Three weeks ago Cambodia had the third lowest cases per million of COVID-19 in the world (after Laos and Vietnam). On February 20th, it was discovered that four Chinese people had bribed their guard to break quarantine earlier in the month and new cases began to be discovered at an alarming rate. From January 2020…
Author: Charles
Khmer Vulnerability Aid Organization
In January, I was able to finally resume in person visits to our local partners after a lengthy hiatus due to COVID-19. It was wonderful to be able to see them and their work in person again. Unfortunately it was short lived as Cambodia is experiencing its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date. I wanted to…
Myanmar coup
On Monday morning, Myanmar’s military took control of the country in a coup and declared a state of emergency, following disputed election results. Government officials have been detained and communications channels interrupted. The people of Myanmar already are suffering extreme hardships because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For information on the coup and its impact, follow…
Chikungunya
On a Wednesday last month, Crystal felt terrible and had a red rash spreading across her. We thought she had Dengue but when we went to the Doctor they diagnosed her with Chikungunya. Symptoms Most people infected with chikungunya virus will develop some symptoms. Symptoms usually begin 3–7 days after being bitten by an infected…
Simeon from Rwanda
Late on Christmas Eve, our surprise last minute YAMEN participant arrived from Rwanda. Simeon was originally going to be in the Ukraine this year but could not go because of COVID-19 restrictions. Fortunately, we were able to get him a Visa to come to Cambodia. There was a harrowing moment when he missed a connecting…
Little Office Workers
The girls love visiting Pou Cheang, Sumo the cat, and Ramy at the office. But, over the last weeks, we’ve started to put them to work! Watering plants, cleaning, and shredding really old documents! (Don’t worry – we send the historic program documents to the archives in Akron, Pennsylvania.)
New Moto Driver
There’s a new moto driver in Phnom Penh! It’s Crystal! We had planned for me to teach her over Pchum Ben this year but – hopefully not a new tradition – I was sick again. But we took advantage of the quieter streets the last couple of weeks to begin practicing. She’s doing great! Her…
Sundried Fish
Last week, Charlotte and I walked out to buy some vegetable and fruit from a local stall. On the way we stopped to look at some cleaned and sliced fish that had been set out to dry in the sun. Since Charlotte found it interesting I thought that you might as well. I’ll see if…
Christmas 2020 preparations
It doesn’t feel like it but Christmas 2020 is just next week! Since Thanksgiving, the girls have enjoyed decorating the house, making holiday crafts, and baking cookies. And, of course, lots and lots of dress up! In November and early December there were two new outbreaks of COVID-19 in Cambodia. So things have been locked…
Thanksgiving 2020
We celebrated Thanksgiving on the Saturday after Black Friday this year. It was a small gathering of MCC Cambodia expatriates. This included our services workers – Rory, Marcia, and Clivia – as well as our SALTers – Isabelle and Andy. We also invited Max Ediger a long time MCC alumni now living in Phnom Penh…