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Bump to baby on the beaten expat track

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Phnom Penh

Alleyway kitchens

10 October 2009 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

kitchen in the alley
kitchen in the alley

Extensive mazes of alleys cut through the heart of large city blocks. Outside the doors are these clay planter-type contraptions which are used for cooking. You can place a grill on top or set a pot or wok on it. They’ll make extensive meals with one or two of these.

We have one too but it’s been sitting unused with a small healthy weed in it which needs no apparent nutrients from soil or water, because I coudn’t find an eco-friendly alternative to deforesting Cambodia (they cut the hardwoods down to make charcoal). But I recently found a great NGO, Ceres, which makes char-briquettes from biomass waste. They develop alternative fuels and stove technologies. Three kilograms of these briquettes cost 9000 Riels ($2.25).

Family members (children and women usually) take turns cooking, and meal preparations become social events in these alleys. This is also where I’ll learn a couple of new things in Cambodian cuisine. It’s fun to wander down to see what’s cooking. The neighbors are usually quite generous. They especially like to share the more interesting foods, like prahok, for a reaction. Unfortunately both Keith and I love (most) variations of this pungent dish so they don’t get much of a rise anymore.

Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: Cambodia, ceres, char-briquette, charcoal, clay pot grill, eco, kitchen, Phnom Penh

24 Hour Comics in the Penh

3 October 2009 by Nathalie Abejero 7 Comments

The second 24-Hour Comics in Cambodia was held in Java Arts Cafe today, with six participants. This event is a creative challenge conceived by Scott McCloud in 1990. Artists brainstorm a storyline and draw a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The first international event was organised by Nat Gertler on April 24, 2004. Today it’s held annually in many cities on the same day.

See the 2008 highlights of the very best pieces submitted over the years here. And keep an eye on Webbed Feet, Weblog or @john_weeks on Twitter for more updates. [Read more…] about 24 Hour Comics in the Penh

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: 24 hour comics, artistic challenge, Phnom Penh

technology and politics

3 October 2009 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

using alternate operating systems

This year’s 2-day BarCamp Phnom Penh event was held at Paññāsāstra University (South Campus), Phnom Penh. Increasing interest in all things technology shows in the registration and attendance- over 1000 registered with many more walk-ins, compared to last year’s several hundred in total. In the months leading up to this conference the organising group held weekly mini-barcamps, where different ideas, tools and networks were showcased.

Tharum Bun writes in the KI Media: [it] introduces Cambodians a new way, if not a breakthrough, in which learning, collaboration, sharing and networking can take place here in Cambodia.

Such quick uptake of new technologies, as elsewhere, signals a positive development for the country for the potential means to influence direction of change. Politically, Cambodia’s descent to intolerance has invited much condemnation from the world’s leading human rights and development institutions. After several decades in office, the ruling party consolidated its power base through national elections that severely weakened opposition parties in 2008. This was followed by a worrying rash of crackdowns against detractors both inside parliament as well as in civil society. Even the state institution for Buddhism is implicated in the political squabbles, which bodes poorly for the already fragile social fabric that is recovering from the wars.

So it’s refreshing to see, given these political events, an increase in social networking (among other things tech) among the young people here. It gives critics a chance to be heard, no matter how sparse its peers and audience may be at first..

At least they have a small head start, on the heels of widening censorship of internet use across Southeast Asia. As with its neighbors, Cambodia currently lacks the technical capability to police the internet. Or perhaps that’s the strategy behind the poor communications infrastructure despite donor interest in building it up? :-\

Filed Under: Interests, Life Tagged With: #barcamppp, bar camp, bar camp Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh

SIALY: Slow Internet-Adjusted Life Years

19 September 2009 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

One of the metrics used to define the burden of disease is DALY, or Disability-Adjusted Life Years. It quantifies the difference between the actual health status of a population and an ideal situation where all individuals live long lives free of disease and disability. It measures mortality and morbidity, and it’s a measurement based on time. This allows for the impact of disease or risk factor to be determined in that one DALY is equivalent to one lost year of healthy life.

DALY = YLL (Years of life lost to premature death) + YLD (Years lived with a disability)

Given that posts sometimes take 15 minutes to write but two hours to upload, I’ve come up with a unit of measurement to measure the burden of slow internet for an aid worker living in a developing country.

SIALY (Slow internet adjusted life years) = YLL (Years of Life Lost) + YLSI (Years living with Slow Internet)

Mind you, my slow high-speed connection in this Kingdom’s capital is not as bad as some of the screaming fast Commodore 64 connections that other colleagues have to contend with. So kudos to the best of you who can produce creative pieces of writing amid these uninspiring conditions. I think I just grayed three more hairs.

:-(

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: blogging, Cambodia, DALY, internet, metrics, Phnom Penh

Sunset on the Mekong

18 September 2009 by Nathalie Abejero

sunset on the confluence of Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a sunset here. After the brief lull in the rains last month, September stormed in with brilliant downpours and the energy-sapping intermittent drizzling all day long. In some provinces these downpours made up for the drought. Unfortunately there was so much sudden deluge that up to 2m have been recorded in some villages around the country, and flash floods have taken about a dozen lives.

This photo above of the Phnom Penh skyline was taken from the peninsula before the rainy season started. That is the royal palace and royal viewing stage on the riverfront (for the November boat races during the Water Festival, or Bon Om Touk). [Read more…] about Sunset on the Mekong

Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: Cambodia, Mekong River, Phnom Penh, Royal Palace, sunset, Tonlé Sap River

Pchum Ben- remember the ancestors

17 September 2009 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

This is such a great photo, shared by Metro Cafe.

It is Pchum Ben in Cambodia, one of the biggest Buddhist holidays in which people visit the pagodas and bring offerings in remembrance of their ancestors. Once again there is a mass exodus from the city as the Khmer go to their provinces to visit their families, and foreigners take advantage of the many days off to flee the country.

Pchum Ben is similar to the Christians’ All Saints’ Day. This ritual used to be an ancient Celtic celebration called Samhain. Attempting to suppress these pagan traditions the Catholic Church created All Saints’ Day (All Hallows Day) in the 7th century to christianise the event.

Other cultures have rituals for remembering their dead around this same time of year too:

  • the Pasola Festival in Sumba, an island east of Bali
  • Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico
  • Dia de los ñatitas (Day of the Skulls) in Bolivia
  • Brazil celebrates Finados (Day of the Dead)
  • Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the Dead) in the Philippines
  • O-bon (お盆) or only Bon (盆), a Buddhist holiday in Japan
  • Hankawi (한가위,中秋节) is Korea’s traditional day of remembrance of their dead
  • Ghost month (鬼月) in China
Safe travels on this holiday everyone!

Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: Cambodia, Pchum Ben, Phnom Penh

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Those little feet pitter-pattering about rule our lives lately. But on the occasional free moment I get to tap out scatterbrained bursts of consciousness about raising toddlers in Cambodia, traveling with them and working abroad. These posts are my personal updates to friends and family. But since you’re here, have a look around. Thanks for stopping by…

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