Here are a couple of YouTube videos of Leah's winter concert at Singapore American School. You can see Leah in the front row playing the flute. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
CAMBODIA REVISITED
One year ago I was lucky enough to visit Angkor Wat with my family, including my mom and dad. To us, it is one of the great world wonders, and perhaps considered the heart and soul of Cambodia. This year I traveled to Phnom Pehn, the business heart of Cambodia.
Cambodia is exciting and emotional. A country rich in culture, history, tradition but also devastation. Much of Cambodia remains in poverty. Just in the capital of Phnom Pehn, there are between 10,000 and 20,000 children living and/or working on the streets. Heartbreaking. Of course I was drawn to the sites of Cambodia's tragic past; Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, former Khmer Rouge prison, and the Killing Fields, where tens of thousands of people were buried in mass graves during the Pol Pot years. Neither site for the faint-hearted. But I also visited the fabulous National Museum, the vibrant Russian Market, and the lovely shops and cafes.
The main reason I traveled to Phnom Pehn was to join a 'Tabitha' team of 18 others to build ten houses in a village south of the city. We labored for two full, hot, humid days. The villagers were helpful at times, but mostly watched us. The children were curious of us, and would smile and wave. It was frustrating to work with nails that were too long and difficult to decipher the head from the tip. Nails bent easily as the frame was extremely hard wood, and the bamboo flooring would often split when anchored. The green corrugated aluminum could slice you so easily (one of our builders ended up with 11 sutures in his arm!), not to mention an eye sore for all of us. But we perservered, and finished the job smiling. The home-owners were so happy! Their joy and appreciation was hard to capture on film. It was an amazing feeling though.
So, I consider myself lucky to have ventured beyond those beautiful temples into a wider Cambodia. "Overwhelming," is the description I say again-and-again of this captivating country. I wish it were closer so you all could experience such a place.
With love and appreciation for all I have~
Lauren
Cambodia is exciting and emotional. A country rich in culture, history, tradition but also devastation. Much of Cambodia remains in poverty. Just in the capital of Phnom Pehn, there are between 10,000 and 20,000 children living and/or working on the streets. Heartbreaking. Of course I was drawn to the sites of Cambodia's tragic past; Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, former Khmer Rouge prison, and the Killing Fields, where tens of thousands of people were buried in mass graves during the Pol Pot years. Neither site for the faint-hearted. But I also visited the fabulous National Museum, the vibrant Russian Market, and the lovely shops and cafes.
The main reason I traveled to Phnom Pehn was to join a 'Tabitha' team of 18 others to build ten houses in a village south of the city. We labored for two full, hot, humid days. The villagers were helpful at times, but mostly watched us. The children were curious of us, and would smile and wave. It was frustrating to work with nails that were too long and difficult to decipher the head from the tip. Nails bent easily as the frame was extremely hard wood, and the bamboo flooring would often split when anchored. The green corrugated aluminum could slice you so easily (one of our builders ended up with 11 sutures in his arm!), not to mention an eye sore for all of us. But we perservered, and finished the job smiling. The home-owners were so happy! Their joy and appreciation was hard to capture on film. It was an amazing feeling though.
So, I consider myself lucky to have ventured beyond those beautiful temples into a wider Cambodia. "Overwhelming," is the description I say again-and-again of this captivating country. I wish it were closer so you all could experience such a place.
With love and appreciation for all I have~
Lauren
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Dear blogger friends and family.
In the Thai language chang means elephant. This experience was all about chang, chang, chang.
This October, after first quarter ended, the children had one week off and we traveled to northern Thailand. Jane planned this vacation at the Elephant Nature Park. We volunteered at this conservation park which is dedicated to providing a refuge for abused Asian elephants. Asian elies have long been part of Thai culture. For many years they were trained to work in the logging industry. Logging was banned in 1989 in order to save the forest. This left the elephants and their mahouts without work. As a result, many elies began working in tourism and begging on the streets of Bangkok. Their lives became difficult and heartbreaking.
The woman who started this park is dedicated to providing these elies with a more natural and humane life. We joined 18 other volunteers to spend time with the elephants and work around the park. Our children had the experience of meeting a great group of international travelers of different ages, all coming together for the benefit of these endangered elephants. We worked really hard, but had much fun and made several new friends.
We began our chores daily at 8 am, rotating jobs of shoveling elephant poo, buffalo poo (really stinky), or corn cutting with a machete. We then had a morning and afternoon project, such as building fences, shoveling sand, mixing concrete, planting grass stalks, harvesting bamboo, etc. In between was the fun part--feeding and bathing the 35 elephants. The temperature was blazing hot and we were very dirty, sweaty, blistered, scratched and mosquitto bitten by the end of the day. The cold faucet shower was something to look forward to, and dread, at the same time. The nights were cool while we slept in a bamboo hut, in a bed enveloped by mosquitto netting. Not as romantic as it may sound. The elephants snoring lulled us to sleep. The dogs barking kept us awake.
Many elephants are rehabilitating from injuries. In the photos you will see Medo with her broken back, one with a wounded foot from a land mine, and Jokia is blind after her mahout fired a sling shot deliberately to her eyes when she refused to work after losing her baby. We were lucky because the park has two 4 month old babies that were very cute, curious and playful. Hope, a 4 year old male, and a typical tweenager, requires a bell around his neck so you know when trouble is coming.
Mae Perm is 89 years old and the most gentle and loving creature.
It was magical for us to observe these giant animals socializing in their family groups, talking, playing, nursing, bathing, scratching and eating.
Lots of love~
Lauren and Jed
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In the Thai language chang means elephant. This experience was all about chang, chang, chang.
This October, after first quarter ended, the children had one week off and we traveled to northern Thailand. Jane planned this vacation at the Elephant Nature Park. We volunteered at this conservation park which is dedicated to providing a refuge for abused Asian elephants. Asian elies have long been part of Thai culture. For many years they were trained to work in the logging industry. Logging was banned in 1989 in order to save the forest. This left the elephants and their mahouts without work. As a result, many elies began working in tourism and begging on the streets of Bangkok. Their lives became difficult and heartbreaking.
The woman who started this park is dedicated to providing these elies with a more natural and humane life. We joined 18 other volunteers to spend time with the elephants and work around the park. Our children had the experience of meeting a great group of international travelers of different ages, all coming together for the benefit of these endangered elephants. We worked really hard, but had much fun and made several new friends.
We began our chores daily at 8 am, rotating jobs of shoveling elephant poo, buffalo poo (really stinky), or corn cutting with a machete. We then had a morning and afternoon project, such as building fences, shoveling sand, mixing concrete, planting grass stalks, harvesting bamboo, etc. In between was the fun part--feeding and bathing the 35 elephants. The temperature was blazing hot and we were very dirty, sweaty, blistered, scratched and mosquitto bitten by the end of the day. The cold faucet shower was something to look forward to, and dread, at the same time. The nights were cool while we slept in a bamboo hut, in a bed enveloped by mosquitto netting. Not as romantic as it may sound. The elephants snoring lulled us to sleep. The dogs barking kept us awake.
Many elephants are rehabilitating from injuries. In the photos you will see Medo with her broken back, one with a wounded foot from a land mine, and Jokia is blind after her mahout fired a sling shot deliberately to her eyes when she refused to work after losing her baby. We were lucky because the park has two 4 month old babies that were very cute, curious and playful. Hope, a 4 year old male, and a typical tweenager, requires a bell around his neck so you know when trouble is coming.
Mae Perm is 89 years old and the most gentle and loving creature.
It was magical for us to observe these giant animals socializing in their family groups, talking, playing, nursing, bathing, scratching and eating.
Lots of love~
Lauren and Jed
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