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01/21/2007: "So Many Roses"

After having been sick all day in Bangkok today during my layover from Phnom Penh, I was actually happy to be back in Japan! Still, I will definitely miss the chaos of city life back in Southeast Asia, especially of Cambodian cities such as not only Phnom Penh, Battambang, Sihnoukville and more. Mostly, I willl miss the more peaceful settings and charm of rural Cambodia. Dave Sheppard said it perfectly, "I've never been greeted by an entire country!"

Our ride encompassed so many different wonderful experiences that it is almost impossible to choose a few to talk about. I just want to say that I was so pleasantly surprised to know that PEPY is such a great, smaller, grassroots organization with so many connections to other awesome NGOs active in Cambodia such as CCF, RDIC, MAG, Friends* and the Starfish Project* to name a few. I knew this about PEPY before and was totally happy to fundraise for our trip and the organization, but it was thoroughly better to learn about it in person meeting everyone, rather than via the website and emails.

I was totally impressed by the amount of social networking found throughout the organization. It is such an obviously integral part of PEPY's and other NGO's success. Communicating with real individuals and building relationships has allowed PEPY to do much of the good work that it does. One small example of this was being able to visit with local PEPY staff's family in Ang Ta Som, Takeo. PEPY and other NGOs aim to making small and large differences in the lives of Cambodian families by going to visit them directly. It seems like most NGOs we visited shared this value in abundant human interaction and face-to-face contact.

During the biking trip, we stopped at several schools to teach about keeping the environment clean, starting with the schools themselves. We did the PEPY bracelet activity in which we help students make colorful bracelets- each color representing and element of the environment: air, water, plants, animals and us! The activity is simple but shows the connection between us, our health and the environment! We also did the garbage game in which students break up in teams to gather as much trash as they can. We told the schools that we'd stop by again soon, hoping to see clean and beautiful schools and healthy children! The principals, teachers and students were so ecstatic to see us and look forward to more visit in years to come! Even on those 100km days, stopping at a school was totally worthwhile actually giving us more energy to continue the rest of the ride.

Every city we visited was so different. Each with bustling open markets, tuk-tuks, motos, kids going and coming to school in giant swarms, like schools of fish taking over the roads! I loved each city such as Battambang, Porsat, Kampong Chanang! I especially enjoyed our time in Kep and Kampot! The beaches were gorgeous and in Kampot, our visit to Bokor mountain was amazing. The views at the top were totally divine. We were able to watch the sunset and sunrise at the top, also listening to Audrey recite some poetry and ended up playing the "animal game" (we played so many cool games on this trip, I hope somebody writes them all down)! I think we were able to come up with about two or three different animals for each member of the team! It seemed like we could see more than 180 degrees of the sea and Cambodia. Visiting that old hotel was exciting and it was fun to explore it at night with the rest of team.

In Kampot, I swam across the river with Daniela and Dave. This was both a rose and a thorn for me because I loved swimming across, despite the strong current. Unfortunately, I cut my toe on the barnicles at the small dock on the other side! Daniela was amazing! She totally took care of my minor injury. Daniela, I really mean it when I say you're the best! I know everyone fell in love with the phosphoresence in the water. That was definitely a first for me and hopefully not the last time I see something like that.

Going to various floating villages such as in Siem Reap and visiting the islands later in Sihnoukville and from Kep was a good way to do some eco-tourism that hopefully helps out the local economy and also gives us more insight into Cambodian way of life or at least a chance to see how beautiful Cambodia is away from the main roads (although really most of the scenes from the roads in rural Cambodia were always peaceful and breathtaking). During our first visit to a floating village, our guide was also able to take a collection and give it directly to two especially needy families, with very sick children or housing needs.

Our last riding day was most memorable for me because we had so many hills to pass to reach Sihnoukville. It was challenging yet a suitable end to our trip, symbolizing the obstacles ahead in any endeavor, as well as for PEPY and other NGOs in Cambodia. I've certainly come out of this trip a better person. I've had many "starfish moments" on this trip, many of which I already mentioned above. In a very literal sense, I came to realize that I can truly contribute to making a positive difference in the world. Another great example of this was while volunteering at the PEPY school. For days, we were busy sanding, painting, fixing desks and moving stuff around-- then suddenly, a new beautiful classroom and library were ready for use! Another highlight and example of a "starfish moment" for many people was of-course giving the graduating 6th grade students their bicycles. It was great to see students using them to get to secondary school during our last PEPY school visit, as we started our journey to Sisophon.

I learned so much on this trip about life in Cambodia and about the people I met, including staff--Doug & Yukiko and Adam, riders and so many others we met a long the way; it was so inspirational. I'll miss everyone! Thanks to all of you for being so generous and full of life! I'll treasure our conversations and remember all the laughter! So PEPY Ride 2007 Team: Steph, Laurie, Anna, Audrey, Daniela P., Simon, Christina, Maryann, Greg, Judy, Daniela K. (and LUCKY!) -- STAY IN TOUCH!! (Dave Sheps, Puny Pubie and Tom-- I'll see you guys around!)

Signing off now, with the hope that in the near future I'll be able to help fill a need somewhere in the world, also possibly whilst having an unforgettable escapade! Thank you PEPY for reaffirming my belief in both altruism and adventure!

-- Erica
(a.k.a. Barnicle Bellica, B.B. & Smellica )



*FRIENDS
We had lunch and dinner at the Friends restaurant while staying in Phnom Penh. This NGO takes street kids and trains them with skills in the hopes of giving them a more auspicious future. It aims to fill the needs of children providing shelter, meals and medical assistance, as well as protection, also aiming to reintegrate children into society. Finally, it also aims to build capacity of the local staff. In doing so, the organization aims to curtail dependency on the organization itself and on foreign intervention. Here is the FRIENDS website: http://www.streetfriends.org/

*The Starfish Project
Visiting the Starfish Project Bakery in Sihnoukville was an interesting discovery of yet another great organization in Cambodia. This organization aims to mostly "fill the gaps" by working with people in need on a one-on-one basis, who are unable to get get help form the government or other NGOs. For more information about the Starfish Project and some examples of its housing, medical and other projects, visit their website at: http://www.starfishcambodia.org/index.htm