Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2006

Friendship Dinner

Before leaving Cambodia, I was so anxious and worried about how my new life in America would turn out. Many friends have advised that I keep myself busy and, if possible, make as many new friends as possible. And so far, following their suggestions, I’ve been doing really well down here, both physically and psychologically.

Thanks to BC’s many orientation sessions, I’ve got acquainted with several new friends from Canada, China, and Japan. I really hope to know more people when classes start.

Yesterday, I was invited by Zeena, one of my Chinese friends, to try her Chinese cooking at her place.. Joining me were my 2 other friends–Isabel from China and Yumi from Japan. Since the ladies were doing the cooking, I decided to stop at a convenience store and tag along a few bottles of Coke… By the time I got there, it was time to eat.. Oh man, they really knew how to cook. I, big eater as always, ate until the last drop.. :p Hmmm.. Talking about it, my mouth is watering again now. :p

Next time, we are going to try a Japanese dinner at Yumi’s place and following that probably a Cambodian dinner at mine.. Oh man, I gotta start practicing my novice cooking skill now, or I’ll lose face. :p

Yumi and Zeena smiling from the kitchen

Isabel working on her half-Japanese, half Korean sushi… :p

Zeena’s specialties

Isabel’s sushis

Boston College

 

Gasson, the most beautiful building on campus

The first view of Boston College took my breath away. I couldn’t believe that I was coming to such a great and beautiful school. The campus is just incredibly huge.. Honestly speaking, it is more like a city of its own. It would take us quite a long while to have a thorough campus tour.. A free bus service, which is run by the university, take students around and outside the campus.

Thinking of all the buildings here, I sometimes questioned myself if I was coming to a school or a museum. Many of the buildings were built in Catholic architecture and date back a few hundred years. Anyhow, don’t judge a book by its cover.. When you get inside each one, you will know why.. A big contrast to its outer appearance, each building is equipped with the latest technology and facilities. All across the campus, students can access free high speed wireless internet. Digitally than that, students can even borrow books, register for or drop classes online, without having to go through all the hassles of queueing at the library or Student Service.

New Life, New Home in Boston

This is my new home in Boston.. Sharing this little house with me are 4 other BC grad students. They are Farooq, a Ph. D. student in economics from Pakistan; Julian, a black-American Ph. D. student in Biology; and Brian and Peter, Chinese- and Korean-American Jurist Doctor candidates at BC Law School.

With Farooq and Brian

With Julian and Jess (Julian’s girlfriend)

It’s been fun living with them.. I have never expected that they would be this nice.. They helped me in almost everything I need.

Dear Farooq, Brian, Julian and Pete, I am real pleased to be part of the Trapelo family..

អព្ភូតហេតុចម្លែកនាទន្លេបួនមុខ

រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ : អព្ភូតហេតុខែ្សទឹកកួចនៅចំចំណុចកណ្តាលនៃទនេ្លបួនមុខ ​ ឬចតុមុខពិតជាអព្ភូតហេតុដ៏កំរបំផុត​ហើយក៏មិនធ្លាប់កើតមានទាល់តែសោះតាំងពីដើមមក។ ពិតណាស់ថា មានការនិយាយទៅតាមការយល់ឃើញរៀងៗខ្លួន ដែលអ្នកមានអបិយជំនឿ​បានចាត់ទុកហេតុការណ៍នោះថា ជាព្រឹត្តិការណ៍នាគលេងទឹក តែសំរាប់អ្នកសិក្សាបែបវិទ្យាសាស្រ្តវិញ​បានចាត់ទុកព្រឹត្តិការណ៍នេះថា ជាអព្ភូតហេតុធម្មជាតិមួយ មិនមែនជានាគហោះមកលេងទឹក ឬជាប្រផ្នូលអ្វីនោះឡើយ។

មានការកត់សំគាល់ថា មួយថៃ្ងក្រោយពីកើតមានអព្ភូតហេតុធម្មជាតិនេះ ពិតជាមានការភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលមួយ ដែលមិនធ្លាប់មានពីសំណាក់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ពិសេសប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ នៅក្នុងរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ និងតំបន់ជាយក្រុង បាននាំគ្នាមកមុខព្រះបរមរាជវាំង​ហើយសំលឹងទៅចំណុចដែលកើតមាន​ហេតុការណ៍ចំលែកនេះ ជាមួយគ្នានេះដែររូបថតដែលជាងថតរូបមុខព្រះបរមរាជវាំងថតបាននោះ ក៏មានហាងឆេងត្រូវប៉ាន់គ្រប់ៗគ្នា តាមសេចក្តីរាយការណ៍ពីមុខព្រះបរមរាជវាំងបានឲ្យដឹងថា ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋមានកេ្មង មានចាស់ ស្រីប្រុសរាប់រយនាក់បាននាំគ្នាមករកទិញរូបថត បង្អាញពីអព្ភូតហេតុខែ្សទឹកកួចឡើងលើ ចំកណ្តាលទនេ្លចតុមុខ កាលពីរសៀលថៃ្ងអង្គារកន្លងមកនេះ​បណ្តាលឲ្យមានការកកស្ទះចរាចរ​ តាមបណ្តោយវិថីព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិមុខ ព្រះបរមរាជវាំងកាលពីព្រឹកថៃ្ងទី30 សីហា 2006។

មានតនៅគេហទំព័រកាសែតកោះសន្តិភាព

Master of Develpment Studies

The Royal University of Phnom Penh is pleased to announce the launching of our new program, Master of Development Studies. After years of preparation and collaboration with national, international experts, various organizations and universities, the program is ready to run starting this academic year.

Please refer to http://rupp.edu.kh/mds for more information.

Cash-strapped Cambodia eyes black gold

 

US oil giant Chevron is poised to prove Cambodia is sitting on oil reserves worth $1 billion annually.

By Adam Piore | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA – Surrounded by shipping crates and puddles, the equipment stacked on concrete blocks in the center of this dingy port facility on the Gulf of Thailand looks more like scrap metal than anything worthy of protection.

But the piles of metal pipes behind flimsy yellow rope are guarded by an armed security officer, as they may hold the key to this impoverished nation’s future.

In the coming weeks, US oil giant Chevron will ferry them hundreds of miles offshore, and use them to reconfirm what many already believe to be true: Cambodia is sitting on a billion-dollar gold mine. Black gold to be exact.

The amount of oil Cambodia will produce in the coming years is likely to have a negligible impact on world markets. But for this impoverished country of 13 million, still recovering from the brutality of the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese occupation, it could be nothing short of transformative.

“If managed well, this could be a huge opportunity for Cambodia,” says Tim Conway, a poverty reduction specialist for the World Bank.

The oil money, says Mr. Conway, “could allow them to make investments in infrastructure, help diversify the economy, and develop schools and resources to help them compete in the region and the world economy.

“The concern is that if it’s not handled properly, it could actually make them worse off.”

Chevron used 3-D seismic data to survey more than 2,427 kilometers, and drilled five exploration wells last year, hitting oil in four. They’ve been cautious in public statements, announcing only that they plan to reconfirm their finds with 10 more test wells in the months ahead.

But the government, diplomats, and the myriad aid organizations operating here have been less sanguine. Earlier this month, officials in this southern port town announced plans to construct a massive new port facility to service oil operators offshore, in anticipation of a full-scale oil boom.

Oil companies from China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan are all vying for offshore contracts. The UN Development Program (UNDP) identified oil as the best hope for the country’s future, and released estimates widely cited in the development community. In Chevron’s “Block A” alone, the first of six demarcated offshore zones, the government share of oil and gas revenues are expected to top between $700 million to $1 billion a year.

By some estimates – according to the UNDP – it’s not unreasonable to believe that in the coming years, revenue from gas and oil deposits will more than double Cambodia’s GDP, which now stands at about $5 billion (much of that is from foreign aid). And that’s not even counting the disputed zones between Thailand and Cambodia, which could be the richest of all.

“I think that the oil and gas in the overlapping area is 10 times bigger than the oil [in] Block A,” says Men Den, director of exploration at the National Petroleum Authority.

So why then are development experts wringing their hands? The list of developing nations ruined by the “resource curse” is a long one, many say.

Over the past 35 years, per capita incomes in countries with a dominant, nonrenewable resource grew two to three times slower than those of resource-deficient countries, according to one paper prepared by the Overseas Development Institute.

Many diplomats and NGOs in Phnom Penh worry that the oil and natural gas – which could start flowing as soon as 2009 – could reverse more than a decade of poverty alleviation and transform Cambodia into a full-scale kleptocracy.

Nigeria is the textbook case of what could go wrong, according to the UNDP.

It raked in more than $450 billion in oil money over the past 35 years, yet 60 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day and the country is carrying a $30 billion debt.

It may be possible to head off such a dire fate, but only time will tell. Soy Sokha, economic adviser to Cabinet Minister Sok An, said: “It’s too early to think about using the revenue for education or public health. We must go step by step.”

But revenue planning, experts say, is exactly what’s needed. If not properly managed, resource booms create inflation, which can drive down the value of foreign currency and reduce the competitiveness of other domestic products on world markets, experts say.

The phenomenon is so common it’s even got a nickname: “Dutch disease,” so named because that’s what happened in the Netherlands when it discovered large reserves of natural gas in the North Sea in the 1960s.

Time and again, experts say, resource revenues have also eroded the links between government leaders and the people they serve. Since the government is no longer dependent on taxes to finance its operations, leaders start to feel they have no obligation to the people, according to the UNDP and World Bank. Violence often becomes the means of protecting the wealth of a small oil oligarchy.

Foreign economic advisers operating in Phnom Penh have long tried – with limited success – to convince the government to deal with the structural problems that predispose a country toward the resource “disease.”

Here, corruption is a major problem and transparency is a constant challenge. The National Assembly and Senate have shown little ability to exercise effective oversight on budgetary matters. “Without a fundamental shift in the role of the state,” the UNDP report warns, “it’s unlikely Cambodia will realize its potential.”

But the good news is that some developing nations have managed to avoid the “curse.” Indonesia reduced its poverty rate by 86 percent and tripled its per capita income between 1975 and 1990, according to the UNDP.

But, says Chea Vannath, former president of the local Center for Social Development, if action isn’t taken soon, the results are only too predictable: “The poor will become poorer and the rich will become richer.”

A Sketch of Me

After our farewell party this evening, Felix, a new friend of mine from Germany, draw me a picture of myself. I was so impressed at how talented he is.

Felix concentrating on the sketch.

This is me after 15 minutes. What do you think?

Thanks a lot, Felix.. Keep up the great job, bro! I know you will soon be the modern Picasso of Germany.. By the way, Felix is going to do a master of illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Great Gift from Fulbright

PSU Campus

Today is the fourth and last day of my gateway orientation at Portland State University (PSU) in Portland, Oregon. The past four days have been real cool.

Nicknamed the City of Roses, Portland is very beautiful and peaceful. The hustle and bustle you normally find in other major American cities is absent here. I was shocked to find most streets empty quickly after 6-7 pm. Another special thing about Portland is the way its people drive. They are just so respectful. Seeing that you are trying to cross a road, most drivers would instinctively stop for you, regardless of when and where you are. Even so, you still need to be extra careful when dealing with the traffic and roads. You just can’t cross anywhere you want. If you ever do it other than at the J-walk, be ready. The fine can cost you as much as $90.

Campus tour with grad student volunteer

You can get around downtown Portland in this lightrail for free..

At the Willamette River quay

With Phuong and Huynh from Vietnam, and Axel from Austria

During the jet boat ride along the Williamette

A fall at the very end of the Williamette River

Coming back to the orientation, despite the short time given, I have managed to make tons of new friends from over 30 nations. I am very pleased that a majority of them are going to the east coast as I am. Just a piece of thought, we are planning to create a groupmail and hopefully hang out together as often as we can.

In a sense, I feel that the orientation has opened my eyes to the world. I have got to learn more about countries of which I’ve never heard before.. Never in this life have I had friends from Latin America, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Lebanon, Egypt, and the like.. Most important of all, I have now understood a whole lot better about American culture, which in return should prepare me well for my new life in this land of freedom. Seriously, I wish the orientation had been longer..

Cross-cultural skit by Latin American Fulbrighters

With friends at the farewell dinner. The lady in black tee standing next to me is Neshe from Turkey. She’s going to Harvard.

With PSU’s orientation organizing committee

With Yoko (Japan), Miray (Egypt), Pinar (Germany) and Laura (Spain)

With Maria (Mexico), Sergio (Spain), Bilal (Lebanon), Maheeda (Pakistan) and Miray (Egypt)

Singing national songs.. Here was the Latin band..

Well, I had better turn in now.. My flight to Boston is leaving at 6:30 am tomorrow. Oh man! That means I will have to check out from the hotel at 4 am.. Too bad.

Inconsistent Decypherment

I went to Puthearoth’s blog today and found quite an interesting post about the decypherment of his name he got from a website. I did follow his and here is mine.. There is only one me though, yet I got three different meanings..

Somongkol:

Having confidence in yourself and integrity you have your emotions under control and are rarely ruffled. You have a quiet and reflective manner and are responsive to the needs of others giving you the ability to be a mediator. You are extremely successful in the material world being organised, financially astute and pursuing realistic goals. Your caring attitude and compassion certainly makes you a loved individual.

Mongkol:

Creative, versatile and imaginative you appreciate beauty in all forms. You have great inner strength and courage and have the ability to accept large responsibilities or challenging situations with patience and humility. Others admire these qualities and follow your lead. You are honest, discerning and self-disciplined and need to have a peaceful environment. Putting others before self your talents are used to make life better for everyone.

Somongkol Teng:

With a quick mind, versatility and the courage to take risks your life is colourful and adventurous. In order to balance this you enjoy a tranquil retreat at times for your emotional wellbeing. Idealistic and humanitarian you have strong convictions and are prepared to stand up for them in pursuit of positive social change. Leadership ability is well marked. Your charm and sparkling personality wins people over and brings you many admirers.

Which one should be the real me then??

San Francisco: the City of the Golden Gate

19/08/06

“If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there

For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair…”

 

That was an extract from Scott McKenzie’s famous 1960s hit, San Francisco. As far as I could remember, I first learnt this lovely song in my elementary English class back in the mid 1990s. Back then, it was one of my favorite hits. I would sing it almost every single day and would hope to be there in the near future. And now the dream has been realized..

A typical Californian view.. I didn’t know that California was such a dry place.. Most of its hills, as you see here, are treeless.

 

Located around an hour drive from San Jose, San Francisco is a city made up of a world of diverse neighborhoods and cultures. The city offers lots of panoramic vista points, the most famous of which is located close to the world famous Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. The major attractions in town are Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Alcatraz Prison, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Angel Islands, and more..

Compared to San Jose, San Francisco is a much more crowded city. It is the second most densely populated major city (over 200,000 in population) in the United States.Houses and buildings fill almost any vacant space available. Thus, this city is also notorious for having some of the most difficut roads to drive and the least space to park.

As it is right along the coast, you can always expect a very chilly, foggy weather here. Unfortunately, the day we were there was foggy, so our plan of taking a nice shot of the Golden Gate was unsuccessful. I wish the weather were warmer, or the trip would have been perfect.

Due to time constraint, our trip was more a skim and scan one.. We did have quite a long stop at the Golden Gate and Fisherman’s Wharf though. I really love our ferry ride across the SF Bay.. It was just fascinating.. Enjoy them with me here..

The San Francisco City Hall

 

Hilly San Francisco. There is no doubt why manual stick drivers often find driving here a nightmare..

On our way to the Golden Gate toll booth. It costs $5 per crossing. It’s worth it though.

on the Golden Gate

Little Vida and Don

The reddish bridge, taken from Vista Point

Bong Pov, Bong Bo (Bong Pov’s wife), Don and Vida

With the Lone Sailor

Pek Kim Bak with his little nephew at Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf is a world of great seafood.. Oh man, ma mouth is watering again now!

Cos it was too crowded, we ended up eating around pigeons..

Pier 31

The ferry ticket booth

Our ferry

Me listening to the ferry guide

The Golden Gate

The Alcatraz, a once infamous federal prison in the SF Bay

A shot with the city’s skyline

Bay Bridge from distance

Believe it or not, the browny things on this pier are seals..

Back to shore…

Buildings in downtown.. SF’s financial district is also known as the Wall Street of the West Coast.

Chinatown

Bay Bridge taken from Treasure Island. This 8-mile-long bridge links SF with Oakland, another city across the bay.

Visiting Relatives’ Houses and San Francisco

19/08/06 

 

Bong Engkry’s house. This is where I am staying…

Since time was limited, Pek Kim Bak the previous night told me that he would be taking me to our relatives’ houses and San Francisco today. The San Francisco part was truly a boost from jetlag for me.. Though I was kinda tired, I juz agreed to his plan without any hesitation. Oh man, what a great plan!

Family pic again..

The first house we went to was Bong Dany’s. She was a cousin of mine, from my father’s side. She got married to a Cambodian-American and moved to America almost ten years ago. She now has two kids–Amanda and Eric, and they both are so lovely. When we got to their house, it was just time they left for Marine World. How fortunate we were! If we had not called to inform our arrival, we would have missed them.

Bong Dany’s house.. I really love the typical house design here.. It’s so cute. Guess what? All houses here are made from wood as they are safer for earthquake..

Bong Dany, her husband (bald) and her kids–Amanda and Eric.. They are so lovely, aren’t they?

After leaving Bong Dany’s place, we then headed to pick up Bong Pov (Pek Kim Bak’s son) ’s wife and kids at his house, which was around 15 minutes away. All of them are joining us to San Francisco today.. As a matter of fact, all my relatives here were so nice to me.. Though I didn’t know most of them that well, I felt so much at home with them.. They were just so friendly, caring and helpful.. Thanks so much, guys, for giving me all these love and care.

Bong Pov’s house.. He runs an accounting and tax filing office here, quite a lucrative business here.

His living room

Bong Pov’s son and daughter, Don (boy) and Vida (Girl)…

By the time we left from Bong Pov’s place, everyone was so hungry. So, we stopped at a Vietnamese restaurant called Nam Vang. I was surprised to see Phsar Thmei’s picture as the restaurant’s logo. Only later did I find out that Nam Vang was a Viet word for Phnom Penh. :p I wonder why the Viets don’t juz call Phnom Penh its real name.. :p Oh man!

Nam Vang or Phnom Penh Restaurant

My yummy beef noodle

To be continued… :p

 

Welcome to San Jose!

18/08/06 

After over 20 hours of flights and transits, I finally reached San Jose, CA. I am here to visit my cousins and relatives for a few days before heading to Portland for a three-day orientation, after which I will continue to Boston.

Guess what this is? I took it from the airplane while on my way from LA. They are actually islands in the pacific.

San Jose is a very lovely city. It’s big but not as crowded as LAX. Guess all of you have heard of the Silicon Valley, the place where most of the world’s largest computer companies are located, don’t you? You know what Silicon Valley is right here. Yahoo, Microsoft, Intel, AMD, Lockheed, Google, Oracle and more are all here.. According to my relatives, it’s pretty cheap to purchase laptops or other computer and electronic producs here.. Supercool!!!!

Though it is now summer, the weather here is very cool. This city also has Asian population. You can find almost all kinds of Asian foods here.. There are Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Korean and more.. Yet there are just so many Vietnamese here.. I found them almost everywhere in town.

Upon my arrival my relatives took me to Phu Lam Restaurant, a Cambodian-Chinese restaurant here. Though I’ve been away from home for only a couple of days, I began to miss home dearly as soon as I got a bite of the food. The taste juz reminded me of my mom’s cooking back home.. Oh, I miss u all so much!

With my relatives (Hea Heng, Pek Kim Bak and his wife, and Bong Eng Kry) at San Jose Int’l Airport

With Pek Kim Bak’s daughter, Sivlee, and her American husband, Spencer at Phu Lam Restaurant

Bong Eng Kry is on the phone with my mom. The two new people here are her son and daughter, Meng and Kunthea.

One Great Night in Bangkok

My next stop after Cambodia was Bangkok, Thailand. Thanks to Eak, M and Rita’s help, this one-night transit was one of the happiest parts of my journey. I was welcomed right at the aerobridge by M, who then took me out for a Korean dinner. As the night was getting late, getting a good place to eat was a big problem for us. We ended up eating at a Korean restaurant called Da Rak near Asoke. Though the food was not as nice as the place we went last time, I really enjoyed my time there chit-chatting with Eak, M, Rita and Suwat. As usual, Rita was the queen of talk.. But it was cos of her, that was how it was fun..

M, me, Eak and Suwat

Korean rice cake and Bulgogi (Korean BBQ)

I still wonder how happy time could have run out so quickly. In the middle of our non-stop talk, the time soon told us that it was now midnight.. We should wrap it up for now and talk more later. I was grateful indeed to Rita TPY ‘00 for putting up for the night..

 The next day I felt so sorry for Rita, Ning and M as they had to send me off to airport early in the morning. I just couldn’t thank you guyz more for all of these kind assistance… Really miss you all..

Farewell Phnom Penh!

The day I long awaited finally arrived. As a matter of fact, my flight schedule had been changed again and again over the past weeks due to the late arrival of my DS-2019, a form you need to make a US student visa. Originally, I planned to leave on the 13th, but then the problem forced me to change it to the 17th and then 18th.

When the day actually arrived, instead of being real excited, I ended up having mixed feelings, the ones I find it hard to describe… I just couldn’t believe that I would be away from home for two full years. Well, no matter what, I hope I won’t be too homesick…

Be strong, Mongkol!

With my family.. I am missing you all so much!

With my close friends, Sal, Chulsa, Phary and Sok (Left to right)

With the CPY hotties…

Trendy HandyDrive

512 Mb HandyDrive Wristband

Aren’t they sup3rcool? Who knows that these wristbands are actually what they seem to be?