Animal Rescue Cambodia

December 13th, 2017

For the Public Health exploration, we went on another trip to Animal Rescue Cambodia to learn more about the Rabies as well as to make connection, so that we can help them out to solve Rabies problems. They are happy about it and they are now agreed to work with us on injecting Rabies vaccine into animals from various communities. We are really looking forward to working with them and help to vaccinate as many animals as we can at the start of February. Reduce the death of Rabies!

Phnom Penh Animal Welfare Society – PPAWs

I am currently learning in an Exploration which is about Zoonotic Disease. In this project, we are basically focusing on helping to raise awareness about Rabies in Cambodia. There are about 5 million dogs in Cambodia, which is about 1/3 of the population. There are also about 800 people that die under the cause of Rabies every year. These data are based on Pasture Institute Cambodia. To get a sense of what people have been doing as well as what we can help out to solve Rabies problems, we went down to Phnom Penh Animal Welfare Society (PPAWs) just to learn about Rabies as well as about what we can help them out. PPAWs has agreed to bring us with them to Mondolkiri from the 19th of January to 22nd of January to help them out to inject dogs and cats as well as raising awareness to people there since Rabies is a really big issue. I am really looking forward to help people there!

10K Marathon Race in Siem Reap

2nd December 2017

After a long time of practicing, I spent a weekend at to participate in the 22nd running competition being held in Siem Reap. It took lots of effort to the running practice; it only got harder. The first plan was to run a 21K, but due to the time limit, we had to change the plan to 10K instead. It was still a great experience to be apart of the competition. It was a long day before the run because I also joined the 37K bike rides. It was more like a relaxing bike ride. On Sunday was where the pressure on. I was prepared and tried as hard as I can and for my first time ever running in a  10K race, I made a rank of 133 out of around 10000 people within 52 minutes and 10 seconds! I am really proud of the result and I am really looking forward toward more of these next year. 

https://www.sportstats.asia/display-results.xhtml?raceid=47501

Khmer Poem – Mom

This is one of my favorite poems that I wrote for my Khmer Literacy class. The topic was free to choose to write and I chose to write about my mom.

                                                             ម៉ែ

វាយោបក់ផាត់កាត់ពីឆ្ងាយ                       ស្រណោះអ្នកម្តាយធ្លាប់នៅជិត

ផ្តល់ក្តីស្រឡាញ់និងអាណិត                       ឲ្យកូនរៀនគិត និងរៀនយល់។

ម៉ែធ្លាប់ប្រាប់កូនឲ្យធ្វើខ្លួន                       ជាជនសមសួនមិនអំពុល

ទុក្ខដល់អ្នកណាឲ្យគេខ្វល់                          ទុកជាឫសគល់ទន់ជីវិត។

ម៉ែឲ្យកូនរៀនប្រើសម្តី                                 តិចច្រើនម្តេចក្តីត្រូវចេះគិត

ត្រូវចេះគោរពអ្នកចាស់ព្រឹទ្ធ                     ឲ្យប្រើគំនិតទុកជាស្ពាន។

ម៉ែឲ្យកូនរៀនមានចំណេះ                          ឲ្យកូនបានចេះទុកជាយាន

ឲ្យកូនចេះឆ្លាតគំនិតមាន                       ហាក់ដូចភ្លើងទៀនបំភ្លឺផ្លូវ។

ម៉ែសែនបារម្មណ៏ពេលកូនឈឺ                  ម្តាយចង់ដឹងលឺរឿងកូនពៅ

ម្តាយចង់នៅក្បែរថែមាសឆ្អៅ                មិនដែលចង់ទៅឆ្ងាយកូនឡើយ។

ម៉ែតែងតែលួងពេលកូនយំ                     រហូតកូនធំម្តាយបានស្បើយ

កូនលែងងរយំដូចមុនហើយ                 ម៉ែបានល្ហែល្ហើយក្នុងចិន្តា។

ម៉ែបារម្មណ៏ខ្លាចកូនស្រីឃ្លាន                ម្តាយខំប្រឹងប្រៀនរកអាហារ

ឲ្យកូនបានឆ្អែតពេញឪរ៉ា                      កូនចាកទុក្ខាម្តាយអរក្រៃ។

ម៉ែមានចំណីមួយចំណិត                         ម្តាយតែងនឹកគិតដល់កូនថ្លៃ

ចង់ឲ្យកូនឆ្ងាញ់បានពេញផ្ទៃ                ម្តាយអស់រឿងភ័យរំខានចិត្ត។

ម៉ែបក់ក្រម៉ាពេលកូនគេង                  ខ្លាចមូសត្រាំត្រេងខាំមាសស្និទ្ធិ

រំខានដំណេកបណ្តូលចិត្ត                      ខ្លាចកូនស្រីពិតអស់កម្លាំង។

ម៉ែមិនខ្វល់ប្រាណមានជម្ងឺ                     ទោះជាទោះឈឺតែងប្រណាំង

ស៊ូទ្រាំជំនះនិងប្រឆាំង                          តស៊ូតតាំងនឹងឧបសគ្គ។

ម៉ែតែងស្តីថាកូនមែនពិត                      ប៉ុន្តែក្នុងចិត្តម្តាយតែងឆ្លាក់

មេរៀនល្អៗនិងសច្ចៈ                             ម្តាយមិនអល់អាក់ប្រាប់កូនទេ។

កូនឆ្ងាយម្តាយពិតតែចិត្តនៅ            នឹកឃើញម្តាយនៅធ្លាប់បំពេ

ស្រឡាញ់ថ្នាក់ថ្នមកូនជាងគេ              មិនដែលទំនេរបានយូរសោះ។

សូមម៉ែប្រណីរឿងកន្លង                     អ្នកម្តាយមាសស្នងសូមស្រណោះ

កូនស្រីនៅក្មេងម្នាក់នេះចុះ              មិនទាន់យល់អស់គ្រប់ប្រការ។

Here’s a brief description of what the poem is saying and I started off everything stanza in the word “ម៉ែ”, which is a mother in Khmer. 

The wind is blowing, which reminds me of the existence of my mother, which reminds me of her love and sympathy that she gives me. Those had taught me to learn how to think and understand my surroundings. Mom used to teach to be a person that will not bother others. Being that person will create a pathway for my life. Mom taught me to speak thoughtfully and respectfully toward others. This tip will create a bridge for my life. Mom sends me to school, which allows me to have the knowledge, which is like a candle that helps to light up my world. Whenever I get sick, mom would never ever want to stay away from me; she wanted to take care of me. I cried so much when I was young, but mom always comforts me. Mom would always find food for me to eat so that I could be full. When there’s a piece of food, she thinks of saving it for me first before herself. She has a krama to fan so that mosquitoes won’t bite me. Sometimes mom might be sick, but she still tries to fight over her own sickness and even hide it because of me. She might blame, but it’s all because she wanted me to become a good person. Even though I am living somewhere far away from my mother right now, but the love has never faded. I am apologizing for anything that I have done wrong; it’s all because I still have much more things to learn.