Haze inside and out

Ah, jet lag…..
Traveling to SE Asia from London doesn’t get any easier. I sleep in deep, melatonin-induced bouts of slumber, only to wake up rarin’ to go every four hours or so. That is, my brain wakes up rarin’ to go, but the rest of me continues in that weird half sleep where you can’t really move, but you can’t really get up either. I should be back to normal in a day or two, but until then everything is a haze. I’ve come to expect that haziness inside of me. But what I didn’t expect was the external haziness that greeted me when I walked off the plane in Singapore.
The photo attached was taken from my friend’s apartment window. That white expanse from the trees and then upwards is the dense smoke and particulate matter which the air currents have brought over from the horrible fires in Indonesia. The illegal yet widespread practice of slash-and-burn that is carried out throughout Sumatra and Kalimantan has caused a major health and environmental crisis. Although this does happen each year, this year is especially bad and the danger is spreading throughout much of SE Asia. There is a good overview of the causes and effects from the BBC here.
I wasn’t affected too much by the problem since I was only in Singapore for a one-night stop over on the way to Siem Reap, and Cambodia doesn’t seem to be affected. The air here is as ever — not exactly bad but not exactly good.The rainy season has come and mostly gone. It was late this year so the water levels are still high and I could clearly see the flooded rice fields from my airplane window. The flooding is good news. There was enough rain this season in Siem Reap province to ensure an adequate rice harvest. The same was, unfortunately, not true in some of the other northern provinces. But air quality and flooding aside, it is great to be here in my little guest house, Horizons — my home away from home. It’s been seven months since I left, and much has changed in this crazily fast-moving town. On a personal note, my friends who run Horizons now have a new baby girl! Both she and her mother are doing well, and the now big brother is behaving himself (as is the dad). But in keeping with the surrounding commercial development, plans are afoot for a new bar and restaurant area. Business hasn’t been bad during this low season, I’m happy to see. And beyond the horizons there are new restaurants and hotels sprouting up everywhere. I’m looking forward to checking them out as much as I can during my two-week stay.
This trip has two purposes. First, to carry out my duties as a Board member of Anjali House and check in with the staff, see how everything is going, take a look at the new developments going on there, and most importantly, visit with those kids I’ve grown to love so much.
Secondly, I’m here for Writing Through. I’ll be meeting with some of the organisations we have already worked with in order to plan their workshops for 2016. And I have a list of meetings with other NGO’s to discuss bringing our programs to them, as well. Just like with Siem Reap all around me, growth and expansion is in the air. I will also be running our annual workshops for the two schools supported by Caring for Cambodia along with a couple of potential Facilitators. This shadowing process is our the second step to completing the Writing Through training. The process is creating a terrific group of Facilitators eager to go out and teach our programmes, and with their help, our envisioned expansion can really happen.
That’s my report for now. I feel a nap coming on…..