Grateful 110

I'm grateful for: Having the opportunity to be a part of helping families have clean drinking water! It's a really rewarding experience!

If you want to know more about Trailblazer's programs, check out: http://thetrailblazerfoundation.org/our_programs.html & if you're interested in knowing how you can get involved, check out: http://thetrailblazerfoundation.org/getinvolved.html

Note: This is filter #1200! Awesome to know that so many families have been helped. Way to go Trailblazer team!

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Another terrific Thursday with TF

Delivering and helping to assemble 5 water filters in Chres village. Making silly faces with kids. Pumping water from wells. Pushing trucks out of sand pits. Playing with babies. Photographing water filter procedures. Talking to monks. Riding in the back of trucks down super bumpy roads. Passing funeral processions. Drinking cold coconuts. Biking home. The end to another great week with the Trailblazer Foundation!

Tomorrow's a holiday. Off to a ceremony to see a boy become a monk.

Grateful 109

I'm grateful for: The Trailblazer team! I feel lucky to get to work with such great people every day.

It's not easy doing manual labor in 100F temperatures (+ incredibly high humidity), but when you have the pleasure of being surrounded by a group of people that are always smiling (and telling jokes!), the time flies & the work seems more like fun than work!

Not pictured: Machaela! She's the one taking the picture. Unfortunately, we couldn't convince anyone to get off their motorbike and be our photographer, so Machaela took this picture and I took one with her in it.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 108

I'm grateful for: Running across funny photos, like this ice cream sign, while sorting through and uploading my photos! It made me laugh hysterically, just like it did on the day I took it. It's a huge sign with an ice cream menu on it; this slightly disturbing, yet incredibly hilarious animation is at the top. Oh the things you find while traveling... ^_^

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 107

I'm grateful for: The men and women of the armed forces! I'm especially grateful for the sacrifices they make to serve and protect our country. Eight years ago, I visited the American Cemetery in Normandy (pictured above*). The troops that remain here paid the ultimate sacrifice, their lives, and nothing is more deserving of gratitude and respect than that.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

*Picture by Bethany Fryer. This was before I had a digital camera, so all of my pictures from France are film pictures that are in albums in America.

Grateful 106

I'm grateful for: Businesses that care about the community! Lotus Dream Spa happens to be right next door to my hotel, which is very convenient for me as we all know I love massages. But what's even better than being able to get great massages right next door is the fact that all of the profits from this business go to support the Cambodian English Language School that gives free English lessons to children.

Other English schools charge a small fee (a fee that many families here cannot afford to pay), but this school uses the profits generated by the spa to allow 200 children to attend English lessons free of charge...200 children who would otherwise not be able to afford such lessons.

In keeping with my support of businesses that care about the community, I also grabbed lunch at the Singing Tree cafe today (not pictured). The Singing Tree cafe is one of the restaurants in Siem Reap that supports ConCERT (http://www.concertcambodia.org/businesspartner.aspx?type=2). ConCERT (Connecting Communities, Environment & Responsible Tourism) provides information on a range of activities that need volunteer support. Listed projects are engaged in many different aspects of community development and poverty alleviation.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 105

I'm grateful for: Staying at a hotel that does thoughtful things like make me towel swans! They know I'm staying long-term, so they could just toss a couple of towels on the bed every few days. Instead, they take the time to fold me not 1 but 2 swans. Makes me smile every time :)

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 104

I'm grateful for: Visiting schools and handing out flip flops! It was great to get to go to a school in Svaycheck village to deliver hundreds of flip flops. Most of the students had no shoes, so the flip flops will really have an impact - protecting against hookworm among other things. Another great day with Trailblazer!

If you're interested to know more about Trailblazer's Cambodian Assistance programs, check out: http://www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org/cambodia_assistance.html

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Just another Friday night

This one time, in Cambodia, I was randomly taken to a funeral. I couldn't understand what anyone was saying. I was fed porridge. It was delicious. I felt like I was the protagonist in a movie where bizarre things happen for dramatic effect or comedic value, but then I remembered it was just my life...

So how did I end up at the funeral? Well, yesterday started out like the day before - biking to work, picking up lunch at a roadside stand, riding through the countryside sitting on sand bags in the back of a truck - but then it changed. Instead of fixing water filters, I found myself at a school assembly in Svaycheck village handing out flip flops to students.

Afterwards, headed back to town, we were stuck behind herds of cattle in the road and then comically thrown in the air as we bounced down an incredibly bumpy dirt path. A while later, connecting back on to the better roads, we traveled under intricately carved gates as we passed temples of equal intricacy, all centuries old.

After a short break, I headed out to Sotheaross' English school to help him teach. A quick motorbike ride later, we arrived to the school in Spien Chhreav village. The school is housed in the space underneath a stilted house, three 'classrooms' made by stringing up tarps. Underneath this house, lots of motivated kids from the village spend their nights working hard to learn English after a long day at school.

After two hours of teaching, we were ready to head back, but then Sotheaross turned left instead of right and said he needed to go by a funeral before heading back to town. And so that's how I randomly ended up at the funeral, eating porridge and being lost in translation on a Friday that started out like any other day. Never a dull moment :)

Grateful 103

I'm grateful for: Visiting villages! It's humbling to visit villages and see how some of the other 85%* live. We often take so many things for granted - clean drinking water being just one of many. While it may be true that I fall into the 99% in America, I fall into the 15%* in the world, and when you view life from a world perspective it really makes you realize exactly how much we all have to be grateful for.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.


*These are rough estimates based on the Human Development Index (HDI) from a few years ago. 15% refers to those living in developed countries, 85% refers to those living in developing countries. It's possible that figures have changed slightly. You can download the complete HDI in PDF, feel free to Google away.

However, based on an individual income model, I would fall into the top 9% in the world. This figure is current and based on income calculators (http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/10/19/what-percent-are-you) and income comparison charts (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/does-americas-99-percent-represent-the-top-1-percent-on-earth/2011/10/12/gIQA5JVQfL_blog.html) Feel free to follow these links to find out where you fit in on a world perspective.

>> I think I should point out that many people I've met while traveling in developing countries are some of the happiest and friendliest people; people who work together for the common good, come up with innovative ideas to make the most of what they have, and always express gratitude. I am inspired to be more grateful for what I have when I witness those with less than me expressing such gratitude.

So I'm definitely not saying that people in developed countries should look at others and simply be grateful that they're not in that situation. I'm saying that I think that all of us, no matter our situation, should be grateful for the things we do have. And, in saying that, I think that often times people in developed countries tend to lose sight of what we have more than people in the developing world. <<

A Thursday at Trailblazer

Biking to work. Lunching at roadside stands. Driving down dirt roads in the countryside. Pumping water from wells. Helping fix water filters. Making friends with villagers in Preah Kor Chas. Laughing with the water filter team. Photographing procedures for fixing filters. Photographing villagers using filters. Hanging out with pigs and chickens. Watching bull drawn carts go by. Eating free curry given to us by friendly shop owners. Passing Angkor Wat on the way back to Trailblazer.

Just another Thursday ;)

Fire in Siem Reap

Yesterday, I stumbled upon this fire on my bike ride home. It was a pretty big fire & it was right across the narrow alley from the restaurant I was headed to for lunch. Needless to say, I had to pick a different restaurant, but I did get to see the firefighters in action as throngs of people gathered to watch. My days are never boring :)

In other exciting news from yesterday: There was a power outage in the middle of the night. It immediately got so hot in my room that I woke up thinking I might spontaneously combust. It was a long hour before the fan finally kicked back on.

Power outages in Cambodia: 3; Power outages in Vietnam: 3; Power outages in the Philippines: 4; Heather: 0

Makes me realize how grateful I am for electricity!

Grateful 102

I'm grateful for: Free fruit plates! I found a restaurant on a side street here that has amazingly delicious Cambodian food for cheap prices (the banana flower salad was from there). The best part - if it could get better than cheap delicious food - is that they give you a free fruit plate after your meal! What a great place!

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 101

I'm grateful for: Work gloves! Hours of sifting and shoveling sand and gravel will eventually wreak havoc on your hands. Blisters are no fun & developing calluses is slow going (and painful); work gloves save the day by helping to minimize the negative side effects that come along with doing awesome things like building water filters!

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 100!

I'm grateful for: My bike! It helps me get to work on time & since it's faster than walking, I can stay in bed an extra 15 min :)

As an added benefit, bike riding gives me my daily dose of adrenaline due to the high volume of traffic speeding past me as I peddle down the narrow roads - motorbikes, tuk tuks, cars, vans, trucks, buses...you name it, it's there, flying down the road beside me! Who needs coffee to wake up when you can just have a big cup of adrenaline?

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

>> Today marks 100 grateful posts! It's crazy how much you can find to be grateful for when you start paying attention! <<

Grateful 99

I'm grateful for: Having the chance to try new foods like this banana flower salad! In case you're now asking yourself - what IS banana flower? - check this out: http://wisegeek.com/what-is-a-banana-flower.htm. Don't worry, I didn't know what it was either; I didn't even look it up until after I ate it :) Finally, to answer your biggest question: Yes, it was delicious!

Siem Reap. Cambodia.


>> Don't forget, you can find all the grateful posts (including the first 95 that I didn't post on the blog) here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.912670070129.2244334.42800145&type=3&l=0202607a60 <<

Grateful 98

I'm grateful for: Movies to watch on rainy afternoons! The rainy season has begun, which means that it pours down rain pretty much every day for at least a few hours. This means there's plenty of opportunities for monsoon movie time! [Other rainy season activities include: monsoon book time, monsoon nap time, monsoon postcard writing time, monsoon... ~_^]

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Grateful 97

I'm grateful for: Free food given to me by kind villagers! At one place we stopped, the lady brought me this fruit from her garden. She even gave me a bag of salt, sugar, and chili pepper (which is what almost everyone in SE Asia dips fruit in). Then, she invited me to see her crocodile farm. Afterward, she gave me a different fruit out of one of her trees. I'm not sure what either of the fruits were, but I ate them and they were both delicious! Even though she doesn't have much (according to our first world standards), she shared her food with me. What a sweet lady!

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

Another day in Cambodia

Things I did today: Cleaned sand for water filters; ate the best meal I've had in Cambodia at a roadside stand for $0.75; rode down dirt paths through the countryside with newly acquired Cambodian friends; delivered water filters to families in Svaycheck village; hung out with crocodiles, cows, pigs, and chickens; ate delicious mystery things that were handed to me out of trees; made friends with local kids; put in 7 hours of blood, sweat, and laughs in the blisteringly hot sun; went home and promptly passed out for 3 hours. Good day!

The Trailblazer Foundation (aka Grateful 96)

I'm grateful for: NGOs, like the Trailblazer Foundation, that strive to make a difference in local communities by implementing sustainable, community-focused development projects that help empower the people within the local community! The Trailblazer Foundation's main focus is providing clean drinking water to impoverished areas by building and distributing bio-sand water filters. As of today, I am helping make these filters :) So far Trailblazer has provided access to clean water for over 70,000 people!

The Trailblazer Foundation also drills wells, provides irrigation kits for farmers, helps establish vegetable gardens and fish farms, provides mosquito nets (to prevent malaria), provides flip flops (to protect from hookworms), provides sewing machines, provides vocational training (in well drilling, sewing, and cosmetology), and builds schools. To find out more, go to: http://thetrailblazerfoundation.org

If you're looking for a place to donate some money this year, it only costs $60 to sponsor a water filter. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in SE Asia and continues to be affected by waterborne illnesses on a daily basis. 1 in 7 children dies before the age of five, often because of bad water. Every year there are over 9 million cases of diarrheal diseases reported (9 million cases in a country of 14.8 million people). It's estimated to cost the nation $448 million a year.

These water filters are easy to operate and maintain (the villagers are taught how to do it). The filters trap and degrade sediment, parasites, and 98% of bacteria. All of this is done through simple, chemical-free technology that lasts for years!

If you did decide to donate to this project, I could quite possibly be the one to help build the water filter that you sponsored and deliver it to the village where it will be used - even with your name on the side :)

Other donations go to: $5 mosquito nets, $1 flip flops, $200 sewing machines, etc. If you donate money, you can specify what it goes toward if you want to...otherwise they will put it toward what's needed most at the time. All of the donations go directly to projects for the villages & all donations are tax deductible as Trailblazer is a nonprofit 501(c)(3).

Note: Most of this info comes from Trailblazer Foundation brochures & the website posted above.

Siem Reap. Cambodia.

To see previous grateful posts, go to: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.912670070129.2244334.42800145&type=3&l=0202607a60

The In-between

Well, there's a lot I have written here. Hopefully one day I'll have the time to add lots of backdated posts, but until then I'll leave you with a brief list of what's been happening!

Sept 2009: I finished my job in Seoul and flew to Thailand

Oct 2009: I volunteered in Thailand with OpenmindProjects (http://www.openmindprojects.org)

Sept/Oct 2009: I traveled in Thailand and Laos

Nov 2009: I completed a TESOL certification course in Thailand 

Dec 2009: I moved to Vancouver

Feb 2010: I volunteered at the Winter Olympics

Apr 2010: I went home to visit friends & family in the states

Jun 2010: I moved back to Korea to teach, this time in Busan

Sept 2010: My Mom came to visit Busan

Mar 2011: I flew home to see my family and meet my nephew

Jun 2010-Nov 2011: I traveled all over Korea

Nov 2011: I finished my job in Busan and flew to America for the holidays

Jan 2012: I flew back to Busan to start my Asian adventures

Jan/Feb 2012: I traveled in the Philippines

Mar/Apr 2012: I traveled in Vietnam and Cambodia

May 2012: I am volunteering in Cambodia with the Trailblazer Foundation (http://www.thetrailblazerfoundation.org)