Day 1 - Fact Finding

The first day in country is both the easiest and hardest at the same time. I don't have any classes set up or big projects in the works yet, I'm tired from the travel, and I just want to look around and see what has changed. This is the easy part: getting back in the swing of things. The hard part is planning and coordination. To make the trip effective, I need to gather information and make the trip as useful as possible in the short time. Combine this with the nagging feeling of just wanting to take a nap.


Here are some of the big changes:

• Night markets are popping up all over. I think the local people finally figured out a way to break into the tourist pocketbook. Many visitors stay with their tour group, so local business hasn't benefited like it could. A resurgent "pub street" helped bring them in and night markets cater to the temple visitors looking for a night on the town.
• The economy is reasonably good, but there's an unexpected gender gap appearing. Women have a much easier time finding jobs than men. This turns the traditional family structure upside down, but seems to be acceptable for the men I've talked to. In a town dominated by the hotel and hospitality sectors, the companies want to hire women.
• The kids in the village of Khnar Tmei found a way to get Internet access. This is the same church where I had to help fund a rewiring of their electric because it was such disrepair. As you can see by the picture, it's through their cell phone. They even found a way to pick what wireless provider has the best data rate so they don't use all their money. The end result, they claim about $1 expense for a week's worth of teenager-level consumption. That's amazing!

Tomorrow will be the start of classes at Khnar Tmei for a couple of students I've had over the years. This time I'll help them learn to be teachers for the younger kids in the village. We'll put that craftiness to work!