January 9

Kari Suva, CASF Advisor, shares her impressions during her first trip to Cambodia in this ongoing blog.

Although I have traveled extensively in Asia in the past, this is my first trip to Cambodia. I am here with Juli Nielsen, the new ED, and her husband and board member Jean-Claude Redonnet. Juli and I are friends and colleagues, having both attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts, and I, too, am based in Maine doing international development work. I have come as a volunteer to offer my experience in governance and the operation of non-profits/small NGOs. Board members Suezan Aikins and Sam Rogers are also here, on one of their regular trips to work with the girls. Suezan serves as the volunteer coordinator for CASF student affairs.

Villa Langka, our home for three weeks, is lovely - small, relatively inexpensive hotel with a nice staff and good food. CASF volunteers are well known here, so I feel very much at home. My room is small and so I spend most of my time on the terrace where I am surrounded by large tropical plants. Weather is beautiful - this is the cool, dry season. It's hot in the middle of the day – 85-90 perhaps, but not uncomfortable. Phnom Penh is a nice city of a manageable size and very cosmopolitan. People use US dollars so there is no need to convert money. Change sometimes comes back in Riel, the local currency. We can walk to dinner as there are many good restaurants nearby, serving a wide range of cuisines. A typical meal with a beer is about $12. To go further afield we take a tuktuk - a covered cart pulled by a motorcycle.  We usually hire Mr. Li – a good friend of CASF - and we just tell him when and where we want to go.

Cambodia so far is a great contrast from Haiti, where I have worked recently. I got an e-Visa before I left and zipped through the airport on arrival.  And so far Phnom Penh has been easy to navigate, safe (but watch for purse thieves), clean, lots to eat, very friendly people, and thriving (at least in the city). I'm sure the countryside where 80% of the population lives will be different and will report on that when I go.

So far we have spent our time exploring the city and have seen the National Museum and its beautiful Buddhist art with Hindu influence; the riverfront with its wide boulevard built by the French; Wat Phnom, the most famous temple; Central Market, full of thousands of stalls selling everything under the sun from seafood to electronic goods and housed in an Art Deco pavilion; and a new mall called Eon, larger and much fancier than the Maine Mall. It's clear that Cambodia has captured the Asian tiger - the economy is booming. Amazing to think that the Khmer Rouge ravaged the county just a few decades ago (1975-79).

The only official meeting so far has been JC's meeting with the French ambassador, who has been very helpful in directing him to others to speak to about career planning for Cambodian women. One of our goals is to explore how we can try to lead the women we support into professional careers for which there are good jobs available. Later this morning we will meet up with the university students who will cook us lunch at their residence. It will be great to meet them! Then this coming week we will have meetings with officialdom and begin visits to the villages where CASF supports secondary school education of girls.