Beatocello

Well, back down to just one now.
Val left Saturday morning for Vietnam--good luck, Val!! Cambodia misses you!

Earlier, though, as I was on my way to breakfast Friday morning, I met an American couple, Anthony and Theresa Chang, who had just arrived to the hotel. They had been to Vietnam before during the Vietnam War, and they're back to see how SE Asia has changed and become more peaceful. They seemed super interested in my teaching so I told them that they're more than welcome at Khmer Help Khmer, and that there would even be a couple classes that they could jump in on!

We ate breakfast together the next morning (so that's Saturday morning) and these two are so inspiring!! They asked me questions about my work, Cambodia, homesickness, whether or not I think my generation is lazy, what it means to be an American--everything!

In our talking, too, I mentioned how I would give anything to bring a student home to the US with me to show him/her around the country; we'd go to DC, see some natural wonders, go to a baseball game! I would literally pay for the plane ticket, drive to any airport anywhere, spend a month with him/her! I would love soo much to show my country!

And this is where it gets crazy: Theresa and Anthony were like, "Well, let's do it! First we'd need to have someone represent the student at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh. We can write some letters..we know some influential people in the US who could contact the embassy, too. Do you have a student in mind?" and I mean, I was completly speechless--I guess I'm just a dreamer and I hadn't ever thought about this really happening!!




The student who comes to mind is, of course, Sa Vin, one of the smartest students I have at CLFCA. But it's so hard for non westerners to come to the United States. Sophannara used to tell me about the dozens of trips he's made to the Embassy trying to get a visa, but every time they just laugh at him because he's completely dirt poor. But, if you have Americans who are pushing for someone to get a visa, I think it's a whole different story.

So, Anthony, Teresa, and I are going to keep in touch about this. I really have no idea exactly how this would happen: but nothing's impossible!

After my morning conversation about Sa Vin and all of this, I was completely inspired for the rest of the day. I looked up a bunch of information about Visa requirements, fees we'd have to raise money for, there's an endless to do list!

The three of us also went to a concert in the evening. I got in the tuk tuk thinking we were going to some free concert like the one Val, Ta, and I went to. But I got there and realized---it was a classical cello concert!!





It was actually really great, though. This is the man, Beat Richner, who opened 4 Children's Hospitals in Cambodia, 3 in Phnom Penh, 1 in Siem Reap (I bicycle past it twice every day). The hospitals are completely free for children 12 and under--and they save 85,000 lives every year. Beat would play a song then talk, play then talk, and I learned some really sombering facts:


65% of Cambodians (all ages) have tuberculosis


85% of Cambodians make 50 cents a day


JEV (Japanese Encephalitus Virus) Vaccinations aren't allowed in Cambodia


Until 1992 most modern vaccines weren't brought to Cambodia because it was thought that because the people are so uneducated, they wouldn't understand how to administer medications

Beat said something, too, that I really liked: "The high mortality rate of the poor is not caused because of poverty. The mortality rate is caused by discrimination against the poor."

The hospital is not only free for all children 12 and under, but families who have to travel very far to get to the hospital are also compensated money for gasoline. The hospital delivers about 50 babies a day, performs 60 surgeries, and has lowered its mortality rate from 6% to 0.5% in just 17 years. And, no child is rejected.

Basically, I have an entirely new appreciation for the hospital. There are lines a mile long every day--families with sick children waiting for their number to be called. What an incredible thing Beat is doing.

The free cello concert is something that he started years ago in order to raise money for the hospital. 2 million dollars are donated every year by Cambodian government, 3 million by swiss government (Beat is from Switzerland), and the rest is private donations. It costs around 80 million every year. His cello concerts, alone, raise 8 million each year. I just thought his story was very incredible. And I bought his classical cello CD to study to in college. :)

It's now Monday morning. Also, my mom's cousin (making her my second cousin?), Marcia, came to Cambodia yesterday. It was so nice to spend the afternoon with family!! We went to the artisan center and hopefully the orphanage soon once the kids are back from a their Phnom Penh field trip. She's gonna join me at school one day during her stay--all the visitors I've brought to school always love it!



So, I guess one isn't the loneliest number afterall!

I have one week left before Thailand, then I'll be there from Sunday to Sunday, and then my last week in Cambodia--which totals to only 10 more days of teaching. Just crazy.

Time for lesson plans--we've been concentrating on a lot of grammar and I think today will be preposition day, describing scenes.

I can't wait to see friends and family in December!
"Lehigh!"