MIIS students in Cambodia

We've been published!

2009-07-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

Please join us in celebrating the publication of our work! Eight of us who traveled to Thailand and Cambodia in January, including our professor Dr. Pushpa Iyer, have been accepted as contributors for the Women's International Perspective online journal.

Dr. Iyer's article, entitled "Cambodia: Defining Peace in Order to Build Peace," is the WIP's featured article this month and may be found at: http://thewip.net/

The release of the seven students' work will continue over the coming month, with the first two articles available now for viewing at: http://thewip.net/talk/

Please continue to follow our work throughout the month of July. Congratulations all!

Empathy and Peace

2009-02-19T09:27:00.001-08:00

http://thewip.net/contributors/2009/02/empathy_and_peacebuilding_less.html

Goodbye Cambodia, Hello Vietnam - By Faith Savoie

2009-02-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

As the day came to an end the phrase, “the time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things…” kept coming to mind. This was our last night in Cambodia together and the time had come for us to have our last outing and dinner together, and then “talk of many things” in the morning before we went our separate ways.
After meeting with the last NGOs of our trip, we made our way back to the hotel and had some time to get what we needed for the boat trip on the Mekong river and dinner. Ending the trip by taking a ferry to watch the sunset form the river was a wonderful idea and I really enjoyed that. All of us sat on the top deck of the boat and talked about what we were going to do after our debriefing tomorrow. Some of us were heading home, others were going back to Thailand, a few of us were going to go to Vietnam and others were staying in Cambodia until the 31st. Even as the sun went down, the air was still warm. The sun hit the growing skyline of Phnom Penh and reflected brightly off of the royal palace. Small fishing boats passed us and we exchanged waves and hellos. We passed a small village that looked like it was floating and we could see the kids running to the back of their houses to see ferry boats like ours pass by. After the sun set, we made our way back to the place where we had started from and made our way to the restaurant for dinner.
Dinner was also outside and there was Khmer music playing. Many of us decided to go out on our last night and say our finale goodbyes to Phnom Penh, and the Heart of Darkness. I was more than satisfied with the end of the night because I was able to jam out to Britney Spears, it was nice.

The next morning we all went across the street to the center for debriefing and finalize some details about weekend workshop we would have when we came back. Nam also came and talked with us and we were able to ask any lingering question that we may have had. The end of the debrief came quickly and everyone from the office came into the conference room so we could all say our goodbyes. We gave the center a gift for them to remember us visiting them and thanking them for working with Pushpa to make this trip possible. They presented us with Khmer scarfs to remember them by and next thing I knew, the trip was over.

Ashley, Stephanie, Christine, Adam and I were catching a bus at 1 pm and were going to cross the Cambodia/Vietnam border and then go to Ho Chi Minh City. When I woke up, we were crossing into Vietnam. I have a tendency to pass out on long trips and luckily I missed the Khmer Karaoke. The plus side of traveling by bus is that neither of us had to pay a departure tax. If you come across the border by bus, you have to go to a large area inside where the bus driver gives your passport to the boarder authority. It took a really long time because there is only one person checking and calling out names. Stephanie was the first one to be called and then I was called. They have you take your bags and out them through a scanner, I think that was their customs process. Christine, Adam and Ashley come over shortly after Stephanie and I had finished and put their bags through. However, Ashley was told to take several bowls that she had purchased in Cambodia out so they could inspect them. They were really interested in the jade-color bowl and asked her where she got them from. She told them she got them in Cambodia and paid only a few dollars for them. After what seemed like a half an hour, they let her take the bowl and we were on our way. That was actually a really nerve racking time, I was glad that was over.

The next several days were spent in Ho Chi Minh City and we all did similar or different things. I was really glad that Rachel had told me about the traffic situation in Cambodia. There were motor-bikes everywhere! There were cross-walks but no one stopped for them so you had to walk into the middle of the road and wait until there was a break in the traffic and then run to the other side. That was fun and usually kept me on my toes. The day before I left, Ashley and I were sitting outside a small restaurant having lunch. All of a sudden I see something fall from the trees onto Ashley but she made nothing of it. A few seconds later she is talking to me and her face went white. She goes to swipe something off of her back and a huge cockroach flies off. She jumped right out of her seat and screamed and I couldn’t help but laugh. Since then, she feels like bugs are crawling on her back. Also, on our quest to find the botanical gardens, we wandered through the zoo. The condition of the zoo wasn’t as horrible as lonely planet cautioned, but there were some noticeable differences. The alligators are behind a chain-link fence and that is it. I watched some kids try to grab it or poke at it and couldn’t believe it. In the US, there would be a fence, another fence and then a guard rail. We were not able to find the gardens so on our way out, we passed some Rhinos. They were really cool and they came over to us. It was awesome to get that close to a Rhino because that would also never happen at a zoo in the US.

There were many noticeable differences between Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. While I was there, I noticed that there is still a rift between Vietnamese and Americans left over from the Vietnam War. On the surface, Thailand and Vietnam appeared to have stronger infrastructure and were developing faster than Cambodia. For me, it looked as if the standard of living is higher in Vietnam and that there is a larger middle class than in Thailand or Cambodia. Also from my observations, It appeared to me that Vietnam had a stronger economy and government then Thailand and Cambodia.

I left early in the morning on the 30th and made my way to Beijing and then made my back to San Francisco. I remember stepping off the plane the other day and thinking how amazing the trip was. I never thought I would go to Asia and have it leave such a positive, lasting impression. I was only there for a limited time, and didn’t physically see most of the bad, but understand it exists there. I was amazed by the history of Cambodia and the beauty of Angkor Wat. I absolutely fell in love with the island, Rah Lei, that Stephanie, Ashley and I spent several days before meeting up with the group in Bangkok. The work in the field taught me that I still have so much to learn and understand about conflict resolution. However, the work in the field showed me things that I could never learn in a classroom. I can’t wait to do it for J-term again!

Sympathizing With The Enemy - By Faith Savoie

2009-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

It’s pitch black, but you can feel that your moving. Where are you? Are there other people in there with you? You try to remember what you were doing before and your head immediately fills with pain. When you put your hand to your forehead, you feel something wet, or slimy. You can’t tell what it is, but you can feel that it is all over you.
You remember that you were out looking for food. You hadn’t eaten in several days, but you knew that soldiers were looking for people trying to gather food. You went anyway and found food, but before you could eat you heard shouting, and by the time you turned around, you awoke in the darkness. The moving stops and the yelling begins. The door opens and the light is blinding, you can’t see. You realized that you don’t need to see to know where you are. You arrived at Tuol Sleng and you have heard enough stories to know your not going home ever again.
The high school turned torture compound imprisoned thousands of Khmer during 1975 and 1979. All of the people that had been imprisoned at Tuol Sleng were interrogated. They were routinely beaten and tortured in various ways. Some were shocked several times a day, while others were chained to bed frames and seared with hot metal. Every detail about the person was recorded, photographed and the prisoner would have to sign at the end of the confession. After, the prisoners were taken to Choeung Ek, (Killing Fields) and were executed and thrown into other mass graves with hundreds of thousands of people.
The chief of S-21 was Khang Khek lue, widely known as Comrade Dutch. Today we visited the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia where he and several other former Khmer Rouge leaders await trial.
Knowing what he did, could you imagine ever feeling remorse for him? How do you mentally digest a thought like that? How do you justify his actions for torture and killing of innocent people? How would you talk to someone about this? These were many questions that I had to ask myself. Towards the end of our trip, after our visit to the ECCC, I felt sincere remorse for Duch and actually admitted it to our group during a routine meeting.
Earlier in the trip we had learned about more about the leaders and what they did during the Khmer Rouge and what they did after it fell. It was interesting to learn that some leaders from the Khmer Rouge lived completely opposite lives after the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979. One leader in particular, Khang Khek lue caught my attention. He became a Director of Education and converted to Christianity. In 1996 he fled to Thailand with his family due to the fighting that broke out. In the refugee camp, Duch assumed the role as the Community Health Supervisor. Once the fighting stopped, he returned to Cambodia and worked closely with the international Christian relief and development organization, World Vision. He continued to promote human rights and assist in the development of rural Cambodia until he was tracked down in 1999. Soon after, he surrendered to the authorities and remains in prison.
Duch was the first suspect indicted in the tribunal. Duch will be the first to be tried at the tribunal because he admitted full guilt for what he did during the late 1970s. Should this change anything? Does it change anything? He still assisted in the torture and killing of Khmer people by receiving and giving the orders to do so. Most people will say no. However, I personally feel that he should not be tried the same as the other leaders awaiting trial. Many people in our group commented and hit it home that justice is imperfect. I know this, I understand this but that doesn’t mean that I have to agree with it. I can understand people not fully understanding how I can feel remorse for someone like Duch. I am not Khmer and never experienced what millions of people went through. However, I am a human being and I believe that feeling remorse is natural and can be felt or anything or anyone.
Ashley and I grappled with this thought for a long time. I remembering when we were getting ready for bed I looked at her and told that what I was about to say may sound crazy and I that make no sense, but I feel bad for Duch. I tried to read her face and was ready to respond and defend my statement. She looked at me and told me she felt the same way. We really couldn’t explain what we felt for him. What he did was wrong and anyone else who did/does that is/was wrong. We discussed that topic for a while and we both came to a similar conclusion. It’s human nature to feel remorse and anyone can feel remorse about anyone, or anything.
I don’t believe or think what he did was right. I do not feel the same way about any of the other former leaders awaiting trial. I just know that feeling something this deep and believing in it is going with my gut feeling, and I can live with that.

Final days in Phnom Penh - By Faith Savoie

2009-02-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Thailand and Cambodia was almost over just when I had finally adjusted to the time difference. I woke up earlier then usual and used the extra time to reflect on what I had seen, witnessed and participated in over the past few weeks. Yesterday had been difficult and emotionally draining. The morning had started early for me, and came too soon for others.

It was about 2:30am when I woke up and at first I thought it was time to get ready. However, the sky was still dark and realized that I had woken up because of the loud voice outside of our hotel. I could hear muffled screams or yelling in the background, but the voice over the loud speaker was making it difficult to make out what the other voices were. I turned around to see if Ashley had been awoken by the noise outside. Ashley had tossed around earlier so I leaned over and woke her up. “Yeah”, she said in a groggy voice and I asked her if she could hear the noise, which felt like it was right outside of our window. She sat up, listened briefly, and said she could hear something but turned back into the sheets and fell back asleep. By that time it was about 3:30 in the morning and I was jealous that Ashley could sleep through all of the noise outside.

I looked out my window and tried my best to see if I could see anything in the dark. It wasn’t very successful because I had taken out my contacts and I can’t see anything far away. Yet, I did notice that there were no headlights on the street next to our hotel and I thought I could see people walking down the road. I didn’t know what to make of it. Were they celebrating the Chinese New Year? Do Khmer people stay out late on the week days and not the weekend, I didn’t get it. The voice was still speaking in Khmer over the loud speaker and I still couldn’t make out the muffled voices in the distance. All of a sudden it seemed as if the voice was getting louder and the music came on and the voice stopped. The Khmer music played over the loud speaker until the sun came up, and then it stopped.

I wasn’t able to fall asleep so I just laid there waiting for the alarm to go off, the music and voice to stop and for Ashley to wake up so I could complain a little. As soon as she woke up, I told her about what I had heard and had seen and was amazed that she had slept through all of that. We made our way downstairs for breakfast and noticed that our hotel was busier then usual. In my mind I thought something was taking place for the Chinese New Year so I didn’t stop and take my time to look at the people who had wandered into our hotel. Ashley and I walked outside to a rather chaotic scene. One of the main roads had been barricaded and closed out to the public and only police and military personal were allowed to enter and leave. What was all of this? People had gathered up and down the streets and were pressing up against the barracade to try and get a closer look at what was happening down the road.

In the crowd of people, I saw journalists, people wearing different color vests and each person wore a distinct look of disgust on their face. I turned to Sarah and Brandon and asked if they knew what was going on and Sarah just looked at me and said, “It’s a humanitarian disaster”. What did she mean by that? I looked at Brandon and he said that they were evacuating the “slum” on this street and that was all that he knew. I ran up stairs and grabbed the flip camera and made my way into the crowd with Ashley and started to talk to anyone and everyone we could to try and understand what was going on.

From the short time that we had outside until we got on our bus and made our way to S 21 (the genocide museum) and then the killing fields, we had gathered several short interviews and a great deal of facts on the situation. The situation had come to the end. The people in that area had been negotiating and fighting with the government for rights to the land, compensation if they moved, and where they would be moved to. Basically the government ordered the families there to pack up their belongings on a truck and then they would be taken to another area where they could rebuild their homes and such. However, some of the human rights observers mentioned that the military and police had been using mild violence to move the families and that many families would not see any form of compensation. I realize situations like this happen all over the world and that some of the biggest cities in the United States were built this way. However, it’s always shocking to see something like what these people were going through.

We gathered everyone in our group and got onto the bus to meet Emma at the genocide museum. We took a detour since the road we had used yesterday was blocked off and made our way around the crooked streets and torn roads. We arrived at S21 and immediately I felt a chill come over my body. As we made our way into the museum, Emma described the history, set-up and purpose of the torture center. Even though I was in front while Emma was speaking, I couldn’t pay attention to what she was saying. I didn’t want to listen anymore about the torture and cruelty that took place here. It had only been about 10 or 15 minutes and already I had a knot in my stomach and a strange feeling about the museum. She lead us to an area where there were a dozen or so white stones and she told us that only 14 deaths occurred at Tuol Sleng. When the Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia and pushed the Khmer Rouge further north in Cambodia, the cadre left the prisoners in the rooms. By the time the Vietnamese army arrived, they 14 prisoners had been tortured so badly that they died before they could be liberated. A photographer had been traveling with the Vietnamese army to record the first entry into Phnom Penh since the Khmer Rouge had evacuated everyone out.

He took the photographs of the tortured prisoners and those photos are placed in each room displaying how the bodies were found. Personally, I don’t have the stomach or the words to describe to you what those pictures looked liked. I only saw a few before I was overcome with emotion and just needed to step outside for some air. We continued to make our way around the museum, but had been delayed several times because of the French group that was in front of us. Emma showed us the rooms with all of the pictures of the victims and the cadre and the youth soldiers. She showed us the rooms where the prisoners were kept and what they had been strapped to the floor with. One of the most disturbing things about that part of the museum is there is still blood on the floors and walls from the prisoners who were held there. We took a quick look upstairs and looked out onto the grounds of the former high school through the holes in the barbwire fence. We made our way downstairs, discussed briefly what we had seen or felt (briefly discussed because not many people in the group wanted to talk about what they had seen) and went across the street to a restaurant operated by street children.

Lunch was a relief for me because it gave me an hour or so to put Tuol Sleng in the back of my mind and try to comprehend what I had just seen. By the time I could even start processing what I had seen, it was time to go to the killing fields. The drive to the killing fields was short and we were given time to walk around and reflect about the time we had spent at the museum. As I made my way through the paths surrounding the holes were hundreds upon thousands of bodies had once be tossed away like trash, I noticed something coming out of the ground near a tree. Was I really looking at human bones coming out of the ground? I had not been prepared to see something like that while I was here. I turned around and made my way back to the bus, trying to erase an image that would be burned into my memory for a very long time.

A Moment in Time or Future Foothold? Time will Be The Greatest Determinant Of That Fork In The Road.

2009-02-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

**The following entry is solely founded on personal reflections, thoughts and insights. It is no way indicative or representative of the group as a whole, nor is it a means of explaining or defining the trip for any other person other than myself.***

It's rather difficult to assess what defines a particular trip or a particular moment in time. For some it's a compilation of all the stories heard, all the people interchanged and all the roads paved, within a particular time that begins to define the life spent in one particular locale. Yet for others, the definition lies within the symbolism they find in the nature of the land, the spirit of the people, the work, both unrealized and successful of board members and grassroots players alike, and the empathy within oneself, as they slowly find a way to dissect everything that a populous has lived through and all they are able to learn about themselves in that time. Even for others, it is not enough to journey to unfamiliar territory and attempt to embed oneself in the life and culture of the place around them, but more so, there must be a time to reflect, ponder and assess all the little things that slowly filtered into one another that laid a foundation for a truly defining excursion to land unfamiliar and a people foreign and new. However, whatever the journey means to one person most likely than not, like most things in this life, it simply does not mean the same to another.

Similar to most defining instances, although two people cannot truly occupy the same space, two people can experience the precise and exact same moment in time and the same second of action or inaction, yet come out the other end with two completely polar perspectives, reactions and definitions of truth, justice, reconciliation, and reality. Therein, we are left to dissect this journey to Thailand and Cambodia (even Vietnam & Korea) and find a way to define not only what it has meant to each of us individually, but also, what is has meant to us collectively. Even far greater, we are left to dissect what it has meant for us as both human beings occupying space in this world and what it will mean to us professionally in our quest to secure our foothold in this vortex we call life.

As I reflect on the journey and what I am able to take from the trip to the Southeast, I am still at a loss for what this will mean for my future: will it be a defining mark on my professional journey or simply a reflection on time spent in a Southeast Land during my academic career? One the hand, there is the very real possibility that this trip with all its’ frustration and education alike will simply be a small spec on my personal journey that will be a token of reflection in regards to a trip I took during my last few months of school. Yet, on the other, there is heartily the potential for this to be a stepping-stone of professional recognition and direction, in whatever capacity and avenue that may be, that I needed in order to channel my energy in the direction where I find myself to be the most useful. The hope, of course, is for the former to become realized.

In retrospect then, I have come to realize that this trip was much more than shopping, tuk-tuk’s, monks, palace, slum evacuations, tribunals, government officials and NGO meetings. It was more than a testament to personal will and preservation in calculating how long a person is able to go without screeching out in frustration over recycled clothes, tangled and oily hair, lack of personal space and sleep deprivation. If anything, and in the purest of terms, this trip was. Even in it’s simplest terms, it was under the veil of an educational case study designed to present us a coversheet perspective of both the successes and failures of peace-building from the bottom-up and vice-versa and the preserved and broken relationships embedded within that umbrella. It was a trip defined by the caveat of “let nothing surprise you, but hope that some things still shock you.” And ultimately, it was trip that will forever be left to us to constantly redefine and reassess.

As we all begin to reintegrate ourselves into a semester of reading assignments, presentations and midterms, we will come to a sense of perspective about what we choose to take from such an endeavor. Whether we see it as an educational experience for which it was intended, i.e. an opportunity to grasp the challenges of peace-building, or whether we see it as small foothold in the greater picture of what professional direction we choose to follow, inevitably it will mean something to us all. And, only we can answer those questions. As for me, I have yet to devise a game plan for what parts of the trip I will use and what simply are. In my mind, I must truly understand, comprehend and evaluate the trip as a whole in order to understand what role it will play in my broader scope of professional existence. But, as I reflect and attempt to assess and evaluate such a daunting ideological stance, I am simply left with the idea that perhaps neither today nor next year will I truly comprehend the place this trip has for me.

Ultimately, whether that message is vocalized or not, I have faith that in the most convenient of definitions and in the simplest and most influential manner possible, that the true vision I need and blueprint I hope to devise, will avail itself in either in collaboration or in competition with this trip. In the end, I hope to somehow and someway have a secure foothold, either with a pen or shovel in hand, or possibly alternating between the two, as a result of the days spent learning and listening to the voices and the echo’s of the Khmer people, evaluating and questioning those who choose to find a way to impact these lives, of walking away from the stale aroma of dried blood in S-21 and the killing fields, and for better or worse, day in and day out, of being reminded of how the other half of the world lives and in what capacity they are still able to find their smile and the personal fortitude to rebuild their lives.

Cambodia: A final reflection

2009-02-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

I read some where that when you go to Phnom Penh you both learn to love and hate the city. To be perfectly honest, my feelings about this broken, yet hopeful, city reside some where in the middle. It holds an incredible amount of some of the most gruesome history belonging to the Khmer people and at the same time it represents how the city, much like the Khmer people, are trying to rebuild what was taken away so many years ago. The Killing Fields and S-21 constituted the backdrop to the several NGOs which are attempting to bring some sense of justice, reconciliation and even peace to a culture of silence that yearns to be broken. Our visit to the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies began with a much welcomed and in-depth historical background of the conflict and subsequently touched on a critical insight about the Khmer culture, namely the important role of symbolism. Once you can understand what symbolism means to the people you can understand that what from an objective point of view might look like a disconnect from history, is in actuality peacebuilding at the grassroots level - a la Khmer.

Not realizing my own sense of ignorance, I walked in with my own notions of what peacebuilding should look like and was taken back once I heard Emma talk about how the Cambodians were slowly but surely finding creative methods to reconcile their past. I tried to take this perspective with me when we went to visit the tribunals. The tribunals as a concept, however, proved to be a point of contention, not only among the Khmer people, but among our group as well. The last question to the Court Officer (who was delivering the presentation about the tribunals) asked whether, in his personal opinion, the tribunal would bring justice? He replied by saying that the tribunals would bring fair justice, but not perfect justice.

Statements like these, so simple yet powerful, remain etched in my memory promising to make a permanent home. They begin to define and break down what continues to be a largely complicated conflict into fragments - each with its own truth, justice and story to tell....

The Role of the Government in Conflict Resolution?

2009-02-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

**This blog is my personal opinion based on my studies, readings, and experiences in Conflict Resolution. I have only studied this field for one semester. It is also based on conversations from outside students studying conflict resolution at different schools. **

During my semester of Intro to Conflict Resolution and on the Cambodia trip, I have often wondered about how the government fits into this field. I wonder because as a conflict resolution student, I rarely hear about the government. I do not think this is because of lack of work in the field by governments around the world. The field likes to use terms like social reconciliation, for example the Cambodian government's partial funding of the Khmer Rouge trials or Australia's apology to the Aborigines people. Restorative Justice can be seen in judicial systems in South America that have incorporated indigenous practices into the legal system. This is similar to the United States justice system that uses community conferencing (similar to mediation) for juvenile cases, because it has proven to have more effective results in keeping youth out of the prison cycle. Perhaps this perspective is taught in more advanced conflict resolution classes and if so, I look forward to learning it.

The perspective I have learned is mainly that of an NGO perspective. Much of the teachings during the course were illustrated through programs facilitated by NGOs and independent practitioners. I encountered this same aspect during our Cambodia trip. The majority of the organizations we visited were NGOs. Besides visiting the Khmer Rouge trial location, there was no other governmental visit.

One of the best qualities of our class was it's careful analysis of conflicts, incorporating historical, social, and political factors. It is very good in understanding the many levels of a conflict. It is also very conceptual, with terms like social reconciliation, trauma, justice, truth, symbolism, memory. I found our Cambodia group was very good at asking the right questions to Khmer people about some of these topics. They are important in a a society attempting to recover from a genocide. However, there was no talk about what to do with that information. How does this play into policy? What exactly do these programs look like?Recognition of the importance of some of these topics is the first step. The next step is formulating that information into effective policy.

Thank you for reading the thoughts of a student who believes wholeheartedly in the utility and necessity of conflict resolution. I will continue to push for a wider perspective and a government angle that can maximize the effectiveness of the teachings of this field.

Last evening in Phnom Penh

2009-01-31T09:28:00.000-08:00

Looking back

2009-01-29T00:53:00.000-08:00

This amazing trip has now come to a close and some of us will go back to the US immediately, while others stay behind to travel some more before we return to MIIS for a brand new semester. This, to me, is the hardest part of traveling- returning to your normal life...a life where you forget to look at the bigger picture, appreciate the small things, and live simply so that others may simply live. I am already forgetting small details or insights that I didn't have the chance to write down on the blog, but for the ones I do remember, I will document them now.

One statement I found interesting was that apparently arranged marriages in the Khmer Rouge outlasted most of the other Cambodian marriages. These people were basically lined up and paired together to produce more Khmer Rouge children for the survival of the group, but I am told that because these couples endured a lot of hardship together that that is one of the main reasons they are still married.

The driving is insane here- you are constantly dodging motos, swerving from hitting small children, dogs, or tuk-tuks, etc. Most of the time I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best, but apparently there is some sort of license plate hierarchy according to Sitha. She mentioned that bikes are the lowest on the totempole, followed by motos, then tuk-tuks, taxis, vans, buses, police, other government cars. Although this is not apparent to the foreign eye at first, I did begin to notice a vague sense of order amongst all the chaos and even discovered that some license plates are labled as an NGO or UN vehicle and they have priority over most but of course, the Cambodian gov plates get the right of way in the end.

At S21 and the Killing Fields, there are still traces of the lives lost during this tragedy. Blood still stains some of the prison cells, along with a faint smell. The killing fields are still adorned with pieces of clothing, a few bones sticking out of the ground from those who have not been burried properly, and just knowing that the tree labled "the killing tree" is where babies were flung against and shot is enough to make you sick to your stomach. Most Cambodians believe in the spiritual realm, so there have at least been cleansings performed by the monks to get rid of the "restless ghosts" from the past.

I plan to finish this a little later, but I'm still in Asia, so stay tuned.

Shared Responsibility in Peacebuilding

2009-01-28T03:20:00.000-08:00

There are many areas in Khmer society that share the responsibility for peacebuilding to ensure a future stability within Cambodia. Non-governmental organizations, the national government, and independent institutions are all players in a multi-front movement towards peacebuilding for the Khmer society. They are inherently connected and without effort from one, the entire peacebuilding process is lacking. Peacebuilding is intrinsically connected to culture and history, making it a complex and long-term process. Highlighted below are examples of efforts from these three different sectors.

Non-governmental Organizations

Tean Thor is an educational and vocational school that also is a a refuge for AIDS patients. The organization addresses this taboo issue by educating young children about AIDS, how it is contracted,and how it is not contracted. They house, feed, provide medicine, and support AIDS victims. The children who have AIDS also take classes alongside children who are not infected. This NGO, like many, faces budgetary constraints and a lack of assistance from the government. It is also battling a social stigma and cultural resistance to addressing this issue. It has done an impressive job with the resources it has, from engaging the once distant monks to work with AIDS victims. The monks are an integral part of Khmer society and have a far reaching influence amongst the Khmer people.

Independent Organizations

The National Election Committee (NEC) has the responsibility of organizing and facilitating "free and fair" elections, held for the first time in 1993, with the support of the United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia (UNTAC) . As international organizations and NGOs have descended onto this country, there is huge international pressure upon this institution. I cannot comment on how free or fair the elections are, there have been numerous criticisms from the international community as the NEC has attempted to meet international standards. There is also skepticism and a lack of trust in institutions that are connected to the government among the Khmer people (the Cambodian government contributes funds to the NEC). As many institutions in this country, they seem to have done remarkably well against extreme odds, with much work still to be done.

Government

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will try five former members of the top commanders in the Khmer Rouge. There are several challenges that have beset the court thus far. Both high costs and the lagging trial schedule are sources of criticism from the international community. Currently, they are one year behind the original set date for the trial of Guek Eav Kaing, or Duch, the former head of the torture center, Toul Sleng or S21. Duch is the only one who has confessed; the pretrial is due to begin in February 2009, while another application for extension is due. The current projected cost for the court is approximately $90 million over three years.

Cambodians themselves have characterized their culture as one of impunity and silence. Symbolism is very important in the Khmer society, much more so than in western culture. This trial is important symbolically for the Khmer people. First, to address the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge, whose leaders have lived under impunity for thirty years. Second, it is important in the personal healing process of Khmer because it provides a venue and a reason to talk about the atrocities committed against them. As one NGO employee stated, "the first challenge for addressing the genocide is getting people to open their mouths." Whether it justifies the amount of money the tribunal costs is another issue. Many Khmer feel that that money could be better invested in the health care system, the economy, or social programs.

These are just three examples of institutions we visited during our time in Cambodia. For a more in depth look at the government perspective, or lack there of, in peacebuilding, look out for the next blog to come....

Last Evening in Phnom Penh

2009-01-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our last evening in Phnom Penh is over...well, for me it has... there are a few others still dancing at the 'Heart of Darkness' - a popular bar/ disco in this city. Once we got through a Britney Spears song, Faith and I were ready to leave and so were Ashley and Rachel. It was great fun! It has been a very intense and fast paced trip.

We started bright and early this morning at 8.15. I told everyone we would meet at 8 even though I had planned with our local host, Sitha to meet at 8.15. I did it because every morning we are delayed by 10 minutes as there are always a few still sitting at the breakfast table. Today when I came down, everyone was ready and waiting for me. Brandon wants me to apologise to him for 'lying'...after steering a group of 13 for 10 days, I don't think I want to apologise :)

We had a full day today with meetings with two NGOs - World Vision (Human Traficking Project) and Youth for Peace (Project on Trauma Healing and Reconciliation). I leave it to the group to talk about their take away points from these two visits. We also visited the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an organisation that does excellent work in documenting the past and strategizing on including history and memory into the present.

We did all of this and lunch without a break and by 5.15, we were on a boat on the Mekong river, to enjoy sunset and to unwind. We had a lot of fun on the boat – I am simply very happy with the positive spirit that existed all through in this group. After the boat ride, we went to dinner at a restaurant which is on the same river. It was beautiful, food was wonderful and of course, great company. We raised toast to our wonderful driver – Pagiren – who has been with us since Siem Reap, to our hosts – especially Sitha, Bopha, Emma, Ngarm - the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies and to us, as a Team. The group got me a chocolate ice-cream with candles and sang ‘she is a jolly good fellow…’ I was so touched. It has been so much work getting this course set up but it has equally been a lot of fun. I did pick the students for this course, and I am really pleased with how well we have worked together and I think, we can see the beginning of some good friendships.

The students have put in a lot of work and for most part their interest and excitement in learning something new every day was obvious. We are a serious group and as is repeatedly told to us by people here, we come across as a group that is really eager to learn and is not one that is out there just to have fun in a foreign country. It is a great compliment, one that I am proud of…we have had a great time but we have also done so much work. We do have a lot to reflect on, in the coming weeks. We still have a three hour meeting tomorrow with members of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. After that, we will all go our own way and get back to Monterey sometime before the end of the week.

I’ll write more later – it’s once again a late night!

Inspiration

2009-01-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

Our journey through Cambodia is coming to a close. As I reflect on the places we have been, the people we have met, and the stories we have heard, I find myself uterly overwhelmed by the problems that exist is this beautiful country and for a courageous people, but also incredibly inspired by the work that so many are doing with Cambodians for their future.

Yesterday we went to an organization called Khmer Ahimsa, a peacebuilding organization focusing on the promotion of nonviolence. The organization is doing great work with communities. But I want to talk more about the director of the organization and some of my thoughts from her story. First, I must give you a little background. She survived bombing raids by the US, three years of "slavery" under the Khmer Rouge, and an abusive husband. As she told her story there are few things that really struck me and I would like to share those thoughts with you.

1. "We (Cambodians) are not insects. We just want to have food to eat."
While every one of us here understands this, it is the message that is lost in war. Foreign governments and authoritarian regimes step on the people and treat them as if they are in fact insects not to be concerned with. Perhaps it is because I am American and in light of even recent history this statement is applicable today not just in Cambodia but all over the world. I believe that until we place human beings at the center of our policy focus, that states and regimes will continue to forget this ever-important message.

2. "He (the boss) was powerful and I was powerless. I thought why does it have to be this way."
After going through so much war and conflict, that she was able to work for her power and to do what she dreamed. Not everyone would be able to continue to endure their situation, let alone change it as she did. I found this a profound statment in the midst of her story.

It is because of these stories and expereiences that we are learning about the Khmer people and how they are working to overcome the conflicts in their lives and it is these people that are truely an inspiration.

Emotions

2009-01-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all enjoying following our blog. I think the course is progressing well - we are experiencing a lot every single day and have so much to tell. It is hard to find the time to sit down and write as we are gone from morning to evening - although, some in the group are really good in putting down their reflections and giving you updates on our research. We make time everyday to reflect together on our experiences which I think is very important both in terms sharing insights but also to channel our emotions positively. The past few days has certainly been emotional. We have heard stories from those who survived the Khmer Rouge period and visited the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields. Words cannot adequately describe the emotions that wash over you - sadness, horror, anger, repulsion.

However, the one emotion that a few students made a reference to when referring to the experiences of the past few days, was frustration. And it became the topic of conversation yesterday morning during our reflection session. Frustration about the difficulty of being able to explain to others the gravity and the horrors of Cambodia's past and the challenges in working on a 'peaceful' future for Cambodia. Frustration also about the inability to do something to change the situation as we see it today. Frustration about the mis-management of resources and frustration about reconciling the agendas of individual NGOs to the needs of the people.

As I told the group, frustration is not a bad thing, it could actually be a positive emotion if channeled in the proper way. If there was no frustration and everyone was just content, then not much effort was going to be made to bring change. If frustration leads to depression (emotion) or inaction, then frustration does become a negative emotion and leads one to point fingers at what one considers is the source of that frustration. Frustration, if directed positively, could result in actions that makes for effective change in the situation.

Besides, we have just scratched the surface of the conflict/s in Cambodia and the challenges that the society faces in building sustainable peace. We are not at the stage where we can be really frustrated, we just need to listen and take our questions and the issues that bother us the most to another level - more information gathering, more analysis and if possible, more involvement at the ground level.

It was an interesting discussion and we have been having many such discussions. I thought I would share this one with you to give you a flavour of all the thought and reflection that the group puts in on this trip.

It's close to 2 am but then that happens every night and we start early in the morning too - we have been working very hard but we have also been having a lot of fun. I am not excited about returning to Monterey and getting back into the routine and teaching in classroom! But, we will be back soon and maybe (hopefully) catch up on our sleep?

Where Angels Dare To Tread

2009-01-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

As I first entered this world of unfulfilled closure that has been clouded with images of bombings, genocide, killing fields, child killers and neighboring country invasions, I sincerely had no idea what this place would hold for me. I was unsure as to whether I would be overwhelmed by the empathy I felt for the broken spirits of the people or whether the sullen and pure eyes of villagers, squatters and city dwellers alike would be enough to leave an impression of both humility and inspiration. I have waited long and hard throughout this journey to find the appropriate topic, but more so, the appropriate language for which I felt both confident and compelled enough to join this network of bloggers from our place in the SouthEast. Now, that is not to suggest that I have been void of topical issues or inspirational words that combined would constitute elaborate sentences, but I have yet to find the natural and organic language that would best represent the country we have chosen to research. By now, my colleagues have filled these pages with images of Battambang, Siem Reap and Phenom Phen; of Tuk-Tuk drivers and majestic sunsets; of markets and bargains; Pagoda's and Monks; and perhaps even, descriptions of pure smiles and honest eyes. Yet for me, in spite all of these images that have no doubt left their indent on my thoughts and perspective, what I have found to be one of the most compelling aspects of our journey has been the the constant discourse our group has had with one another and with Cambodian citizens alike in regard to the Khmer Rouge Tribunals that will begin in February.

For some, these tribunals will be the culmination of years of frustration in which they were left with no one to hold accountable for the death, torture and slavery that they endured. Yet for others, these tribunals come years too late. For them, they are nothing more than an elaborate form of window dressing in which whatever "justice" decreed will be bittersweet for nothing could erase the images that haunt their dreams and saturate their daily existence. However, for others, the tribunals will be the ultimate form of symbolism and closure they crave that will finally empopwer them to forgive those who fronted a regime that destroyed the spirit of this country for 3 years, 8 months and 20 days. However, the twisted irony I have found has been the true disconnect of ideology the Cambodians possess in regards to the utility of these very Tribunals. For some, it is a fitting end to a dark imprint on this Country and culture's history. For others, it is nothing more than an elaborate and complex waste of resources that has left the rest of the Country wondering what will be left for them once this institutionalized form of justice plays out.

I, for one, have no answers to any of those questions. On the one hand, if it is understood that that the legal system in any country is both broken and efficient, then how are these trials any different from any other trial in our world? Granted, 5 separate trials is a small piece of a very bloodied and dark moment in Cambodian history that does not even scratch the surface of "punishing" and holding accountable the responsible parties who committed such crimes against humanity and who were the primary parties of the genocide that had infected this country. However, is the government suppose to refuse such Trials because there are not "enough defendants?" What if the prosecution of 5 primary parties is a true and symbolic gesture of accountability that the republic can give to its' people in which it decree's that the instigators of genocide will be held accountable for what they have done to their very own? What if the republic recognizes that there were no true demons during this time, but that the "soldiers of the Khmer Rouge" children and youth alike, alongside the tortured, killed and enslaved, were all victims of the same demon and that by holding these trials they are able to recognize the tremendous amount of grey in the discussion of "good versus evil" and "soldier versus victim."

But, as we have begun to understand some of the history of those times and the true ugliness that existed during those years, we have begun to understand the complexity of that time and the unsettling truths of survival and necessity that unquestionably plagued every soul who was caught in the web of despair that defined this country for so long. As I sit here on the cusp of this trip coming to an end, I find that I, like most, have my personal opinions on the matter, but truly have no answers nor a clear perspective of what these Tribunals sincerely mean and represent. I only know what I believe and can only process what I learn and hear, but have no avenue for which to truly address what can be proven, and ultimately I cannot even begin to phathom a way to answer the timeless question of "what is the purest definition of truth truth and the most sincere and thorough form of justice." These are questions that very well may linger, but at least we have been given the chance to process those thoughts, to ask the questions we find we need answered, and to debate those very issues with one another and the people alike. And, as I find myself about to depart a Country and a People that I have grown to adore, I realize that those questions, along with the images of the countryside filled with shanty upon shanty, and echoing with the laughter of the children and painted with the smiles each and every person alike, I realize the gift that this trip has been and have slowly begun to understand the great humility and inspiration it has brought me.

7 (Christine W.)

2009-01-26T02:57:00.000-08:00

Battambang Day 2

Battambang is much more impoverished that Siem Reap, and has nowhere near as many tourists. Our hotel, which was very nice and had a pool, looked out of place in the middle of the city, most of which looked pretty poor to me. While Siem Reap seemed underdeveloped, there is a slum-like quality to the poverty of Battambang. If you are not in the city in Battambang, you are in one of its villages, which is where we spent our second day, visiting two NGO’s working on rebuilding Khmer society through youth education programs.

Tean Thor
Tean Thor, which is Khmer for “Acts of Compassion,” is a small HIV/AIDS hospice and rehabilitation center that provides education to orphans of parents who died of AIDS and hospice care to HIV/AIDS patients living in the Battambang community. Staff members of Tean Thor find HIV-positive members in the community, many of whom are looked down upon, and offer them a safe haven for rehabilitation and HIV/AIDS education. At the center, the members can choose to take either antiretroviral medication to fight HIV or traditional medicine provided by a medicine man. One of the aims of the organization is to improve and prolong the life of HIV positive parents so that their children do not become young orphans.

We were all impressed with the amount of warmth and hope that emanates from Tean Thor. We met several of the HIV positive patients who all seemed content to be there despite their discomfort and afflictions. Jenny, one of the peaceful staff members from Switzerland who “receives her funding from the universe,” talked about her search to find an organization to work for before deciding on Tean Thor. She said she visited 15 different organizations before she settled on this center, and she was frustrated at the fact that all of the previous organizations had problems with corruption and egos.

We were given a full tour of the facilities, including the room where the traditional medicine is kept (stinky), and we dropped in to visit the young students during their class time. We brought fake tattoos to share with them, which sent them over the moon. Though they were shy and hesitant at first, after we applied a few tattoos, it was a madhouse. By the end of the day we had them all looking like PG-rated sailors. Before we left, the children sang us two of their favorite songs: Celine Dionne’s My Heart Will Go On, which I will never hear in the same way again, and The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye,” which was equally precious. Nobody wanted to leave.

http://www.teanthor.com/home.htm

FEDA
The next organization we visited was FEDA (Friends Economic Development), a secondary school for the children in the village of Ksach Poy. This is a much larger organization, with more funding and beautiful grounds. FEDA places a strong emphasis on hygiene and English, and the teachers are all young and motivated, many of which are FEDA alumni. The teachers have a large task before them because the Cambodian educational system is reeling from the eradication of entire generation of scholars during the genocide.

The grounds of FEDA are lush and tranquil, scattered with coconut and banana trees. The main classrooms are upstairs in a beautiful new building made of dark wood. Some of us, myself included, were asked to teach an impromptu English class. It’s quite a humbling experience to teach English to a group of children whose language skills you underestimate. I co-taught with Brandon, and we decided to play games upon the teachers’ suggestion. We started with hangman, but changed the hanging man to a frowny face because we didn’t know how appropriate it would be to explain that the dead man hanging in a noose means you’ve lost the game. The students were much better at this than we had anticipated, perfectly capable of spelling words like “cat and rabbit,” and only when we snuck in “California” did they get tripped up. We then had them create new words out of the letters they could find in the phrase “United States of America.” Upon reflection I wish we hadn’t been so nationalistic with our word choices, but you don’t think of these things when you’re in front of 30 pairs of blinking eyes. To our surprise they came up with words like “dictation,” and my personal favorite, “tsar.” So much for C-A-T.

After we returned, we discussed some of the differences we saw between Tean Thor and FEDA. For starters, there are a total of 800 students that attend FEDA, far more than the amount of students at Tean Thor. Additionally, FEDA has more funding than Tean Thor, more foreign visitors, and since it places an emphasis on hygiene and English, the children that we met at FEDA seemed privileged compared to the children we met at Tean Thor. We then launched into a discussion about the importance of avoiding generalizations about the face of poverty; since the children that attend these organizations come from equally destitute communities and families, it is dangerous to consider one organization more deserving of funding than the other. If there is one thing I’m truly learning in Cambodia, it is that still waters run deep and appearances are not the sum total of reality. We also discussed the importance of personality and style when it comes to grant writing and asking for money, which also plays a major role in the amount of funding

http://www.fedacambodia.org/an organization receives.

Where to start?

2009-01-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a couple days since I last blogged, and so much has gone on since then -- where can I start? I am a bit surprised, though, that no one's posted yet about our experience yesterday morning which took place before our designated daily activities, so I'll take this opportunity to tell that story.

The night before last, at around 2am, I was awakened by a complaining Faith -- "do you hear that?!" she asked. The faint sound of someone speaking on a megaphone was making it's way through our 2nd story window. We made little of it, and I quickly fell back asleep, though Faith (who was right next to the window) spent the remainder of the night disturbed by that and other unusual noises coming from the street.

The next morning, not thinking anything of it, we went down to eat breakfast on the terrace outside our hotel only to find hundreds of people milling about on the street in front of a barricade. Our fellow MIIS students promptly informed us that the last slum in Phnom Penh, which we had seen standing just the day before, and which was located about half a block from our hotel, was being evacuated and demolished. "Major human rights violation!" Sarah said.

Of course, most of us weren't terribly interested in breakfast, so many of us spent our morning trying to get in on the scene. Faith grabbed the video camera from the room and jumped on a few interesting people to interview (including a missionary working in the slum, a director of an art program in the slum, a BBC reporter, and someone from Human Rights Observer), and while I can't post the video here now (mainly because I'm not quite sure how!), I can give you the jist of what we learned from them:

Apparently the evacuation started without warning at midnight the night before, though many had expected it would eventually come as much as 3 years earlier, at which point the development company began negotiations with the families there to move them out. Basically, the land which the slum was located on is worth $44 million, and 120 families were living there. According to most lawyers, the families actually have a legal claim to the land, as they've been living there for longer than the required period of time. However, a development company named 7MG is now claiming the land and has offered the option of either $20,000 (only 5% of the land's market value, but up from earlier offers) or a new plot of land located 22km outside of the city to each of the families for their moving. Unfortunately, as much as $20,000 may sound like to a family living on less than a few dollars per day, it is not enough to find a place to live in a comparable location in Phnom Penh due to the rising property values and heavy development in the city, and to relocate so far outside the city would mean that these people would no longer have access to the jobs or schooling that is present in their current location. Additionally, no one is actually sure whether or not, and if so, how, 7MG will actually go about allocating that $20,000 to each family, and many believe that the "offering" was really more of a publicity stunt to pacify the media and human rights activists. A few families, not knowing any better, moved out awhile ago, and received compensation in the amount of $5000-$7000. And about a week ago, the company paid off some of the most well-known artists from the slum with $60,000 to move out early so as to reduce press attention.

Anyway, that is most of what I know, though if any other bloggers have further details please throw them in! Of course, this is not the first time a slum has been emptied either in Cambodia or elsewhere, and - as many of us have talked about here - it's important to recognize that this sort of thing is happening all around the world on a daily basis, even in places like the United States (albeit perhaps more subtle in form, or at least presented with a greater aura of morality and legality). Still, it would be a mistake to observe this as a uniquely corrupt Cambodian, or even third-world, occurence.

In any case, though, I'm running late for breakfast, so I'll leave it up to the others to describe the remainder of our day yesterday, which was pretty intense on its own! (torture center and Killing Fields, anyone?)

Will write more later! ;)

6 (Christine W.)

2009-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Battambang Day 1

Bus Ride to Battambang
The bus ride from Siem Reap to Battambang is not a smooth one. Through classes at MIIS we have learned about the lack of sufficient infrastructure in developing countries, but nothing illustrates the need for better roads than a 5.5 hour journey spent in the back of a cramped bus on an unpaved road that may very well predate Angkor Wat. Having a small bladder and zero stops along the way really drives it all home. During the rainy season, many Cambodian roads take a beating-potholes and construction zones are commonplace, as are wandering cows. In any case, “suboptimal” was the word of the day. However, I did appreciate the bus ride for the fact that it gave us a moving portrait of the Cambodian countryside. I loved seeing the water buffalo and rice paddies, along with occasional strips of road lined with huts on stilts. The economic poverty of the Cambodia is obvious, but the country is rich in beauty.

Dinner
Dinner was at a local Khmer restaurant called “Cold Night,” a very ironic name. The restaurant was very tropical looking, and had a parrot in a cage that spoke Khmer. There was talk of freeing the parrot, but that never happened. I ordered a spicy green mango salad marinated in garlic dressing with dried salted fish that just made my life better. I was a bit hesitant to try anything too fishy at the beginning of this trip, but fish is really a (delicious) staple here, along with rice, noodles, and fresh fruit. We always eat until we are stuffed to the brim, but the food doesn’t leave you feeling heavy or uncomfortable.

5 (Christine W.)

2009-01-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Siem Reap, Day 2

More Angkor Wat
On our second Day in Siem Reap, we visited four more temple sites of the breathtaking Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This undertaking sounds benign enough, but the sheer size of this temple complex is enough to exhaust the hardiest of travelers. Each of the temples had its own characteristics and idiosyncrasies. They are giant stone structures devoted to various Hindu gods that date back to the 9-13 centuries. A couple of temples are surrounded by beautiful canals strewn with water lilies, while others have merged with nearby trees whose monstrous roots crawl in and out of the stone walls. I even got to ride to the first temple on an elephant, which took about 20 minutes. I felt like Indiana Jones. There are also vendors galore who line the temple entrances with every kind of souvenir a tourist might want. We stopped in an open coffee stand at one point for a pick-me-up. Nescafe is very popular, and Cambodians like their coffee STRONG. The server brought out condensed milk to pour into the coffee, which is also a common practice. It was at the site of the first temple we visited where I had one of the sweetest, strongest cups of coffee I’ve ever ingested and discovered that a tablespoon of condensed milk goes a long way indeed.

Cambodian Dance Performance
After our day of temple exploration, we went to a traditional Cambodian dance performance, which included a delicious buffet. The costumes for the dance were so colorful and warm, and the music was great, but of course the food stole the show for me. I am rarely in such a frenzied state of culinary ecstasy than I am on this trip. If I had the time I could easily create another blog devoted entirely to Cambodian food. But speaking of time and food, I am starving and there are an infinite number of possibilities calling to me, so this is where I will stop.

To make a long story short.... well kinda

2009-01-23T04:21:00.000-08:00

Since this is the first post I have written since the start of this course, I would like to say this trip has far exceeded my expectations. I knew at first that this course would be an amazing experience that I would never forget, but it has also opened my eyes to new thoughts and ideas that I was not expecting. I am extremely appreciative of the hard work and planning that Pushpa has put into this course to make it the incredible experience it has been this far.

Thailand was a great experience, and learning about the Southern Thailand conflict and the border region has been very interesting. I went to Thailand early and visited the island of Phuket which is very diverse. The influx of immigrants into Thailand is huge, and meeting with a local NGO (The Center of the Protection of Child Rights - CPCR) was a great experience. We learned about the problem of Human Trafficking into Thailand from neighboring countries which are not as developed, and the problem of people coming into Thailand to work on the boats to generate a minimal income. I found this problem to be similar to the immigration problem in the United States, and the influx of Hispanics into our country to try and make a better life. While some of these people coming into Thailand are coming to find a better life and a higher income, they are significantly abused and taken advantage of. The regulation of these migrants is difficult, and the harsh working conditions and low wages are a violation of their rights. CPCR is working to teach these people their rights and reintegrate them back into their own society. I was interested to see how effective this program was, and if the migrants have ever been repeated offenders like we see so much in the United States. The CPCR is solely working in Thailand and attempting to reintegrate the workers back into their own country. However, I believe it might be beneficial to increase this organization into the neighboring countries so that these migrants would be able to participate in this organization in their home country which could smooth the process of the reintegration process easier.

Going onto Cambodia was a very different experience. The difference in the development of the country is extreme, and obvious how people could try to go to Thailand for better opportunities. Siem Reap was incredible! The temples of Angkor Wat were so much more than I ever expected. The vast amount of different temples is impossible to see in one day, but the couple that we visited were truly something I will never forget. We woke up early one morning to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and heard a story from someone who survived the Khmer Rouge. It difficult for this person to explain the story which was extremely touching and I was very grateful to be able to hear it directly from a survivor, who was still fearful that the Khmer Rouge could come back to power. This fear is very troubling to me, and made me wonder if that could be one reason why there is a lack of education about the Khmer Rouge. We learned so much about the great Angkor period and the vastness of this great country during those times. I wonder though if the lack of teaching the children of Cambodia about these experiences is to prevent the spread of this fear that the Khmer Rouge could come back.

The Bus ride to Battambang which is a small province in Cambodia was definitely a bumpy ride. We visited two schools in the outskirts of the city of Battambang which were very different from each other. The first school we visited, which is also an HIV/AIDS refuge called Thean Thor means Acts of Compassion. This school was extremely touching mainly due to the happiness of all the children there. One of the teachers there explained how some of these children will seem incredibly happy, but once you get to know them you see the problems of extreme poverty that they suffer from. I found that the children here, as well as almost all the people of Cambodia are incredibly grateful for what they have, and never take anything for granted. I've seen children play with things as simple as their own flip-flops and how much fun they make of them. It is so different coming from a developed country and seeing children already wanting everything and anything they can get their hands on, while here it seems as though the children make the best of what they have. I found this to be extremely touching and made me think of life differently, and how that sometimes you need to just make the best of what you have or of your situation and just experience life for what it is.

The second school we visited was the Friends Economic Development Association (FEDA) which was much larger than Thean Thor and consisted of about 800+ students. A few volunteers just arrived at this organization the day before to start a program to develop jobs for people living in this rural community and preventing the migration of people from these rural areas into the bigger cities. They are planning on creating a method of transportation from this rural community to the city by kayak. This will help create jobs for the people of this community and hopefully improve their standard of living. I also feel it is important to preserve their culture living in the rural areas of the country and prevent a migration of people into the city. I found this to be a great thing for someone to come and help develop and will hopefully be a great success!

I've obviously gone on forever and there was so much more I haven't included, but I am committed to writing more on a regular basis so things will be shorter and hopefully even sweeter!

Reflections

2009-01-23T04:02:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days, our class has traveled from the city to the country and back to the city again. The ride itself provides enough to write several pages on, but while in Battambang, we were able to interact with Cambodian children from the Tean Thon children's clinic and FEDA. This was a very touching experience. Some of my classmates have already elaborated on what we were doing there, so I will add only what touched me the most...
Basically, these children were subsisting on close to nothing, some with HIV or AIDS, and yet they were ten times more grateful and happy than most other children I've met in my life. I've learned through their eyes that poverty, in a conceptual sense, is relative- these children do not see themselves as poor, because everyone around them is in a similar situation. Instead, they count their blessings and stay in the present, focusing on what they can actually do something about (e.g. getting enough food for the day). Coming from a wealthier western society, we partly expected them to be sad, resentful, or at least not as energetic in comparison, but we quickly came to realize they had found more joy in life than most of us who never have to face those worries. They were so excited when we came to help put temporary tattoos on their arm and to talk about how old they were, what their name was, and what sport they like to play, etc. Afterwards, in appreciation for our visit, the children gave us a mini concert, singing Celine Dion's "My heart will go on." This made me laugh and tear-up all at the same time and no words can really describe that.
Additionally, I also noticed a cultural version of HIV treatment, which to any western medical doctor sounds absurd. They have shelves full of roots and other plants, labeled "anti-vomit," "anti-pyretic," etc. Apparently, these are used in conjunction with the AIDS anti-retroviral medication to overcome cultural barriers to administering medicine. I found this to be very interesting, because culture plays a major role in Cambodian HIV/AIDS treatment not only in terms of giving out medication but in overcoming social stigmas as well. The man who was running the clinic told us that most of the time HIV/AIDS victims are severely discriminated against- no one buys their products, hires them, or associates with these individuals. So part of his way of helping these victims has been incorporating the monks (which are highly revered in Cambodian society) in AIDS education and giving the victims skill-sets like sewing.
After lunch, we visited the FEDA facility. After giving out supplies, Adam and I were allowed to help teach english in one of the beginners' class. Even though we were put on the spot, I think we made it fun and interesting for the children- we played Bingo, drew pictures to associate words, and counted. At least I thoroughly enjoyed myself...
Lastly, I will briefly explain a moving experience which took place in Angkor Wat. We had gotten up at the break of dawn that day to see the sunrise over the main temple and it turned into something I will never forget- We were able to hear from a survivor of the Khmer Rouge period and all that he lived through. He never found out what happened to his father, watched infants be thrown into the air and shot, almost starved to death in which his joints became bigger than his limbs, and gave us other gruesome depictions of life in that era. Then after living through all of that, his house burned down and he lost everything once more. This man is an inspiration who does not give himself enough credit because despite all of that, he is still incredibly grateful, humble, and has found inner peace- "Peace comes through forgiveness." If only everyone could be as wise as him...

4 (Christine W.)

2009-01-23T03:55:00.000-08:00

Cambodia – Siem Reap, Day 1

Arrival
We flew to Cambodia from Bangkok, and immediately I was struck by how rural Siem Reap seemed compared to the frenetic city of Bangkok. We checked into our very charming cabana-esque hotel, and then went to an artisan’s guild where blind and deaf people can learn to carve wood, paint silk, and make other silk products. This is a program that lasts 6 months to a year, and after the students have been trained, they sell their wares in markets. It was really neat to see the way they make their pieces, but my favorite part of that experience, by far, was the gift shop.

Temple Sunset
In the evening we climbed up a mountain to watch the sunset at one of the temples in Angkor Wat, a temple complex built by Khmer kings during the time of the Khmer empire from the 9th to the 13th century. This temple complex is massive, covering miles of temples devoted to Hindu gods. A combination of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism influence Cambodian religion, though Buddhism is practiced more widely than Hinduism. I asked our guide whether she knew of any other countries that had this dual influence, but she said she didn't know.
During the period of the Angkor Empire, Cambodia was very powerful and the empire included the majority of Southeast Asia. This glorious history contrasts shockingly with the post-colonial period and the Khmer Rouge genocide, and throughout the history following Angkor Cambodians have revisited its grandeur. The Khmer Rouge gave Cambodians hope that they would achieve a glory similar to that of Angkor, and Angkor history is taught more than the history of Cambodia’s post-colonial period in most schools.

A Khmer Story
Climbing the mountain to the temple was satisfying, as was struggling up its steep narrow steps to get a panorama of the lush Cambodian countryside. However, the most meaningful part of the trip for me was talking to someone that our group met at the temple. It is cliché to say, but he really did have a twinkle in his eye and a kind smile. He told me about his life during the Khmer Rouge era, which he survived through a fluke. He was born in 1958, which made him 17-23 years old during the time of the Khmer Rouge, and was forced to labor in the fields, becoming a human ghost. He said that Cambodia was a “country of girls” due to the emaciation caused by starvation. He shared with me that the Khmer Rouge killed his father and brothers. His father approached him when the Khmer Rouge came, and told him that he would now be the head of the household. His background comprised a family of academics, which the Khmer Rouge especially targeted. We read in one article that after the genocide, only 3 PhD’s were left in all of Cambodia. Currently the lack of educated people greatly affects Cambodian society, and the need for more schooling is exceptional.

I tried to remain “neutral” while asking this man questions about his life during the era, and ask in such a way that would not elicit a “formula story.” In the two days of class prior to the trip we learned that the Cambodians who survived the genocide now have a structure for understanding and retelling the tragedy in a way that is not so raw and painful as it would be without the formula for their narrative. This man does not have a unique story, however, there was really nothing that seemed formulaic or sterile in the way he told it. When he said that his mother died of a broken heart through barely contained tears, all I could register was the profound sadness in his eyes. I understand that conflict resolution requires thinking more deeply about individual stories, contextualizing them, and using theories to understand how they connect to the bigger picture. I must admit that I was not thinking of a single theory as I stood talking to this man with such a gentle soul tell me about how he rebuilt his life after all of the love that he had previously known was systematically destroyed during the time of the Khmer Rouge.

After pausing to watch the sun disappear behind the horizon, I asked this man whether he had heard of any of the books we had read in our class, particularly First they Killed My Father. I was curious about his reaction to this book because apparently it was deeply criticized in Cambodia. His face grew stony and he said that books, movies, and documentaries fail to cover the immense tragedy that occurred. He said that even The Killing Fields, which I found hard to watch, does not do justice to the genocide. I was surprised at how forthcoming he was about answering any questions I had, because many Cambodians do not openly talk about this time in history. During the Khmer Rouge era, he forgot how to smile and had to relearn this after the Pol Pot regime fell. He said that a general sense of relief did not even begin to occur in Cambodia until 1998, when Pol Pot died. The most awful part for him is not knowing now who were former members of the Khmer Rouge. They blended back into society after they had committed so many atrocities, and a sense of fear pervades the Cambodian psyche. The fact that Khmers killed Khmers during the Pol Pot era adds even more complexity to the conflict, and survivors of the genocide do not know who to be angry with or who to forgive.

Symbolism in Cambodian Culture

2009-01-23T03:09:00.000-08:00

This morning we had an incredible briefing at the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. So very many questions we have been pondering were aired and so many bridges between concepts were built. Understanding Cambodian culture, history, and politics requires an immense amount of layered and interconnected information. Religious transitions (from Animism to Hinduism to Buddhism to fledgling Christianity), Angkor heritage, cultural identity, regional conflict between nations, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, historic hatred and friendship, and of course clandestine or blatant short-term political support pouring in from the US, UK, China, Russia, Australia, the EU...it is imperative to consider all of these factors when simply trying to conceptualize why the average Cambodian feels and thinks the way he/she does.

One very important moment in the briefing was about the importance of symbolism to Cambodian people. We in Western countries defer constantly to the power of honest discussion and the verbal apology in reconciliation efforts, but here this strategy applies less. Cambodians appreciate and recognize the symbols of forgiveness much more readily than they do for the words describing it. We were told of many personal examples in which incredibly sensitive community conflicts were put to rest after never having been discussed or examined, but rather by simple gestures of inclusion or changed behavior. We also learned that our obsession with using "sorry" has no counterpart here in Cambodia. A parent will never apologize to their child and someone of a status greater than somenone else would also never employ the sentiment. They do not have to and are not expected to due to their elevated position in society.

This type of cultural understanding is imperative in our peacebuilding investigations. Being reminded that our perceptions and methodologies are distinctly our own, and not reflected in all or even many cultures, is true to our educational paths. Thank you to the Center for an amazing day!

2009-01-23T02:42:00.001-08:00

We visited the dam at Battambang, which was built by the Khmer people during the Khmer Rouge. It was about an hour and half away from our hotel by bus because most of the road was so torn up from carts, tractors and other vehicles. The bridge had an chilling feeling to it. Knowing that thousands of people had died building it and that anyone in the village or near by villages had probably built it if they looked over 30 years old didn't sit well with me.

The children were excited and curious to see us. They would follow us around as we looked at the dam and would whisper and laugh if we looked back to see what they were up to. We learned that they were so far from the city that it was very hard for them to get pens and pencils. We gave all the pens that we had on us to the children and they were so happy. They drew on themselves and when we gave them paper, they drew pictures and wrote in Khmer. It was really awesome to see kids that happy.

Angkor Wat tour guides

2009-01-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

January 18th, 2009

After climbing down from watching the sunset at Ba Kheng, a temple in the Angor Thom city, I met two tour guides. Both of them spoke multiple languages including Japanese, which I also speak. They wanted to practice their Japanese so we didn't speak English. After exchanging the usual where are you from's and the usual niceties, one of the guides asked me about my family. I casually told him about my parents and siblings. Then I asked him about his family and he said, "I don't know. They were killed. I was only two." How did you become a tour guide, I asked. He explained, "I was lucky. A teacher took me in and sent me to school." I asked him if he learned about the Khmer Rouge in school. He said, "Nothing. I know nothing." So I asked him if he wanted to learn about the Khmer Rouge and if he wanted to remember what happened during that time. His answer was, "Yes!"

Thai Generosity

2009-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

January 17th, 2009

While I lived in Japan, I did a homestay. During this time, one of the students who had previously done a homestay with the same family came to visit us in Japan. His name is Cha and he is from Bangkok. I only met him one day for a brief time, but we exchanged e-mail addresses and have sporadically kept in touch over the past 6 months.

So when I knew that I would be in Bangkok, I told Cha and asked him for some recommendations of places to go. He surpirsed me by saying that he would meet me if I had time. So we made plans to meet for dinner in Bangkok.

We went to a nice Thai restaurant for dinner. The food was great and we talked for a long time. During our conversation I had told him that I wanted to get a massage that night. He arranged for me to have a massage and even got one himself. Much to my surprise he paid not only for dinner but also for the massage. Then he took me back to my hotel and gave me a beautiful pashmina as a parting gift. I couldn't believe how generous he was. We were not well acquainted before we met that day, but his kindness and generosity made a strong impression on me.

3 (Christine W.)

2009-01-21T06:02:00.000-08:00

Bangkok, Day 2

Reclining Buddha
The second day we spent in Bangkok was extremely exhausting, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We started off the day by taking a river taxi to visit the reclining Buddha, which sadly I knew and still know very little about. It was a giant statue of a golden Buddha lying down, and far more enormous than I had expected. The grounds where he lies are equally breathtaking-ornate, colorful wats (temples), with many other statues inside. We then walked to the grand palace, which we did not see because the entrance fee was exorbitant. I did have fun watching the tuc tucs, which are sort of like romanticized golf carts for transport, and endless street vendors on our walk. There are street vendors all over Bangkok and their carts emanate quite a mixed bag of smells including anything from sweet fresh fruit to crispy grasshoppers.
Later Pushpa, Rachael and I each got a full two-hour Thai massage at a very upscale massage parlour, which it seems are quite popular in Thailand. We were given flip flops and pajamas and shown to our own private room where we spent the proceeding two hours in nirvana. And all to the tune of fifteen dollars.

Night Market
After dinner I went to the night market with Pushpa. This market was far bigger than I had expected, well-lit, weaving in and out of massive tents, and filled with treasures, trinkets, and tourist trap items. It reminded me of a carnival with all of the neon lighting and customers darting about. Haggling with the vendors is protocol, but luckily for me, I was given a “very special price” at every stand I patronized. Statues of Buddha are popular items as well as loose fitting fisherman’s pants that tie at the waist. These look better on the rack than they do on me, but they sure are comfortable. There were also many flip-flops, pirated dvd’s and elephant themed everything.

Red Light District
I ended my night with a bang, if you can call it that, in the red light district with Pushpa and Adam. This is a series of streets in Bangkok where you can find drugs, prostitution, and sex tourism running rampant. There is an infinite number of bars with girls in bikinis gyrating on counters while potential customers on the street stroll by and check out the goods. As Adam said, some of the girls wait to be picked up like groceries. On one street the prostitutes stand outside with their pimps, some of them wear numbers, while they wait for business. The people in charge of advertising all kinds of sex show options including the infamous “ping pong show” are extremely aggressive and grab your arms as you make your way through the street. Some will even follow you. If you look into the faces of these girls, some of them very young, you can tell that they are not all there. Whether they have numbed themselves to the circumstances or they are intoxicated, it is obvious that this is not something they do for personal fulfillment. As Pushpa said would be the case, many of the sex tourists were old, pot-bellied, white men who only had eyes for the women they were pursuing. I tried to make eye contact with a few of them to guess what was going on in their head, and shame was definitely not part of the equation. I had to deaden myself a little in order to just walk through the district, and I imagine most of these girls would not choose this as their career given other opportunities.
When we returned to the hotel, Pushpa, Adam, Rachael, Melissa and I had an interesting conversation regarding power and why it is that we, as westerners, are so appalled at the idea of sex tourism when there are many strippers in America, and prostitution is not exactly a novel concept. Are we being overly sensitive and victimizing the prostitutes because we did not grow up embracing this type of industry? Do we just feel guilty when we see such a high concentration of white men in these establishments? After all, there are many strippers and prostitutes in the states who pursue this type of work because they know they will bring in more income than they would get working a 9-5 job. I hear that some strippers even like what they do. I am having stomach pains at the previous two sentences I wrote, but even if I cannot understand this idea at all, I have to take it into account when I think about our collective reaction to the sex tourism we see happening in Bangkok relative to our reaction to strippers in the U.S., which is not necessarily as drastic.
I think one reason the idea of sex tourism is so insidious to me is that although these women are not physically forced into their profession, the circumstances and societal structure that surrounds them leads them to this path, and then they get stuck. In the U.S. there may be other options, but in Bangkok, I’m not convinced that this is the case for these women. They are unwanted by the men that solicit their sex, the pimps that live off of the majority of their income, and the society that brushes them into dark alleys in the night for lack of a better plan. Additionally, not only is the physical risk of STI’s and beatings part of their reality, the idea that they are completely powerless in these transactions affects the way they understand the world they live in. How can a young girl feel empowered when she has never been conditioned into subservience? Essentially, the notion that we live in an anything goes type of world in which money is power, power trumps human dignity, and the powerful use their money to strip dignity from the weak in order to maintain that sense of power is horrific to me.

early morning

2009-01-20T22:11:00.000-08:00

Today we met in the lobby at 8am and went out of the busy city to visit an HIV/AIDS clinic and small school for children. On our way there, I noticed how resourceful the people of Cambodia are. They use things in their daily lives that many of us would consider garbage. The clinic and school was located on a small dirt road. Our bus driver had to get out to move rocks so that our bus could travel on the road.

When we arrived at the school, we met the man in charge of the clinic and he showed us around the complex. There was a big building full of girls who were learning a trade so that they would be less likely to be trafficked in the larger cities. Then we went over and visited a classroom where the children were learning English. The children were so cute! We gave them all fake tattoos and talked to them and it was really fun. To see how happy they were with such a small gift was really heart-warming. After about 20 minutes with the children, we visited some of the HIV/AIDS patients at the complex. There was a little girl, a little oder then a month who had lost her mother and has HIV. She was very weak when she first arrived there but she looks so much better now. Her smile was beautiful and she did the wai for all of us ,it was really cute. There were also a few older Cambodians who were so weak when they first arrived. After resting and getting medicine, they seemed so much happier and had hope for the future.

One of the most difficult things to see at the clinic was a small boy who was 13 but looked like he was 8. He was there, with HIV because his mother remarried and the new husband didn't want him so they sent him there. She still comes to visit him every month but it is just sad that some parents can just give up their children like that. Even though the situation was grim for a lot of the people there, they were happy to be in a community where everyone helped everyone and took care of each other. The children were always smiling, reading and playing.

At the end of the trip, they sang 3 songs for us. It was really difficult to leave them. On our way out, everyone came outside to say goodbye to us. It was hard driving away with them waving knowing what I know now. I hope I get to see them again and that I can help them out in the future.

Random thoughts from SE Asia

2009-01-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

I have not been able to post to the blog yet, but I have been keeping a journal so I have lots of thoughts saved that I can post later. I wanted to note a few things about Thailand first. I was fortunate enough to do some traveling before the class met in Bangkok, visiting a rural area which I think gave me a very different view of the country. I was immediately struck by how much the Thais eat on the street. They have all sorts of carts out on the main road with makeshift restaurants and all types of food. One common food that shocked me was the meat on a stick. They have all sorts of hot-dog type meats, ranging from the American style ones to bright pink hot dogs! They also put chicken and other meats on sticks, sort of like a kabob. In the morning, we ate these pancake type treats, filled with coconut milk, which were delicious! I wish I knew what they were called in Thai though! I have much more to talk about Thailand about but for lack of time, I wanted to mention some things about Cambodia. The people here are also amazing. They have been through so much and deal with many hardships, but still have a glow and smiles on their faces. I was struck by how much fear they are still living in. Talking to a few Cambodians, I realized that they are afraid to say certain things, for fear that the Khmer Rouge will come back into power. They also have told us that many of the young people do not believe that a genocide happened, or do not believe that it was truly as horrible as it was. The Khmer Rouge period is skipped over in their history books. I am very interested in how people are dealing today with their past and how the society can move forward.
On a lighter note, I also talked with some monks that surprised me. I saw they they carried cell phones, had email accounts, and spoke very openly about their lives and thoughts.
Unfortunately, I am out of time at this point, I will continue my blog later. I need to figure out how to make my name on the posts, but for now this is Christine R blogging.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

2009-01-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

The days we have spent on this trip so far have been varied and rich, but two days ago in Siem Reap we had an extraordinary experience at Angkor Wat. It is typical for tourists to arrive at the religious site at sunrise, but there are far fewer people in the morning than later at the height of the day and the heat. Our guide picked us up from our hotel at 5 am and we drove in the darkness toward Angkor Wat.

We filed down a long stone walkway only lit by the few flashlights we had with us. Our guide told us to stop and sit, facing east, and though we could not see anything but hundreds of stars in the sky, we knew that in the blackness before us loomed Angkor Wat. Arriving as early as we did, we still had an hour in the morning dark. We watched flashlights bob past us as other tourists arrived and picked their way across the fields. Finally the sun slowly started to tint the horizon. It was almost imperceptable at first, but the shape of the magnificent temple began to appear, written on the skyline in a deep inky blue.

There was a Cambodian man sitting near us, perhaps a guide for another group, who began to talk with us about his life. He was sitting to one side of our long line of students, looking out at the sunrise, and only a few of us at the end could hear him at first. But once it was realized what he was sharing and the significance of his story, the rest crowded around. As the sky brightened and Angkor Wat's incredible silouhette stood before us, the man told of the years leading toward the arrival of the Khmer Rouge. He explained how the Lon Nol period had been so painful and the government's association with the United States so devastating at a time when the country was being ripped by US bombs. When the Khmer Rouge took power in '75 the man said people were genuinely happy, thinking the war was over and the country would be restored to its peaceful ways.

The story of this man's life from 1975 to 1979 was heart wrenching. The Khmer Rouge loaded his family and him into a truck that drove down a road alongside many other trucks loaded in the same way. Miraculously, the truck got a flat tire. The convoy continued without this one solitary truck, stuck along the side of the road and waiting for assistance to arrive. Somehow, just this one deviation from the route allowed the man and his family to avoid being killed that day. He said all others heading down the road were being led to that end.

He, like so many others, was made to work in the fields. He was asked if he knew how to make sugar palm juice and he lied and said he did, opportunistically buying time in a way that must have been common during those years. Out of necessity and the type of fear that catalyzes the mind, he learned how, and therefore provided a service that kept him alive in the coming years. He told of the horror he witnessed befalling men and families around him. We were riveted, and watched the light rise on his face more than on the distant temple.

There was a similarity I felt in the mountainous presence of Angkor Wat and the man's story being told in the morning darkness. The story too seemed to stand alone in emptiness, mysterious, unbelievable, impossible to understand. We come as tourists to the temple to acknowledge greatness, and so did we listen to the story to bear witness to the man's suffering and the country's tragedy. But in the end the history and the mistery stand alone.

All about Cambodia

2009-01-20T08:22:00.000-08:00

We arrived to a beautiful warm and humid Cambodia and spent our first few nights in the small town of Siem Reap....definitely one of those "roll with the punches" kinds of cities....meaning we stayed in a small little 'resort' where i had the pleasure of showering with bugs and salamanders :) But compared to those that had a cold-only option on their showers, I think we made out pretty well. The people here are amazing, beautiful, poor and happy. We have encountered many locals that don't speak any english but some how we manage to get by. We had a tour guide by the name of Kachel (whom we all absolutely adored) for our two days in Siem Reap and were sad today when we had to leave him behind as we headed to Battanbang. Speaking of the trip to Battanbang, let me just tell you about our lovely little bus ride. I hopped on the bus only to see all but one seat taken and 3 more people (myself included) still in need of a seat. My first thought was "oh my gosh they screwed up! There's not enough seats for everyone!"Little did I realize that oh yes there were indeed enough seats for everyone because two of them were fold downs attached to the aisle seats :) Yes, that is correct. I was lucky enough to grab the last actual seat but Kelly and Sarah were unfortunately not so lucky. So after folding down what was to be their seats for the next 5, yes 5, hours we headed out on our drive to Battanbang. This part makes me chuckle a bit because while I didn't have any real notions about what Cambodia would be like, whenever I thought of our time here I could not for the life of me get this image of us on a bus driving down some bumpy, dirt road out of my head - who would have guessed I was such a pyschic! The road we were driving on was so bumpy that at some point we hit a huge pot hole and the four of us in the very back row actually flew out of our seats! Granted it was only for a few seconds, but still. Eventually I sighted pavement, I never thought I would be so happy to see pavement but when you have been sitting on a small, barely air conditioned bus in the middle of a dirt plain after having driven down a gravel road - you would be happy to! So we approach the pavement and I think to myself "fabulous, we will have a smooth ride the rest of the way and my pillow will actually stop sliding out from under my head from the bumps"- end of thought. Well as it turned out we did end up on the pavement, for about 5 minutes. Apparently some one decided to lay about 100 yards of pavement then stop so after about 100 yards of bumpless gloriousness we returned to our all too familiar turbulence. At some point you really did have to chalk it all up to the experience. The drive did provide an incredible insight to the reality of how many Cambodians live in the country - very poor but managing to move forward. We arrived aroun 7 pm in the evening and went out to dinner. This is the first time I think we have had access to "realiable" internet since we got to Cambodia. Tomorrow we visit an HIV/AIDS orphanage for kids then go to a community center for kids in the afternoon - it is the start to official business here. We are also excited to catch the inaguration this evening!

Schooled by Pushpa

2009-01-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

January 18-21: On Jan 18th we all pakced up and took a bus to Bangkok International Airport to catch our flight to Cambodia. It was a bit of a hassle in the beginning but we all managed to get through and make our way to the plane. It was such a short ride and it was a little less than an hour that we were on the plane. Flying into Siem Reap was interesting because from the air, I could already see how different Cambodia was from Thailand. I didn't see any big buildings or busy streets, but hundreds of farm houses and feilds of rice.

Getting through customs was a bit more difficult because we all had to get our visas and wait for them to be inspected and then stamped again and then finally go through customs and then we finally met our guides!

The hotel was beautiful! It was pretty big and was all wood, like little cabins in the jungle. We had a little down time but soon we were off to visit a temple to see the sun set. We hiked up a hill and made our way to the temple. There were so many people there, it was amazing! We climbed the steep stairs all the way to the top and could look out for miles around us and see fields and the jungle! As soon as the sun began to set, it was truly an amazing sight. Sunsets in Asia are really beautiful and the sky was so full of color! On our way down, we heard this loud ringing and it sounded like people were doing construction, but it was actually these insects that live in the trees, it was weird.

On our way down, we passed this women who was begging for money and holding her sick child. It is really hard to not see something like that in Cambodia. I had only seen that a few times in Thailand but now I see it every where here, it makes me really sad and I also get this feeling of guilt. I feel like the United States has been able to hide these types of things from me. I knew I would see poverty and things like women begging but I didn't know it would be so intense. I am glad that I have seen it, and I am greatful for the live that I have been given in the U.S. I really don't know what I would do if I were in their shoes.

So later on in the night we all went out to dinner for traditional Khmer food. It was really good and we were able to choose what we wanted and put it in the middle to be boiled and then make a soup with it. Everything was going great until Professor Pushpa told us that we would be meeting later on in the night to discuss some serious problems. I asked her what they were and she looked me dead in the eye and told me that it was about me getting yelled at by the ploice in the temple for climbing around on the temple. My hear dropped and all I could do was just stare at her. She said it was serious and that she would have to talk to me about what I had done. The only thing I could think of and say at the time was that they told me it was ok but not to do it again. We kept our eyes on each other but then all of a sudden she starts laughing~! She told me she was joking but I really had thought that I was going to get into serious trouble. My friends, Ashley and Steph have been trying to get me with a joke the whole time on this trip. I am just really surprised that Pushpa was the one who got me and not them.

The next day we went to all of the other temples. The one that I had the most fun in was the one where the movie Tomb Raider was filmed. Huge trees were growing out of the top of the temples and Ashley and I were pretending to raid the tomb. It was awesome and amazing to see all of these temples at Angkor Wat. However, there were also so many children there trying to see little things for a dollar. They didn't stop until you finally walked into a car, an area they could not go, or purchased something. Most of the time I felt so bad for these kids I would buy something from them. The younger ones seem to be the ones who get most of the tourist to buy things because they are so cute. However, most of the kids selling things are girls, not boys and the boys are more likely to go to school then the girls. It was just really sad so see children playing and being innocent for several minutes, then see them trying to make a sale so their family could eat. It was really difficult for me to see.

I asked a few of the guys who were selling books their ages and the 4 or 5 that I spoke with were between 23 and 25. A few of them were going to night school at the University to study tourism so they could be a tour guide. Most of them were really excited about it and liked to talk to the tourist to work on their English. When I asked them about the history of their country, all they could tell me about was the Angkor Empire which is very special and important to the Khmer people. I asked them about Cambodia in the 70s and 80s and they couldn't tell me anything that had happened. I thought was strange but to be expected since Cambodian schools don't even go over the genocide in their classes.

That was our last day in Siem Reap and after a night out with some of the people from my group, we packed up and made our way on a bus toBattambang. I can't tell you about the ride there because I was asleep the whole time but it was different from Siem Reap. Not as developed and there was more poverty here. Tomorrow we are going t an HIV/AIDS clinic and school and that is going to be so hard. Most of the people there are children and no one ever likes to see kids suffer or be sad. We are going to start serious interviews tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that. The trip will definitley be more emotional for the next week.

Fish, Parrots and James Bond the Monk

2009-01-20T07:29:00.001-08:00

Well we just finished our first evening in Battambang after what was quite a long, *bumpy* van ride! Dinner was great, though I must say I was rather intimidated by this "fish" thing everyone was eating... first of all, it had a head, tail, bones... waaaayyy too much fun for me. But more importantly, I cannot figure out what this so-called "fish" is that seems to be on the menu everywhere... for all I know, it could be piranha. Hence I'm on a strictly rice and noodle regimen.

Speaking of dinner, the restaurant happened to have a very, very disturbingly caged green parrot planted right next to our table. Feeling bad for it, Faith and I decided to go play with it... and next thing we knew we were having a conversation with a Khmer-speaking parrot!! We couldn't understand most of what it said, but it kept saying "akun" (thank you) back to us when we said it, and when we laughed it actually said "ha ha ha" - very amusing! Still, we felt awful for the poor guy in his rickety little cage - not sure if parrots can literally "cry," but if so, that's definitely what it was doing when it wasn't speaking Khmer... :(

In other news, as I'm sure you'll read elsewhere, we visited the Angkor Wat temple complex yesterday and did some serious tomb raiding! We also visited a Buddhist pagoda with a monk who went by the name James Bond. Actually, quite a few mentioned being disturbed by his seeming lack of piety, but quite frankly I more or less expected that, as it seems to be quite a common cultural practice here to send sons off to be monks for some period of time, not to mention those who simply become monks for lack of better economic opportunities (which seems to have been the case with James Bond). Expecting them all to be terribly serious, pious individuals would be like expecting every American kid who gets confirmed to be saintly as well. And while I by no means support treating these sorts of monks as saints or sages, I honestly feel a certain appreciation for the way most of the Buddhist monks I've encountered (here with the Mahayana or otherwise) seem to interact so comfortably and amicably with us lay people, and to interact as human beings and equals rather than with that sort of holier-than-thou sense of separation that can be so apparent in many religious institutions. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that sort of sense of separation happens to a certain extent in Buddhism as well (and depending on the school of course), and vice versa for other religious traditions, but on the whole I'm quite moved by Buddhism's active encouragement of "clergy-commoner" interactions.

...In any case, though, the inauguration is about to start, so I better run... more later!

Battambang

2009-01-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

Just got out of the bus in Battambang and, wow, was that an experience in itself. I thought Michigan pot holes were bad...these roads barely have enough space to get two cars through, with construction dirt piled up on either side and rocks the size of softballs scattered about like an derranged obstacle course. Sometimes we had to cross over these mounds to make way for giant trucks and on several occasions I thought we for sure were going straight into the ditch. But on the way from Siem Reap, Adam and I managed to observe a lot about Cambodian country life. Sadly, most of these houses are in terrible condition and the size of most American bedrooms and propped up by stilts to avoid flood damage. I felt that I have more in my luggage than most had in their entire house and this is really when feelings of guilt started to play in. These people perform back-breaking labor daily, working from the break of dawn until sunset only for a few dollars a day if that. Most Americans, instead, have comfy cubicles and often check their email most of the day than doing the job but make much more money. It's hard when you're constantly surrounded by luxury to understand the almighty power of the US greenback, but when you travel to countries like Cambodia, things are blatently put into perspective. We also saw up to five people riding into town on the family moped, one having an IV attached while riding to the hospital...can you imagine? We are so lucky to have ambulances and hospitals within range unlike these people. I have so much respect for the Cambodian people and their resilance and kindness.

From Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-01-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't updated the blog in two days....we are in Siem Reap, Cambodia and have no internet connection in our hotel. Christine W, Adam and I are here at this internet cafe trying to get some work done. The computers are ancient and the connection is very slow so unfortunately this is going to be a short blog.

We have so many, many stories and I am sure you will hear a lot when everyone can get online (hopefully, when we get to Battambang tomorrow). We have been having over 12 hour days but they have been simply terrific. We have seen sunrise and sunset at the Angkor Wat - the temples are magnificent - truly one of the wonders of the world!

BTW, just to make all of you back home jealous - we just had an one hour foot massage session for 5 dollars!

We will update soon and have some great stories and pictures for you...

Recovering!

2009-01-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I wish I could speak to some of the exciting things taking place in Bangkok you've read about here, but sadly I've been ill for the greater part of our time in the city! I can, however, say that I've seen a Thai hospital, which is an experience in and of itself. Actually, I'm guessing the hospital I was at wasn't exactly representative of all Thai hospitals (their slogan was "BNH Hospital - Experts in International Care" - so I think it was more or less a hospital designed for foreigners like me), but I was quite impressed nonetheless. For one, I've never gotten into *any* emergency room quite that fast (and I didn't look too bad at all by the time I got there)! The moment Dr. Iyer and I walked in a nurse approached me and demanded what was wrong with me -- next thing I knew, I was laying on a bed in a pristine care center. Shortly thereafter, they had me hooked up to an IV, and about 45 min later we were led to the pharmacy where I was given three separate medications in a dainty little gold and white shopping bag that looked as if I had just purchased jewelry at Bloomingdale's. All this, and the total price? About $100. Sure, $100 is a lot, but compared to US emergency room visits -- amazing! In fact, the actual doctor's visit was only $12, while the rest of the price was mostly comprised of the medications ($50 or so), IV fluid, medical supplies, etc. ...In case you're wondering, I probably just had a case of food poisoning, though the fever I had on Friday led Dr. Iyer and I to get it checked out here in Thailand before hitting rural Cambodia.

In any case, though, I felt a great deal better yesterday, so (as I'm sure you'll read elsewhere here!) quite a few of us hit up the Reclining Buddha yesterday morning. That sight was amazing if only for its sheer size -- it was *enormous*!! We also attempted to go to the Grand Palace, but all of us decided it was somewhat overpriced, so that was out. Next Stephanie, Faith and I hit up the Weekend Market, which is apparently the largest outdoor market in the world - and I wouldn't doubt it, as we were exhausted after a few hours of roaming and probably only covering a tiny fraction of the Market. By the way, as Stephanie pointed out, the "pets" area was seriously depressing -- thousands of animals, including hundreds of purebred puppies (pugs, chow chows, cocker spaniels, pomeranians...), crammed into these tiny, tiny cages and constantly surrounded by people. One of the more disturbing things we saw was this squirrel dressed up in a funny outfit, hat and everything, on top of a cage looking petrified. There was a sign right above him that said "no photo, no video," so I'm not sure if any of us got a shot of him, but I hope so. I really wondered who was breeding these animals, and perhaps more importantly, who was buying them... eek.

In any case, though, we finally sat down to eat, and for the first time in a couple days I managed to eat a decent amount - though I stuck to comfort food this time (lame American!), consisting of spaghetti and tomato basil sauce. Unfortunately, though, that left me feeling a bit off-kilter (I think all the action coupled with more food than I'd eaten in two days was a bit much), and once I got back to the hotel I wasn't exactly feeling up for much of anything. I ended up falling asleep at 7 -- lame! -- and missed out on the Red Light District excursion! That bothers me a lot, as (as I'm sure you've read here) that certainly sounded like an eye-opening experience. Oh well, at least a few others got photos/videos - can't wait to see them!

Anyway, I'll have to write more later, when hopefully I'll have been doing something more exciting than holing up in the hotel room!!

Bangkok Day 2

2009-01-17T05:02:00.000-08:00

Alright, so just a quick reflection here...a few of us managed to visit Bangkok's weekend market, which in itself is quite an experience and here are a few of the things we observed:
- Do not donate money to the street children, no matter how hard it is to walk by...sometimes the whole thing is a bit overwhelming (this one in particular was a burn victim and scarred for life) and all you want to do is give the poor child something, but while watching from a far we saw an adult quickly swoop in and exchange anything he collected for an apple to pacify the child for a few more hours while he roasts in the sun. Sadly, these donations are what kept him there and promotes the whole begging culture.
-Do not buy any animals from the market. This was perhaps the most depressing section in the weekend market, because there were hundreds of puppies, kittens, bunnies, squirrels, etc. all stuffed in small cages without access to water most of the time and being man-handeled by dozens of people- some of which I am sure will use the pets for dog-fighting, food or breeding.
-Also, never pay full price. Some of my friends felt guilty haggling for an already cheap item, which is understandable, but they will never sell you anything without making a profit and actually enjoy the sport of haggeling.
-On a side note, some other markets were located in the red light district...most of these women who prostitute themselves are teenagers, some extremely young virgins, who have no other source of income other than sleeping with foreign businessmen, tourists, or locals for money. Societal stigmas often blame and dehumanize these women, thinking they have a choice, but clearly in this situation they do not. Sometimes their own parents are actually the ones who put them up to the job. The whole experience makes you sick to your stomach watching some greased-up, mid-life crisis, 40-something year old taking these girls away for who knows what. There were also the advertisements for "ping-pong, animal or banana" shows, which I will not elaborate on but hopefully you get the drift. It was disgusting. The industry thrives in Bangkok, and sadly, when you help reduce the supply of prostitutes the demand simply moves elsewhere. Anyways, I will post more later on once we reach Siem Reap, Cambodia.

2009-01-17T03:39:00.001-08:00

Ashley, Steph and I went to Thailand early and we all went to a small island in the southern part of Thailand. We went to Raliey Beach and stayed in the jungle and went rock climbing, snokeling, swimming, hiking and kayaking all over the island. It was amazing. We went snokeling at night and swam with the photoplankton.

On the 15th, we made our way back to Bangkok and met up with everyone in our group. A few things about that small trip have really stuck out in my mind. First of all, even though many of the Thai's don't speak English, the little English they know is about peace, no war and the hope of a bright future with Obama.

After our short trip to the islands, we made our way back to Bangkok. Our first day in Bangkok was spent with the Asia Foundation and CPRC. Learning about the boarder conflict between Cambodia and Thailand was very interesting because I didn't know it was such a big issue between the two countries. I related the Thai/Cambodia boarder conflict to the Germany/France conflict decades ago. It is really difficult to understand why they can't work closer to try and come to some kind of agreement but I also understand that giving up land for Thailand is admitting they were wrong.

The child protection agency was really wonderful. Joe explained everything in such great detail and really helped us understand trafficking of children, women and men. I had not known that men were trafficked as much as women in Thailand and that Thailand changed its trafficking law to include men in the law. I really appreciated the information that I was given and it has really helped me understand the culture and conflicts in Thailand and Asia much better! Later on I'll post more about the Weekend Market and the leaning Buddha!

Pre-departure Class at MIIS

2009-01-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

Prior to our long-anticipated arrival in Bangkok, we all arrived at MIIS to take a two day pre-departure class. Over the winter break we were required to read two books, one about Battambang, an area we will be visiting in Cambodia and another containing the stories of four individuals and their memories of the Khmer Rouge time in Cambodia. In addition to reading these two books, we also read a number of newspaper articles and scholarly journal articles regarding a number of different conflicts. One particular article that we discussed at length was one dealing with the issues of face and honor in Cambodia. Our discussions were very enlightening in helping to understand some of the underlying issues of different conflicts. Another topic that our class expressed great interest in was that of trauma and healing. Dr. Poethig visited our class and lectured on Cambodia history and provided us with the opportunity to inquire about issues of our interest, such as possible explanations for why Cambodias don't discuss the Khmer Rouge era. We are off to visit the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok Thailand, but I promise to write more about our pre-departure soon.

2 (Christine W.)

2009-01-16T07:23:00.001-08:00

Thai Border Conflict

I’m winding down in the Evergreen Laurel Hotel, reflecting on my first day in Bangkok in a jetlagged fog. For our first outing of the day we visited the Asia Foundation, an non-profit NGO that works with the Asia-Pacific region countries to improve governance, civil society, empowerment for women, and the economy. As I pounded multiple cups of coffee to keep the jetlag at bay, our group listened to two representatives who spoke about a border conflict in the southern provinces of Thailand, which are populated by Muslim Malays.

Although Thailand is bordered by many different ethnic groups, and the ethnic Thais are actually the minority in Thailand, the Muslim Malays feel particularly underrepresented by the centralized Thai government. The Malays have struggled to preserve their cultural identity in Thailand, and they have a long history in Thailand, which I cannot summon the energy to explain just now. The conflict between the Malays and Thai society accelerated in 2000 when the former Prime Minister of Thailand gave the police control over these provinces in order to crack down on drugs. The police were given the authority to kill accused drug dealers, many of which were young Malay men. Since this time, an underground Malay insurgency has grown, and young educated Malay men are being recruited into the insurgency.

Asia Foundation link: http://asiafoundation.org/about/

Reflection

Cultural identity, and identity in general, are often strong themes in conflict resolution, particularly in an international context. I know that understanding the background of each identity group implicated in a conflict is crucial to a strong analysis of that conflict, but I get so overwhelmed when I think of how embedded religion, politics, and history are in protracted conflicts. I feel it is absolutely impossible to make any kind of recommendation unless a conflict resolver spends a significant amount of time with each group. For example, in the case of the Cambodian genocide, it I feel it is natural to sympathize with a victim when they describe their circumstances during the trauma. For me, during their narratives, the Khmers Rouges become ruthless torturers who lust after power, and the fact that many of them have not apologized for the atrocities they committed is horrifying. Yet when I examine the history of the former members of the Khmer Rouge, I find that many of them were 15-16 years old when they were indoctrinated in a way that spoke to their cultural upbringing, and had they obeyed to refuse orders from the higher cadres they would have lost their lives. As one of the (male) members of our group suggested during our two days of briefings prior to this trip, there is little difference between a 16-year-old boy and a sociopath. How can a former member of the Khmer Rouge, who was strongly influenced during a time when they were emotionally underdeveloped, take full responsibility of the atrocities they committed when they too were victimized and alienated from the notion of morality? Black and white answers just do not exist, and this is when I consider adding Baileys to my coffee.

Our second meeting was with a local NGO, which works to protect children from child abuse and human trafficking. Increasingly there is a demand for virgin girls as young as 14, and younger, in the sex trade. Thailand has thus far been very progressive about passing laws against trafficking women and connecting with other countries to put a stop to trafficking, but men are also increasingly trafficked for labor. This was another wonderful meeting, but I don’t have the emotional energy to blog too much about it just now. I might go to the red light district tomorrow, and if that is the case, I’m sure I will have more to say on the matter.

Food!

On a lighter note, the food here has been the stuff that dreams are made of. The hotel offers a beautiful breakfast spread with some of the sweetest fresh fruit you can imagine. It doesn’t get much better than eating ripe papaya and scrambled eggs on a sultry 70 something degree day in January. If I get the bird flu, it will have been worth the eggs. For lunch we went to Cabbages and Condoms, a local restaurant that aims to educate people about safe sex. This can be a taboo subject in Thailand, so the restaurant has a back room where people can discreetly discuss sex with educators. We ordered what seemed like nearly everything on the menu so that everyone could try various Thai dishes. My favorite was a whole steamed fish with lemon-flavored juices. It was the most tender delight you can imagine. The seafood here is exceptional, and I have yet to try something I don’t like. Seasoning is taken seriously, and they don’t pussy foot around when it comes to bold flavors. It is a good thing the hotel has a spa, and that they offered a kickboxing class tonight. Sarah, Brandon and I decided to try the class from 6-7 pm before dinner. Kickboxing is a far cry from ballet, but the instructor was pretty fantastic, and it was a good workout nonetheless that reduced some of my guilt for all of the gorging I intend to continue. Hope all is well with everyone!

Cabbages and Condoms link: http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/

Christine

Day 1 Bangkok

2009-01-16T03:14:00.000-08:00

So I've never been much of a blogger, but I think this is a great way to be able to share the little observations you don't get in Lonely Planet guide books or the Discovery channel. Faith, Ashley and I arrived early and actually have spent the past three days in Railay, a small island near Phuket to bask in the sun, snorkel and swim with phyto-plankton...it was amazing, but it was a comfy, aloof tourist bubble that is now beginning to erode since we've arrived in Bangkok. Obviously, tourism is a huge industry here in beautiful Thailand but I think if you truly want to understand the culture you're in you must talk with the locals, eat at places off the map (try new, exotic foods), and basically put yourself outside your comfort zone. If it weren't for the fact Faith, Ashley and I came down with a bit of food poisoning, let me tell you, I would be eating everything in sight. I think some of the best food I've had so far came from a small market in Phuket while we were waiting for a cab to the ferry. We had lotus leafs filled with coconut rice, topped with mango and some sticky rice balls..very good! But enough of food...let's get to the main reason our class is here, which is to observe and evaluate the peace-building process in post conflict societies. This is something I am just beginning to comprehend, seeing as I am a nonproliferation major, but it is something I consider equally important in trying to make the world a better place. Today, we met up with Tom Parks of the Asia Foundation and he and his co-worker gave us a wonderful overview of what Thailand has gone through and it's current political state. The Asia Foundation is a perfect example of where foreign aid goes and I am proud to say the US State Dept. is actively involved in providing the funding to stopping human trafficking, helping victims of violence, promoting education and awareness and basically doing all the dirty, hands-on work that individual governments do not include specifically in their foreign policy agenda. This is crucial work that I have great respect for, especially the individuals who work with children who have been trafficked. One of the things that struck me the most was the idea that some of these poor children do not even consider themselves victims...they see these rehabilitation centers and shelters that they are transferred to after the trafficking as a form of prison, thinking they have done something wrong. Being an American, the idea of not knowing your rights is shocking to me, but one of the centers we visited today talked about how they work with these children to empower them. However, he mentioned translation was a big obstacle, aside from just getting these individuals to open-up about their exeriences. Not all children speak Thai and how do you translate emotions they don't even know they have the right to be feeling...? I won't write too much more, so that there's room for other people's reflections but I just wanted to leave you with that thought. The whole experience so far has been incredible and besides the tourist guilt, it makes me very grateful to have the life and privileges I do and hopefully you will feel the same after reading. So stay tuned!
-Stephanie H.

Finally! - We are ready to go!

2009-01-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

It feels like I have been planning this course for ever! I first began toying with the idea of taking my students on a field trip to a conflict zone (of course not a violent conflict zone!) sometime after my first semester of teaching at MIIS. Nothing compares to having real world experience to supplement classroom discussions and readings. I had almost decided on Nepal when, a consulting trip to Cambodia in the summer of 2008, made me change my mind...Cambodia is simply, a fascinating country from the perspective of a person in the field of conflict resolution - a post genocide society - with many challenges that a variety of actors face in trying to rebuild and bring peace. A perfect case study for studying what peacebuilding entails on the ground.

I leave in a few hours for Bangkok en route to Cambodia. Some of my students are already in Bangkok, having traveled early for some fun before the work begins. In Bangkok we will be meeting different people to better understand the conflict in southern Thailand and the human traficking problem in the country. We will also certainly discuss the current political turmoil in Thailand.

Through this blog, we (13 students and I) hope to share with you our stories, experiences and pictures as individuals and as a group in Thailand and Cambodia.

After months of planning, strategising and an unbelievable amount of time spent on settling issues of logistics, I feel well prepared to start on the ground. We really are very organised but we are also ready to be as flexible as we need to be to adjust to complex and changing realities (We really could do without things like airport closure though....:)) Wish us luck and stay with us for the next two weeks. We promise some great stories and pictures.

1

2009-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Before leaving for Cambodia, I had grand aspirations to read up on the period between 1975 and 1979 when the radical communist group called the Khmer Rouge had control of Cambodia and carried out a massive genocide in which around 2,000,000,000 people, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population, were killed. I wanted to brief my friends and family on my upcoming two-week trip to Cambodia that is part of a Conflict Resolution course at the Monterey Institute. However, in the past month I have used to read about the conflict and prepare for the trip, I’ve learned that merely reading up on that particular period is insufficient to gain any solid insight into the implications of the genocide. I do feel more compassion for the plight of a historian; there are so many lenses through which to view history, and infinite details to cover. Additionally, as I have learned through the memoirs, briefings, documentaries, and films I have poured over in the past month, a society is truly a product of its culture, and the task of summing up a culture as rich and complex as that of Cambodia does not lend itself to simplistic explanations. Therefore I hesitate to launch into any kind of summary of Cambodian history because it will be inevitably incomplete, but for the sake of those who know very little to nothing about the conflict, I’m going to do just that. Since this is a blog, I intend to edit my entries as I learn more about the conflict, and I am hoping that if I leave anything important out that comes to someone’s attention, they will fill in the blank with a comment.

History

The class will focus on the challenges that Cambodia faces today regarding peacebuilding in their society. The country was deeply affected by the period between 1975-79, and studying this conflict is crucial to understand why there are such challenges to peacebuilding. The conflict begins to make sense to me when I begin examining Cambodia’s history in the 1950’s. During this time, French rule of Cambodia ended and Prince Sihanouk gained control of the country. Although I have learned a lot about this prince, what sticks out in my mind about him is that his regime was rather corrupt, and eventually he was replaced by the pro-Western and U.S. backed Lon Nol government. Lon Nol was the Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1966-1969.

In this period, the United States was fighting the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon became president. In 1969, the United States secretly bombed Cambodia in order to eradicate any North Vietnamese forces located there. An estimated 600,000 people died in this incident, and the U.S. continued to bomb Cambodia for the next four years. Here I would like to recommend the film The Killing Fields, which is about the genocide and begins with this bombing. Sometimes the government of Cambodia agreed to these bombings, and sometimes they did not.

The Lon Nol government became very unpopular with the royalist rural population of Cambodia, which was most affected by the bombs. Various political factions gained momentum, one of which was the Khmer Rouge, headed by the communist mastermind, Pol Pot. The former Prince Sihanouk allied with the Khmer Rouge in an attempt to regain power, and gradually the Khmer Rouge gained popularity among the peasant population of Cambodia.

Pre-Departure

2009-01-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Introduction

2009-01-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

13 graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies are participating in a winter term course entitled "Challenges to Peacebuilding in Cambodia". The course is taught by Professor Pushpa Iyer, who will conduct a class for two full days prior to departure. We will travel first to Bangkok, Thailand, and then to various cities and villages in Cambodia to conduct field research to greater our understanding of the challenges involved in peacebuilding in the Cambodian society. We will be working with various NGOs such as CPCS in Cambodia and the Asia Foundation in Bangkok during our visit. The portion of the course that is conducted abroad begins on the 15th of January, 2009 and ends on the 28th of January. Each student will write a case study paper on a topic of special interest such as trauma, history, etc. and the class will produce a documentary together. This blog will be accessed by each student as well as Professor Iyer to document our experiences and hopefully share them with others.