So where does it all end

     I guess there is a point where you have to look back and make sense of all this. I went to Cambodia with no idea of where it would lead. The good news is you don't have to go to another country to learn, to listen, or engage with the world around you. We have so much outside our doorstep we have no excuse but to get involved. Cambodia offered me a new perspective on life, priorities, and people I never would have had if I had gone to the local mall. I encourage everyone to push yourself to move beyond your comfort zone, to explore new worlds, and take an active role in the future of our community that is the world. Well, gee, Christopher, how do I do that? That's a good question. Here are some thoughts on how I found new ways to learn, listen, and engage.

Learn everything you can. Learn together with others. Talk with and listen to people who have seen the world before you. They know more and can offer advice and solutions you have not thought of. It should be humbling to stand by and capture thoughts and ideas from people who have studied with other extraordinary people. It is a privilege to hear them. It is a responsibility then to take the knowledge you have acquired, reflect on it, and share it with those around you. Experiential learning means nothing if it is not shared. So take the stories you have heard and use them as tools to teach others. I learned from Bob Maat the importance of silence in my life, that it was essential for me to achieve balance in my state of mind. The voices and thoughts that race through my mind have to be confronted with full attention, meditation, and reflection. I also learned a mantra to live by that "Peace is possible!" (Maha Ghosananda), which applicable to any conflict. Bob also personally learned and shared with us the following from Ghosananda: 

"The suffering of Cambodia has been deep. 

From this suffering comes Great Compassion. 

Great Compassion makes a peaceful heart. 

A Peaceful Heart makes a Peaceful Person.

A Peaceful Person makes a Peaceful Family.

A Peaceful Family makes a Peaceful Community.

A Peaceful Community makes a Peaceful Nation.

A Peaceful Nation makes a Peaceful World. 

May all being live in Happiness and Peace."

    -from "Maha Ghosananda's "The Buddha of the Battlefield" by Santidhammo Bhikkhu p. 83

This is truly something we could all learn from. 

Learn in strange, new places. Go where it is colder than you've ever been. Live in the jungle until you sweat standing still, seeing first hand how life thrives around you while you are at your most uncomfortable. It is a humble reminder we are only part of the world around us, and we are not always masters of our domain. Discover what our ancestors built and recognize they saw the sun before we did and found a way to worship, respect, and admire the heavens by shaping earth and stone with their bare hands. What for us is a nice view at sunset is a statement to their commitment of something bigger than themselves. We can learn from that.

Learn without fear. We are not the first in the world to take risks. Those who do often are forced to because of lack of resources, finances, water, food, and technology. There is something to be said for the energy to create something from nothing, using only our bodies, minds, and a few simple tools. Taking your hands off a steering wheel is one way, but a true risk requires faith in your friends, a solid foundation of faith and belief, and people around you to catch you if you fall. The excitement comes in building up your strength, endurance, and resilience. These young people were all taken off the streets of Battambong. They had nothing. With careful training, commitment and dedication, they take risks every day performing for their local community. They hope to take their show on the road and may even perform in New York City if they can find the funding. If you are interested in supporting them, email me at christopherrall@yahoo.com and I will get more information to you.

Learn with a smile. Many in the world are unable to have classrooms, desks, books, and other items like pencils, pens and backpacks. Yet, these young people have a culture that dates back thousands of years. They became the teachers of students who come from one of the most powerful, rich nations in the world. It was us who struggled to learn their ways, but the courage to do it exists in us all. We only have to have the willingness to take direction. These young women were elegant, intelligent, and were studied not only in dance, but other subjects as well. The smiles they shared with our group reminded us we aren't always good at everything we do, and it brings a sense of equality to our relationship and community by doing so. No one is good at everything. That is why there are always others there to remind us we are only human, and a humble smile reminds us all we can always learn more. Communication in emotions, words, and gestures can all carry positive value.  

Learn while living. We all sleep. We all wear clothes. We all eat. Here in a restaurant in Phnom Penh, we learned a bit more about each other, and how to cook our own meal. The pot in the middle was filled with steaming hot, yummy broth. Surrounding it was a collection of seafood, meats, and vegetables that we could cook in the hot pot. What is funny is this place looked like a Johnny Rockets. It had neon lights and booths, waiters in white shirts and black pants, and milkshakes that were in no way like ours. The smiles on the faces of my friends Son, Sophat, Paeng, and Judy were of good times and good company well deserved after a long trip into the Cambodian countryside. To share at table together is one more way we can share and reflect on our experiences, feelings, and frustrations in a comfortable and communal way. We were fortunate to dine so well in such a country. It truly made us appreciate how fortunate we really are and to value our friends and station in life.

Listen to the wheels roll. Listen to the engine. Listen to your body. No matter where you go, you will find yourself challenged by your travels. We saw so many different, emotional things. We met women who had formed an HIV/AIDS support group. We met children who sell themselves on the street. We went to a circus with acrobats and walked with Buddhist Nuns and Monks. We were happy and sad. We experienced the heights and depths of physical health, from gastrointestinal glee to gastrointestinal fail, sometimes in a matter of minutes. We climbed temples, hills, and walked in the noonday sun in one of the wonders of the world at Angkor Wat. In these trials and tribulations, you were bound to be worn out at some point whether physically or mentally. As our trip progressed, you saw the most able of us succumb to what our bodies were telling us, which was to STOP! Clearly, as seen to the left, most of us did what we were told. Don't be afraid to listen to your mind and body. Take a break!

Listen to the music. We all have a song we want to share. In our case, we saw young men in the art school in Battambong that could not only play their traditional, cultural songs, but also could rip out beats Tupac and Timbaland would have been proud of. Our far reaching culture of hip-hop has hit the smallest cities in Cambodia, and they are aware of it. What we can hear from that is what we offer and share with them has meaning and depth. The message we send to children and adults in our own country affects children and adults around the world. It is our responsibility to be aware of that message and be sure it is reflective of the best we have to offer. The principles we stand for in theory; freedom, equality, justice, and morality should be portrayed in what we export to the world. How we portray women, how we value our families, friends, and authorities is being constantly observed and recorded by mind young and old alike. They are listening, and what we tell them they will accept and believe as real. We can never forget we have an obligation to set an example to others, whether it be around the corner, or around the world. Global understanding requires we recognize what we bring and take from the world. I encourage you to be aware and share accordingly.

Listen to our own hearts. The children we met at this roadside stop were selling trinkets and palm sugar. They were dusty, dirty, and dressed in shirts with American brands traveled half way around the world. There is always a need for goods and services to young people in Cambodia. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. These children were looking for money, but their families need so much more. Education, honest work, shoes, sandals, shirts, blankets, etc. It is always a challenge to decide what and how to help. There is always a hand out looking for a handout. It is the source of debate in our own country, let alone in others. I say only this. I feel it necessary to do everything I can to assist people the best way possible. I am at peace with being altruistic, while believing people can also assist themselves. The simplest of principles I have learned is that we are all connected, and whatever I can do to help is not just my ideal, but my obligation. I can assist that by looking for best practices, the best ways to give through reputable organizations. Ask around. Ask questions. Recognize these cute little kids were singing in spite of their condition, which says to me there is always hope. Engage.

Engage with your friends and the people around you. Share your experience with them. Whether you have been around the corner or around the world, you have an opportunity to show what you have learned, what is important to you, and what you might want to change about yourself. We learned from Emma Leslie, director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Phnom Penh, the history of conflict in Cambodia, the true challenges the people face there, and is a woman who put belief in to action. She left Australia to work with the Cambodian people and has been there over 10 years. She is married to a Cambodian and has children with him. When you meet someone who believes they are in the right place doing the right thing, it reframes the idea you can be happy just making a few bucks and getting by with a job you hate, when you really want to do something else. 

Engage! Take a leap of faith. I learned from Emma you can really do what you put your mind to, in spite of the challenges, as long as you work hard and DO IT! All you have to do is jump through the hoop!

Engage! Don't let anything hold you back. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You will always face barriers. Just remember you are not alone. Someone will be there to help you, to fight through. A story comes to mind, told by Leo McGary on the West Wing's "Noel" episode:

"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.

"A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

"Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on

"Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"

Engage!  The door may be in front of you, but it is you who must walk through it. My walk continues into teaching in Washington DC. I have finished this part of my  journey's path here at George Mason University. I have learned more than I ever imagined I would, and Cambodia only reinforced what I learned on the way: that we are all connected, that I am capable of hard work and sacrifice, and that I can be a student and a teacher at the same time with the courage to learn, listen, and engage with those around me. I challenge you to do the same. Reflect on your life and your gifts. Explore new possibilities in your life and choose what might be a more appropriate path to inner peace and happiness. 

Life is found in all things. 

As Maha Ghosananda said:

"Love embraces all beings, whether they are noble - minded or low - minded, good or evil. Both the noble and the good are embraced because loving kindness flows to them spontaneously. The unwholesome - minded must be included because they are the ones who need loving kindness the most. In many of them, the seed of goodness may have died because warmth was lacking for its growth. It perished from coldness in a world without compassion."

I'll see you out there.

Wishing you peace and mindfulness!

Christopher J. Rall

The Temple Mounts of Man

We as a species have produced some pretty awesome things. The Egyptian Pyramids, the Templo Mayor, the Roman Coliseum, and the Mayan Temples of Tikal, Guatemala my father, brother, and I viewed back in 2001.

(http://www.mayatikal.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tikal2.jpg)

The GMU group had the privilege to see a number of temples in Cambodia that match the vastness, design, and wonder of the aforementioned. The first was Angkor Wat.

This temple is a classic example of Khmer architecture with both Hindu and Buddhists influences and was built in the 12th century for King Suryavarman II as a place of worship and government. Slaves played a role in building all of these temples, which was par for the course,  but what I found most interesting was the level of detail and the placement of the structures to the west, which was unusual in this collection of temples. Most of the them were orientated to the east, but Angkor Wat is orientated to the west, in honor of Vishnu, the Hindu God. What I found most striking was the detail in the huge bas-reliefs, that ran around the perimeter in epic fashion.

No need for words, just respect of the skill of those who came before us.

The Ankor Thom has hundreds of faces inscribed in sandstone:

Ta Prohm is known for hosting numerous movies, including the aforementioned Tomb Raider.

It is being restored as the jungle reclaims it, and the largest saw I have seen was cutting the sandstone blocks typical to this area to be used for replacements.

The most interesting thing I ran into at Ta Prohm, was four young boys playing marbles in the dust of the ruins. Their mother was working, picking up trash the tourist had left behind and using a palm broom to sweep the dusty paths inside the walls of the temple.

They didn't ask for money, but for pencils. So in return for taking their picture, I gave them the a few treats, and the ink pens and mechanical pencils I had in my backpack, along with a number of erasers and a lesson in how to use them. They have never seen a mechanical pencil, but I wager it will be the talk of the school when they take it to class. It is good to know you can find kids have other interests at heart besides making making money.

After our adventures, I stopped by another temple to play a round of cards with a few monkeys...needless to say, I lost.

This was an advance civilization at the time, and created beautiful structures that reflected their success. I think it behooves us to learn from these temples to former success and recognize that much that has been built throughout the years has eventually fallen into history and disrepair. It makes me wonder if what we have built here will one day be history and what we will leave behind.

Feed the police...

I ran into a police officer outside of the Ta Prohm (The Tomb Raider) Temple. Google it (Ta Prohm, not Tomb Raider, unless it helps) please, if you don't know about it. I encourage us all to learn all the time. 

As an officer in the Siem Reap police force, his primary responsibility is to provide security for the tourists who move in and out of the world famous temple. I had the opportunity to talk with him a little about his life.

As a preface, Cambodia is just short of a police state, so this had the potential to be a bit intimidating. I use this story as an example:

We were driving into Battambong, when we were stopped by the police for "speeding." Our bus was allegedly clocked going 20 kph over the speed limit. In Cambodia, you generally pay fines on the spot. I had seen this in Phnom Penh, where police just stand by the side of the road, stopping scooters and cars, and the victims reach for their pockets, find currency to share, then go about their business. The bus driver and the group leader went over to talk with the officer, who had a card table set up right on the side of the street. Our dear professor and another student, wanting to pursue another "experiential learning opportunity," left the bus to witness the exchange. With the added population, the officer sent them all packing back to the bus. Instead of paying the fine on site, we were now required to go directly to the police station to "pay" our fine. Our minds began to race with the possibilities of what could be: a shake-down, search, possible arrest, incarceration, stuck in jail forever, etc. all came to mind. The bus driver ended up paying the fine of five dollars with no further injury, but the imaginations of what could have been lingered in our minds. The impression we had going in is the police and military generally operate with impunity. (For the record, our system essentially works the same way, we just pay the courts with a check and actually get points as well. I would much rather pay cash and make it go away.)

So, it may not have seemed to be the best idea to approach this officer, but he was sitting in a plastic chair near the exit, and I asked him how he was. I offer you a sketch of a Siem Reap police officer.

He has been working with them for 17 years. You would think working in public service would be lucrative in a country like Cambodia, but he is paid $50 a month. He studies English, and has to pay the teacher monthly ($15/mo). After his petrol purchase for the "old" scooter he has, he has about $25 left to house, feed, cloth, and recreate with his family. He has a wife, two teenagers, a boy and a girl. He does not want his son to be a police officer. His dream is to use his English to get a better job, so he can send his children to University. He has seen many people come and go from his post, and showed me a card of fellow American police officer he met, who turned out to be an "Officer Dan" from White Plains, NY. He was very proud to know a police officer from the US. 

He was pleasant, friendly, and was present during the shooting of the "Tomb Raider" in which he saw Angelina Jolie on a regular basis. He was unimpressed with her adopting Cambodian children. (This is common. It is virtually unheard of, and the government generally dislikes anyone other than Cambodians raising Cambodians. I wonder how she pulled that off.) John Cena will be there in the near future filming a movie as well, so all you wrestling fans get your tickets now.

In my experience, no matter where you go, people seem to be the same. They work hard, are glad to have a job, and are primarily interested in leaving a better world for their children. Halfway around the world, a friendly man showed up to work, talked nice with the visitors, and made a friend. Remember that the next time you think things are different halfway around the world. 

Love for sale, appetizing yummy love for sale...

17/01/11

On the road back to Phnom Penh

Commerce.

Ponies. Scooter Repair Shops. Pineapples. Petrol. Lumber. Bamboo. Fanta. Timber. Bricks. Cell Phones. Auto Repair Shop. Beauty Shop. Firewood. Gravel. Fish pens. Propane tanks. Baby Ducks. Dog. Watches. Water. Cigarettes. Second Hand Petrol. Internet Service. Tarantellas. 

Tires. 22-inch Rims for the tires ("I mean, them tens. They're tens, but I keep 'em clean."). Dirt. Heavy Equipment. Their parts. Furniture. Empty Petrol Tanks. Culverts. Bananas. Bikes. Oil. Hula Hoops. Crickets. Flowers. Coconuts. Chicken Feet. Liquor. Bread. Sand. Eggs. Dental Work. Chips. Baskets. Motorcycle Helmets. Wrapping Paper. Mirrors. Laundry Service. Concrete. Foam. Beds. The Cambodian People's Party Offices.

No Monkeys...yet. Paint. Those little round things with ribs in them that spin on top of buildings for ventilation (don’t know what they are called). Granite Countertops. Ceramic Tile. Cacti. Stone Benches. Buddhist Prayer Shrines. Steel Barrels. Pharmaceuticals. Xerox Copiers.Sandals. Shoes.

This is what drives the Cambodian economy. Anything you can get your hands on that has value. There is nothing you cannot sell, including people and political influence.

There are a number of items available for purchase when traveling. The toughest sellers are children.

They ask you to buy: “Pineapple, sir, one dollar. One dollar for pineapple, sir?” Their sad eyes draw you to them at first, and you want to buy anything and everything from them. Then, the charm begins to fade. You begin to realize that Cambodia offers a good lesson in the survival of the fittest.

The hustle here is universal. Whoever gets to you first wins, so they do everything they can to get to you first. “Nice scarf for your girlfriend. Your mother want nice bracelet?” Once you begin to speak with them, however, the game for the less successful breaks down. When that happens, they get frustrated or angry.  After a while, you begin to see through them. They do this every day, all day, trying to make a buck. Everyone is a potential customer. In the law of averages when it comes to survival, the only thing is the hard sell.

The real smart ones have their script and they look for the weakest link: someone who feels sorry for them. They have an answer cleverly, without hesitation. And so they come, relentlessly. Tirelessly. Aggressively. It begins to be fun if you enjoy the banter after a while. “My mother doesn’t like bracelets,” I tell one. “She will like this one, it’s the best.” “I don’t have any money,” I tell another young girl. Her response, “No money, no honey,” and then walked away to barter her wares to another not quite as “clever” as myself.

We had seen that phrase on a T-shirt up the road earlier in the day at Angkor Wat, one of the seven wonders of the world...ironic to say the least...

I realized this was something of a pop culture reference, and the girl walked away as if she meant it. I almost felt bad for myself, and had to remember I was successfully married and my wife loves me for more than my money. It is all fun and games till you are hustled by a child. This is the way it works here. Poked, prodded, and generally manipulated, you will begin to question the very fabric of your being and what the desire for goods, services, and money has done to all of us.

Something from nothing...

12/01/11

A roomful of Americans and monks – Battambong

We are all learning, even the young men in their orange vestments.

They are solemn, serious, but still young, and they giggle as often as any of the usual high school students in the U.S. Buddhist Monks and their Nun counterparts receive the ultimate respect in Cambodian society. Even when they minister in prison, they are greeted with a gift of food in honor of their presence, and the rooms are silent as they speak because they are the teachers. They teach of peace, health and sex education, AIDS/HIV awareness, and the teaching of the Buddha and the earth. The Buddhist University we visited is preparing these young people for a new world of teaching and development. Two thirds of the Cambodian population is under the age of 30, so the next generation will truly be the new deciders.

This young man wants to study abroad…but their education system is still behind most international standards, so according to Bob, even if they graduate with a diploma, they aren’t quite prepared for the normal, “western” university experience. Anybody want to come over and teach English for a year?

Asleep on the edge...

12/01/11

Lunch break

The meals here are too much. They (the guides Paeng, Sophat, and Hoeung) often order for us. Today’s lunch consisted of sliders and fries, fried rice, fish, spaghetti with vegetables (corn, green beans, onions), chicken in spicy sweet pineapple sauce, and fresh fruit for dessert. To put it another way, we all thought the sliders and fries would be plenty.

As we stuffed ourselves, across the way a number of construction workers took advantage of their lunch break to rest in the building in progress across the street.

OSHA – No such thing. Safety ropes. Nope. Hard Hats. Nada. Welcome to Cambodia…sleep tight.