Author : Tao Li

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Volunteer’s Blog – April 2: 8 Reasons I Love My Kids

Every so often I like to indulge in a little bit of mindless weekend reading, courtesy of the lifestyle gurus from Glamour, Elle, and Cosmo.  And lately, it dawned on me that most of the articles in these magazines feature some sort of numbers in their titles. From 10 Perfect Swimsuits for Your Body Type to 4 Secrets You Didn’t Know about the Hunger Games, it’s as if the general audience is expected to be obsessed with lists and statistics . . . especially those mandated by a glossy cover. And truth be told, these titles work! My eyes can’t help but gravitate towards these mathematical objects (if only Calculus had been this intriguing) and before I know it, I’ve spent over an hour reading lists after lists of “facts”. So here’s my own attempt at this eye-catching technique. . .

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Volunteer’s Blog – March 12: Becoming Battambangian

Blog Entry 12 3/11/12

One question that a lot of people have asked me recently has been: “Have you finally gotten used to Cambodia now that you’ve been there for almost half a year?” And the answer to that question is YES! . . . and well, no.

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Volunteer’s Blog – February 29: Uniforms

WE HAVE UNIFORMS!

The kids all received brand new school uniforms this week (thanks to girls at our sewing center for working so hard)! They were all so excited and immediately organized their own fitting rooms to try on the new outfits.

Moments later, these sharp little students emerged beaming from ear to ear. I almost didn’t recognize them without their regular pajamas!

The next hour was spent dancing around, posing, and showing off their new look to each other. Take a look!

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Volunteer’s Blog – February 18: Flood Relief Event

As I sat in the Sunrise Café (perhaps the only establishment in Battambang with a selection of authentic AND fresh European baked goods) enjoying my apple strudel and a current issue of The Cambodia Daily, it suddenly dawned on me that not even one of the articles featured updates on Cambodia’s relatively recent floods. In fact, I can’t recall the last time the news mentioned a word about the disaster!
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Volunteer’s Blog – February 8: A Chance Encounter

I love to travel. There are some innate qualities about traveling that is simply addicting, be it the beautiful sights, culture, people, food…or maybe it’s just the general novelty of it all. Similar to most tourists, I’ve always just passed through; I stay long enough to point and click the initial excitement into digital (aka Facebook accessible) memories, but never quite long enough to soak in the essence of the place.
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Volunteer’s Blog – January 12: Christmas in Cambodia

I’ve never been a big fan of Santa Claus.  I held up my part of the bargain and left the plate of cookies, so where in the world is that puppy, or that unicorn I wished for?  Correct me if I’m wrong but you’ve got to earn the cookies in my house (I don’t make the rules, my mother does, so take it up with her).  But this year, I am express mailing a huge package of cookies from Cambodia to the North Pole with a note saying:”Dear Santa, YOU ROCK!”

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Volunteer’s Blog – December 13: My Little Beethovens

“One, two, three, four, fingers up! Wrist down! One, sit straight! Two, three, don’t speed! Knuckles up! Four . . . don’t forget to breathe!”

For about one to two hours each day after school, these are the commands I repeat over and over…and over again. Yes, I’ve even uttered these commands in my sleep.  No, yours truly have not gone mad…yet*, nor have I become a military sergeant.  I am what some call a piano teacher.
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Volunteer’s Blog – December 5: Down to Zero

In honor of the 24th anniversary of World AIDS Day, SCC collaborated with other NGOs such as US-CDC and KHANA to organize a walk against HIV/AIDS in Battambang, Cambodia.  For those of you who might not be too familiar with World AIDS Day, it is held on December 1st of each year and was created with the goal of uniting people worldwide in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The message this year is “Getting Down to Zero”. Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths (International AIDS & HIV Charity, Avert.org)
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Volunteer’s Blog – November 22: Invisible Community

Last week my work with SCC brought me to Siem Reap, home to the breathtaking Angkor temples. Although Siem Reap appears to be a tourist’s paradise, the outskirt of the city is populated with impoverished families who are often unseen by foreign visitors. These vulnerable families are often neglected because 1. The vast amount of income generated by tourism attributes to the misconception that the revenues are being distributed fairly, 2. The multitude of NGO-based businesses suggests that aid is being given to the needy, 3. Tourists are often blinded by the smiling faces and cheerful greeting; they’re given the impression that this is the land of happy people . . . after all, seeing is believing right? Or do we simply see what we want to believe?

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Volunteer’s Blog – November 7: Flu flu go away

I hate the flu. Every year around this time I usually have a few flu-induced vacation days filled with noodle soup, hibernation, and the company of a certain fuzzy purple bunny. There was almost a comfort in the predictability of these r & r days; they were like the annual visits of a very distant (and equally as crazy) aunt, who’d, without fail, barge in uninvited and unannounced.

This year, however, I was convinced there would be a break from the routine. I had escaped the Michigan cold, graduated from midterm-induced stress, heck, I even changed my address! Surely, I reasoned, there was no way this pestering stalker could find me in the middle of rice paddies and cows!

Think again.

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