It was a very full day today. I woke up to drizzle falling outside of our hotel window, but by the time we ate breakfast, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds and the heat of the day began. This is the rainy season. Breakfast at the Ohana Hotel is served on the sixth floor, where there is a beautiful view of the riverfront. And like all of our meals here, it was delicious. Soon I'll be exercising nightly with everyone else on the riverfront where one person blares music from a boom box while leading folks in a variety of moves. Even while exercising, the people here continue to smile and have fun. There is a generous spirit that is pervasive and to be admired in all of the Cambodian people we've met.
Early this morning we drove 1-1/2 hours to the NGO, Free the Bears. You can find them at www.freethebears.org. They maintain a zoological park for a variety of animals that have been rescued from the pet and poaching markets. Right now they have ~200 bears, including the very small and oh-so-cute Sun Bears and the slightly larger Asian Bears. We got to see three bear cubs that were under six months old. They also rehab elephants, tigers, and lions, in addition to birds and gibbons. Students, we will work for one full day as zookeepers next winter. We'll learn how to care for the bears and then we'll make toys for their enrichment activities. Please check out their website to see the very important work they are doing.
After enjoying lunch at the park, sitting on platforms lined with hammocks, we drove back into Phnom Penh to visit the general manager of the NGO Tiny Toones. This is another group of Cambodians who are dedicated to an important cause. Tiny Toones is an organization that works with children and young adults from 5-24 years of age who are living in poverty to teach them how to read and speak English, produce music and graphic art, use computers, and dance hip hop. It's amazing! We will work with this organization, as well, next winter. As you might have noticed, there is a theme running through our visits: service learning. While we're here, we are trying to ascertain the needs of each group, so that we can be of service to their communities when we arrive in seven months. Seven short months!!
You'll love this next adventure -- we ate Mexican food for dinner! And even more surprising, it was delish! We met an Augie alumna, Leah Mortenson, who currently is in the Peace Corp teaching English to children in Cambodia. She was a student of Drs. Kalas and Smith's and she made the trek from her town to Phnom Penh to visit with us. She will be speaking to all of us next winter about her experiences in Cambodia. You will love to hear Leah's story and her impressions. And now, before I fall asleep on my wireless keyboard, I'm signing off. More tomorrow after we've visited the Cambodian Palace and the Cambodian Museum... and after we've driven to Sihanoukville -- the beach! We hope everyone at home is enjoying their summer as much as we are enjoying the start to ours. I can't tell you how much you are going to love it here, but you're going to love it and I can't wait to accompany you!
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