Shoshana in Asia

I'll be heading to Africa next week. I've been three times before--once to Egypt for a week or so with a tour group from Israel, once to Egypt for a day, and once to Tunisia for a day. I've never been to non-Mediterranean Africa, and I've never been to the Southern hemisphere. I'll be attending a seminar on public health in Botswana. The emphasis is on HIV/AIDS and public policy, but other topics tentatively include adolescent substance use and women's health rights. It should be engrossing. And I do hope to see some birds. It's winter in Botswana, but I'm as interested in round-the-year nuisance birds like crows as in anything else, so I should have a good time.... read more

Dear Becca, Thinking of you in the airport.... read more

Up all night attending to Blackboard problems. Blackboard is a jealous creature and always knows when I'm showing another country's electrons a good time. A pre-flight nap is still on today's agenda, but I'm having no luck so far. I'm packed other than the clothes I'm wearing, which I'll swap for fresh before I leave. Okay, internet searching has revealed that the bird that is everywhere, everywhere, except in my inadequate bird guide is Pycnonotus goiavier, or Yellow-vented bulbul. Having identified it by name, I find it in the book only in reference to another bird (one that's pictured, not described). The only bird I'm seeing more is Eurasian tree sparrows. A strange omission. Tell your bird watching friends that Cambodia needs a better field guide. The trip home begins at ab... read more

Up at 5:00, out at 6:40, breakfast near C.'s guesthouse at 7:00. At 8:00 we went out to Sovann Komar orphanage. C. gave me a quick tour of the main building. Since my appointment with the director wasn't until later, I took a walk. The orphanage is not a collection of children and adult care providers; instead, young married couples were hired and asked to make a 20-year commitment. They live in houses on the grounds, and several children live in each family. It's less like a boarding school and more like a neighborhood block. You'll notice I have no photos with people in them--this is for the children's and families' privacy. I had a pleasant conversation with the director and I feel very positive about the work they're doing and the internship possibilities for my ... read more

This morning I met C. near her guesthouse and we had a little time to catch up before taking tuk-tuk to the office of Southeast Asia Development Program (SADP). SADP supports Cambodian capacity-building has a number of programs, and Friendship with Cambodia works with them to support students who otherwise would not be able to afford university. When we entered the office, I recognized a number of the students, whom I met during the responsible travel tour last year. Today's training topic was chosen by the supervising social workers, who had also collected the students' questions and helped me with the approach and focus to be sure it was a good fit. I had 24 or 25 students all together and was very pleased with their active participation. I presented some basic information about HIV/AIDS and ... read more

I was unable to use the secure wifi connections in my hotel (Le Rit's) or the Blue Pumpkin cafe in Monument Books, so I was worried that my useful little ASUS netbook had reached its obsolescence. Fortunately, I was able to connect here at the tourism office on Sisowath Quay, overlooking the Tonle Sap River. This search for wireless has required the drinking of a certain number of banana smoothies and iced coffees (which is made with a syrupy coffee and sweetened condensed milk), but I've had a little walk, at least, which has been balancing after a great deal of poking around in my computer's systems. My travel, though long, was uneventful. I was curious to see if I'd make my 50-minute connection in Seoul, and resigned to a reroute through Bangkok (adding 10 hours ... read more