501(c)(3) Submitted!

Thanks to the new 1023-EZ form, I finally submitted our application for federal tax exemption. This is a great milestone that will allow us to grow in new ways. I'm not sure how long the approval cycle lasts, but hopefully it will be short.

Today will involve checking on the computers and teachers at the Kessararam Primary School and the equipment at Khnar Tmei. I'm hopeful the discussions at each location will offer long-term insights just like the chat with Mr. Sok.

From Basics to Vocations

One of the significant changes I've seen over this past decade is the evolving desire for education. The people have a strong will to learn more, better themselves, and generally help lift their entire families up the economic ladder. In that sense the desire hasn't changed. I still see the excited requests for me to repeat a new word so they can jot it down or the locked attention as we discuss weighty subjects like politics. 

The change is mostly around complexity and application. People no longer just want to learn English because it might lead to a job. Now they specifically want to learn a trade which will lead to a job. Electrician is a great example. Take a look at this, and pay special attention to the tangled mass just beyond the arm of the digging equipment (click to see it better):

An Electrician in Cambodia is a dangerous profession. However, it's a well paid job with excellent long-term prospects. Those tangled masses aren't going away anytime soon.

Stop #1: Mr. Sok's house

Mr. Sok is a extremely kind and compassionate person. As a village elder in the town of Bakralein he feels a personal responsibility to better the lives of everyone around him. I installed a PC at his house many years ago and I can easily say it is the best cared for machine of all I maintain. It was still going strong when I checked on him and his family today.

Mr. Sok dreams big. He wants to convert most of his house into a kind of community center to teach computer skills, sewing, and possibly even music. He plays a couple instruments and mentioned that village kids have an interest in that too. I asked him to write up a long term plan complete with cost estimates and a timeline. Without hesitation he's ready to do it. I absolutely love working with people like Mr. Sok who are passionate and ready to make a difference. 

Today I finally got to one of the activities I've eyed up for many years now: cooking class at the Paper Tiger restaurant. Their food is quite good and I love the idea of at least properly making a Khmer meal once sounded fantastic. The experience lived up to the expectations and I met a few interesting kids from Australia and England in the process. I say kids because I was obviously the oldest person in the room. 

Oh, and I did go to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner last night. It was American in every sense of the word: Taste, quality, and price. That's not a bad thing. It was great to introduce Mony and Prem to American-style barbecue. I've told them about it many times but that's a food group I can't cook. The Hard Rock does it quite well and even flies in hickory wood from Australia.