Where In The World Is Cailie Kafura?: Prostitutes, Scuba, and Barefooting with Aladdin Pants.

Susei dei!

We are now in the Land of Buddha: CAMBODIA.

After a 11 hour flight surrounded by Orientally-clad flight attendants and ice cream after our meals(!), arrival was made in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My first time in Asia and I am already loving it. Towering over all of the Cambodites, I am an obvious tourist to this foreign land.

A quirky little Cambodian man picks me up to take me to my project. I have to spend two nights in Phnom Penh with the Orphanage volunteers and await the other conservation volunteers so that we may go to the island together. I met some wonderful volunteers here from all over Europe and even some Americans! Fancy that!
We hit up the Phnom Penh nightlife and indulged in some interesting experiences, including wonderful markets and Phnom Penh nightlife. We also attended an amazing puppet show, traditional entertainment of this area! (See pics!)
After 2 days of this, I took a 4 hour bus ride to Sihanoukville with a girl from Australia and a boy from New York. A treacherous 2 hour boat ride brought us to the final destination of Koh Rong Samloem Island, where I will reside for the next 2 months!

Our boat brought us to this idyllic fishing village with turquoise water, stilted bungalows, and colorful fishing boats undulating with the waves. Climbing off the boat with my bag that could hold small children, I trekked through the captivating village towards my bungalow, which had the ocean lapping on our doorstep.My bungalow even featured the magical bucket shower and toilet combo! Yep, We flush with a bucket and shower with a bucket...and I love it!

Being surrounded by this beauty was so utterly tempting, but our first call of duty was to become scuba divers! We had one day to do 5 pages off bookwork and read the PADI scuba book and that night we would take the test.After 10 dives in 4 days, we were advanced scuba divers!

The following day, we began training to learn about reef checks and seahorse surveys! Using compasses, measuring tape, and other technical and professional appearing tools, we could now perform environmental studies on the underwater world.

We were invited to a wedding in the village and it was a very interestingly different version of a wedding. For starters, the bride wore white face makeup to appear as a caucasian person. This is because if people are tan, it is symbolic that they had to work out in the sun for a living. Being white means being privileged enough to have a roof over their head. They want to be white and we want to be tan. Wow.

As we walked throught the village the other day, we saw a starving puppy, so we asked the owner if we could take him and feed him. He was tiny and had worms, so we gave him medicine and food and wrapped him in a towel. He earned the name Custeau and became our best friend.

There is a makeshift schoolroom in the village where the village children come to learn english. I came to help one day and was astonished by the willingness to learn. They write in squiggles and seeing them comprehend english was such a triumph for all of us.

Scuba diving twice a day is amazing and exhausting. We set up the equipment, lug it on our backs, and jump off the boat in the middle of the ocean. After diving to the bottom, we explore the wildlife before us and identify it to our buddies using signs.

Seeing the alien world that lies just below the surface of the ocean takes my breath away. Being a part of this conservation project provides me with the confidence that one person can make a difference in this world. Removing entagled nets from the corals, ridding the beaches of endless styrofoam and plastic(and thousands of straws...don't use straws please!), and releasing exotic fish from traps is all in my day's work. At the end of the day, we go to the village and socialize with locals, which is one of my favorite parts--learning that people are all the same, despite our differences.

Orkun TomTom and Leah Hai! (Thank you big big and goodbye!) :)

Sincerely,

Cailie Kafura!