Featuring public service

This shot wasn't specifically captured in the film, but was part of the testing process in which
our Khmer friends took a hands on role in the experimentation.

The latest documentary short for the MIT 150 celebration features the role of public service in the Institute's history - and includes footage about my D-Lab Schools class from last semester and trip to Cambodia over IAP.  ?!  I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around that one...

For some background:

Last semester, science filmmaker Michael Barnes came into our D-Lab Schools classroom and asked if he could film our class for a documentary about public service at MIT.  I only knew this after I saw this British guy hovering in the corners with a camera at subsequent classes, since I admittedly came late that one day for his introduction.  He not only followed our class in general - coming to sit in on our discussions and our final review - but also took an extra interest in the materials group's experimentation with rice husk ash (maybe since we were the only group getting dirty before rolling into Cambodia?) and tagged along as we mixed our first batches of concrete in the basement of Building 1.

I initially felt odd - even fake - being asked to speak in a candid way with my classmates as a camera was rolling, but then curiosity got the better of me.  After my stint at making a mini "documentary" of sorts last year (which I should probably revive at some point... more on that later), I wanted to know more about his methods and just generally where he was coming from.  Although I've never seen any of his films, I know one of them in particular about the Incan civilization had inspired my own professor (John O.) and was interested to see what would come about from this curious project he was making.

Before heading to Cambodia, Michael asked me and Albert (of the radio group Stories to Share) to be point people in our respective projects to take video footage.  The task?  Alongside Libby and Dorothy, my fellow RHA-ers, to record critical moments in the building and experimentation process with rice husk ash, and record mini "diary entries" about our experience.  With mini video recorder in hand, I tried to do just that when I could get my hands out of the concrete.  I didn't really know what would come out of these random pieces of filming, but hoped that they at least would convey an idea of not only what our project was about (discovering through experimentation whether using RHA as a replacement for cement in concrete is feasible and creates better concrete in rural Cambodia) but also give a glimpse of how impactful the experience really was.

Once back, it wasn't clear how the documentary would be released - online?  in a screening?  on MIT Cable? - but now we know.  I might be biased, but it's an interesting 13 minutes from a film perspective, the weaving together of all these seemingly disparate pieces of narrative and historic footage to create a cohesive message about MIT and public service.  It's also surreal to watch and realize, "Oh, so that's why he was filming that" and "Hey... I took that sequence!  Cool!"  To be fair, I was credited with the videography at the end but Libby and Dorothy both had a share in the filming and should also be noted.

Will this have a lasting impact?  I don't know who will be watching it, but only time will tell.  At least, there's the knowledge that this isn't just about us and a single project but about a larger movement that I'm sincerely glad to be a part of.

[K'chea 4] : City / country

French influence in Siem Reap shows a classier coffee stop than Starbucks - thankfully.

Despite today being the first day of the Spring semester, I still am constantly asked about Cambodia, and memories of it keep coming to mind.  One definitive characteristic about my trip that I like to emphasize to people was the fact that we were in the countryside and not in the city, which made an incredible difference in the richness of my experience.

I typically enjoy cities.  I grew up in the suburbs of Philly, went to college in the big NYC, and now attend grad school in the snow-laden urban spaces of Boston.  I could see myself living in cities in the long term, and otherwise couldn't really imagine an existence apart from them.  Down the line, I might even want to study cities.

But this IAP, I reveled in the rural.  Angkor Chum was certainly not the most rustic of areas and still had a landmark cell phone tower planted in the middle of a cow pasture.  However, it was certainly more so than most areas, and despite my inability to fully get the dust and cement out of my hair with the pour "showers" (basically dumping cold water on my head), some of the things I enjoyed most were:

• the rides in the back of Sokum's pick up truck
• limited to no internet access (which warranted me to have a "limited access" automated email response, liberating me from actually having to write people back for almost 3 weeks :D )
• brilliant sunsets framed by brush and palm / coconut trees
• not caring whether I was dirty or not
• realizing the amazingness of human networks: who needs Google when you can ask your construction manager, who asks his neighbor, who asks his neighbor where to find rice husk ash.  And then instead of calling ahead, we show up at some family's backyard noodle operation and they stare a bit but are kind enough to entertain strangers.

Although we didn't get as entrenched in the community as could be, we still had the great chance to observe true life and work within the village, outside of the tourist lens.  (But yes...I did take plenty of pictures nonetheless.)

Once back in Siem Reap, though, I couldn't help but indulge in some hand-foot luxury - in bright pink!

[K'chea 3] : A happy bday beyond language

27 isn't a particularly notable number when it comes to milestone birthdays, but I have to say that it was probably the most unique celebration in recent memory. When else would you have a chorus of Cambodian primary school students serenade you?  I was somewhat hesitant to share my "one year older" news on the trip, particularly since we'd be heading to our group's new work site and I didn't think turning the focus on myself would be particularly appropriate.

But lo and behold, during our introduction to the Phoem Kok Primary School (the site of our constructed latrine), Savoeun (our contact at Habitat for Humanity) said something in Khmer to the kids and subsequently announced to me that they would be singing on behalf of my birthday.  I was really touched by this gesture, and even though I couldn't understand a word, it was still a great and completely unexpected way to celebrate.

That night after seeing the site, we had our first of many dinners at the local "5 star" restaurant owned by Sinouen, a woman who exuded a kind of strength and defiance both in the kitchen as master chef and in the "dining room" as proprietor.  Putthy (or, affectionately known as Thy Thy) whipped out an English-Khmer birthday song along with a handful of candles, and then we ended the night with a visit to a carnival at the local wat (= temple).

Splendid!

[K'chea 2] : Jum reap lia, Kampuchea

jum reap lia (phrase) : good-bye

With limited internet access in Cambodia, with one post I said hello, and now with the second I say good-bye to a country filled with smiles, stares (at foreigners, or barang), sampeah (traditional Khmer greeting gesture of respect), and sand - lots of which came back with me to the States and has clogged the washing machine.

I'll have to go backwards and post some memorable moments from the trip, but I realized that 3 weeks is a long time to be both experiencing a new country and away from my own.  It's also long enough to grow attached, and I think many teammates share the same sense of budding love for Cambodia.

Some expectations fulfilled during this time :

• finishing the latrine for the Phoem Kok primary school
• meeting wonderful Khmer people, mostly in the form of our construction teammates Pu Chhea, Thy Thy, and Sokum
• learning enough Khmer to have people smile and laugh rather than just stare at us

Some surprises :

• detecting tones in Khmer that resemble Chinese, and seeing facial traits that reminded me of people at "home" as well
• going dancing not just once, but twice in our humble village of Norkor Pheas - these people know how to have a good party!
• getting really positive results from our RHA testing after some less than inspiring numbers at MIT
• realizing that I didn't care about getting dirty as long as I got to ride in the back of a pickup truck or moto

Oh, and the sunsets we witnessed on the way back from the site each day were pretty stunning, this one included :

Would I go back?  Most certainly so!  I'm not sure if it could be in the capacity of a tourist, though - more likely as a volunteer, researcher, missionary, or some other capacity that could give back rather than consume.  We'll see what the future holds.  In the meantime, let the reminiscing begin.

[K'chea 1 ] Sok sbai, Siem Reap

As part of the DLab Schools class I took this past fall, I'm currently in Cambodia for almost 3 weeks, doing field research and trying not to get eaten alive by mosquitoes.  It's been a while since I've talked about anything school related so as a refresher, this class looked at different approaches to improving schools in rural Cambodia (or Kampuchea, in Khmer).  My group has been concentrating on developing sustainable building materials by incorporating readily-available waste materials (here, rice husk ash) into concrete and stabilized soil bricks, with the hope of making school construction cheaper and more locally sourced.

It's actually my 4th day in Siem Reap, the 6th largest city near the heart of the country.  Some people refer to it as an NGO wonderland - there are about 140 here (as roughly estimated by one of our community partners) and it's obvious as you walk down the main drag and pass many an English sign for a health clinic or whatnot.  The city is pretty equipped (parts of it actually remind me of developing towns in China's Pearl River Delta), so I'm spoiled by the fact that I have internet access in our guesthouse, although as of tomorrow that will no longer be true.  My team will head out to one of the areas where Habitat for Humanity operates, est. 40 km away from the city and categorized as "roughin' it," although we'll be staying in a local guesthouse with beds and showers.  Amenities!

With Saba as my partner in exploration (not crime - too early for that), we've conquered the city and its environs via tuk-tuk, boat, on foot, and most recently by bike.  (Thankfully, we didn't become casualties of reckless student motorbikers.)

We visited a floating forest and village, gotten bitten by mosquitoes (~14 bites on my left foot and counting), haggled mightily in both day and night markets and managed to pay no more than 50% the asking price, compared fruit smoothies across venues, and generally gotten really dusty and dirty.

My greatest milestone thus far: bargaining in Khmer!  The key phrase to use was "k'lai pon mai(n)" (although...romanization is pretty iffy in general, so this is based on what the vendors were saying), or "how much is this?"  Somehow they didn't expect foreigners to know that, so I got responses in Khmer and managed to keep up the jest that I knew everything they were saying back to me until I got the price I wanted.  Win!  We felt like locals for maybe a couple minutes.  But locals wouldn't shop in touristy markets.  Oh well.

Photos to come, once I figure out uploading photos.  [Update: photos added!]