Living and Laughing in the ‘Bodia!

One of Siem Reap’s many squatters’ villages is a short walk from the Journeys Within B&B.  JWOC built its first wells there and I went to check it out with Brandon and some volunteer students from Loyola Marymount University. Brandon wants to get a business started that the JWOC scholarship students can run themselves, so we went into the village to research business ideas and assess the need for different services.  

There are places blocked off where potential roads will go if they’re ever built, but for now the village is connected by a sequence of dusty tan trails. Some structures are built with corrugated metal or wood and seem relatively sound, while others are thatched with palm leaves or draped with tarps.

Because of the nonprofit projects most of the villagers have seen Westerners, but it’s still a treat for them when we arrive. They all know how to say “hello” and as soon as they spot you a harmony of hellos hits you from all angles. Groups of kids rush over wanting to show you things, while the shy ones gather to watch from a distance. I was just another giant white lady with a camera, but with this kind of welcome you would’ve thought I was Brangelina. 

The kids love to get their picture taken and they’ll follow you around in hopes of getting their chance. Their favorite part is seeing themselves on the photo playback screen and they run away giggling as soon as they see their faces on the monitor.

As we walked back to the B&B—a short distance from poverty to luxury—I tried to imagine living without a toilet or electricity and what it must be like to put what little money you have into a “house” that could be destroyed any day.

What really resonated with me was the overall mood of the village. For all their hardship, the people were in great spirits. Everyone was smiling, the kids were running around and playing in the rain, the adults were chatting and playing cards. I expected it to be a bit more somber, but it was actually pretty upbeat.

Maybe they’re making lemonade, or maybe it’s just a Cambodian thing.  I don’t think I’ve witnessed a happier, friendlier group of people anywhere.  Each country has a different draw: gorgeous beaches, great food, beautiful sights, and although Cambodia has all of those things, the real draw is the people.  Their smiles and good hearts are the reason you want to return.

During my grueling 48 hours of travel from New York to Hong Kong to Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, I experienced my own version of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (minus the humor of Steve Martin and John Candy). The Asian version: “Puddle Jumpers, Airbuses and Tuk Tuks” was scripted with a different sense of humor—or dread, depending on your perspective—and came to its cinematic end when my nauseated stomach touched down in Siem Reap.

Andrea and Brandon gave me a wonderful welcome and thankfully I didn’t give them a car full of half-digested plane food on our way home from the airport.

My first two days have been a jumble of new people, interesting places and an overwhelming amount of Cambodian smiles. Coming from New York I was ill-equipped for this level of daily cheek strain, but Siem Reap is like Smile Boot Camp and Narla (pictured below) is the Commander in Chief. I’m getting the hang of it pretty quickly.

The big night is almost here! On Sunday, May 4, we will be throwing a benefit concert, ROCK for JWOC, to raise money for Journeys Within Our Community (www.journeyswithinourcommunity.org) and their new projects in Laos.

The event will be at the Highline Ballroom in New York City at 7:00 p.m. Advance tickets are $10 and can be purchased through the Highline Web site (www.highlineballroom.com). Tickets purchased the day of the show will be $15 at the door.

The fundraiser will feature local rock bands, an improv comedy set, a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses and a DJ set to finish off the night. 

Nicole and I will be celebrating our imminent departure for Southeast Asia and raising money for a great cause.

If you’re in the NYC area come join the fun on May 4! If not, please pass this link on and tell your friends about this wonderful event. Hope to see you there! 

I was born with an overactive planning gland. That, coupled with my acute case of perfectionism, can be a diagnosis for disaster. Especially when it comes to organizing a last-minute benefit concert in the midst of the spring album-release-avalanche/tour craze.

It all started when my roommate, Nicole, and I found out we were moving to Southeast Asia. We decided our going away party should be a fundraiser (“Rock for JWOC”), and what started as an excuse to get all of our friends together and raise money for a good cause, has evolved into something far more complicated.

We got Highline Ballroom—a music venue in Manhattan that can hold 700 people—donated for our event (thanks to Nicole’s boss). However, along with the blessing of having a large space comes the curse of filling it.

After weeks of e-mailing with bands, publicists, booking agents, and managers, I’m no closer to getting a headliner than I was when I started. Big names have shown interest, but there is always something standing in the way: they’re in the studio, on tour, or contractually obligated against it because they have a local date booked near our event.

I’ve become so personally invested in making this a huge fundraising extravaganza, that I’ve lost sight of why we planned this in the first place: we’re leaving for a year and this will be our last chance to spend time with our friends before we go.

Luckily, some of our friends happen to be amazing musicians and they’ve agreed to play the benefit for free. Unlike the bands that can actually afford to play something like this for free (who were asking for thousands of dollars to play for charity), our friends want to help us get this fundraiser together and play for the benefit of others.

I need to let go of my grand hopes and plans to make this the fundraising event of the decade and just do what I can with the time and resources I have. According to Psychology Today, “A desire to do well, to do your best work and to explore your full potential can give you sense of satisfaction and personal fulfillment, but you have to learn when something is ‘good enough.’”

My overwhelming desire to do well and my tendency to be a planaholic may not be useful when it comes to certain things, but it sure will come in handy as a Tour Director in Laos. When you’re traveling across the world to a foreign country THAT is when you want someone fussing over every last detail.

I think I’ve found my calling.

posted by: Kristina (April 14, 2008)