Jaymie and I are sitting in Bryn's office at DDD after a full morning of getting to know PP. Please check out her organization at www.digitaldividedata.org. They provide digitalization to clients around the world. There are 175 operators here in the PP office - all disadvantaged or handicapped young people who have been trained in computer skills, data entry and IT skills. They are earning money and also going to school with scholarships provided by DDD. It's an amazing project. Jaymie and I will be volunteering every day - helping look at the English curriculum, written materials, and maybe doing some tutoring. We met with Rathay - the head of HR - an amazing guy who has worked in many different places - hotels, hospitals, Price Waterhouse. His story, like all we've heard is amazing. Getting up to learn English at 4:30 because if was illegal under the Vietnamese, finding English tutors in odd places because he knew it was his chance to get out of Cambodia. And then his deciding to stay ultimately to help his country.
We reviewed some of their English materials and then discussed how we might be helpful - questions of training slow learners, assessment of proficiency, reinforcement for completing goals...familiar territory. After a brief siesta at our hotel we went out to drinks at the Elsewhere with a group of DDD folks and alumnae who have gone on to other jobs. Very inspiring to see how DDD has provided them with skills and confidence to be successful. Dinner at a wonderful restaurant where we sat on pillows and enjoyed fishcakes, lemon grass soup and eggplant. not to mention angkor beer and sticky rice with mangos. yummm.
We have a driver for the whole week, named Toro. He has a Toyota Camry like everyone else here. The driving is CRAZY like it is all over Cambodia. Motos, tuk-tuks, bikes and cars all converging with no stop signs or stop lights. Toro drove us around after our morning meeting at DDD. We saw the river front, palace, and various sights and lunched at the Foreign Correspondent's Club (FCC) - delicious western food - a nice break after all the Asian food.
As I write this post on B's computer we're watching her training some of the staff on a new website initiative. She is a STAR here - quel surprise. When we arrived this morning there was a sign "Welcome Bryn and family". I am honored to be introduced as Bryn's aunt.
When I get back to our lovely guest house I will upload some more pics. Going backwards a bit - - on Saturday we got up early and went to a temple on top of a small mountain. The steps up were treacherous but down was even worse. But worth the journey to see the Tonle Sap river and the reservoirs around Angkor Wat. After Leonora left midday :-( we spent the afternoon at the pool and then went to the Western Baray - a giant reservoir. We took a boat out to a temple on an island and returned in time for a glorious sunset. When you see the scope of this reservoir (Cambodia's Quabbin) you totally understand how marshalling the water resources was key to their success. I said it would be really cool to design a college course around water - from a cultural, economic, environmental basis. Sunday morning Jaymie and I did a final walk around our hotel area, checking out some galleries and the river front. Following a swim we took a private car to PP. The driver spoke no English which was only a bit challenging when we tried to get him to slow down a bit and find a toilet. The drive was long (5 hours) but beautiful. Past rice fields, rural villages, duck farms and drivers of every possible vehicle. Many of the trucks had so many people squashed in you just can't imagine.
We have a driver for the whole week, named Toro. He has a Toyota Camry like everyone else here. The driving is CRAZY like it is all over Cambodia. Motos, tuk-tuks, bikes and cars all converging with no stop signs or stop lights. Toro drove us around after our morning meeting at DDD. We saw the river front, palace, and various sights and lunched at the Foreign Correspondent's Club (FCC) - delicious western food - a nice break after all the Asian food.
As I write this post on B's computer we're watching her training some of the staff on a new website initiative. She is a STAR here - quel surprise. When we arrived this morning there was a sign "Welcome Bryn and family". I am honored to be introduced as Bryn's aunt.
When I get back to our lovely guest house I will upload some more pics. Going backwards a bit - - on Saturday we got up early and went to a temple on top of a small mountain. The steps up were treacherous but down was even worse. But worth the journey to see the Tonle Sap river and the reservoirs around Angkor Wat. After Leonora left midday :-( we spent the afternoon at the pool and then went to the Western Baray - a giant reservoir. We took a boat out to a temple on an island and returned in time for a glorious sunset. When you see the scope of this reservoir (Cambodia's Quabbin) you totally understand how marshalling the water resources was key to their success. I said it would be really cool to design a college course around water - from a cultural, economic, environmental basis. Sunday morning Jaymie and I did a final walk around our hotel area, checking out some galleries and the river front. Following a swim we took a private car to PP. The driver spoke no English which was only a bit challenging when we tried to get him to slow down a bit and find a toilet. The drive was long (5 hours) but beautiful. Past rice fields, rural villages, duck farms and drivers of every possible vehicle. Many of the trucks had so many people squashed in you just can't imagine.
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