A Tale of Two Communities

On the Koh Rumdual Island (a river island) in the Kandal Province there are two extremely different communities that exist, side-by-side, along the banks of the river. This island has a gruesome history, having been a former Killing Field location of the Khmer Rouge. Today, 29 October 2013, I had the privilege of visiting these two communities with Side-by-Side International’s Dr. Rany, Mang Da (SBSI nurse), and with the Kitihara Clinic’s physical therapist, Yoshi, and nurse, Asuka. We traveled by moto and tuk tuk for about 30 kilometers to the province, which is located to the South of Phnom Penh. Outside of Phnom Penh the roads became very bumpy and the visible poverty became more intense. I saw a boy working at one of the roadside stores, he was hobbling under the weight of his load and so I looked more closely because it didn’t appear to be a load of significant size. That is when I noticed that protruding from below the hem of his shorts this boy had two wooden legs. I felt a twinge of shame when I recalled how many times in recent years I have wished to be able to run again, but the pain from the arthritis in my hips has stopped me from doing so. I really have nothing to complain about.

Yoshi and Asuka in the tuk tuk

Riding in the tuk tuk we approached a small town and although it is a national holiday today there were children in the school there. I saw two young boys (probably about 8 years old). One was riding a moto and his friend was riding a bike (“cong” in Khmer), but the boy on the bike had his right arm extended and he was gripping onto the seat bar of the moto, being towed along to school. There were chickens, dogs, and even cows roaming free along the side of the road. As we left the town and neared the province I saw massive fields, but they were flooded. The water damage from flooding this year has been particularly damaging. We stopped the tuk tuk by a roadside fruit stand to wait for the Side-by-Side staff who were traveling by moto. Next to the fruit stand there stood a tall tree next to a Lilly pond and hanging from both sides of the tree were wooden seated swings. As we perused the fruit stand three young children, two boys and a girl, appeared. I smiled at them and motioned toward the swings. The girl began to climb into the swing and the other (perhaps he was her older brother) then got into the other swing, while the youngest child, who was naked, just watched. Their joy was priceless.

Flooded field

 

The moto with Side-by-Side staff arrived and we continued the journey. Just five minutes down the road we pulled over by the side of a river where we got onto a boat to cross the river. I write “onto” the boat, not “into” the boat because it was really more like a raft – consisting of two wooden canoes attached together by a wooden platform that laid across the top of the canoes. Rudders were attached to the sterns of each of the canoes and these are connected together by a cross bar that the pilot steered with his right foot, while also controlling a long-shaft outboard motor that he started with a hand crank. There was a fairly swift current in the river and I was impressed by our pilot’s steering ability.

The boat

 As we approached the island Dr. Rany pointed out the distinctions between the two island communities. When looking at the communities from the water, the community on the right side appears to be very clean, with lush fields, and nice homes. But the community on the left side has mostly barren fields and poor housing. We pulled the boat up next to the Side-by-Side Cambodia School. The school was out today because of it being a national holiday, but families stilled dropped by and there was a pile of 8 car and moto batteries outside of one of the classroom doors. (These batteries are probably used to provide electricity in the homes and not for transportation.) Dr. Rany explained that the families bring their batteries to the school to be recharged. The residents are only charged a small fee to have the batteries recharged and the proceeds help out the school. The school has solar panels on the roof, which generates the battery charging. Dr. Rany and Mang Da were at the island today to give the residents the results of their blood draws. Last week 50 island residents had blood drawn and tested for Hepatitis B and C. 

 



The entrance to Side-by-Side School from the river

We spent a couple of hours walking from one community to the other and speaking with some of the residents. On the right side all of the residents take great care to clean up the clutter that daily builds around their homes. There are no heaps of garbage. There are clean, safe fields for the children to play in. The children are healthy and happy. On the right side of the river there are healthy, productive fruit trees and vegetable crops that supply food for the families and the food that they do not eat themselves is sold for profit at the market. The people who live on the right side of the river also have learned how to rotate their crops so that they have a continual harvest throughout the year. This year when the floods overtook their pea stands they actually figured out how to use the flooding to significantly increase their netting of fish. Because the people on the right side embrace innovations like these they not only have a constant supply of healthy foods to feed themselves, but they also have increased profit from the sale of their harvest at the market. Their gardens and fields would be the envy of many. Today we saw: mango, pineapple, papaya, banana, lime, peas, and lettuce. The parents who live on the right side also value their health and their children’s health. They take their children to the medical clinic for regular check-ups and they also know how to provide basic health self-care (basic diagnosis and treatments). Their children are learning and growing in ways that will give them great opportunities to be successful adults.

The School

 

Yoshi, Asuka, Dr. Rany

Harvesting on the right side

Pea stands

A home on the right side





The left side community is quite a different story. The left and right side communities are separated by only a field and fence; and guarded by three aggressive geese. The fields on the left side are just as big as on the right side, but the left side fields are mostly barren. The homes on the left side of the river are in ill-repair, many lacking roofs and side walls. There are no safe, clean areas where the children may play and so they play either in the road, under their homes, or amidst the piles of garbage. We saw a group of 6 very young children all huddled together under their home and we walked over to speak with them. There were no adults anywhere within sight or sound of these children. The children are not healthy because the parents do not value health, do not take the children to the clinic for check-ups or for care when something appears to be wrong with their health; and the parents do not know how to provide good health self-care. Most of the men on the left side of the river do not work, choosing instead to gather together and drink, and to stay up late playing card games. These families live from day-to-day on the handouts that they can get from NGO’s and others who may give them enough rice for a week or a day. But they have no gardens and their crops, the few that they have, are not rotated and so they only produce a fraction of what they have the potential to produce. On the left side the parcels of property are owned either by the church or by the State, whereas on the right side, many of the residents own their own property.   


Home on the left side

Children playing on the left side - no adult in sight

There is no reason why the left side community cannot live like their neighbor community to the right. No one is telling the left side that they must live that way. The same resources are available to both sides of the river. It really is a matter of the mind, of the will, of changing values and actions. Side-by-Side International (a Japanese NGO) and Graphis (a Japanese Student Organization) are partnering to make a difference – to help bring about transformation of the unhealthy community to live like their healthy neighbor community. To create one healthy city by the river.

As I write this I realize how personal this vision of “one healthy city by the river” is to me. My family name is “Ichikawa”, which translates “one city by the river”.

I Feel Very Privileged to Live in Cambodia

Today I rode my bike from Tuol Kork to Diamond Island. I have found this to be one of my favorite rides because of the road conditions (i.e. fewer potholes, dirt patches, and loose gravel areas), less traffic congestion than in other areas of Phnom Penh, and there are really nice views along the entire route. The ride is short (under 15 miles), but I can do enough laps and extra side trips to make it worth going out. When I got to Diamond Island today I saw a lot of military guards scattered throughout the island. I think that they must be using the island as a staging area because in one of the parking lots I saw hundreds of helmets, shields, batons, and facemasks all lined up on the ground.

It turns out that there are additional election protests scheduled for this week. Yesterday I saw about a dozen large flatbed trucks packed full of protesters going through the city – wearing colorful headbands, waving flags, and banging plastic buckets like they were drums.

Today, on my way back from the island, I rode along the riverfront over to Wat Phnom where it suddenly became very congested with thousands of protesters who are gathering in Wat Phnom for the protests. Whenever I have been around these protests I just become filled with excitement about being able to experience first-hand this burgeoning democratic revolution in Cambodia. It is such a privilege to live in a place where healthy economic reforms are beginning to birth, where government corruption is being exposed and people are standing up to say, “no more and no longer”, and where families are discovering the value of quality education for their children.  

Wat Phnom

 

Wat Phnom

 

In Honor of My Nephew, Jake

Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday - actually, it is already his birthday in Cambodia today. So, I dedicate today's blog post to my favorite nephew who shares the name of my favorite fruit: banana.

My Khmer lesson (23 October 2013): Fruits (Pa’ly-chur)

My favorite fruit is: Jake (banana). Neohm joe jet Jake chiang kay (I like Jake the most).

Most Khmer’s favorite pa'ly-chur is Durian (a large spikey fruit that smells really bad, but apparently is quite sweet). Apparently, to many SE Asians this Durian fruit is considered to be the “King of Fruits” while to many Westerners the strong odor is a turn-off. To my surprise, most Khmer hate Dragon fruit (sockakneeik) the most. Sockakneeik is one of the exotic fruits that I enjoy. When I say "most Khmer" I am basing this on scientifically sound research from surveying three people who each and all reported that Durian is the favorite fruit and that they dislike Dragon fruit the most.

“Dume” means ripe and K’jay means not ripe. “Joe jet” means like, “joe jet chiang kay” means like the most. “Achoechet” means dislike and “achoechet chiang kay” means dislike the most.

“Aluck” means melon, all different kinds of melons. I asked my Khmer instructor if I wanted a watermelon would I ask for “Duckaluck” (“duck” means water) and he said “no” because duckaluck means melon juice and “duckjake” means banana juice and “duckgroit” (“groit” means orange) means orange juice. I think that this broad definition for melons of all types may cause confusion when going to the market (psahh) and wanting a certain kind of melon. I asked my instructor about this – like what if I went to the market and asked for an aluck and they gave me a watermelon, but I wanted a honeydew melon or a cantaloupe. He looked confused (I am now used to this) and then seemed to answer me with a response that implied this is the reason why we have fingers to point.



Durian at the Market (Psahh)

To wrap up on the theme of “duck” – “mortduck” means shower and “hiduck” means swim. So, I was thinking that if one were to hiduck in a pool of duckaluck then surely they would need to mortduck in duck afterwards. Just thinking about this quacks me up!

Dragon fruit (Sockakneeik)



Here is my real tribute to Jake (my nephew, not the fruit).

Jake was born with a pointy head, but it was pointed straight to Heaven and since that time (even though his head has rounded out) he has kept his heart pointed in that same Heavenly direction. Jake is a young man who possesses a depth of character that is far beyond his years. When Jake has been faced with difficult decisions he has almost always chosen the right way even when that way was the more costly or difficult way. On those rare occasions when Jake has not made the best choices he has been honest about that, learned from his mistakes, and he has grown through those experiences into a man of even stronger character and resolve. Jake is one of the most talented athletes I have ever known and he is incredibly smart, but more than that he is kind, and he loves God, his family, and friends. He makes a positive difference everywhere he goes and with everyone he meets. So, there is much to celebrate about October 23, the day Jake was born. Happy Birthday Jake!

 

I wish I were with you to celebrate. Love from your very proud uncle.

No Starbucks in Cambodia

I realize that the frequency of my blogging has slowed down in the last couple of weeks. I have become more settled into Cambodia as my home (thus I am having fewer new experiences and adventures). I also have become quite a bit more busy than before. I am now working as the Country Director for an international health care NGO out of Japan. I am also working on developing a new business in Cambodia.

This past Tuesday was a national holiday in Cambodia - to commemorate the one year anniversary of the passing of Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk. After church today I went for a bike ride down to a place called "Diamond Island" and on the way back home from there I passed this monument honoring the late King.

One of the things that I have enjoyed doing in Cambodia is trying out the different coffee shops. There are many coffee shops to try and they all have something different to offer. Some are very good and some I have not been able to finish the cup. But one very interesting thing here is how much Starbucks is revered in Cambodia. There are many people who wear Starbucks shirts. I have even seen infants and toddlers wearing Starbucks logoed clothing. I don't think any of this apparel is official Starbucks apparel though because I have passed numerous street-side silk screen shops that are producing Starbucks logoed clothing. Well, there are no Starbucks in Cambodia! So, I gues the popularity is that people tend to want what they can't have. Somebody needs to let Howard Schultz know that he is missing out on a big market here in Phnom Penh. Today I attended the Japanese Festival in Phnom Penh and I found the closest thing to Starbucks that you can get in Cambodia. It was actually pretty good coffee (and only $1.50).

 

Another thing that I saw on my bike ride today was several trucks full of MP's. I do not know why there was a military presence in the area today, but sights like this are something that I have become used to seeing.

 

This picture is of several people fishing along the river side by Diamond Island.

 

 

Here are a couple of pictures from the Japanese Festival.

 

 

 

 

A few nights ago I went out to dinner with a friend from Japan who works for one of the Japanese health care NGO's in Cambodia. We went to a great restaurant on the riverside. It is called the Foreign Correspondent's Club and the river views are terrific!

 

 



Transformations

This morning at church I met a very nice young man and woman who work together and are friends. They were very talkative and happy people. They invited me to come visit them at their workplace this week. Later in the worship service there was an invitation to those who felt called to give their lives to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to raise a hand. The young woman was one of several people in the congregation to do so. (It has been a while since I have been present when someone gave their life to Christ and it was such an overpowering experience.) Being right next to this young woman I joined a small group of people who prayed with and for this young woman. Tears began to flow as during the prayer God reminded me that this young woman was once lost, but now is found. Before she left church today the young woman said to me, “I love God so much!”

Yesterday, I had the privilege and honor of hearing the testimony of a Khmer friend. She shared that when she was only 9 years old her parents sent her to live with her aunt and uncle so that she could work. (This is, unfortunately, a cultural norm for Cambodian families who live in poverty – that children, sometimes very young children, must work to help support the family.  Sadly, it also happens far too often that families who live in poverty will sell their child(ren) into sex slavery.) My friend told of how deeply this hurt her, that she cried all the time and did not feel loved by anyone at all. She worked very hard and studied as much as she could, but she was so tired and there was little time to study. She spoke of being so poor that she would look for clams and snails that she could sell to street vendors to make just a little bit of money and she would also crawl through rubbish looking for things to salvage. She once found a bomb and didn't know that it was a bomb that failed to explode in the war. She took it to the market to try to sell it to a couple of men, but when they saw that it was a bomb that had not exploded they ordered her to leave and take the bomb back to where she found it. She became very sick and had frequent fainting spells. She shared of several experiences she had and the impact of the lives of her friends that led to her eventually coming into a personal relationship with God and being baptized on her birthday. She shared with me that before this time she was very sad, cried often, and never smiled, but if you met her today you would find that hard to believe as she is never without a huge smile on her face. She is another life, another soul that once was lost, but now is found. The world is made brighter through the redemption of her life, the relighting of her bright smile, the joy and love that she now feels deeply and shares generously. Her relationship with her parents has also been nicely restored.

In Cambodia, 20% of workers make less than $0.63 (United States Dollar)/day and are unable to meet their basic needs; 26% of Cambodian workers make less than $1/day. There is one established minimum wage in Cambodia (it is for garment, textile and shoe workers). That minimum wage is $0.29/hour and 46.4% of Cambodian workers make less than the minimum wage. Families living in this kind of poverty are constantly in an urgent survival mode and often suffer malnutrition, illness and early mortality, stress/depression, and when children live in these kinds of circumstances (and often are forced to work) they almost certainly are not ready and able to study and learn in school. When children are not properly educated then they will not have opportunities for successful employment, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty known as Generational Poverty.  Increasing wages in Cambodia will not be easy and it is not the only answer to the challenges facing Cambodians, but it is a step that must be taken toward Cambodia becoming the vibrant Country that it has the potential to be. Increasing wages and improving education, training, promotion opportunities, and working conditions for Cambodians is the right, just, and fair thing to do. I feel compelled to do something to help Cambodia see this change.

The Blessing of Silence

There has been a longer than usual gap in time since my last entry on this blog. I could name the convenient excuse that I have been busy, but it would not be the true reason for my lapse in writing. The real reason is that I just have not had anything that I could think of to share on this blog for a while. Then, this morning I read something very thought-provoking from Oswald Chambers about the blessing of silence, “has God trusted you with a silence – a silence big with meaning? God’s silences are His answers…His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself…God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation…As long as you have the idea that God will bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of silence.” Then Mr. Chambers concludes with this observation: when we have the perfect confidence that God hears our prayers His silence is the proof that He does. This made me think about so many things. I wonder if I have limited the grace that I could receive from God because I asked God for something too small that I wanted - rather than simply seeking Him and His will. How many times (often) have I been discontent with silence in answer to my prayers rather than accepting God's silence and trusting God's silence as His sweet confirmation of receiving my prayers?

This week, as a reward that I gave myself for finally cleaning up my house, I built my bike that had been shipped to Cambodia in parts. To say that it stands out in Phnom Penh is an understatement. It is so unique in Phnom Penh that people stare at it like it was a space ship. Part of the culture here is to always ask “moi man?” how much does it cost. There has not been a single person I have spoken to who has not asked that question within the first 10 seconds. So, although I do love to ride my bike I admit that I feel a little awkward and uncomfortable with it in Cambodia. Well, today I went for a long ride and right in the center of town (at Wat Phnom) I could see what looked like a large, odd looking cat, getting ready to cross the street in front of me and so I slowed down and was totally shocked and delighted to see that it was not a cat, but a monkey! It scampered across the street in front of me and as I looked over to the other side of the street I saw it join another monkey and the two of them climbed up a 15-20 foot wall and disappeared on the other side. That was so cool! It was kind of a difficult ride because of the typical Phnom Penh driving habits plus add in that drivers here don’t know about bikes like this and so they just turn right in front thinking that this bike will be much slower than it is.

This is still the rainy season in Cambodia and yesterday I went to a business meeting by moto. I live in Tuol Kork and two days since the last major rain, on one of the main streets in Tuol Kork, there was still substantial flooding (see picture below). So, here I am on a moto in a dress shirt and slacks with my feet up in the air to try to stay dry, but cars and other motos would pass me and splash water up onto me. This was half sad, half hilarious - and 100% wet. But what is not funny at all is the impact that these rains have in the Provinces of Cambodia. I have met a very smart young Cambodian man named Kada. He is the Assistant Manager at the restaurant next door to where I live. Kada’s English is very strong and he reads a lot and watches CNN and BBC. Kada told me today that the flooding this year is extraordinarily devastating. So far this season 120 people have drowned in the Cambodian flooding (in the Provinces). Many of these deaths are children. In addition, families are unable to get clean water or food. Livestock also drowns and because the water rises often times into the homes (even those built on stilts) snakes and other dangerous animals are entering into areas where families sleep and eat. Kada gave a shout out to the Red Cross for all they have done to help these families. Since arriving to Cambodia just over two months ago I have not left Phnom Penh, but I have heard from many friends who have told me about the bad flooding they have experienced in the Provinces when they have gone to visit family during the holidays and/or their inability to visit at all because of the flooding.