I went to prison

Recently, we had a team of young people visit from Australia. I accompanied them to many activities, one of which was a visit to a low security prison to play b-ball with some of the guys and gals. Most of the inmates had entered as juveniles. The individuals I met were from Australia, the Philippines, Thailand - and the most surprising was Peru. She is a long way from home! The inmates were both male and female. All that I spoke with were affilited with the drug trade.

One thing that made a lasting impression on me was the children in prison. Last year I had written that in Bolivia children go to prison with their mothers. This is the first time I have seen such a thing. There is just something unnerving about seeing a small baby behind bars. I held a 4 month old, his mother is from Thailand and his father is Nigerian. To me, small children are the only truly innocent thing on earth. What happens when a child begins their life behind bars? How does that affect their outlook on the future? Is there another solution that is in the best interest of the child?

putting family first

I was recently riding around town with one of our female, Cambodian staff. Her name is Dalya. I really like this lady. She is smart, ambitious and an excellent worker. She is in her late 20's, married, has two boys and is currently working on her master's degree. I think she has a bright future.

I wanted to get a local perspective on the brothel business. It is impossible to drive around Phnom Penh and not see brothels in nearly every neighborhood. At night, they are even more noticeable as they are usually the only businesses open after 7:30pm. As a Cambodian woman, what does she think about all the brothels? Her answer has stuck with me.

D: None of the wives like brothels. When men start visiting those places, they stop thinking about their families.

Insightful. When visiting a brothel, men are spending money that should be going to their families at the brothels. Men are spending time that should be with their families at the brothel. The one thing no one knows how to successfully do is curb the demand. Traffickers would move on to other businesses if this one weren't so lucrative. Every major religion (Christianity, Islam and Buddhism) teaches fidelity as a key tenant to righteous living. I think one way to help stop human trafficking is to encourage marital fidelity and upholding marriage vows of remaining faithful to one spouse.

In this part of the world, most men have their first sexual experience in a brothel. Despite the attention given to sex tourism, local demand is really what keeps these businesses alive. A recent study showed that 70% of those who visit brothels are local and often government officials who should be uphold laws outlawing such behavior.

How do we create a culture where manhood is defined by virtues like being a good husband and father, rather than by sexual conquest?

cha-cha-cha

My schedule in recent years has taken a toll on my health. It started during my PhD program when the work load seemed unattainable and the schedule difficult. I became very sedentary, sitting on the couch reading all the time. As a result, I put on weight.

Then I took a job where I traveled over 50% of the time. I spent most of my life in airplanes going place to place, jumping continents and time zones. It sounds glamorous, but it really takes a toll on your health. I had no routines - sleeping, eating, or exercise. I wasn't obese, but I definitely wasn't in good health. I could tell, in my body, that something had to change.

I started making time for regular exercise just before we moved overseas. When I told Kenyon I was going to join a gym and begin exercising regularly, for my mental health as well as my physical health, his immediate response was, "don't get skinny." How many wives get that response from their husbands?!

Lesley and I have tried exercise videos and multiple gyms. We settled on a local one (no foreigners but us) near our house. We stop by on our way home a few times a week. Recently, there was an aerobics class that we joined. It isn't anything like a US aerobics class, but it is fun and burns some calories. There is one strange phenomena at the end of aerobics in gyms here - no matter where we've been they end the class with the cha-cha. This doesn't happen during Khmer aerobics outside, but it has happened at more than one location at gym facilities. I was telling Kenyon about it the other night and he said, "can Cambodian's cha-cha?"

S: Not really. They don't move their hips at all. It is mostly like stomping their feet, with robot arms.

They may not have the latin moves, but they love it. People will come from all over the gym and the room gets packed during the cha-cha. It happens every time.

When I used to visit Africa, they would have salsa dancing nights and the African restaurant here has continued the tradition.

It is interesting to see that my culture is exporting something to other cultures - Latin dance. It is popular around the globe!

oven mits

I've mentioned before that ovens are unusual in Cambodia. When I meet people around town, one of the first things they ask about our place is, "do you have an oven?" We are lucky enough to have an oven. With our baking items I packed one of our oven mits - it was already well used, but I wasn't sure I could find one overseas and didn't think it was worth adding to the list of things to buy. So, in the box it went as is.

Our oven mit arrived here and I realized how worn it was. Disgusting really, but finding an oven mit replacement was impossible. Then I went to Bangkok with Lesley. There was a home store with bath mats that aren't made out of used scraps of fabric, the kind I was used to in America that are colorful and plush. There were decorative items like pillows and candles. It was in this store that I found an oven mit. I was so excited I asked Lesley to pose for a picture with my treasure.

It's crazy the things we took for granted at home and how accessible everything was to us. I just never realized until it wasn't available anymore. Convenience and accessibility are a privelege of the developed world. If you are lucky enough to have it, appreciate it.

new year, new haircut

It's hot here, people! Most days it is 90+ degrees with high humidity. Need I say more? This is winter, what am I going to do in hot season?