Phnom Penh September 21, 2009

We rose early this morning to catch a flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where our People to People tour will close in four days. Upon our arrival, we checked into Raffles Hotel Le Royal and were welcomed into a conference room for our first professional activity. Dr. Alice Smith, PhD, CCC-SLP presented an informative lecture/powerpoint on “Cultural and Poverty Influences on Healthcare in Cambodia.” It was a great introduction to the country’s current situation regarding medical care, geography, people, disease, disabilities and conditions and societal beliefs. Having that information was enormously helpful in understanding how to approach the problem of the lack of speech pathology services in Cambodia.
It may be tempting as Americans to see a problem within a developing country and want to reproduce our solution for that culture. However, understanding the fabric of the culture facilitates the ability to meet felt needs rather than perceived needs. For example, Cambodian healthcare is characterized by the belief in kharma and the use of Khmer healers “Kru-kmai” to diagnose and treat illness. It is generally accepted that the Kru-kmai is able to treat any illness, therefore casting suspicion or non-acceptance on concepts in Western medicine. Simply providing Western solutions will not necessarily meet the needs of the people most effectively.
Dr. Smith has been in Cambodia for 8 months of the year since 2001. She is pioneering the field of speech pathology in this country. Tomorrow, we will have the opportunity to visit with her further and hopefully understand the framework for her work.

Angkor Wat

"Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat), is a Hindu temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat)

We toured this interesting temple complex this morning. Our knowlegeable tour guide told us the history behind the temple, including the fact that this temple is built facing west (rather than east, as most Hindu temples) and that the bas-reliefs that cover the walls are in counter-clockwise direction (also opposite of most Hindu temples). These facts lend to the notion that perhaps the king had Angkor Wat built as his funerary grounds. A jar was found in the uppermost tower that may have been where the king's remains were kept, however, it is not known as a fact.

The vast number of bas-reliefs is intriguing as is their complexity and uniformity. To think that this structure was constructed in ancient times without the aid of machinery is mind boggling. It is suggested that over 3000 slaves participated in it's construction.

Statues of Hindu gods are presently kept in the temple and continue to be worshipped, as is Budda. Incense burns continually and worshippers offer their gifts at the foot of these gods, while asking for their desires to be granted.

That the environment is highly charged spiritually is an understatement. It is intriguing and heartbreaking to see the extensiveness of desperation for humanity to seek spiritual approval. Acts 17:27 tells us that we are created to seek Him and that He is not far from each of us. What a sweet comfort! We are worshippers, whether we think ourselves 'religious' or not. Each one of us worships someone or something. The futility in offering gifts and sacrifices to a piece of stone is suffocatingly heartbreaking. May God stir each of our hearts in gratitude for His gentle affection for us in that He died that we might live. May our lives demonstrate His truth to those who live in darkness.

Siem Reap

We arrived in Siem Reap early this evening to be met by a kind tour guide, Phalla, who led us to a resort hotel that surely resembles the garden of Eden. As we stepped off of the bus, a sweet fragrance filled the air and a group of traditional dancers and musicians welcomed us to this unusual country.

Cambodia is 95% Buddist. Statues of 'gods' are everywhere, which I thought was Hindu...I'll have to learn more. The stark contrast of Vietnam's godlessness to Cambodia's pervasive Buddism is powerful. I can feel it just stepping off the plane. The world of spiritual warfare is truly more real than the physical surroundings of our temporary home. There is an emptiness, almost a void, in Vietnam whereas in Cambodia it is a thick blanket of ...yuck. It's hard to pinpoint, but that's the feeling. Join me the next four days as I pray and worship in this place. May the light of the Lord Jesus shine in this darkness that His name might be glorified in all the earth!

Mekong Delta

Drenched in sweat from the high heat and humidity, I left the park to get ready to go to our day on Mekong Delta. About two hours from our hotel, we boarded boats and cruised up and down the river. We stopped at an island (Dragon Island?) and had the wonderful opportunity to interact closely with the rural people living there.
Of course, tourism helps to support them and part of that involves candy making with the locally grown coconuts. It was a fascinating process to watch as the coconut was peeled, shredded, boiled to a paste over a fire then cooled into a taffy-like candy. We commenced with a half mile walk on the island during which time we stopped at a beekeeper’s place for honey tea and the exciting experience of draping a python around our necks. Oh, yes.
The homes on the island were very simple, usually one room. The walls and roof were thatched coconut palm leaves, the floor was dirt. There were a few more modern style homes, but just a very few. Most of the homes have an outdoor cooking pit, free roaming animals and are completely open to the weather. Even with this level of simplicity, homemakers sweep the dirt, grow beautiful flowers and trees and keep their homes hospitable. I had the pleasure to meet a sweet woman who told me she had seven children. She was surprised when I showed her pictures of my children and let her know we had something in common in our large families! Her home was very simple and about the same size as the hotel room I am sitting in at this moment. It reminded me that one can always live with less and thrive.
Hammocks are commonplace here. On our trip down to the river, we saw outdoor restaurants with hammocks all around the borders of the shop. Our guide told us these are ‘coffee and hammock’ shops where travelers can stop for coffee and a nap. What a great idea! Yet another element of Vietnamese culture I would be more than willing to adopt!
Our visit to Dragon Island ended with a sampan ride off the island. It was quite an experience. Many of us recalled our soldiers and their duty to slog through the rainy wetlands with the dense tropical growth. We boarded our larger boats and returned to the mainland and then to the hotel.
A group of us returned to Ben Thahn market where I bought even more stuff. Then, I really wanted to strike out on my own and explore the city. Not a particularly wise move, I admit. Never theless…I walked just a bit away from the market in search of an internet café. Happily, I have discovered that if you get brave and starting talking to enough people, eventually you will find some kind soul who speaks English. I strategically looked for teenagers to tell me where I could get some free wi-fi. It worked! A sweet young lady who was setting up her booth to sell in the night market confided in me that if I bought a coffee at a shop across from her booth, I’d be in range for wi-fi from a nearby business. “I do it every night!” she whispered conspiratorily. Now, maybe she was being clever, but in any case, I enjoyed the coffee tremendously (thick, sweet milk in the bottom of a slender glass with strong, strong coffee poured on top as a second layer) and was happy to check in with the world.
When I returned to the hotel (after risking my life crossing the road!!), I joined several of the team in the lounge. I wasn’t too hungry but decided to order Pho, a national dish of noodles, broth and chicken or beef in honor of my sister, Alicia. I was not a little surprised to see the waitress coming toward me carrying a mixing bowl full of soup! It was delicious and I enjoyed it very much.
There was a band playing oldies from the 60s and 70s …really loud! Our pathetic efforts to understand each other’s conversation kept us in stitches as we commiserated with our communication disordered clients in that moment! Hours of laughter later, here I sit journaling the day with my eyes crossing from fatigue. Tomorrow we head to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Exercise in the Park

For some reason I keep waking up at 4 a.m. and today was no exception. I decided to get dressed at go to the park for exercise, along with hundreds of others, during the hour before sunrise. What an experience! The park is long and narrow with a walkway surrounding it as well as one dividing it. Park benches are abundant and people of all ages walk, run, exercise or laze on their motorbike prior to the beginning of their workday.
My heart is so taken with these people and their culture. They are so loved by God and He is so near to them! Yet, the majority of Vietnamese do not consider themselves ‘religious.’ They practice ancestral worship and for the most part seem to rely on ‘karma’ or good luck to have a happy life. I decided to prayer walk the park, worshipping the one, true God and praying for the people of Vietnam. I prayed that they would hunger and thirst after Him as they hunger and thirst for knowledge. I prayed that the eyes of their heart would be opened that they might see the truth in Jesus. My heart breaks to think of these beautiful people without the hope of eternal life in Him.
I joined a group of older women and men as they participated in group exercise with a long pole. It was primarily stretching, twisting and bending. Oh, did they have fun watching me! I think I did pretty well to keep up, but the whole concept of exercising in view of the entire city was new to me and their pointing and laughing didn’t do much to help my reticence!! After exercise, I had the privilege to chat (haha) with some of them. Thankfully, an English teacher happened upon our floundering attempt to communicate. She was a kind woman who shared part of her story with me. Her two adult daughters support her by working abroad. She tutors students in English in her home (and was reluctant to tell me about her profession as her skills were a bit rough). We laughed through a nice chat and then said our good byes: hers in English, mine in Vietnamese…sort of.

First Professional Day

Yesterday we spent the entire day meeting with healthcare professionals and educators. It was a full day, to say the least. I'll expound further when I have more battery life ...but suffice it to say in the end, I was overwhelmed.

The grace, initiative, self-motivation, compassion, energy and strength of the Vietnamese people absolutely took my breath away. Every small suggestion we offered was met with such gratitude. They humbly presented the programs they are involved in and we requested they identify areas of need. Neither professionals nor lay persons were looking for a 'hand out', but rather a 'hand up'. They desperately desire training, resources, an understanding of where to uncover resources and a collaborative relationship to facilitate the growth of speech pathology services in their country.

Amazing.

Ben Thanh Market

In the midst of hosts of street vendors hawking everything from spa services to art to food, there is the granddaddy of markets: Ben Thanh. It is absolutely huge and houses clothing, fabric, jewelry, meats and seafood, gifts/accessories and more than I can begin to list.
The enthusiastic (read: aggressive) sales people are quite friendly and it was terribly fun to bargain with them on selected items. They seemed kind of annoyed to do it, but It was part of the game. Too bad we can’t run that number at Dillards. Wouldn’t that be great? Just offer half for an item and see what happens? *sigh*
The bright and colorful fabrics were an artistic backdrop to the open, smiling faces of the local people. The pungent fragrance of dried shrimp, fresh fish, cooking noodles and various meats was inescapable. Grains and rices were piled high in neat order as were coffees, teas and beans.
By the end of my and my friends’ time there, we had successfully scored some great bargains. The winner was my friend Krista, who purchased three gorgeous formal gowns for a total of $50. (Have to say that as a size 4, she wore a ‘large’---lol!!! Have I mentioned how tiny the people are here?