Elizabeth here: Today we visited the S21 Prison in Cambodia. When we got there, we all received audio players that would play English descriptions of the places we visited. The first thing we saw when we walked in were 14 white gravestones dedicated to the 14 people last seen in the prison. Afterwards, we visited building A which was where the interrogations and tortured happened. In every room, there was a metal bed and ankle shackles. There were also pictures of some of the deceased that were found when the prison was discovered. These photos allowed all of us to dive deeper into our learning and attempt to fully grasp the consequences of that place. The buildings were originally part of a school and in seeing classrooms made into cells, everyone felt something inside. Next, we visited building B where the main holding cells were located. The first floor held smaller brick cells where one to two people were held at a time. In between classrooms which held multiple cells, walls were punched through in order to provide a clearer view of all of the cells at once. The second floor held metal cells, and the last floor had the mass containment cells. Later, after we had made our way outside, we saw a huge wooden frame which was used to hang prisoners for torture. One of the survivors of the prison is an artist who has made paintings of these torture methods which can be seen in the museum. Finally, we were taken to the last building: building C. It was in this building that we saw photographs taken of the prisoners. both alive and dead. Additionally, we also saw some of the torture devices used on the prisoners and the way in which they were used. Finally, we saw the skulls and bones of some of the deceased. Reflecting on this experience, we must all learn about these tragedies. It is only through education and perseverance through these hardships that we can move forward and prevent these atrocities happening anymore. However, there is one other lesson that we may learn from this prison. Hope shall always prevail. We especially saw this in a song performed with traditional Cambodian instruments that is composed by Dr. Him Sophy. 

Maddie here: After our visit to S21 Prison, our group had the opportunity to visit a screening of Dr. Him Sophy's rock opera, titled, Where the Elephants Weep. The plot primarily centered around the unexpected and rebellious romance of a refugee turned monk named Sam and a famous Cambodian singer named Bopha, as Bopha's brother, Khan, attempts to split the two in hopes of marrying Bopha to a business partner that would elevate her status and fame as a performer. I was especially enthralled by the cohesive combination of English intertwined with Khmer, as well as the blend of Western and traditional Cambodian music throughout the piece. The influence of both cultures was evident through the usage of both traditional and modern instruments. Amazed at the fact that a project with so many diverse influences could be so seamlessly balanced, I think the opera has been one of my highlights of our trip so far. With the usage of two contrasting music styles to appeal to more diverse audience, the opera seamlessly blended together to create a brilliantly evocative piece. I also had a hunch that the music had been influenced by one of my favorite composers, Jonathan Larson, and Dr. Sophy confirmed my hunch after the screening! I approached Dr. Sophy post-opera to express my appreciation and admiration for his work, particularly as someone who is currently studying opera and performs frequently. I remembered Arn Chorn Pond playing his flute in Garland last October during his GIP presentation at Poly, and how excitedly I had anticipated learning more while here. Dr. Sophy's opera, along with our musical experiences yesterday, truly reminded me of music's capabilities to both unite and heal. This was made apparent yesterday at the local Cambodian high school as well, were I noted that the American music we shared with the hundreds of students transcended other communication barriers. Language gaps were visible when we first arrived at the school but eroded as we bopped and clapped together to familiar beats and rhythms. I was honored to have the opportunity to share some refrains of Disney's "Almost There" with the students as well.

When chatting with Dr. Sophy, I asked him about the healing capacity of music, to which he responded by emphasizing the power of music to "catch" an audience (as he put it) and the importance of humility and compassion while both composing and performing. What an honor to have had the opportunity to view his creation and converse with him afterwards, and I look forward to learning more about both the impact and capabilities of the performing and musical arts on Cambodia in the coming days!

Bridget here: Today we did a dance and musical instrument workshop with Cambodia Living Arts. First we had an orientation to the mission and vision of the organization started by Arn Chorn Pond, who visited Polytechnic a couple of months ago to share his story of surviving the Cambodian Genocide. We then listened to two CLA scholarship alumni play their instruments and sing before we got to have a turn attempting to play the instruments. Then we got dressed in traditional Cambodian dancing wear before watching the dancers from Bompay present traditional Khmer folk dances. The dancers demoed each of the different movements that represent the emotions of the character  character archetypes. Lastly, we got to follow along as the dancers showed us how to do a traditional wedding dance. This was an amazing workshop showcasing different Cambodian instruments, some of which were only preserved from paintings on temple walls, traditional Khmer dancing outfits, exercises, and wedding dances, and an amazing history behind that CLA organization.       

Ronen here: In the second part of our day, we visited a nearby high school and performed some frantically arranged American songs. Most of the boys in our group performed a brilliant rendition of "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, which was received pretty well until the crowd of high schoolers began clapping and discovered that we were horrendously off-beat. On the other hand, the second half of our group performed "When I'm Gone" by the Carter Family, and did a great job actually laying down a beat themselves and sticking to it. August and I volunteered to learn a traditional dance from a group of eighth graders, which might not have been our wisest move; we were scrambling to keep up with them before long as we're not the most flexible (we aren't flexible at all). After this failure we were queued right up for another, as we decided to teach them the macarena in return (neither of us knew the macarena). In a wildly unexpected (very unexpected) turn of events, they knew the macarena better than we did.  Needless to say, with our infallible swagger, August and I did not let these setbacks stop us from making the most of the situation. At the end of the performances we were swamped with new friends who all wanted pictures with Cambodia's latest stars. 

 August here: Although the day was hot and lengthy, we learned so much from CLA and had a blast at the high school. I think that CLA's message is extremely important; arts are such a large part of Cambodian culture, and their preservation revitalizes what was lost in the genocide. On a more positive note, the high school will definitely be a highlight of the trip. Ronen and I made many new friends, and even though our performances were sub-par at best, I think what the students will remember most is us doing our best for them.

     When we all met at the front of LAX, we all shared the same anxiety but were reassured that we could rely on each other. Two hours later, at 11:59, the first hour of what would be an exhausting 13 hour flight, we took off. Jam-packed, hot, and uncomfortable, no one could fall asleep in the first hour. However, when we did fall asleep, we found our joints creaking in Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan. When we exited the plane, we were hit by a wall of humidity that stood on the hazy landscape of Taiwan's forest. After making it through customs, we boarded the express train into downtown Taipei. There, hungry and impatient, we waited an hour and fifteen minutes for a two-Michelin star café, Fu Hang Soy Milk. Once seated with our sweet soy milk and fried egg sandwich in the cozy food court, we ate and relaxed, then  walked through the city,  caught our train, and  flew another three hours to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After passing through customs, immigration, and the heat, we found our guides holding a large Poly sign. We boarded the bus to our hotel where we finally had a chance to relax. At 7:00 p.m., we had a rooftop orientation with our guides and at 7:30, sat down at a fancy restaurant for dinner. Finally, exhausted and in need of a proper night's rest, we finally made it to the hotel, looking forward to an eventful day with Cambodia Living Arts. 

    Our first impressions of Southeast Asia were its vibrancy, its heat, and its bustling city life. Our breaths were taken away by both the awe of Taiwan's green mountains and the red sun that hung between downtown Phnom Penh's streets. Tonight, though tired, we shared our first meal together as GIP Cambodia, as new friends, and as a family. We look ahead to the eleven more days we will spend together in this extraordinary country. 

Thanks for reading,

Justin and Atticus

Hello. Thomas and Wiley again. We started our last day by consolidating our bags into two rooms and leaving the hotel. We walked from the hotel to a pagoda, where we spoke to a monk who taught us about Buddhism and led us through a prayer. Next, we had lunch and did the market challenge. Team Vixen emerged victorious. We ended the day at the hotel, where we showered and prepared to leave. Leaving the hotel at 6, we had dinner and made our way to the airport. We also bid adieu to our trusty companion Kate, who met up with her family for another two weeks in Southeast Asia. At the airport, we said goodbye to our guides, Tana and Untac. Then, we boarded our flight to Shanghai. Now we are in Shanghai. Our next flight departs in 7 hours.

Greetings loved ones. We’re back but not better than ever as we are sadly lacking the third member of the gal squad, Katherine Salembier. Thomas and Wiley did a less than good job updating you all so we are swooping in to save the day. This one is for you, Kate, our fallen soldier.
We started our day at the Frang (for those of you who don’t remember or simply haven’t read our blog posts (shame on you), the Frang is what we call the Frangipani Hotel),where we ate a delicious breakfast of the carb-only variety. Then we moved our bags into two rooms for easy access later on, and then set off on a stroll to the local Buddhist “campus.” On the campus, there was schooling, affordable housing, libraries, and meditation and prayer centers. One pretty swaggy thing about this campus was that it was completely plastic free (WE STAN. get on it U.S.A.). After exploring the campus a bit, we sat down with Untac, and he told us some pretty wacky ghost stories about the time he lived as a temple boy on a Buddhist campus. The gist of it was a Dumbledore-looking ghost guy (he didn’t say this, but the description matched the character) appeared to him while he was sleeping and whispered the number 74, and then, the next day, Untac won the lottery using the number 74. Next up, we headed into the Pagoda for some learning about Buddhism led by two monks (one of whom was our age), and flawlessly translated by our fearless leader Untac. After that, we received a water blessing and participated in a meditation. To close off our time on the campus, we did a debrief of our entire trip which was bittersweet to the max. Then we walked to lunch at a local authentic restaurant called Khmer Kitchen. After lunch, we set out on a market challenge. It was basically a scavenger hunt that prompted us to engage in conversation with shop owners. Our group of Maya, Kate, Lena, and Martin made friends with one particular shop owner, who then helped us out for the rest of the challenge. Our group came in second, but Untac and Tana rewarded us all with gelato (Maya would like you to know that Dragonfruit gelato is where it’s at). Following our gelato excursion, Untac (who casually happens to be the 2012 national champion of the Cambodia National Barista competition) took us to a coffee shop to try some yummy Cambodian beans. Then we headed back to the hotel for a final shower, a little bit of a rest, and the tail end of a Powerpuff Girls marathon. Then we headed to dinner (Maya would like you to know that it was her personal favorite meal of the trip, and Lena would like to praise the curry which includes but is not limited to the curry at our final restaurant). After that it was a tearful goodbye as we released Kate to her family (Womp, womp, womp). We slowly and begrudgingly trudged toward the bus (which, we remind you, we have named Sheila). When we got to the airport, we said our final goodbyes to Untac and Tana (sad(so sad)). Once at the gate, we set out on a mission to acquire Lena a Dairy Queen Blizzard. The only problem was, as we were informed once we got to the counter, that the boys had already taken all the Blizzards. We were soon after informed of some other bad news; our flight had been delayed. But alas, there is some good in the world, and our flight got undelayed (Hoorah). We hopped aboard, fell asleep, and here we are now in the Shanghai airport with nothing better to do than to provide you with extensive detail about our last day in Cambodia. It’s been an extremely solid one. Thank you for tuning in. Peace and love, Maya and Lena (and Kate in spirit).

Heading Home!

We are beginning our long trip home. Waiting for our plane from Siem Reap to Shanghai at the moment. Look for our last student blog post during our layover in Shanghai!

Greetings loved ones. It’s us, the gals (again!). We know you’ve been waiting for us, so let’s take a journey.
It was an early rise today. We woke to the sound of gecko barks (kate swears this is real so we’re going with it) and cicada whispers. After a lovely bucket shower with the rain water from the previous day’s downpour, we moseyed over for a bread and/or noodle breakfast at the Metta Karuna. Then, after packing up our bags, we hopped aboard our bus (to which we have assigned the nomer Sheila), and rode her perfect royal purple interiors across Siem Reap to PEPY. Upon arrival, we removed our shoes and then climbed the stairs with great anticipation toward the classroom in which our pen-pals waited (also with anticipation). We stepped in, sought our penpals, greeted them with our limited Khmai, and then dove into colorful and extensive conversation. After an eventful and exciting morning of exchange with our penpals, we all boarded Sheila once again and headed to a local vegetarian restaurant (maya was elated [she is, indeed, a vegetarian]). Once lunch had been eaten, we drove the penpals (our new friends) back to the PEPY office and bid them adieu (Leah Hery). Then it was time to check into the Frangipani (which we like to call “the frang”). Later that afternoon, we assembled in a heavily air conditioned conference room for a workshop/discussion on poverty and privilege lead by our fearless leaders, Untac and Tana. ‘Twas very interesting. We enjoyed. Then we Tuk Tuked to dinner before the circus. The circus was absolutely crackers (to borrow the phrase from Sister Denise of the Metta Karuna). The name of the circus was “White Gold,” and it was about the significance of rice in the Cambodian diet as well as about the consequences of materialism. We then tuk tuked home to the Frang where we now sit in the lobby writing to you lads. Next stop room 108 where Kate will cry about the fact that she does not have enough Malaria medication to ensure that she does not contract the disease (she would like to include that she will probably be fine, and not to worry about it too much) while Maya and Lena secure those meds. We are all sad that this trip is coming to a close. It will be a tearful goodbye when Kate leaves us tomorrow. It’s been a fantastic trip filled with joy, enlightenment, transformation, new friends, and good times. We gotta go, there is a (obscenely large) cricket in the lobby, so we must vacate the premise immediately. Peace and love.
Doctor Nguyen just informed us that “nobody reads our blog,” but, if your happen to be an outlier, thank you for your time. We love you.

PS: Cynthia would like to add that all you “schumcks” who don’t comment have two chances left, so hop on it.
PSS: ask your child about the “poo check” when they get home.
PSSS: we’re gonna miss you Untac and Tana.

Tuesday - Jason & Theo

(Theo) Today, our group woke up fairly early In order to head back to the Angkor Wat National park. After our fast tuk tuk ride, we visited Bayom temple which was shaped like a lotus. We gradually scaled the temple and took many pictures of its great details. Then, we walked past a large temple shaped out of a laying down Buddha which appeared in First They Killed My Father. Following that temple, we walked to the royal palace in the park, while hearing about the complex’s ancient history. In the park sat many small, old temples, all for the royal family, and we saw what is thought to be a royal grave site. Behind the graves, we walked by a large lake which was filled even now, despite the massive humidity. Past the royal park was another small temple where we stopped and bought coconuts and other drinks. Then, we got back on to the tuk tuks and went to Ta Prohm, the temple associated with Tomb Raider. There, we were shown the very large trees cemented into the temple and the negative consequences associated with them. We took many group photos and then continued back to the tuk tuks to go to lunch at a small restaurant in town. 

(Jason) After lunch, we learned about the education system in Cambodia, especially the Siem Reap province where we are currently staying. Tomorrow we are meeting with our Cambodian pen pals from an organization called PEPY, so our group leaders found it fitting that we learned about their education. We discussed many aspects about education as a whole, with a focus on Cambodian education. My group, during the discussion, said that education was, “The sharing of knowledge, experiences, and ideas from one person to another.” Sadly, schooling in Cambodia is economically challenging and inaccessible for many. We learned that many rural families in Siem Reap are unable to afford the price and travel of primary and secondary school. We also learned that a large percentage of teachers in Cambodia don’t have a college degree. Like many modern problems in Cambodia, a leading factor to the lack of educators is rooted in the Khmer Rouge, specifically their purge of educated citizens. Finally we discussed the gap in education between males and females in Cambodia. However, even though the educational system in Cambodia is challenged it is certainly improving. Through NGOs like PEPY more young Cambodians are being educated which will lead to a brighter future for Cambodia.