Prep for 2010? Already?1?

In this case, I'm talking about how YOU can prep to go to Cambodia next year!

The first and most important task is to commit yourself to the trip. You need to do that now. Why? Because the plane ticket is expensive and there's a fair amount of extra work to do if it's your first trip.

So here's what you need to do:

1. Ask me questions now about what all is involved. You can choose to go as a tourist, and that's just fine. Stimulating the local economy is a charity all by itself.
2. Make the choice before the end of the year, and let me know.
3. Start saving about $200 a month (now). That should cover your airfare, by far the biggest expense (~$1,800).

Send me an email at samueljcarrorg. I'd love to show you around!

2009 Recap

This was a shorter trip than years past, but still productive and inspiring. Here's a recap of the 2009 experience:

Arrived July 10th
Evaluated equipment at Mr. Sok's house, needed new power strip, antivirus software, and new apps for install
Interviewed staff at Kesararam Primary School
Purchased new PC and laser printer for the school
Evaluated PC #2 at Khnar Tmei, determined that it needed replacement
Purchased new PC for Khnar Tmei
Taught classes at Khnar Tmei once per day, at the school twice per day
Departed July 17th

Overall I was able to keep the main infrastructure running, and I started bringing the Primary School into the PC world, all in one week.

I've heard from friends and family that they are often interested in going, but aren't sure how to start, or it's too late by the time they hear about the next trip. I'll be updating this blog with entires between now and the next trip with tidbits from previous excursions and information on how to join me on the next run.

Back in town

I got home yesterday around 1pm. As usual, it was a long trip, but worth the pain of travel. I'll write more tomorrow after the kids settle down.

On the Road

I'll be heading to the airport in a few hours. I don't know what it is about travelling East back to the US, but it's always far more brutal than coming to Cambodia. My body just doesn't adjust nearly as well. Perhaps it's the full day of being away before getting on the plane. I have a lot of trouble sleeping on a flight, so that might be part of it.

This year has been very productive. I taught more at Khnar Tmei, and I helped get the local Primary School well on their way to being computerized. I'll post more details soon. For now, I have to pack.

See you in Seoul!

Last Full Day

It's incredible how time flies. Today was the last full day I have here in amazing Siem Reap. We had yet another awe inspiring dining experience. This time it was a restaurant opened 3 months ago by a world-travelled chef. Nest Angkor offers Japanese styled cuisine, but with some local flair. I was simply blown away. We all agreed that it was something that needed to go into our standard rotation, even if it's more expensive than the other places.

Tomorrow will be another day of class, mostly wrapping up on topics and doing final house-keeping items. For example, today I taught the students at Khnar Tmei about Odds and Probability. There's a bit of a problem in the area with young people spending more of their time on gambling than on studies, so I thought this would be a useful lesson. A simple experiment using a deck of cards and the odds of pulling an Ace from the deck worked wonders. They now saw how you can have moments of gains as a player, but the Casino is gauranteed to win over time because of the number of plays and the mathematics behind it.

Over dinner we also talked about getting friends to come with us to Cambodia. If you're interested, let's start planning now! I'd love to bring you here, even if you just see the temples while I go into the villages to work!

Handwritten World

Faced with the prospect of managing 1,500 primary school students, How would you do it?

The teachers at Kesararam have a very visible and easy to use system: Public Display. They have devised a method of publishing all of the class and student information on gigantic whiteboards in the main office. Under these are the posted class rosters, about 5-10 pages thick gently shifting in the breeze.

There are also permanent posters that show the layout of the campus, general information, current teaching staff, and more. All of this without a single keystroke on a PC.

Western Indulgence

A new shopping mall opened up on the main road. It was under construction last year, and now it's fully operational. The company that runs it is called Lucky, hence the name Lucky Mall.

Inside they have places such as Lucky Department, Lucky Burger, and Lucky Bookshop. Not all the shops are run by the same company, like the chocolate store. Everything they had was pure decadence. The manager said that the owner runs the large chocolate shop in Phnom Penh by the royal palace, and has done so for many years.

This experience was evident in the luxurious flavors, such as Dark Chocolate with Green Tea Chocolate filling, and other amazing combinations. Nothing was overpowering, just very pure and well crafted pieces of delight. This was easily on the level of a gourmet chocolate shop in the US, and could probably surpass any of them in quality.

So how much would you pay for 6 (we shared) pieces of handmade chocolate? Try under $3, with table service, water, and an amazing atmosphere.

More Progress in the Third World

Did you ever think for a moment that the city sewer system wasn't always there?

How about the next step in that thought process... What would it be like to install city water and sewer in a place that already had some infrastructure, like power, telephone, roads, and some other services?

Yes, that's a picture of people holding up frayed electrical lines with rickety bamboo poles, all while a gigantic backhoe digs a trench about 2 meters deep and another machine (shown) drives 10 meter metal pilings into the ground.

This is already about the most dangerous construction site I've ever seen. How could it possibly get worse? Add in some local traffic and torrential downpours.

I did get to experience a unique kind of detour yesterday. They were tearing up another part of the street and had traffic go around. Their solution was to literally have us drive through the front part of a sidewalk restaurant. Yes, right next to the tables.

Oh, and those downpours? There was an especially windy gust of weather this afternoon, and one of the drivers got a text message. The government will frequently send out free warnings to people on their cell phones about weather and helpful tips (like go indoors if lightning is striking). Now that sounds like a step ahead of the US. I could never see any US carrier agreeing to do that!

Day 1 of Class

The first day of class was thrilling on many accounts. First and foremost, I felt great this morning and was over my Food Poisoning.

So bright and early, we set out for Khnar Tmei for the 7:30-8:30 Electronics class. The students were amazed by the kit (I wrote about it earlier). I built a simple circuit with a light and a switch, and it appeared to them as the most fantastic thing ever. You could see the connections forming in their minds as they realized that this was just like the lights they use everyday, but now they know what happens behind the scenes.

I left the kit there and went to the Primary School for the 9am class next (inset picture - My driver & translator Prem is on the right in the doorway). This was also a great experience. I had about 8 teachers and the Administrator soak up all the basics of computer use. I do mean basics. We began with parts of the computer, the Desktop, Left & Right click, and so on. They had that "drinking from a firehose" look when they were done, but all were anxious to learn more. They were also the best note-takers I've ever seen!

Class in the afternoon was also at the School, but a repeat of the same topic for more teachers. They were a bit more lively this time, but still great students.

You'll be happy to know that I avoided the sauce that came with my dinner tonight. I learned my lesson.

A different kind of busy

We attended the church service at Khnar Tmei on Sunday. It was another fiery sermon, this time about worshipping false idols. After that, Deanna and I took time to speak a little about what we are doing this year, and work out class schedules. It turns out 7:30 to 8:30 works best, since i also need to teach at the primary school from 9 to 10 and 3 to 4.

On the drive back, I started to feel a little ill. Nothing really bad, just like I had forgotten to drink enough water. There has been an odd lack of rain since we arrived, so I figured that was it.

I was so very wrong.

My body tried to turn itself inside out for 5 consecutive hours. Oh, and I don't mean from just one side or the other. Often the urge was simultaneous, and more powerful than I thought possible for the human body. Is this what it's like when athletes get sick? I felt like you had to train up to this level of power within your GI tract, it doesn't just come naturally.

Between bouts of Olympic strength expulsions, I slept. A lot. I don't think I've had that much sleep in a 24 hour period since college.

Today, I'm in much better shape. I'm REALLY hungry, but I don't want to overdo it. Plus, I have class to teach and not much time!

In retrospect, I think that food poisoning is perhaps the easiest ailment to diagnose, and even pinpoint the cause. I got a little lazy with the food condiments. Perhaps next time I'll think again before I eat tartar sauce in a country with little refrigeration. But it tasted so good!!!

Hotel Room Shuffle

In my sleep deprived stupor when I arrived, they said something about how "tomorrow we change your room". I didn't really grasp what that meant at the time. I was just happy to be out of economy class.

Yesterday I found out that I was being put on the 3rd floor. One more extra flight of stairs is no big deal, so I figured sure, why not.

I discovered that I was given a room in the extended part of the hotel. A few years ago they added on to the back, and this was part of that project. The room is quite nice, with a double bed instead of a pair of singles, and a nicer bathroom. Plus, I'm not subject to the loud reverberations of people dropping things on the floor from the rooms above me (the 4th floor doesn't have guests). It's amazing how much sound seems to amplify when you have all plaster and concrete for the architecture.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

That’s one of my favorite quotes from Hunter S. Thompson, and it sums up a wild first day. We began our breakneck pace at 9am. First, breakfast in the restaurant quarter and a game plan. We decided to do the following:

1. Check on the status of PCs at Khnar Tmei
2. Check on the PC at Sok’s House (the one that was solar before utility power came)
3. Determine how we would setup a PC at a local Primary School
4. Do some shopping for odds and ends like whiteboard markers and other supplies

We knew it was going to be busy, but felt that was necessary given my short time in town. Here’s what we ended up doing:

1. Went to Khnar Tmei and found out that one PC may be down. We’ll look into it tomorrow
2. Went to Sok’s house. He said there was a virus on the PC because he lost some files. Turns out he saved them to a different folder or had a different problem. Also found out he needs a new surge protector and wants to learn Photoshop (which is not installed).
3. Had “lunch” of Iced Tea at the Express Mart. That’s a gas station with a small restaurant in it. They make great drinks, and we weren’t hungry at the time.
4. Went to the Primary School and determined that they could use a PC and training
5. After shopping about 5 times in 7 or more stores:
a. the software I needed for a “substantially lower than retail price”… if you know what I mean
b. whiteboard markers
c. snacks for our rooms
d. surge protectors
e. flash drive and electrical adapter for Deanna
f. complete Dell PC setup with UPS and flash drive
6. Dinner at Molly Malone’s (I had fish and chips with Crème Brule). Yes, it was excellent!

On item # 4 above, that’s going to be a rather substantial project. The Primary School serves about 1,500 kids from grades 1 to 6. They currently do everything on paper. Yes, I mean everything, including rosters, classes, grades, and reports that need to go to the Cambodian Ministry of Education on a regular basis. Now I have to try to sketch out both a lesson plan and cover topics like templates, backing up files, who can access documents, and more.

Can you imagine handling that without technology? I couldn’t believe it until I saw it. I’ll get pictures on Monday, when I start basic PC training for the teachers and administrators, two classes a day. They were on the edge of tears when they realized that they could at least avoid having documents rejected by the Ministry because of errors and typos, and could reuse document templates. That’s hours a day that they need back!

Tomorrow will be busy again. There’s a lot to do, and not a lot of time.

H1N1 ASAP

One more thing...

They are really taking the "Variant" Flu H1N1, also called Swine Flu, thing very seriously. Each passenger had to fill out a health form to hand to a Quaranteen Official as we disembarked. 6 or so mask wearing officials reviewed the form and then took our temperatures using a thermal scanner on the neck.

Also, I noticed they had FLIR cameras (infrared detectors for thermal imaging) set up at yet another quarantine station that we all had to pass through.

Now I get to listen to the health broadcast over the PA about every 10 minutes telling me that if I have any symptoms to see a Quarantine Official.

First Time Flier

This year the flight from Dallas to Korea was my long leg. A solid 14 hours in row 57, seat A. That's not just economy class, it comes with the added bonus of being next to the lavatories. The seat map indicated that it might be a lone seat with nothing next to it, but alas it was wrong. I got the window, and sat next to a Korean kid in his 20s that was an Olympic Sleeper. I swear he slept through the entire flight. I even had to jump over him once to get to the bathroom since I rarely fall asleep on a plane, no matter how long it is.

Before he poured him self into the seat and went comatose, I chatted with a lady in the middle row. She had a 5 month old with her, so I asked if she had travelled with her before. "Nope, it's a first time for both of us!" I figured she was on her way to see her husband who was likely in the military, and I was right. Both she and the baby did great. That's got to be one heck of an inaugural flight!

This was my first year on Korean Air. I was initially shocked to see that they do not have individual entertainment screens in the seat backs. My fears were subsided when I found out that they have real power outlets under the seats, not the car-style adapters. I was able to happily watch movies and shows with no loss of power issues. That's even with my hot-rod class laptop that sports a Acme Brick for a power adapter.

So here I am in Seoul again. A few things have changed, with the most noticable being the food court. When I walked by I was shocked to see my Burger King missing. Luckily, it just moved upstairs. I think they remodeled and expanded. That's a good thing since the previous one was cramped.

My next flight leaves soon. Time to get a Whopper and head to the gate.

The Value of Cash

In the US, we normally take our cash for granted. I mean that paper stuff you sometimes carry around. It's easy to forget that the plastic credit cards we use everyday are moving around legal tender from one company to another, ultimately coming back to our personal bank account. Ah, the quickening nostalgia of paper currency.

The third world is a different story. They generally don't have credit cards; those are for the elite and tourists. Sure, you will see a few ATMs around, but the general populace isn't using them. You have to rely on cash unless you frequent the nicer stores or restaurants.

Before I head over, I like to get some cash ahead of time. The key is to make sure your bills actually look nice. The physical appearance of a note will have a direct affect on how much it's worth. I've had shopkeepers comment, "Do you have a better $20? This one... not so good." It's not uncommon to be offered less than face value because of rips, marks, or just plain wear. Counterfeiting is a big problem, and people are wary of falling victim.

So the next time you try to shove a wrinkled old $1 bill into a vending machine, keep in mind that there are places in the world that might offer you $0.75 for it, or hand it back for the same reason.

The Lesson Plan

So what can you do with 1 week? Teach a little of everything!

The schools in Cambodia do what they can with the resources they are given. Education and Academics are highly valued commodities in this extremely improvised land. As a result, most classes are theory only, no labs or experiments. Last year I essentially ran out of pure computer topics, so I moved on to general science classes. They went over well, so I'm getter better prepared this time.

One topic will be electronics. I have fond memories as a kid of my "200 in 1 Kit" from Radio Shack. This was a cardboard box that had various components like resistors, capacitors, lights, and even a couple integrated circuits on it, all with little springs for the connectors. You linked all of the parts together with wires that were held by the springs. It was amazing fun, and purely hands-on.

So this year I found the modern version: Snap Circuits Pro SC-500. They made it a lot easier by putting the components on plastic pieces with metal snaps. We bought the Junior version for my Son’s 5th birthday. He had built his own toy within minutes and had a blast. The Pro version I got for Cambodia will be unlike anything they have ever seen.

Oh, and this will be 1 of my 5 days of class. I plan on covering some Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as well.

I'm Booked: July 9 through July 18

It's official, I'm booked to Cambodia. I depart July 9 from Austin and arrive in Siem Reap the evening of July 10. I'll be there for only one week this year since I have a lot happening here in the US with work and family. I hope to concentrate the classes and make sure PCs are up and running while I'm there. I'll depart the evening of July 17th and be back July 18.

Time to start planning!

It's been a long time since the last post, but amazingly it is time to start planning the next trip!

Trying to find a good fare is always a challenge. There really is no good way to do it, even with the plethora of online travel web sites. I end up using a rather extensize Excel sheet with arrival dates on the rows and departure dates on the columns. I then open about 6 different windows of Expedia and start plugging in the details. It take a while for their site to return an answer, but then I track the results in the sheet. Time consuming? Yes, but worth it for finding a good rate and reasonable travel times.