by Mandy Gatewood 

Sok sapbai ch'num t'mai! Happy Khmer New Year!

It's the Year of the Rat, which heralds the birth of industrious, adaptable, ambitious children for many Asian communities. In Cambodia, the royal fortune teller makes predictions about the coming year. This year, he foresaw a failed crop and food shortages for the poor, while the government officials will have a victorious year in every endeavor. Under no circumstances should anyone get married this year, so lovebirds should hold off until next April. At sunset, the Cambodian New Year Spirit came in the evening to eat four figs and give blessings to the people for a happy year.

By Greg Anderson

1. You always have bike grease on your leg.

2. Your favourite drink is sugarcane juice

3. You can mimic Mr Lucky's laugh. (our trusty Cambodian bike guide) eeeh HEE HEE HEE!

By Tom, PEPY Ride II Participant

The first image we see is a belligerent, drunken man drowning his sorrows in a jug of wine, unable to stand or even sit without staggering dangerously. Stricken by cycles of poverty, abuse, and misfortune, he and his family live on the edge of the Stoeng Meanchey city dump, the filthiest and most depressed place in Phnom Penh. Here the children spend their days collecting scraps of waste for mere pennies, which the man then uses to disappear into an endless alcoholic haze. As his bottle evaporates, his wife and three daughters bear the brunt of his rants and curses, averting their eyes to avoid provoking him further. Though his threats are frightening, they thankfully remain non-violent, and his family is spared physical abuse.

By Maryann Bylander

I think our entire team has a new definition of the word hero- Mickey Sampson. I wasn't expecting my first hero to look so disarmingly normal, with a shallow southern accent, plain clothes and a laid back way of talking to us like we were already friends. Though he has a PhD in Chemistry, a vast knowledge of Cambodia, and some superhuman ability to understand the way people, society, and change works, Mickey spent 3 hours slowly and deliberately explaining the work of RDIC to our team in ways that we all could understand. I'm not even sure where to begin- this man and his incredible staff do EVERYTHING. Just a few examples:

Congrats to our Executive Director Daniela Papi, who will be going to France as a finalist in the Cartier Women’s Initiative business plan competition! She was chosen for her approach to sustainable tourism through PEPY Tours. She is one of 15 finalists worldwide in the contest which concludes October 11, 2007. The five winning entrants, one from each continental region, will receive a $20,000 grant and one year of business coaching from the competition sponsors.

It has been a year and a half since the genesis of our PEPY tours and though each of the ride and volunteer trips are unique, they share some similar aspects from volunteering or riding to visiting historical and cultural sites and temples.  We have all witnessed how unbelievably loving Cambodian students are.  We have all held sorrow in our hearts at S21 and the Killing Fields.  We have all marveled at the grandeur of Angkor Wat. 

I’ve had the wonderful fortune of going on both Golden Week trips, first as a participant, then as a co-leader.  This year, I realized that although PEPY participants are linked by the above experiences, we are also connected by the minute, often-overlooked experiences/revelations.  I’d like to share some of those with you.

By Rachel Allen 

We’ve just finished our cozy August trip, with 6 of us tromping across wet pavement and muddy roads in search of adventure. We started in Phnom Penh with heart-wrenching visits to S21 and the Killing Fields, but we cheered up with a visit to Tiny Toones, a break-dancing troupe that supports street children. Most of the kids in this group are from the slum neighborhoods of the city, and they come to the Tiny Toones studio every night of the week to practice break-dancing. We went on a Sunday to meet with the kids and the groups’ founders, and after that we all headed to weekly breakdancing competition in the park. Our group judged, Khmer Idol-style, and it was the Tiny Toones clan that mysteriously took the top prize.

From there, we took to the countryside! 

By Michael Woodard

Is it peculiar to feel nostalgic about dirt, potholes, and bumpy roads? Perhaps, but this past weekend, as I was jostled about in the back of a pick-up with the PEPY team while traveling to the PEPY Ride School, waves of similar Peace Corps memories enveloped me, just like the billowing dust clouds churned up by the big trucks and pig-carrying motos. Despite the choking dust, there was something refreshing about riding in the open air on our way to Chanleas Dai. After several weeks in the office, the opportunity to visit PRS and meet the students and teachers felt like opening a new phase of my PEPY experience in Cambodia. Finally, away from my desk and addictive email and iTunes, I was immersed in the development world again, not just at the policy making level, but on the ground where the real action takes place -- bumps, dust and all. Following is an account of our recent visit to the school.

by Maryann Bylander

I haven't seen the show yet, but the idea is that people have to give away as much money as possible to "win". Interesting prospect, but one that I'm skeptical after seeing so much GIVING here in Cambodia with so little impact. In fact, what we have seen and learned is that JUST giving things often only exacerbates problems, no matter how good the intention of the giver is. It takes much more of a commitment than simply giving in order to make good intentions and dollars make a difference.

That said, there is a kind of giving that does create change, and that in my book its the giving of opportunity, giving of education...wiping some of the dirt away from people's eyes. Its something I have been acutely aware of as I sit at home in the US and watch the streets filled with SUVs and large trucks, the grocery carts filled with food that was shipped from halfway across the world, see the way my own consumption patterns shift when I step off the plane in Austin. In Cambodia, I am conscious of what I use, the decisions I make, how my footprints affect the people around me. At home, its harder to see the impact of those choices, and difficult to trace the effects of the energy I use, electronics I throw out, plastic that goes in my waste basket. What's more, there are few people reminding me being conscious of those choices the way there are in our PEPY office, where we gently harass each other to recycle paper, separate our trash and turn off the fans when we leave the room.