Risk

As my time in Cambodia ends I wanted to share one last post reflecting a bit on my time here. I know I’ve been a spotty blogger at best, but thank you to everyone who read any of the posts and I hope it gave you a little better sense of what my last year has been like.

In May of 2013 I sat with 150 of my classmates under a large white tent on the lawn outside the Duke’s Nicholas School for our graduation ceremony. I remember feeling different than when I had graduated college. Even though my time at Duke was just half of what I spent in undergraduate it seemed to me a much bigger step toward obtaining a career in conservation. Underlying this pleasant, warm feeling, however, was also a sense of unease. I was in the process of deciding whether or not to accept a Fulbright grant to come to Cambodia. I remembered applying for the grant in November 2012, and the idea I would actually move to rural Cambodia was a distant, exciting, and adventurous opportunity, rather than something that might actually happen.

So with these thoughts swirling around in the back of my mind I settled in to listen to the commencement speech given my David Yarnold, the CEO of the Audubon Society. I’ll confess, I don’t even remember who spoke at my college graduation or what was said. I vaguely assumed this speech would be similar, something I might be inspired by for a couple weeks and slowly forget. As I listened though, I realized this wasn’t the case. David’s advice felt tailor-made to me as I was facing, thus far, one of the bigger decisions I’ve made in my life.

His first tip he offered to us was, “Risk is good and it is not a luxury and you should embrace it.” At these words, my ears perked up a little, and I really began to listen. David went on to explain how the risks he has taken in his impressive career, spanning from journalist to CEO of one of the U.S.’ largest conservation NGOs, while frightening, have essentially made him into the successful professional he is today. After reflecting on this first tip I recognized my opportunity to “take a risk” and travel to Cambodia was absolutely a luxury that many people cannot afford. I was blessed with caring parents who provided me with love and support and the opportunity for an excellent education. Since high school I have had teachers and professors take the time to mentor and guide me. My chance to grow as a result of the Fulbright would absolutely not have been possible without so many others' help and, if, in the future, risky opportunities are placed in front of you, they are a luxury and should be embraced.

Another tip, that at the time I could not identify with, but do now is, “Big risks are more worthwhile than little risks.” This first dawned on me when the group of international scientists, including my advisor Andy Read, traveled to Cambodia and I was able to present the research we had worked on. Meeting with this group of esteemed scientists and sharing just a little of what I had worked on was extremely exciting. It was really the first moment where I felt like the work I had done actually mattered. After that week I began to understand these types of rewards likely only come when you take those big risks. This realization absolutely inspires me to continue seeking out opportunities that are challenging, scary, and uncertain.

Finally, one of David’s last tips that stuck with me was, “The risks you take will have tangible rewards.” I’m still trying to work this one out. I imagine once I’m home I’ll slowly over time come to understand both the personal and professional “rewards” of this experience. For now all I know is I did take a big risk and I have experienced living in a part of the world very different from what I’m used to. I believe this has expanded my worldview and even years down the road I will remember the challenges I encountered in such a foreign environment and how I (for the most part) overcame them.

As this is my last post I want to express my gratitude for people who have made this opportunity possible including the U.S. State Department, WWF-Cambodia staff, my advisor, Andy Read who is the person that truly made this opportunity available to me, and my parents for encouraging me from start to finish.

I'm heading home tomorrow night and can’t wait to see friends and family in the U.S. – bye for now…until the next adventure! 

"Linking Conservation and Livelihoods" article series

Excited to post links to the finished products from the fieldwork Vida and I conducted back in July. The pdf layout looks a bit better than the web versions! One more article is on its way and we're now working on the corresponding video pieces. 

Myanmar in 5 days, GO!

As I mentioned in my previous post I really wanted to travel to Myanmar given that the country will likely be changing in the future. Just a quick primer, Myanmar (previously known as Burma) was a British colony from the mid-19th century until the start of WWII. In the 1960’s the country came under military rule and became a socialist nation that would remain cut off from the outside world until roughly 2010. This period is peppered with pro-democracy demonstrations that were almost always violently suppressed. In 1990 the government held free elections for the first time in 30 years. Although the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 80% of the seats, the military junta refused to relinquish power. In 2010 the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won the election although it was contested by multiple political parties. The military junta was dissolved in 2011 and replaced by a “quasi-civilian parliament”. Recently, reforms have been enacted to reduce state censorship, release political prisoners, and liberalize the economy.

With a very small understanding of the country’s turbulent history under my belt it was fascinating to visit a place still undergoing rapid change. I met up with my buddy, Bing, in Yangon and given the short time I had in the country we got right to seeing the sites. Easily the most impressive highlight was the Shwedagon Pagoda which is visible from almost anywhere in Yangon and one of the Buddhist religion’s most sacred sites. The enormous zedi is covered with 27 tons of gold leaf and at the top stands a 72 carat diamond. Bing and I walked around the pagoda at sunset marveling at its size for a good couple of hours.

Although not a tourist attraction, I loved walking around the city blocks admiring the British colonial architecture. Most of the buildings are crumbling and falling into disrepair, but for some reason I thought that made them even more beautiful.

 

Another thing I’m glad we did was take the three-hour circular train in Yangon. We were the only foreigners on the train and repeatedly got stared at by passengers, but it was a fabulous way to see some of the city and countryside. At each stop we witnessed people going about their daily business, buying and selling goods at the market, heading to work or school, etc.  However, at the end of the train ride we realized we had gone one stop too far. The train moves very slowly and Bing and I decided we could possibly jump off. Edging to the side of the open door I thought Bing and I would discuss whether this was "safe" or not before we proceeded. Instead, Bing leapt off the train and promptly fell on the rocks below. Having no intention to jump and being pulled back by people on the train I blankly stared in surprise as Bing dusted off his wounds and the train moved away. I planned to get off at the next train station and take a taxi back to the guesthouse, but this incredibly kind Indian man on the train helped notify another train moving the other direction that I needed to hop on and make it back to the next stop. I happily jumped on and rode back to where Bing had been. He was not there anymore and it took the better part of an hour for us to reunite. Thankfully his injuries were minor, but definitely wise to avoid jumping off trains in general.

We took an overnight bus to Bagan which I was slightly anxious about, but it ended up being really nice – air conditioning (too much almost) and reclining seats. Arriving in Bagan we knew we wanted to see as many temples as possible and charted a course to see the major sites over the course of the next two days. We rented electric bikes which were super fun to drive. We managed to get lost multiple times, but overall had a lot fun traversing Bagan’s sprawling landscape dotted with over 4,000 temples. I think the pictures speak for themselves!

After spending two days in Bagan we took a day bus to Mandalay. Mandalay at the surface wasn’t quite as beautiful and seemed to be made up of mostly ordinary concrete buildings. Around sunset we visited the U-Bein bridge which is apparently the world's longest and oldest teak bridge in the world. We sat and chatted with a monk there and observed the rush of people – some tourists, but mostly locals as they wandered along the bridge admiring the scenery. Another highlight was seeing the Moustache Brothers comedy show. The group is comprised of two brothers and their cousin who have been performing since 1996. Through their shows they spoke out against the government which resulted in seven years of prison for two of the members. They are still not allowed to perform publicly, but give shows every night in their home.

From Mandalay I flew to Bangkok and back to Phnom Penh. I am thrilled I was able to make the whirlwind tour to Myanmar. While I enjoyed seeing the pagodas it was almost more enjoyable to experience just a glimpse of a different culture. It’s impossible not to notice how the men and women still hold on to to traditional customs. For instance, they still wear longyi’s or these long fabrics that are twisted into skirts. Bing was kind enough to buy one for me which ended up being a lifesaver because I needed it to get into any of the pagodas. Also, the women and some men still apply thanaka paste to their faces - a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark. This tradition dates back to the 14th century. Finally, I was extremely impressed with the hospitality and kindness of the Burmese people. From the incident at the train station, to the owners of the guesthouses, to random people on the street when we were lost, everyone was helpful and accepting of the confused foreigners. I absolutely walked away with an appreciation for the overall kindness they showed us.

I’m back in Phnom Penh for just a couple of weeks working on finishing up the livelihood articles and videos. We have two out of three articles finished and hopefully I can post them to my blog before heading home. In the meantime I’m trying to enjoy the last couple of weeks in the country before heading back!

 

China adventures: Beijing → Xian → Chengdu → Yangshuo → Hong Kong

I got back from China and Myanmar about a week ago and wanted to share some of the highlights from my trip! Somehow I managed to squeeze in 9 cities in just under 3 weeks so I’ll do my best to recap. I knew toward the end of my time in Cambodia I wanted to travel somewhere slightly out of the box, but I was also wary about traveling alone. Unable to solidify plans with friends in the country I actually ended up booking a tour with this company named Yomads that caters toward a younger crowd. I ultimately decided to go to China namely because I had never entertained the idea of going there previously and seeing the Great Wall alone sounded pretty awesome. I also couldn’t quite give up on not seeing Myanmar either while in Southeast Asia given how quickly I know the country will change. A friend of mine was actually planning to visit Myanmar for the whole month of September so I met up with him part way through his trip.

Beijing: I flew into Beijing which took approximately 8 hours spread over two flights. That night I met up with our tour group “members” which consisted of four women from Chicago – two of whom were sisters and the other two friends of the sisters, and a French Canadian from Montreal. The French Canadian guy’s name was Xavier, but no one could really pronounce the French version correctly so we just started calling him Zavy.  We soon realized no one had ever called him this his entire life. Needless to say I’m sure he went back and reported that these 5 annoying American girls had given him a ridiculous nickname. Anyway, that night we went to Olympic Village and walked around the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube which were both beautiful lit up at night. The next day we packed in the highlights – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, several famous pagodas, and, of course, a market where we could buy the world’s most realistic fake purses. Previous to visiting Tiananmen Square I knew it could hold one million people, but I was shocked at how large the square actually was – it is made up of this grey stone which seems to stretch on forever. Interestingly, our guide did not make any mention of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. That night we were able to catch an acrobatics show which was entertaining, but also slightly terrifying. It seemed that each stunt could easily have gone wrong and seriously injured everyone involved – for example, one act consisted of a large transparent dome in which six motorcycles were crammed in and drove in circles around each other frequently going upside down as well. We finished off the night with Peking duck at the famous Quanjude restaurant which has been serving the dish since 1864.

The next day we headed to Gubeikou for our two days of Great Wall hiking along the Jinshanling section. This area is about two hours north of Beijing and thus sees fewer tourists. I think everyone involved was extremely excited to see this monument which you’ve heard mentioned ever since you’re young. However, just as we clambered out of the van to hike it started pouring rain. Not to be deterred we managed to get two hours of hiking in before we decided we’d had enough. While getting soaked wasn’t fun watching the clouds swirl around these massive towers as they snaked into view was something I won’t forget.  The Wall is truly enormous and goes on for as long as your eyes can see. That night we stayed in a home stay near the Wall. When I heard the word “home stay” my mind went straight to those in Cambodia which don’t have electricity, running water, or wifi. This home stay had all of the above including hot water. Needless to say I was pumped about this. The next morning we hiked a different section of the Wall and the weather was perfect – temperatures in the 70’s without a cloud in the sky. About half way through the hike we came across vendors in one of the towers and realized they were selling beer. Thirsty by this point, most of us bought one and marveled at the fact we were drinking beer on the Great Wall.

After our van ride back to Beijing we headed straight for the train station which looked like an airport terminal to me. There were people everywhere. A lot of ramen noodles were being consumed and a mix of smells hung in the air that was impossible to identify. We were taking the train to Xian which is a 10 hour overnight train.  The first discovery we made was that the toilet in our car was overflowing with water and to our dismay smoking is most definitely allowed in trains.  We huddled into our cabin which consisted of bunk beds stacked three high with absolutely no door to seal us off from everyone wandering by. Amazingly, I slept fairly well and we arrived in Xian around 9:00am.

Xian: The main highlight of the trip in Xian was seeing the Terracotta Warriors. They are a collection of terracotta sculptures built to guard Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. Finished in 209 BCE they were not discovered until 1974 by a local farmer. There are three “pits” total which hold more than 8,000 soldiers combined – each of which is unique. Previous efforts to excavate what’s likely more unearthed sculptures have been postponed until the technology is developed to preserve their paint which disintegrates as soon as it is exposed to air. Similarly to Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall (sensing a theme) I was struck by the sheer size and scale of this archaeological wonder. Also, I couldn’t help but picture people walking over these statues for literally thousands of years before they were discovered. After seeing some other sites including a pagoda built in 652(!) we took a short flight south to Chengdu.

Chengdu: Being a huge animal lover and interested in endangered species conservation needless to say I was excited to see the pandas at the Panda Breeding and Research Center. The facility is (again) huge – with beautiful landscaped paths weaving you around the various panda enclosures. We were able to see quite a few of the animals – most of which were stuffing their faces with copious amounts of bamboo. The red panda exhibit was easily the most entertaining. We had to walk through double doors which should have clued me into something. Upon entering I looked up and saw a couple of them in the trees – they are small, about 2-3 ft. long with a face that looks more like a fox and a beautiful red coat with a large bushy tail. At this point I looked down and realized there were large holes in the fence. Shortly thereafter one of the red pandas slipped through the hole and started marching down the boardwalk WITH the tourists. I was shocked they allow the animals to interact with people like this – even more so after two of the red pandas got into a fight and were scratching and biting each other next to a 2 year-old child. Regardless, they were adorable and I loved seeing these animals in person.

Yangshuo: We took another short flight south to Yanghsuo. By this time the reprieve I had while in northern China from sweating every minute of my life in Cambodia was beginning to end as we crept further south. Yangshuo is a village compared to most Chinese cities with a population of only 300,000. It is known for its impressive limestone cliffs which were the inspiration for some of the scenery in Avatar. While we went on several cruises down the river, my favorite thing we did was biking throughout the countryside and getting away from the craziness of the big cities. We also rather embarrassingly ate in one of the “Top 10 Most Scenic McDonalds in the world”. Not having eaten McDonalds in about a year, however, I was completely fine with this.

Hong Kong: We took another overnight train to Hong Kong. This time I was more prepared for what we would encounter, but I managed to get stuck with the top bunk instead of the bottom. I realized why people pay more for the bottom ones; I literally could not sit up which left me feeling slightly claustrophobic. Our organized tour actually ended right when we arrived in Hong Kong. I was planning to entertain myself there for a day until I traveled to Myanmar, however, the girls from Chicago invited me to tag along with them. Kelly, an artist from Chicago, had done business before in Hong Kong so she had planned a whirlwind day to see as much of the city as we could. First we took a 30 minute ride on the glass-bottom cable cars which led us to Tian Tan Buddha – easily the biggest Buddha I had ever seen in my life. After this we took an incredibly crazy bus ride back down the mountain and visited a small fishing village called Tai O. Walking around the boathouses each displaying dried fish for sale you could tell this village took pride in preserving its way of life that contrasted sharply from the bustling city life not far away. At night we went to Victoria Peak and spent a good hour admiring the skyline. I’ve been fortunate to see many beautiful natural landscapes in my life, but never have I been truly awed by a city’s skyline. The buildings were packed in so tightly and went on for as far as the eye could see. Finally, the next morning we went to a tea tasting with a woman who Kelly had befriended on her prior visits. I’m more of a coffee person, but the tea was divine and made me want to learn more about all the different kinds.

I had no idea what to expect traveling to China. Boiling it down to basics, I knew it would be big and have a lot of people. This easily lived up to my expectation. While I knew Beijing with 20 million people was the biggest city I had ever traveled to, it was more visiting the “smaller” Chinese cities and still being overwhelmed by their size that surprised me. Xian contains approximately 8 million people and Chengdu about 14 million. Another thing that stood out to me was the rich and lengthy history of this country. When reading the guidebooks or listening to our guides we chatted about events occurring thousands of years ago and marveled at buildings of which I couldn’t even begin to fathom the age. Finally, it was interesting observing different social norms from those I’m used to. In the U.S. we (for the most part) respect lines and if we accidently push someone say “excuse me”. This was definitely not the case in China. Specifically on the subways it was basically a free-for-all. Also, spitting extremely loudly in public was totally acceptable. Every time we heard it all of us just erupted into laughter. At home this would be seen as totally gross, but was completely acceptable in China. The last thing I found amusing was people approaching us and asking to take photos or simply walking up and putting a phone in our faces and taking it without asking. This happened throughout the country, but it threw me off guard because it happened the first time in Beijing. Here we were in this developed city of 20 million and people were marveling at the American foreigners. Minus these rather funny differing social norms I really enjoyed seeing a completely different piece of the world and feel fortunate to have visited a country that is clearly in the process of changing its position in our global world.

From Hong Kong I headed to Singapore where I had to overnight before heading to Myanmar. My colleague Jia Ling is from Singapore and she put me in touch with her friend, Jian, who showed me around the city at night which was extremely nice of him. From there I headed to Yangon which I’ll save for the next post…..!

Singapore skyline

Khmer Wedding - Take 2

This happened a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to mention that the masters student I have been advising got married. Back in January SeangAun told me he would get married in the summer. As he told me this though he was laughing so I had no idea if this was a joke or not. SeangAun was nice enough to invite me to his wedding, and my friend, Bing, was nice enough to accompany me. It actually took us an hour to get there with traffic and we emerged from the taxi with all eyes on the “barangs” or foreigners who were slightly lost. We found the wedding with some luck and spent the next couple hours eating a lot of Cambodian food and having incessant rounds of cheers with beer. This time I was slightly more prepared and attempted to look a bit more presentable, but the Khmer women definitely still took the cake with their elaborate dresses and make up. I had had a couple other things to do that night, but decided it was important to go to the wedding. I won’t really know if it mattered to SeangAun or not, but I’m really happy I decided to go. I definitely wouldn’t have guessed a year ago I’d be attending a Khmer wedding of a student I had been working with!

On an unrelated note, I’m trying to wrap up my work in Cambodia as my grant ends September 2nd (I can hardly believe it). We are rushing to finish the personal profile articles from the trip to Kratie last month. We are hoping to have them finished for a workshop in the U.K. next week and then also use them for International Dolphin Day which is in October. I’m in the process of hashing out final plans, but tentatively think I will be staying an additional 2-3 weeks to get the articles and the videos done. We contemplated whether I should try to finish these in the U.S., but decided it would be too difficult and better if I could extend my stay here a little bit longer. I had originally planned a trip to China and then Myanmar several months back so I will leave this weekend for those trips and then return to finish up at WWF-Cambodia. As of now I will be returning to the U.S. around the beginning of October! I’m extremely grateful I have the opportunity to go on these trips AND also finish up my work here at WWF. 

Kratie Province by truck, boat, moto.....and raft

The main goal of our trip to Kratie was to obtain information for three articles focusing on community members who have benefitted from WWF’s work and also obtain adequate video footage to create short film clips. My real underlying goal was basically to avoid any disasters. We coordinated the logistics last minute and between travel arrangements, budgets, interview guides, and video equipment I was fairly certain something would fall through. Miraculously, nothing went terribly wrong and the weather even held out for us.

Our first day we visited the island of Koh Pdao which is roughly a one hour car ride and 40 minute boat ride from Kratie. One of the nine main dolphin pools is located directly next to this island and WWF has teamed up with another NGO, the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT), to support alternative livelihood and conservation projects in the area. Specifically, they have helped start a number of different home stays on the island. Tourists are able to come stay for several days, see the dolphins, experience the way of life in the provinces, learn about Khmer culture, and assist with various construction projects. We interviewed a woman named Sam Savry. Now that her children have moved away from the island and her husband has passed away, she is in charge of the homestay. She explained the home stay has improved her quality of life and she feels more financially secure. Throughout the interview I was struck by how much she laughed and smiled. This may have been a product of being a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I got the feeling she was likely a warm and friendly person. During the course of the interviews we conducted on the trip I noticed how much I sought out other cues, body language, tone etc., to gauge the interviewees' comfort level, given I couldn’t understand their actual words.

Rafting fun

The next day we ventured out to the village of Koh Chbar. And by venture, I mean venture. It took us an hour to get to Sambour from Kratie where we then took an hour and a half moto ride to the village.  Originally when we planned this trip I thought, OK, 90 minutes on a moto, no big deal. However, as I was sitting at dinner the night before chatting with my friend Suzanne she explained the bridge that connects the road to Koh Chbar had been under construction for over a year. At this point plans couldn’t be changed though so the next day we trudged off on the motos hoping for the best. The rainy season had turned the road into a giant mud bath and most of the trip consisted of us getting sprayed with mud or hopping off and pushing the motos. Then we arrived at the aforementioned bridge and realized we had to raft our motos across. I looked at the “raft” that was supposed to transport roughly 1,000 lbs of weight and laughed. It was just boards of rotting wood nailed together. While we were going across we were ankle deep in water, but thankfully made it across with no problem. This actually happened a second time, but instead of a raft, it was more of a boat.

In Koh Chbar we interviewed a chicken farmer named Mrs. Hong Limhin. She is a beneficiary of a partnership between CRDT and WWF that provides alternative livelihood opportunities in villages along the Mekong. In order to receive the chickens, CRDT taught Mrs. Limhin how to apply for a grant and then provided her with training on proper chicken raising techniques. Through the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Mekong Wetlands Project, WWF and CRDT have created over 40 community-based organizations (CBOs) which are groups of approximately 20 people from one community who collectively manage an alternative livelihood opportunity such as chicken, pig, or vegetable farming. Mrs. Limhin explained before CRDT taught her how to build a chicken coop and properly care for the chickens, she struggled to keep them alive and make a profit. Now with the money she gets from selling chickens she has started saving for a new house for her expanding family – this was evidenced by the pile of freshly cut wood she proudly showed me in her front yard which will be used for building materials. Mrs. Limhin is also in charge of the CBO's loan program. Each month members contribute a little over $1 to the fund. Due to the low interest rates she explained this program has allowed her to buy medicine for her family. Upon leaving the village Mrs. Limhin offered us fried corn, pineapple, and something that looked like zucchini. Through my translator she expressed how thankful she was for CRDT’s help and that we took the time to interview her. In all my planning for this trip I simply expected that we would be intruding on our interviewees’ time and we would be the only ones saying thank you, but I was touched that wasn’t the case.

Finally, our last day we headed back to Koh Pdao to shoot some b-roll footage of the CFi members on one of their daily enforcement patrols. After the home stay interview on the first day, we interviewed two members of the Community Fishery (CFi) in Koh Pdao. The CFi manages the fishery within its boundary posts which consists of confiscating illegal fishing equipment and arresting repeat offenders. On Thursday, we all piled into the boat and set off for the one hour patrol. We didn’t come across any illegal fishers, but we also didn’t see any dolphins because the water levels are quite high so the population is more dispersed than in the dry season. I was incredibly sad we did not see them solely because Vida, the communications intern, had never seen one before.

Getting to know Vida was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I basically forgot she was only 18 because she is extremely professional and mature. She is working as a full time student getting her bachelors in environmental science and also interning part time at WWF. I sit next to her at the office and have watched her work diligently on high level projects including brochures on tiger conservation and a video production documenting the river guards’ efforts along the Mekong. We talked a lot about the differences between Cambodia and the U.S. on our trip, specifically about education. Vida is very keen on traveling abroad and I hope she will decide to get her masters outside of the country. For now though she is working tirelessly to obtain her education. She explained teachers often do not show up during the week so she must always attend makeup classes on Saturdays and Sundays. Additionally, because her major is a small cohort they must design their own curriculum and have it approved by the university. I always thought I worked hard for my education, but, all things considered, realized I had it very easy. I am confident Vida will excel and can’t wait to see where she ends up in the future. 

Just this week we got word Kratie has flooded and I’m grateful we made the trip when we did. The Mekong's water levels have risen to approximately 22m since the start of the rainy season and upon my return I came back to a landscape I didn’t even recognize. To provide some perspective – at our field site there was a staircase that took roughly 1 minute to climb (I know because it was sadly a struggle at the end of each day) and now the staircase is gone – completely submerged in water.  My coworkers definitely got a good laugh at my astonishment. They are accustomed to the rise and fall of the Mekong and the benefits and hardships it brings each year, whereas, I stood open-mouthed at a gargantuan river that had essentially swallowed large swaths of land in a matter of months. 

Fun with Facebook

Thus far, my role as communications representative for the WWF-Kratie office has involved writing news updates for important events occurring at the office and also creating social media content for the Don Sahong Dam campaign. As I mentioned in my last post, having always worked in the science/policy realm this is a totally new experience for me. Even though these are really short, I thought I would share some other posts I created below - with hopefully more to come. One idea we had was to obtain quotes from WWF staff and community members highlighting their thoughts on the dam in order to provide a more personal connection rather than just stating the damage the dam will cause. 

I'm also gearing up to travel back to Kratie to conduct interviews and take video footage for three personal profile stories. We want to write stories on three individuals who have been positively impacted by WWF's conservation work. Currently, we are thinking of interviewing one of the river guards who enforce regulations protecting the dolphins, a member of one of our partner NGOs, CRDT, which focuses on alternative livelihoods, and a member belonging to one of the Community Fisheries in the area. I will be traveling with one other communications intern who has never been to Kratie. I think it will be fun, but also challenging to make sure the trip runs smoothly and we obtain all the information we need. 

Think before you speak

The last couple of weeks I’ve been adjusting to life in Phnom Penh which has thus far been pretty fun. It’s strange how just a month ago taking the 5 hour van ride from Phnom Penh to Kratie didn’t seem that demanding, just more of an annoyance you had to suffer through. But, after adjusting to city life, Kratie seems so removed and far away. People tend to ask how long you’ve been in Cambodia when you meet and when I tell them I lived in Kratie for a bit, they’re usually surprised. For me, living in Kratie was just where I needed to be for work and I made living there work, for lack of a better term. I made friends, figured out how to get around, buy the things I needed at the market etc. While people have been placed in far stranger locales under much tougher circumstances, I think, generally, when humans are placed in a situation and know they have to adapt, they do. Thinking back on it I’ve moved to multiple new places in the U.S. where I didn’t know the area or have any friends and I adapted there, too. While moving to Kratie easily challenged me more than any other move or experience I’ve undertaken, it reminds me that trying new things and forcing ourselves to adapt is challenging and frustrating, but, also, exhilarating and inspiring once we realize we’ve done it. I suppose because Phnom Penh is so different from Kratie I already have a bit of perspective on what my time in Kratie has meant and wanted to share it!

Currently at WWF I’m working on a couple different projects. I’ve started drafting the paper on the behavioral research we hope to have published. I’m also working on developing a project that I hope to pass off to Duke students from my graduate program. At the introduction of Dr. Helene Marsh, a professor from James Cook University, who I met at the dolphin workshop, I have been consulting with two Australian researchers on a survey that would distributed to tourists in Kratie. I’ll share just a quick explanation of the project for now.

The whale and dolphin watching tourism industry has been growing over the last couple decades and currently contributes $2.1 billion to the global economy each year (O'Connor 2009). Many of these industries are unregulated which can result in harassment to the animals ultimately leading to long-term fitness consequences for individual animals and their populations. However, it’s incredibly difficult to prove these industries are biologically unsustainable so instead researchers can analyze the industry from an economic and managerial perspective. Essentially, this consists of determining how much money can be directly contributed to the dolphins’ presence in Kratie and also asking tourists how satisfied they were with their tour experience. Theoretically, you learn what the boat drivers could do to improve the tourists’ experience which may mean having fewer boats on the water or fewer people in the boats, providing educational materials, or approaching the dolphins less aggressively.  If the managers at the dolphin site recognize how much money is being injected into the community and ways they could improve the tour to encourage even more visitors, they are theoretically much more likely to make changes. Both Dr. Putu Liza Kusuma Mustika and Coralie D’Lima, the Australian researchers I mentioned, have conducted this type of research in Indonesia and India, respectively. We are currently developing a survey draft and I’m working with WWF-Cambodia to determine how the Duke students could help take over the project once I leave. I wish I was going to be here to see the project through, but hope at the very least it will be completed.

Finally, I’m starting to assist the communications team with their efforts to advocate against the building of the Don Sahong Dam. Thus far I’ve only written some facebook and twitter posts, but I quickly realized communications and advocacy is much different than the science/policy world I’m accustomed to. I wrote the facebook post that is pictured below thinking it was perfectly innocuous. It was even reviewed by the WWF staff before it was posted.

But, that same day we received a comment saying “So you got nothing to say about the engine noise and disturbances by tourists all day long”. I felt guilty that this negative comment was posted on the site, and while it wasn’t the right time for this comment, knew it was a legitimate question. Thankfully, that is what SeangAun’s masters project and the survey I mentioned above is attempting to address, however, I realized in that moment that anything you say in a public forum is up for grabs. I obviously knew you have to be careful when conducting any advocacy work, but the fact I had thought about that post and people were still upset by it, made me realize just how careful you have to be. Not withstanding how much I assist with this campaign, think hard before you speak will easily be a new mantra for me if I do any more communications or advocacy work!

City Livin'

Just wanted to give everyone an update on how things were going after the fieldwork finished up! After my trip to Vietnam I actually moved to Phnom Penh and will stay here for the remainder of my grant time. I decided to move for a couple of reasons – 1) I’m still assisting SeangAun, the masters student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, with his research and he is based in Phnom Penh; 2) I’m hoping to help the communications team with some of their advocacy efforts; and 3) I’ll primarily be writing up the results of our research and thought Phnom Penh would offer a more comfortable environment in which to do that i.e. one with air conditioning, grocery stores, restaurants etc.

Before I left Kratie both the WWF staff and my expat friends held farewell dinners for me. I was very touched and happy I had to opportunity to say “goodbye” to everyone. I’m still hoping I’ll see people before I leave, but it was nice to feel a little closure about leaving the place I’d been living for the last 7 months. While I’m happy to be living in a city with easier access to things, I am thankful for the experience to have lived in the provinces of Cambodia. A woman I spoke to before coming to Cambodia explained living in the provinces was extremely different from living in Phnom Penh. Having experienced both I can easily vouch for this statement, but despite the challenges of living in Kratie I feel as if I had a bit more of an authentic "Cambodian" experience as a result. 

With that said, I’m off to order a pizza for delivery – so spoiled! I'm actually living with a student who is getting her PhD at Duke, such a small world. Ps – just to let everyone know the WWF petition against Don Sahong Dam is up to 70,000 signatures!   

Help stop Don Sahong - Sign the petition

WWF-Cambodia just launched an online petition calling on the developer, Mega First, to suspend the construction of the Don Sahong Dam on the Mekong River. If you'd like to read more about the issue check out this link - http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/cambodia/?221750/Stop-the-Don-Sahong-dam-and-save-Mekong-dolphins. Also, here's a short clip reflecting local communities' views on the dam. 

The bottom line is if the dam is built it will result in the death of the remaining dolphins at the Laos/Cambodia border. Just as important, it will impact the migration of over 100 fish species and threaten the livelihoods of the communities that rely on both the resources in the Mekong and the tourism revenue generated through dolphin watching activities. 

If you'd like to sign the petition please go to this link - https://www.causes.com/campaigns/78313-save-the-mekong-rivers-irrawaddy-dolphin. Just a heads up, you first must create an account with the "Causes" website and THEN you can sign the petition. WWF is attempting to get 50,000 signatures in the next two months and they already have 14,000. Every signature helps and I would absolutely appreciate people taking a quick five minutes out of their days to show their support to put an end to the building of this dam. As Mr. Chhith Sam Ath, WWF-Cambodia's Country Director said "Your signature will ensure your voice is heard to protect the rich biodiversity and future of the Mekong.” Thank you in advance to anyone who signs the petition or already has!  

Ho Chi Minh City → Hanoi → Phnom Penh → Kratie

The last week and a half have been a whirlwind. My parents and I were lucky enough to see both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and then travel back to Cambodia where I showed them around Kratie.

None of us had been to Vietnam so each experience we had was totally new. We planned the trip incredibly late so we actually ended up booking with a tour guide service knowing we could see a lot more of the country if we weren’t always struggling with the logistics. I felt pretty silly being shown around by a tour guide, but it was actually one of the best parts of the trip. Both our tour guides, Viet and Giang, are from Vietnam and while I found the plethora of information they shared with us interesting, it was learning about their lives and personal insights about Vietnam I enjoyed most. Viet comes from a family of sugar cane farmers in the central highlands of Vietnam and while he wanted to remain in his village to teach, he knew Ho Chi Minh City offered better opportunities. Giang is originally from Hanoi and the only woman at her company who works full time. She explained a lot about the role of women in Vietnamese culture and although circumstances are improving, I was impressed by her drive to pursue her career despite many challenges.

In Ho Chi Minh City we were able to tour the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Reunification Palace, and the War Remnants Museum, but my favorite part was our day trip to the Mekong Delta. Having seen the 200km stretch of the Mekong from Kratie to the Laos border, I really enjoyed seeing the Mekong so much further south.  We rented a tour boat and traveled through these narrow braided channels. The vegetation was so thick on either side all you could see was the winding river ahead.  We stopped at a family-owned coconut candy factory where we were given an insane  number of samples and also a brick-making factory where our guide explained the process from start to finish.

Our first day in Hanoi we spent time seeing the tourist highlights including Ho Chi Minh’s house and mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Hanoi’s first university dating back to 1070, and the “Hanoi Hilton,” the prison where Vietnamese were held during the French War and later US Air Force pilots were held during the Vietnam War. Speaking of the Vietnam War, or the American War as it is referred to by the Vietnamese, it was very different to hear history explained to you from the opposite viewpoint. At the Cu Chi Tunnels (the incredibly intricate tunnel system around Saigon that essentially prevented U.S. victory), the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, and the “Hanoi Hilton” prison we were reminded of the atrocities the U.S. committed during the war, but also of things that were blatantly untrue, like the supposed humane treatment of the U.S. prisoners of war.  All in all I learned a ton about recent Vietnamese history I did not know, but at each of these sites couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable given I knew the U.S. had wreaked havoc on this country.  Also, what I saw reminded me there are always two sides to every story.

Our second day in Hanoi we traveled to Halong Bay where we spent the day and one night cruising between some of the 3,000 limestone islands that make up this designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited a floating fishing village where we donned some cone hats to keep the sun out of our faces. The next day we visited one of the area’s famous caves. It was lit up inside which made all the geological formations look even cooler. It should come as no surprise that I enjoy being out on the water, so the trip to Halong Bay was easily my favorite part of the trip.

Temple in the alley

We had one free day left in Hanoi sans tour guides. We decided to walk around the Old Quarter of Hanoi where you find more of the traditional markets and locals just going about their business. Each street is named for the goods it sells – shoes, children’s toys, silk, flowers, clothes, etc. We wanted to see as much as we could so we followed the guidebook’s walking tour which resulted in us getting incredibly turned around and looking 110% like lost tourists as we stared at the map trying to make sense of the Vietnamese street names. At one point the book led us to a temple that was tucked way back in an alley and up a flight of stairs. The room was tiny, but covered from floor to ceiling with intricate carvings, offerings, and statues. From the street this alleyway looked very ordinary, but we were pretty amazed by what we found inside. We wrapped up our tour with a stop at a local restaurant and tried Bun Cha which is grilled pork with rice noodles – super tasty.

Overall, while I really liked both cities, I slightly preferred Hanoi. The French influence has led to some beautiful architecture and there are large boulevards surrounded by parks throughout the city. Also, while development is steadily increasing in Hanoi, you could still see the local Vietnamese culture throughout the city, especially in the Old Quarter.

We hopped a plane back to Phnom Penh where we spent one night and I showed my parents around the city, mostly just wandering along the riverfront and the neighborhood around the WWF office.

We then headed to Kratie for the last two nights of the trip. While seeing the sites in Vietnam was awesome, I really enjoyed showing my parents where I have been living. We went one morning to see the dolphins at Kampi. We saw at least 8, many of which came incredibly close to the boat. I also took them to the WWF office where they met some of my coworkers. I realize I have said this many times before, but I feel incredibly lucky to be visiting parts of the world I’ve never seen and getting to share the adventure with my parents. I couldn’t have imagined a year ago I would be a tour guide for my parents in a tiny town in rural Cambodia.

Sunset on the Mekong

While 99% of the trip went smoothly I just have to finish this post with a couple funny stories. We ended up leaving a little memorabilia from the Goss clan at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City….. my mom leaned over a balcony and she dropped her umbrella onto a ledge that no one could reach. At first I thought her entire purse had fallen, and my dad thought SHE had fallen, but thankfully it was just her umbrella. Unsure how long it will remain on the ledge. In Hanoi, we were also enjoying the water puppet show, a tradition dating back to the 11th century, when my mom literally screamed out loud in the theater. Turns out a rat was running around below her feet. Finally, I was psyched to be taking a taxi back to Kratie rather than the cramped minivans I usually take. Someone always buys a durian on the minivan which smells up the entire vehicle which I thought I could avoid this go around. Well, about halfway through our trip the driver pulls over to the side of the road and buys a durian and sticks it in the trunk. Its smell still permeated the entire car.  I also found a cricket on my foot in the car and screamed (not because I’m scared, because I was startled! …. or perhaps both) and proceeded to start smashing it with my shoe. The driver found this absolutely hysterical and in his broken English just repeated “killer” in between his laughs.

Given these were the snafus we encountered on the trip I’d say we did pretty darn well and now I’m thinking I can’t wait to explore the countryside of Vietnam someday!

Hellos and Goodbyes

Yesterday, SeangAun, San, and I embarked on our last day of fieldwork. We sat on the yellow-painted tourist boat baking in the oppressive sun struggling to focus on data collection tasks at hand. We came across a group of four adult dolphins, which we quickly realized were all mothers with their calves. By this time in the last several years multiple dead calves had already been recovered, however, to the best of our knowledge no calves have died at Kampi this year. Although we don’t know what the future holds, seeing these four calves together and watching them grow over the last five months I am inspired and hopeful that the mystifying deaths of the calves is potentially a concern of the past. This could easily be overly optimistic and it’s best to be cautious, but I know I will walk away remembering our last field day as one in which the Mekong river dolphin population was even just marginally healthier than it had been in recent years.

The fieldwork has gone both slow and fast. Every single day had its own mini battles – is staff available to assist me, is the boat driver available, did we get our cash advance, what in the world are the dolphins actually doing, where are the dolphins, why can’t we identify the dolphins, and the list goes on. However, with that being said I can’t believe our 5 months of fieldwork are completed. From this experience I’m learning just how much work and planning it takes to organize and execute a field project. I feel if I could do everything over again we could do it so much better! That part of me wishes we still had more time left to collect data so we could continue to improve. Despite these mixed feelings I’m proud of what our research team accomplished and will absolutely relish being out of the blazing Mekong sun for my remaining four months in Cambodia.

As a thank you to the team, we went out for dinner last night. Unfortunately, Wat was unable to come, but SeangAun, San, and I enjoyed hanging out and eating lots of BBQ! 

SeangAun, San, and I 

This week we also said goodbye to Gerry Ryan, the technical advisor for WWF-Kratie, who will be heading back to Australia to finish his PhD. Gerry was instrumental in making this Fulbright opportunity available to me. At the introduction of Andy Read, we began emailing in November of 2012. After many back and forth emails discussing options for projects and asking a multitude of questions regarding living in Cambodia, I arrived one year later and continued working closely with Gerry. He has been a huge asset in assisting with data analysis and I’m definitely looking forward to working with him to hopefully write up our results. More generally, his passion for conserving this region’s ecosystem was obvious and I know he was an incredibly valuable member of the WWF office in Kratie. I feel lucky to have met him.

I am also incredibly lucky because with the fieldwork winding down I have time to make a trip over to Vietnam where I’ll be meeting up with my parents. We will visit both Hanoi and Saigon and also spend one night on a boat in Halong Bay. I can’t wait! 

Wild East

This past weekend I made a last minute trip to Mondulkiri, a province in eastern Cambodia. I had heard such great things about Mondulkiri that when Deborah Hanus, the other woman in Cambodia on the Fulbright grant, and her sister visited me in Kratie, we were determined to go.

Mondulkiri means ‘Meeting of the Hills’ – which is definitely an appropriate name.  The landscape is incredibly different than the low-lying plains in Kratie.  We visited an outlook point and you could see rolling hills spotted with forest rising in the distance for miles. I’ve also heard Mondulkiri referred to as the “Wild East” given its sparse population, only recently developed highway, and push and pull for its abundant forest resources. Approximately half of the inhabitants come from the Bunong minority group and other minority groups comprise much of the rest of the population.

View from lookout point 

We only stayed for about 48 hours so we tried to squeeze in some activities – although I think the enjoyment primarily came from just experiencing this new landscape. We hired motodops to drive us around to see some sights – including a waterfall (of which there are many), a beautiful lookout point, and a coffee plantation. The coffee plantation also had fruit trees – Deborah and I counted 11 different types of fruit which I found impressive.

Hong - our hiking tour guide

The next day we went on a half-day hike with our tour guide, Hong, who is a member of the Bunong people. We were lucky to have an interesting conversation with him about the animist beliefs and traditions of his people. The hike itself was strenuous. It started out at the top of a hill (I might go ahead and call it a mountain) and descended into a valley where we had lunch at a waterfall and then made our way back up the other side of the hill. Although I’ve been lucky to be spending so much time outdoors on the river, I really enjoyed spending time in the forest. Immediately, I was struck by how loud it was – there were so many birds and insects making noise. The excitement I felt at being in a place so full of life was tempered, however, by the multiple felled redwood trees we saw that had been cut down by illegal loggers. It reminded me of the uphill battle conservationists face in this region of the world – forest cover in the Greater Mekong region has declined approximately 15% since just the early 1970’s.

However, with that being said I still thought the scenery in Mondulkiri was beautiful and I was happy to share a weekend adventure with Deborah and her sister! Also, I’m just pretty happy we made it back in one piece – our very kind driver drove like a maniac and I basically closed my eyes for most of the ride ;) 

Collaborating to conserve the Irrawaddy dolphins: Updates from the 2014 International Dolphin Workshop

In April 2013 I was about to graduate from Duke’s CEM program and had little idea what was in store for me other than I had the totally conventional option of moving to Cambodia.

Fast-forward 12 months and I found myself sitting in the lobby of a guesthouse in Phnom Penh catching up with my graduate school advisor, Dr. Andy Read, and asking his opinions about our data collection and potential outcomes for the upcoming workshop. Despite the challenges over the last six months, at this moment, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was to have this experience. Although I was a bit intimidated to present our findings at the workshop I was thankful for the opportunity and excited for the rest of the week.

Andy Read and I in front of the Mekong waterfront 

Beyond presentations and working group sessions, I had little idea of what to expect from the workshop. Having never been to an international meeting I didn’t even understand how the translations worked (the translator is essentially housed in an enclosed box and the participants wear headphones to listen).

When everyone was settled on the first day I quickly surveyed the room and spotted a majority of the staff from the WWF Kratie Office, prominent officials from the Fisheries Administration, and the group of internationally respected scientists, many of whom are members of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group. While I knew the conservation of this species has been a collaborative effort, it wasn’t until that day I truly realized the teamwork and commitment extends far beyond the reaches of what I witness at the office each day.

The morning and early afternoon consisted of updates on the progress of the conservation efforts to date. As I mentioned, this is not the first of these international workshops, and multiple recommendations were put forth in 2012 along with the signing of the Kratie Declaration on the Conservation of the Mekong River Irrawaddy Dolphins. Gerry Ryan, the technical advisor for WWF-Kratie, has primarily been responsible for carrying out the research recommendations and thus provided updates on a myriad of topics including dolphin mortality, population size, the ongoing necropsy program, and previously conducted biopsy trials. Brian Smith, Director of Wildlife Conservation Society’s Asian Freshwater and Coastal Cetacean Program, presented information regarding the status of the hydropower developments along the Mekong and the serious threat they pose to the dolphins at the transboundary pool between Laos and Cambodia. Dr. Bob Brownell, Senior Scientist for Protected Resources at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, helped simplify the results of some genetic analysis and explain the implications for the taxonomic classification of the species. Finally, Dr. Peter Thomas, International and Policy Program Director for the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, addressed the issue of electro-fishing which is believed to be a serious threat to the dolphins; however, to date, obtaining concrete evidence the technique has harmed any dolphins has proved difficult, and questions remain as to how electro-fishing even affects large mammals. 

The remaining afternoon and second day of the workshop were largely devoted to six working group sessions focusing on dolphin mortality (specifically the necropsy program), behavior and ecology, population dynamics, tourism, fisheries and law enforcement, and hydropower development. While each of these topics is important for the conservation of this species, it became clear the prominent threat to these animals remains gillnet entanglement and the increasing pressure of hydropower development.

Although gillnets are banned in the core areas of the dolphin habitat and a contingent of river guards patrol dolphin habitat areas in the Mekong River, they are still the primary cause of death for adult dolphins.  The group determined assessing the efficacy of the current enforcement program will be useful to ensure enforcement is taking place in the right places and at the right times.

Additionally, the group echoed WWF’s position on hydropower development calling for the halt of construction on the Don Sahong Dam and instead proposing the construction of the more sustainable Thako Project (see blog post on Don Sahong Dam for more information). Specifically, the group called for quantitative investigations to determine the impacts of the dam on fish passage and also the extent the construction of the dam would affect the dolphins’ prey (this would mean undertaking a study to more fully understand the dolphins’ diet).

Given this was my first experience working on an international conservation issue in this workshop setting I couldn’t help but be impressed by the collaborative nature of everyone in the room. Over the course of 48 hours these professionals received information on the current status of this species and had to turn around and immediately create a revised roadmap for where and how to direct research and management efforts. I’m not sure what’s in store for me in the future, but I hope one day I could potentially be in the position to provide similar expertise on pressing conservation issues.

Attendees at the workshop

Also, on a personal note, I felt very privileged I was able to present the progress of my behavioral research at the workshop. Just a couple days before the meeting Gerry helped prepare preliminary results of our data and I knew the meeting would be a great opportunity to obtain advice about how we could improve our data analysis and the project as a whole.

I was pleased to hear from multiple people that our work was a great first stab at understanding these animals’ behavior and would definitely provide a framework to build off of in the future. I plan on dedicating another blog post to an explanation of our results, but for now I can summarize what we have found – the data suggests there is more social behavior occurring near calves, and additionally because we witnessed a possible attack on a calf in January, we cannot at this point rule out infanticide as a hypothesis for the recent years of high calf mortality. Currently, we have two remaining field weeks left and then will continue to analyze and write up our data.

However, without looking too far ahead, this past weekend I was simply content knowing this workshop will be one of the highlights of my time in Cambodia and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to meet many well-respected scientists and observe the ongoing efforts to conserve this endangered species. 

Khmer New Year

Cambodia's Khmer New Year holiday was this past week. It's three days long with each day having its own name and set of traditions. As this is one of the most important Khmer holidays, I could feel the excitement in the office even the week before. A friend explained to me it is akin to our winter holiday season.

I was planning to stay in Kratie, but was told literally everything (restaurants, stores etc.) shutdown and it was best to go out of town. My friend, Coline (a French woman working for the Cambodian Rural Development Team) and I decided to head to Koh Ta Kiev which is an island in the south of Cambodia. I think I was a bit spoiled with the beaches in Thailand, but the landscape was still beautiful and much different than Kratie. The forests in particular were much more lush compared to the semi-evergreen and dry forests in the surrounding area near Kratie. Unfortunately, Coline and I did not do enough homework about the bungalow establishment we stayed at and the trip was essentially camping which was OK, just tough without any fans in the sweltering heat.

We returned to find Phnom Penh completely shutdown – so much so that we ended up eating at the same restaurant two nights in a row! Normally we are bombarded by tuk-tuk drivers, but this time I had to wander around and purposefully seek them out. While I like the hustle and bustle of the city, I almost preferred this ghost-town feel as I didn't have to worry much about my purse or deal with traffic etc. 

This week I will be heading to Phnom Penh again in order to attend the “Workshop on the conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River.” This workshop will bring together counterparts from WWF and the Fisheries Administration, and a group of international scientists in order to review the progress of conservation efforts to date and also plan future conservation strategies.  This core group of international scientists have been involved in the conservation efforts of this species for multiple years and will be building off the last dolphin workshop held in Kratie in January 2012. My graduate school advisor, Andy Read, who originally suggested I apply for the Fulbright, will be attending as well. I’m extremely excited for the opportunity to meet these well-respected marine mammalogists and hear their expert opinions about the conservation of this species. 

Article in WWF Messenger News

The WWF communications team requested I write a short article about our research for the monthly newsletter and I thought I would share it! It's just a summary of what we're doing, but I was happy they asked. Also, the edited article points out I'm a "university student" and I think deep down I really still wish I was, but alas......

If you'd like to read it just click the link below and scroll to the article ""Understanding the behavior of the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin-research project underway"

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/greatermekong/news/mekongmessenger.cfm  

Electronic woes

For some reason since I've arrived in Cambodia I have had a bit of trouble with electronics. Over the course of several months I've had phones, an iPod, and a GoPro camera break. Ironically, all of the problems have been unrelated to me actually being in Cambodia and these devices are just malfunctioning at an inopportune time. All in all, however, I feel lucky to have access to these gadgets and have either figured out how to fix them or will when I return to the U.S. About two weeks ago, though, my laptop's quit turning on. Needless to say when THIS particular electronic device broke it nearly sent me overboard. Thankfully, I had backed up my entire computer's contents on an external hard drive, but it has been a process obtaining a new computer. Apple does not actually have any stores in Southeast Asia, but instead authorized resellers. After informing me the logic board was broken, the store said they would repair it under warranty. Two days later they discovered the water sensor had somehow been tripped on my computer and then decided, no, they would not repair it because water damage is not covered under the Apple Care warranty. The ironic/slightly tragic thing is I hadn't spilled any water on the computer. After all this runaround I ended up having to purchase a new computer, but I'm happy I'm able to get back to work. Unfortunately, without a computer I wasn't able to post to my blog so here are a couple posts I had been meaning to put up awhile back!

Nham Bai

Along with being exposed to a different culture, I've also been exposed to many new foods and I've been meaning to share these culinary adventures with everyone. All in all, I'm still adjusting to Khmer food and may never fully embrace it, but I have tried many dishes I do like.

As I previously mentioned, and you likely already know, Khmer people eat rice with most meals. So much in fact that when they ask whether you have eaten breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they simply ask "have you eaten rice" or "Ta neak nham bai?" (transliteration of course!). With that in mind most meals are served with a large bowl of rice which everyone takes helpings of. Rather than having individual main dishes like we typically do in the U.S., several large main dishes are shared by everyone. Usually this involves placing a little bit of the vegetables or meat on your rice, eating that portion, and then spooning more onto the plate, and so on. After eating meals with my co-workers and in the villages I can definitely say eating is meant to be a communal activity.

In addition to the rice, the "main dishes" often include some type of "somlar" or soup, a dish of sautéed or fried vegetables, and fish, beef, or pork cooked in a variety of ways. I'll go ahead and just describe some of the dishes I've tried to give you a better idea of what the food is like. One of the reasons I've been putting off writing about the food is because I always forget to take pictures of it. This didn't really change over the last couple months so some of these photos are actually from the internet, not me! 

Somlar trey (fish soup)

Somlar - If you go to a restaurant you typically see large vats containing various types of soup. These range from watery soups with fish, pork, or beef to ones that taste more like curry. One of my favorites is somlar koko. This is typically a vegetarian dish (side note: the concept of being "vegetarian" is not well understood here), and contains unsurprisingly a variety of vegetables including pumpkin, mushrooms, green beans, and things that look like cucumbers, but aren't. Also, the dish is made with "kroeung" which is commonly used in Khmer food and is a blend of spices including tumeric, lemongrass, cardamom, ginger, and several others.

Lok-lak - http://www.hotel7makara.com/khmer-food/

Lok-lak - While this is a slightly more expensive dish, lok-lak is stir-fried marinated beef that is dipped in a sauce of lime juice, salt, and pepper. I was surprised to find how good this sauce tastes with meat! I will definitely bring this easy addition back with me from Cambodia. There's one restaurant in town that serves "English Lok-lak" which is lok-lak with french fries and a fried egg instead of rice. Very tasty albeit not especially good for you.

Kralan

 

Kralan - This is less of a dish and more of a snack, but kralan is made from a mixture of rice with beans, grated coconut, and coconut milk. These ingredients are placed in a pole of bamboo and then roasted over a fire. To eat them you peel back the bamboo and break off little sections. Apparently, kralan is a specialty in Kratie and on our way to the dolphin site there are at least 30 vendors all lined up along the street selling them. I bought some the other day for the team and asked for 4 kralan. The woman looked at me confused. One of the Khmer fellows on our team came to the rescue and explained to me you order by weight, not by the number you want. Who knew.

Prahok - http://khmerconnection.com/1661278/prahok cambodian-soul-food/

Prahok - I'm including this in the blog, because it is quite common in Cambodia, not because I'm particularly fond of it. Prahok is a fermented fish paste and can be used in a variety of ways. It can be a dish on its own or used as a dipping sauce for vegetables. I've tried it once before and actually it wasn't that bad, but I tend to steer away from it. Ironically, its other name is "Khmer cheese". I had been warned if I was offered "Khmer cheese" it would not be cheese at all. I feel like this nickname does a bit of a disservice to cheese, but that's just my opinion. 

Amok - http://www.taste.com/au/recipes/28119/seafood +amok+traditional+cambodian+seafood+curry

Amok trey (fish amok) - This is a signature Cambodian dish, but from what I've heard it's consumed by more tourists than actual Khmer people - with that being said this is easily one of my most favorite dishes here. Basically it's a fish fillet that is covered in kroueng, peanuts, coconut milk, and egg and then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed.  I've had it several different places and it seems like a dish that can be made a variety of ways.


Ban Chao

Ban Chao - This is the Khmer version of the Vietnamese dish Bánh xèo. It's a crepe that is made with tumeric, eggs, water and rice flower that is then filled with bean sprouts and ground beef or pork. The dish is served with an array of lettuce leaves, cabbage, basil, and mint. To eat the crepe, you take the leaves and create a sort of lettuce wrap and then dip the whole little packet into a sweet dipping sauce made with sugar, peanuts, and oil. There is a Ban Chao restaurant outside of town and I have been several times. The crepes are only $1 each and are tasty and filling. I get a little worried about eating the lettuce leaves because they're the first thing that will make you sick, but I've been fine each time and will just keep crossing my fingers! 

Fruit - I had to mention the fruit in Cambodia because generally speaking the variety is amazing in this part of the world. When you walk around the market there are vendors upon vendors displaying a number of fruits I've never seen before. There is definitely a plethora of bananas, oranges, pineapples, coconuts, and mangoes all of which I'm accustomed to. Several new ones I've tried have been mangosteens, durian, and longans. Mangosteens are easily my favorite. A vendor at the market sort of just dropped them in my bag and I was too tired to protest and figured I'd give whatever fruit it was a try. I had to come home and google it just to figure it out. They are covered in a thick purple skin and the white fruit which is sweet, juicy, and tangy all at once, is divided up sort of like an orange. Unfortunately, I will have to enjoy these little treats in Cambodia as I've discovered they cannot be imported to the U.S. :(

Mangosteen - http://blog.seasonwithspice.com/2011/07/ cooling-mangosteens-with-heaty-durians.html

Durian - http://thetalkiespodcast.com/movie-theater-etiquette-a-relic-of-the-past/durian-fruit/

 Durian is a large (~1 ft. long) greenish-brown fruit covered in little spikes. While it is very popular in Cambodia it is known for its distinctive odor which some people have described as "rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage." I had read that durian is banned from many hotels and airplanes. I didn't really believe that, but have since seen signs that confirm this. I haven't actually tried the fruit itself, but have had it in a fruit shake and sticky rice dessert. The fruit overpowered any other taste in the shake and the dessert. While I managed to get it down (I didn't want to be rude and not finish it), the entire time I couldn't help thinking how it smelled exactly like garbage. I suppose I'm one of those people who lean toward the side of not liking it. 

Longans - http://www.doa.sarawak.gov.my/ modules/web/page.php?id=132

Longans - http://www.doa.sarawak.gov.my/ modules/web/page.php?id=132

Finally, longans, are small (1in) round brown fruits with a hard black seed in the middle. You peel the thin brown skin and eat the sweet white fruit around the seed. Often these are called Dragon's Eyes because the fruit resembles an eye once it is peeled and the black seed is showing through the translucent fruit. I mistakenly forgot to mention to Megan when she visited that there WAS a seed in the middle and she nearly broke a tooth trying it. I also was offered a longan during our first boat trip and I declined because I thought they had said did I want an "onion". Ooops.

While I'm still partial to my cereal, pizza, pasta etc. it's been a new experience trying all these foods and learning how even the simple act of sharing a meal can be different in other cultures.

Blessing buildings

One thing I'm really enjoying about living abroad is experiencing traditions that are just so different from what I am accustomed to. Through some of these experiences I have come to realize I subconsciously think the way we do things in the U.S. is THE way things are done.  This isn't to say I'm not educated about other cultures or that I haven't traveled, but for me it is easy to get wrapped up in "our" world and I tend to forget the way we do things is just one way to do them. With that being said attending the blessing ceremony for our new office building and a Khmer wedding were experiences I'm happy I could attend.

We had trouble getting back from the field on time so I arrived late to the blessing ceremony. We entered to find all the staff seated on the ground facing four or five monks. I shuffled to the back wanting to seem as inconspicuous as possible considering I had no clue what I should be doing. I noticed everyone had their feet tucked under their bodies, facing away from the monks. I remembered feet are considered unclean in the Buddhist religion so I figured it was to show respect. I tucked my feet behind me and observed the scene in front of me. The monks were chanting unintelligible prayers and the staff who were all holding their hands together in prayer periodically joined in. Having gone to a Catholic high school and not being Catholic myself, I had to chuckle a little because it brought me back to the early days when I was completely lost during the communion rituals.

Ceremony

 The chanting went on for awhile and then as the monks continued to pray they started tossing water onto us. Meta, one of my co-workers, ducked behind another person trying to avoid the dousing we were all getting. Toward the end they also started throwing candy at us. It was like being at a 4th of July parade - everyone grabbed the candy as it fell around us. I, of course, copied everyone and started snatching up the candies. I could also tell people were getting uncomfortable in their sitting positions, but no one was budging...except the only other expat in the room. The manager of the office was front and center and at one point he shifted to a cross-legged position and everyone started laughing and pointing at him. He clearly had made a no-no by pointing his feet toward the monks. I secretly applauded myself because I had guessed right about why no one was sitting like that.

 After the ceremony was over we had a big dinner out in front of the office. It was catered and everything so we had multiple courses - chicken, seafood, rice, veggies, and lots of beer.

Cheers!

What I've learned since is that whenever a building is built or a home is purchased the monks come to bless it. Since our ceremony I have seen several of these gatherings. There is actually a massive hotel "The Mekong Dolphin Hotel" that is being built close-by and the other day I saw about 100 people gathered outside in the middle of the blessing ceremony.

Weddings for days

Kerb, Suzanne, Makara, and Simon 

I had been told I would likely be invited to a Khmer wedding before I left Cambodia which turns out to be true. The other day Suzanne, the other American in Kratie who owns a kayaking business, invited me to go with her and some of her employees. Khmer weddings are only held during the dry season and although Kratie is a town of about 13,000 people I think I've seen a wedding literally every single day. The weddings are all the same and are typically held in the street. A large pink tent-like awning is assembled and multiple round tables all with the same pink silk chairs sit underneath. For the larger weddings there is a stage and bands are heard playing music for most of the day -- and night. Traditionally, the weddings used to last three days and involved a number of intricate ceremonies. I have heard they are often now reduced to a one-day affair, but don't quote me on that. Traditionally the wedding would begin with the groom traveling to the bride's home and presenting gifts to the bride's family as a dowry. There is also a ceremony in which the bride and groom's hair is cut to symbolize the beginning of a new life together. These are the only two ceremonies I had been told about, but am aware there are many more to make the wedding ceremony complete.

While it may have not been a big deal that Suzanne invited me to the wedding I felt special she had thought to include me. Her employees seem more like her family and it was wonderful to see them all dressed up. Makara, pictured above in white, is stunningly beautiful and her son Simon was adorable dressed in his suit (although looks rather unhappy in the photo). Kerb is standing to the left of Suzanne and since this wedding he has invited me to several more. It was probably my amazing dance moves, but more on that later.

Wedding entrance 

Entering the pink tent (this is what I'm calling it now) the bride and groom and what seemed to be a bridal party (but probably is the wrong term) were all lined up greeting guests. They were dressed to the nines with beautifully decorated dresses and elaborate hair and makeup. This can be said the same for all the Khmer women in attendance. I was blown away by the color, beads, jewels, makeup etc. these beautiful women were wearing. By contrast I was in flip flops and a cotton sundress, albeit a very colorful one at that.

 We were escorted to a round table and served dish after dish of food including a platter of various seafood (which I was told is quite expensive), roasted chicken, and fried rice. The seafood dish also had broccoli which I was also told is expensive. I know I've been a bit starved for the "healthy" foods I eat in the U.S., but was startled at just how excited I was to eat the broccoli. Throughout the dinner there were multiple "cheers" with different types of beer. I realized usually when someone takes a sip of beer this is cause for a cheers, which is pronounced "Chul moi" in Khmer. While back at home we typically "cheers" at the beginning of a meal I'm quite fond of these multiple "cheers" events as it tends to remind me we're out doing something to be enjoyed.

Clearly not enough food or drinks for everyone!

Clearly not enough food or drinks for everyone!

 After we finished dinner Suzanne got up to dance and motioned for me to join. Not wanting to be lame I did. Everyone was dancing in a circle so I lined up next to Kerb and did my best not to look totally out of place (which was ridiculous at this point because I was one of the only non-Khmer people there). I've included a video I found on YouTube just to give you an idea of what the dancing looks like. Basically you move forward and back on your feet and move your hands in this certain manner. I just waggled my hands around trying to find a beat. I couldn't help laughing at how far from my comfort zone I felt. That being said, I think moments like this are exactly why I came to Cambodia in the first place - to experience something 100% different.

Tables set up for dinner