame the drug companies that can but won’t provide treatment? Do you blame anyone at all?
An interesting example of this is the Little Sprouts program. Yesterday we visited the program, a Maryknoll program to house orphaned children with HIV/AIDS. This is the program I mentioned at the beginning of my journal, where I met with Kevin the first day I was here. The children were amazing, they look so healthy, chubby even and incredibly energetic. We played with them for about 2 hrs, running and playing with bubbles and it’s hard to believe these children are dying. Most were infected through their mother, and they are tiny for their age. A 5 year old looks like a 3 year old. The funding for their HIV/AIDS treatment comes primarily from the Clinton foundation, along with a host of other organizations. The catch is that they will only provide them until they are 18, and then we shall see what happens. Since the children before never got into their teens, it will be a challenge for organizations to raise and support HIV positive young adults and find work for them in a country where only 10% of university graduates are able to find a job.
Some drug companies use groups like this to test their new drugs, the company getting free testers and the patient’s free medical “care.” I have serious questions about ethics here; a little too guinea piggish here. They do that with sex workers, some of whom we have met and they report that although the companies provide drugs, they give no medical support beyond that nor inform patients of possible side or long term effects.
Ok enough of the depressing stories.
Still having an amazing time, Cambodia is both enchanting and a real bitter taste of the world and all its baggage. But I love it here :-)
Its about 20min out from where we are, which is in the center of Phnom Penh.
A lay missionary from Japan, Yuki, gave us a tour since she works there distributing medicines and helps run the schools they have begun. The houses are worse then most of the slum houses I have seen before. Most I have seen in the past are made of tin and cardboard, these are made of mats and straw and tarps. There is no water, electricity, or plumbing. There is no sewage system, so you can use your imagination as to the sanitary state of the place. Water has to be bought, $1 for water in a place where they survive by scavenging the dump for recyclables, the average daily income doesn't even reach a dollar here.
The schools the missionaries have set up here try and reintegrate the children in to the general public school system. Having no source for education, they are even more behind in their schooling than usual, and these schools hope to bring them up to par. Considering that schools are distant and that they are also needed at home, who knows if they will be reintegrated into the system. The children are amazing and beautiful, hilarious with their pranks and they love to flirt with the camera. (I really have to figure out how to post pictures.) Diseases run rampant, TB, lice, skin diseases, and of course the ever present HIV/AIDS virus. While there, Yuki handed out medicine to a TB patient who was lying in one of the straw huts, and smearing the children with an antibiotic ointment on their multiple cuts and bruises.
The dump itself. Well you walk behind the ramshackle huts and encounter a wall of trash. No kidding, a wall. About 30-45 feet high. You walk, over the trash, to the main dumping area, and its something out of a sci-fi movie. They burn most of the trash, and so smoke is burning your eyes with a wind that's blowing ash and god knows what else into your eyes and mouth (I have found another use for Buffs, they make an excellent mask) and you can’t really see as everything is hazy. People are everywhere, collecting a shifting through trash to make a living. There are makeshift houses there too, on top of the trash itself. They look like aliens, covered head to toe in rags, shifting through bags of clothing, rotting food, plastics, everything you could imagine. It really is hell on earth. Burning fumes, the repulsive smell, the haze obscuring your vision. As the dump truck comes, people clamor over themselves to be the first to look through the heap. Everyone is there, children, men, and women. The kids play, riding their bicycles through the area, reminding you that children will be children anywhere.
It’s a horrible life, but it’s also a living so who am I to judge?
It’s hard to put into words what the dump is like. It stressed our whole group out. It made me angry; at myself, at our country, at the Cambodian government. I have trouble processing why I was born into a healthy, safe and supportive community and the people here were not. This place really does defy any sort of logic, any idea of justice. How does one decide who is deserving and who is not and who is it that makes those decisions anyways (If anyone)??? Screwed sense of humor I tell you.
Cambodia is full of these questions. And I’m not sure if there is an answer to why these children are going to spend their lives rummaging through trash and living with diseases while other aren't. Fate? Coincidence? Dumb luck? I guess it depends on your spiritual beliefs and since I don’t really have any, I’m in a bit of a hole here. How do you explain injustice when it’s a matter of circumstance? Blame the government, blame the policy, blame the international system that keeps people in a state of poverty and despair. Do you blame the drug companies that can but won’t provide treatment? Do you blame anyone at all?
An interesting example of this is the Little Sprouts program. Yesterday we visited the program, a Maryknoll program to house orphaned children with HIV/AIDS. This is the program I mentioned at the beginning of my journal, where I met with Kevin the first day I was here. The children were amazing, they look so healthy, chubby even and incredibly energetic. We played with them for about 2 hrs, running and playing with bubbles and it’s hard to believe these children are dying. Most were infected through their mother, and they are tiny for their age. A 5 year old looks like a 3 year old. The funding for their HIV/AIDS treatment comes primarily from the Clinton foundation, along with a host of other organizations. The catch is that they will only provide them until they are 18, and then we shall see what happens. Since the children before never got into their teens, it will be a challenge for organizations to raise and support HIV positive young adults and find work for them in a country where only 10% of university graduates are able to find a job.
Some drug companies use groups like this to test their new drugs, the company getting free testers and the patient’s free medical “care.” I have serious questions about ethics here; a little too guinea piggish here. They do that with sex workers, some of whom we have met and they report that although the companies provide drugs, they give no medical support beyond that nor inform patients of possible side or long term effects.
Ok enough of the depressing stories.
Still having an amazing time, Cambodia is both enchanting and a real bitter taste of the world and all its baggage. But I love it here :-)
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Day 12
Time moves fast in Cambodia and have lots to say and little time to say it.
The first week here went by so quickly, as our professor had us on a heavy schedule from 8am-5pm everyday, but I'll touch on some of the things we did.
After visiting the Killing Fields, we moved onto Toul Sleng, the former high school turned prison, where 20,000 people were tortured for confessions and sometimes beaten to death. Its a lot like going to Dachau, the photos staring out at you. It was extremely creepy to see that, I felt eyes running up and down me as I walked through those rooms and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
So that was our introduction to Cambodia and it was incredibly depressing.
Moving on to issues facing civil society today, our second day was fascinating. We started at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, DC Cam, an organization working to preserve the history of the Khmer Rouge era through interviews, films and confessions. The work they do there is amazing, gathering testimony from people from all areas of the country, victims and perpetrators alike. Some of the testimony collected will be used in the upcoming Tribunal (the ECCC) and for educational purposes. Its difficult to believe, but many of Cambodia's younger generation doubt the existence of the genocide. There is no curriculum in school addressing the Khmer Rouge era, and so children grow up hearing the stories of their parents but they don't believe them. This is a huge issue facing Cambodia as it tries to have an open discussion about the genocide with the upcoming trials. DC Cam is working to develop a curriculum on how Khmer did in fact kill other Khmer and to preserve the history of the genocide. They have begun outreaching with education field trips to places like the killing fields and Toul Sleng, but many people in Cambodia still live in rural areas and so access is not what it could be. DC Cam also does a bit of film, and we watched a film documenting the history of a woman who was raped and escaped. Very few of the survivors are rape victims as rapes usually occurred right before the executions and very few survived.
Following that we went to the Extraordinary Chambers of the Court of Cambodia, (ECCC) which is the UN back tribunal set to begin in June 2007. Trying the top 7 remaining members of the Khmer Rouge (KR) era, this court hopes to provide some sort of justice and closure for Cambodia and its KR history. The difficulty will be the active engagement of the Cambodian people. Centered in Phnom Penh, the trials are far removed from most of the population and due to difficult communication links of radio and TV, not everyone will have access to the court proceedings as they happen. We met with Marcel Lemonde (I think that was his last name) the international co-investigating judge who ran down for us the aims of the tribunal and the hope that it will provide a sense of closure and justice for the Cambodian people.
One of the most interesting meetings we had last week was with Women's Agenda for Change, a rather radical group of feminists working with garment and sex workers to address the rising HIV /AIDS rates, pay scales, abuse and security. Sex work in Cambodia is not illegal, nor is it really legal. Sex work is also usually the last resort, most women came from rural area to find work, and after stints in other industries are forced to work in the sex industry. The women we spoke with talked about the difficult working conditions, with unsanitary houses and neighborhoods, a lack of security due to gang violence and police harassment. A Cambodian sex worker can make from 3000-5000 riels per customer, that's about $0.75-$1.25. Condoms are expensive, about 5000 riels for a packet, and although many organizations work to provide them free to sex workers, the outreach is limited and not always accessible to everyone. They used to be a bit easier to get, but with the incoming Bush administration in 2001, the "God policy"was instituted and now USAID will no longer fund organizations that work to promote condom use education because its pushing an abstinence line.
Garment workers face similar issues though can have a better time depending on the factory they work with. We met with a group of 25 women, and one man, at a safe drop in house run by Women's Agenda for Change. If their factories knew they had gone to talk to us, they would have been fired, but come they did. They said that if even someone would hear the it was worth it. Conditions vary, but for the most part they reported dismal conditions. Unsanitary working spaces, not getting their pay, difficulty living off their wages, harassment by police when walking come late at night, health issues from working at the factory, all of these were issues that came up. It was a moving experience, made very difficult because they kept wanting to know what we were going to do to change this. I felt like an ass really, I had nothing to say to them except watch where we buy our clothes from but that seemed like such a pitiful answer after their incredibly moving stories.
The safe house was in the area where garment workers live, and sewage littered the place. During our discussion, sulphur kept drifting up my nostrils, it was nauseating. Most people keep an outdoor stove over a fire. We also visited a factory, one of the best of course. It was really nice actually. Sanitary, a childcare center, and a well stocked medical facility. I have photos to post that will show what it really looks like.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the rather blatant and disgusting prevalence of pedophilia. You see fat, disgusting western men with children, encouraging them to rub their feet, they buy them drinks, and are overly affectionate with them in a way that's just repulsive. Unfortunately, Cambodia has a serious problem with underage brothels. We were at the beach Sunday and men were surrounded by children, the children massaging them and sitting on their laps. Ugh.
There are some great legacies of colonialism, such as baguettes in the mornings and pastry shops and bakeries. I think I am finally getting used to the heat, as last night I actually got cold and turned off the AC. Its dropped from the low 90s to the mid 80s and the days actually feel quite comfortable. I also had a run in with a moto yesterday. All I heard was a loud THWACK and there I was, left in the middle of the street in a bit of a daze. The guy razed my left side and I have a neat bruise on my arm. :-)
I'm looking forward to tomorrow as we are going to the dump. :-D
Night!
The first week here went by so quickly, as our professor had us on a heavy schedule from 8am-5pm everyday, but I'll touch on some of the things we did.
After visiting the Killing Fields, we moved onto Toul Sleng, the former high school turned prison, where 20,000 people were tortured for confessions and sometimes beaten to death. Its a lot like going to Dachau, the photos staring out at you. It was extremely creepy to see that, I felt eyes running up and down me as I walked through those rooms and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
So that was our introduction to Cambodia and it was incredibly depressing.
Moving on to issues facing civil society today, our second day was fascinating. We started at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, DC Cam, an organization working to preserve the history of the Khmer Rouge era through interviews, films and confessions. The work they do there is amazing, gathering testimony from people from all areas of the country, victims and perpetrators alike. Some of the testimony collected will be used in the upcoming Tribunal (the ECCC) and for educational purposes. Its difficult to believe, but many of Cambodia's younger generation doubt the existence of the genocide. There is no curriculum in school addressing the Khmer Rouge era, and so children grow up hearing the stories of their parents but they don't believe them. This is a huge issue facing Cambodia as it tries to have an open discussion about the genocide with the upcoming trials. DC Cam is working to develop a curriculum on how Khmer did in fact kill other Khmer and to preserve the history of the genocide. They have begun outreaching with education field trips to places like the killing fields and Toul Sleng, but many people in Cambodia still live in rural areas and so access is not what it could be. DC Cam also does a bit of film, and we watched a film documenting the history of a woman who was raped and escaped. Very few of the survivors are rape victims as rapes usually occurred right before the executions and very few survived.
Following that we went to the Extraordinary Chambers of the Court of Cambodia, (ECCC) which is the UN back tribunal set to begin in June 2007. Trying the top 7 remaining members of the Khmer Rouge (KR) era, this court hopes to provide some sort of justice and closure for Cambodia and its KR history. The difficulty will be the active engagement of the Cambodian people. Centered in Phnom Penh, the trials are far removed from most of the population and due to difficult communication links of radio and TV, not everyone will have access to the court proceedings as they happen. We met with Marcel Lemonde (I think that was his last name) the international co-investigating judge who ran down for us the aims of the tribunal and the hope that it will provide a sense of closure and justice for the Cambodian people.
One of the most interesting meetings we had last week was with Women's Agenda for Change, a rather radical group of feminists working with garment and sex workers to address the rising HIV /AIDS rates, pay scales, abuse and security. Sex work in Cambodia is not illegal, nor is it really legal. Sex work is also usually the last resort, most women came from rural area to find work, and after stints in other industries are forced to work in the sex industry. The women we spoke with talked about the difficult working conditions, with unsanitary houses and neighborhoods, a lack of security due to gang violence and police harassment. A Cambodian sex worker can make from 3000-5000 riels per customer, that's about $0.75-$1.25. Condoms are expensive, about 5000 riels for a packet, and although many organizations work to provide them free to sex workers, the outreach is limited and not always accessible to everyone. They used to be a bit easier to get, but with the incoming Bush administration in 2001, the "God policy"was instituted and now USAID will no longer fund organizations that work to promote condom use education because its pushing an abstinence line.
Garment workers face similar issues though can have a better time depending on the factory they work with. We met with a group of 25 women, and one man, at a safe drop in house run by Women's Agenda for Change. If their factories knew they had gone to talk to us, they would have been fired, but come they did. They said that if even someone would hear the it was worth it. Conditions vary, but for the most part they reported dismal conditions. Unsanitary working spaces, not getting their pay, difficulty living off their wages, harassment by police when walking come late at night, health issues from working at the factory, all of these were issues that came up. It was a moving experience, made very difficult because they kept wanting to know what we were going to do to change this. I felt like an ass really, I had nothing to say to them except watch where we buy our clothes from but that seemed like such a pitiful answer after their incredibly moving stories.
The safe house was in the area where garment workers live, and sewage littered the place. During our discussion, sulphur kept drifting up my nostrils, it was nauseating. Most people keep an outdoor stove over a fire. We also visited a factory, one of the best of course. It was really nice actually. Sanitary, a childcare center, and a well stocked medical facility. I have photos to post that will show what it really looks like.
Another thing I'd like to mention is the rather blatant and disgusting prevalence of pedophilia. You see fat, disgusting western men with children, encouraging them to rub their feet, they buy them drinks, and are overly affectionate with them in a way that's just repulsive. Unfortunately, Cambodia has a serious problem with underage brothels. We were at the beach Sunday and men were surrounded by children, the children massaging them and sitting on their laps. Ugh.
There are some great legacies of colonialism, such as baguettes in the mornings and pastry shops and bakeries. I think I am finally getting used to the heat, as last night I actually got cold and turned off the AC. Its dropped from the low 90s to the mid 80s and the days actually feel quite comfortable. I also had a run in with a moto yesterday. All I heard was a loud THWACK and there I was, left in the middle of the street in a bit of a daze. The guy razed my left side and I have a neat bruise on my arm. :-)
I'm looking forward to tomorrow as we are going to the dump. :-D
Night!
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