Siem Reap Cambodia - The Magnificent Dr. Beat Richner

It is easy to become discouraged living in "developing" country - at the lack of development.  The odds are so stacked against it - staggering poverty with half of countries earning less than $2US/day; rampant diseases like TB, cholera, maleria that the US hasn't seen in 60 years, if ever; and corruption on a scale that is hard to comprehend, and even harder to address.

And then, you happen upon a miracle and are boosted back to the possibilities, and are humbled by meeting a person who somehow surmounted the odds and became a living legend of accomplishment.  And you leave the encounter feeling trivial, but again hearing the call to become more than you are.

Such was my Saturday night here in Cambodia, when I attended the weekly "cello concert" at Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, given by its head, Dr. Beat Richner, a Swiss pediatrician.

"Concert" in a Victor Borge sort of presentation - yes, classical excerpts were played, and Richner was passionate about his music - beautifully executed.  But the only reason he was on stage was to tell the story of Kantha Bopha and to request funding from the international audience, who came from the western world - Switzerland, Australia, the US - and were nearly all white and monied.

And what a story he told.

197 Red Cross volunteer

 He graduated medical school in 1973 and
 was sent to Cambodia with the Red Cross in 1974. 
 Forced to leave in 1975 when the  country was invaded
 by the crushing Khmer Rouge, he returned to Zurich
 where he practiced pediatrics for 15 years. 

The Entertainer "Beatocello"

He developed his poet/clown/entertainer character "Beatocello" during medical school and entertained crowds in Zurich, and wrote children's books on his character - as well as ran his own practice until 1991  At that time the Cambodian government asked him to return to Cambodia to resurrect the children's hospital which had been destroyed (along with 1.7-2.5 million lives in the 'killing fields') during the war.

As many do, he came for two years, and stayed 22 so far.  He admits to severe homesickness and from what I've read, also severe depression.  But what a remarkable journey he began at age 44, when many doctors relax at their golf or tennis club and are looking forward to retirement.  With the help of the King, Norodom Sihanouk (who died in October of 2012, which took an obvious toll on the doctor), he has built 5 hospitals in Cambodia - the largest children's hospital in the world.



King Norodom Sihanouk



Opening a new hospital

Kantha Bopha (named for the daughter of the King who died as a child with leukemia) has treated over 12 MILLION outpatients and 1.5 MILLION seriously ill patients over the last 22 years. 

Richner's premise is that you need modern world technology to address the diseases of the 'developing' world and that treatment should be just and equitable.  He has made remarkable medical progress as well as social - there is no charge to anyone for any of the services at his hospitals.  The medications, surgeries and all services,  in- or out-patient, are free of charge.




Over 640 doctors report to him

Out of the 2450 people employed, only Richner and his head of pathology are ex-pats - another incredible achievement.  His research has linked mother's milk to TB (65% of the Cambodian population has TB and it is the main cause of death here - which Richner attributes to the war and abysmal conditions of the camps).  The mortality rate at his hospitals, which treat mothers and children is unheard of - only 1% with diseases such as TB, cholera, dengue and malaria.





Richner 1992

Richner has little good to say about pharmaceutical companies or medical policies which refuse to allow the poor to access modern world technologies. Several western countries (US included) will not donate because they demand that the patient pay for a portion of the care. But, as I've seen in the Philippines, if you have no money, a 20% discount doesn't help much. 90% of Richner's funding comes from individual donors.



Richner at Saturday's concert July 6, 2013

A person who views peace and justice as the only possible path, Richner is outspoken and not known for diplomacy - even as he asks for money. He blames Kissinger and the CIA for deposing the king, starting the "secret" war, and plunging Cambodia into the depths of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. He despises corruption and shows that you can operate corruption-free even is a land steeped in it. He blames pharmaceutical greed for keeping disease thriving among the world's poor, and the 'haves' of the world for not caring to provide the same medical advancements of which they partake to the 'have nots'.

Over my 60 years I've witnessed plenty of outspoken folks, but few who do more than complain and place blame elsewhere.  This man certainly has his foibles and opinions, but he acts for the good of all and "lives big."  I was humbled both by the work that he is doing - and by the fact that I'd never even heard of him, when it seems he should have been on several covers of TIME magazine.   He doesn't work for himself but for others. 

I came to Siem Reap to experience beauty and got more than I expected.




Two Youtubes from a teenager who experienced what I did - thought these captured it well - thanks Grace Keenan!

Glimmers of Hope - one reason I stay

As much as progressive movement is frustrating here on Palawan, I am blessed to work for a phenomenal family who own a pawnshop and money transfer business here - they rank #4 in the country with almost 900 branches and an additional 1000 outlets.  This is the first well-run organization I've seen on Palawan and I so appreciate working here.  Somedays I wake up humming their jingle since it is catchy - and I have tried to also memorize the corporate anthem and do their dance routine which doubles as a stretch break during meetings - I flail around and certainly don't pronounce the words correctly - Tagalog still eludes me.  We all laugh at my failings and flailings and they accept me as I am.

May 31st is Mam Angie's birthday and is almost a company holiday - there are tarpaulins on the 2nd and 4th floors with birthday wishes - and the 4th floor is festooned with balloons all over the walls and doors.  When I arrived that morning, I had to retreat to the 3rd floor conference room to work - my desk was covered with flowers and cakes - there must have been 6 cakes in the office where I sit with the executive committee. Later I returned, had some cake, and was shown what I hadn't seen before - hundreds of flowers in her office - a 6 foot bench was piled high with pink roses in many arrangements, as well as single stems.  I had missed the early morning when most of the employees and area managers came in one by one with a rose to her office and wished her happy birthday.

But that wasn't what made her day so special to her or me - late that day, she and her husband welcomed the 30 scholars that they funded to attend Palawan State University this school year.  They established the scholarship in 1998 and have funded over 130 scholars, 28 of whom currently work for the company.

Yesterday, I was surprised to see the group of students again in the office - school begins on Monday, so I figured it was a send off - this time I was invited to join them.  Mam Angie and Sir Bobby (Mam and Sir are terms of respect, which is a requisite here - basically the equivalent of Mr. and Mrs.) had applications in front of them and asked each student to talk about their situation - the school from which they hailed, their intended plan of study and why they had applied for the scholarship.  I could only get some of the details (and resolved to study my Tagalog), but these children (you enter college here at 16 years old now - it will change to mold with the rest of the world, but the Philippines just instituted 'middle school') were incredibly composed and poised (except for the custom of not looking in the eyes of the audience) as each told their story.  As they spoke, Mam Angie scribbled notes on their applications.

Most of their fathers were tricycle or multicab drivers who earned little - most had no electricity in their homes.  One small girl had tears trickling down her face most of the time I was there - she had come to Puerto from Brooke's Point (about 6 hours south), but had not gotten a scholarship and when she called her parents to tell them, they told her to return home - that they just didn't have the money to send her to school.  She was supposed to return today, but the miracle from Mam Angie came on Friday that they were awarding additional scholarships and that she had been accepted - finally someone got her tissues and her eyes leaked the entire time. 

There were about 16 students with studies ranging from Accounting to Business to Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering.  Another girl choked out her gratitude, saying that this was the first time she had ever been out of her town of Roxas, about 2 hours north of Puerto - her parents had to borrow money for her transportation to the scholarship meeting.  Her father worked as a multicab driver and she had 6 brothers and sisters.    One of the boys' fathers had his own furniture shop - but he said that there were no customers; others said that their families had no work, and hadn't for a long time.

Near the end, Sir Bobby asked if I wanted to say something.  I smiled (for no one knew my beginnings) and told them that I had grown up in a poor household - that my father worked in a grocery store and stocked shelves at night - that my father did not graduate from high school.  I told them that I too had gotten a scholarship - and that it changed my life.  Of course, Sir Bobby, the wise-cracker said, "Huh!  I thought you were one of those rich ones like on tv."  Everyone here thinks that all Americans are rich - so I am helping dispel that myth. 

I found that Mam Angie had convinced Sir Bobby to add more scholarships, and all these students were in addition to the former group.  She said it was too hard of a decision for her and she hopes to convince him to add a few more - this year, instead of the 33 intended scholarships, she thinks 48 is a good number.  She said that they had a good year in the company and she wants to pass it on.  This is remarkable here for the lack of fanfare and lack of "utang na loob," the idea that you forever will owe me - this family wants nothing in return.

All that Sir Bobby and Angie asked of them was to "be good" and to "pass."    The students solemnly agreed to do so and filed out of the room with big grins on their faces, leaving a few of us with tears on ours.

The first batch of 30 at Baywalk in Puerto

Life of Seuss

Life (according to Dr. Seuss)

The older I get,... the more I experience, ... the more I write,...I realize that I am in the Dr. Seuss chapter of my life.  I probably always was, except for 20 years married to an uber-responsible adult with OCPD according to a friend of mine - I suppose a logical complement to my ADHD  (opposites attract as they say!).  And it worked for a nice while.  I am so lucky that I did catch my dream of the Peace Corps later in life...it made me realize that my dream was a fantasy, but the opportunity that
the Peace Corps offered allowed me to rediscover my life dreams that I am now living.  So, I guess for every purpose there really is a season!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!.

This is my current Seussism, and I must say that I still find it hard to decide everything every day and live with those decisions - it was much easier with a partner, especially a partner who had it all figured out. Well, until that felt overbearing.  And now, after the Peace Corps experience, I know that no one truly has it figured out - that there is no "right" and that I am not "wrong" - just need to change my habit of always deferring to others.  But, yes - I DO have brains in my head and feet in my shoes - and I am steering myself in directions that I NEVER, EVER thought I would go  And somedays, like today, I don't even put on my shoes, but write in my sarong - loving every minute of my decision to spend the day this way!

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
― Dr. Seuss 

I must say that I have done some of my best thinking work here in the Philippines, although much of it will never be used...it was too American - done too quickly and too comprehensively which is counter-productive here. Patience and respect is of the utmost importance and Asian Patience is highly valued - much too highly IMO.  So I have evolved - probably because I cannot think like an American and get anything done!  I have to first think American for the analysis and solution, and then modify it to the Pilipino culture - suggesting only one bite at a time (and only after being asked), and then further making that bite more appealing to the provincial thinking here in this far-flung province of "The Last Frontier".   Over the almost three years, I've evolved into Palphipican - more Palawano than Pilipino but with the ever-present and foundational American root.



“You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed)  Kid, you'll move mountains.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Mixed up?  Hay Naku!  I can't think of any area where I haven't made mistakes!  From little to enormous and the biggest challenge is to forgive myself and move forward...and to get back in the middle of the flow of Life which is Everywhere. But Balanced - I always seem to get unbalanced right after I feel that I am finally well-balanced! 

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
― Dr. Seuss

I have tried to fit in my entire life and have made myself miserable in the effort - no longer trying.  My feelings can still get hurt, but even that is transitory in these elder, er, golden years!

“I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.”
― Dr. Seuss

This is the one that I get stuck in - I'm learning how to celebrate it instead of being saddened and fantasizing different endings; like having multiple lives that I could experience all the possible endings.  I remember flavors and smells and adventures: searching for the best cheesecake in NYC with Mary; doing the Yucatan with Ash; showing Liz every snorkeling cove on the Big Island, shooting the freezing rapids in British Columbia with Katie, and all the times with the girls and Dave.  That old "Carpe Diem!!" but "Live in the Moment!" as well.


 

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.”
― Dr. Seuss

Having those FUN FIRSTS - exploring new things was always my favorite thing to do - and I'm seeing lots of new things - from the swim with whale sharks and dolphin encounters to spending three nights on tiny island in a hammock, to the Buddhist temples of Chiang Rai in Thailand and the Hindu stonecarvers of Bali and next to Angkor Watt in Cambodia - wow - there are so many places to see and people to meet.

 “All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go! and The Lorax

 

Thankfuly, I like being alone, but I'm getting worried about the terminal recluse or lonely old bag scenarios.  The Peace Corps experience allowed me to talk with anyone in my travels - something I hated to do before - as well as to eat out without feeling a moment's qualm...but I must admit that it gets lonely.  Not the same lonely that you feel with someone that you shouldn't feel lonely with, but still.  It mostly hits me in romantic settings where young people are loving on each other - reminds me of the "Hello Young Lovers" song from The King and I, although I'm not sure that fits anything but my fantasy.  Or watching happy families and remembering my own back in the day.  On the other hand, being alone allows you to interact with so many other people.  Better than not doing, I do alone - but usually pair up with folks - even those couples who are loving on each other, or the single woman backpacker, or the honeymooners from Manila, or the grandparents with their family...yes "lonely" is a relative word.

 

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”
― Dr. Seuss

As he also said, "Adults are just obsolete children," I've never had "being a grown up" as a goal of mine.  But, even through the wrong end of a telescope, some realities of a 3rd world country are harsh and not very laughable.  Those are the things that are overwhelming to me - the scope and magnitude of the problems and the total inability to solve or truly improve things (oops - there's that American value - to fix things - most of the globe"accepts" people and things as they are).  Recently, a medical mission arrived with 14 professionals (Speech and Occupational Therapists) to do a free screening for children.  They were stunned when over 200 families responded...and could not handle them all, but saw about 120 families that day.  I just helped out, but was shaken at the magnitude and the looks of hopelessness on the faces of the parents (especially since I had agreed to set up a similar clinic for assessing disabilities).   Listening in to the discussions was wrenching - the ignorance of people due to poverty and lack of education - these people had never had their child to a doctor, let alone to a specialist.  And the problems were profound - no amount of money could have helped these children...but education, prevention and early intervention could have helped probably 80% of them.  To have the answers but to have them unreachable is heartbreaking.  So Dr. Seuss, maybe it should be "enables you to laugh at most of life's realities"?

“There's no limit to how much you'll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.”
― Dr. Seuss

 

I've think I've passed zebra and am now looking forward to more non-alphanumerics.  And, as I said I don't 'know' much, although I feel my brain is expanding.  But I think it really takes something stupendous to get you past zebra - you really have to leave the non-Seussian confines of your mind and the societal structures that limit your thinking (and all societies brain wash inhabitants - how else could we stand to live together in a given society??).    A trip to see the sights of a foreign country is not the "something" that I'm talking about.  But to try to get into another's head and understand why a group of people think and act the way they do, without judgement. I was fortunate in having the Peace Corps provide that vehicle, although it wasn't a pleasant or fun ride much of the time - but it did blow out the Winchester Mystery house architecture of my mind with my assumptions and insular thinking.  Even so, I will never understand this society to the point of accepting and operating fluidly within it.   Liz claims that I "drank the Kool Aid," but I think quite the opposite; that we all have blinders on and that only exposure to the "others" and "them" will give understanding.  I did leave a lot behind in my old life and part of me is sad that I will never be the same, but the unfolding flower in front of me (or is it just the tear-producing onion?) is fascinating to behold. 

 

 

THE LAW, EXTREMISTS AND REALITY

I met a local legend when I was at lunch with my friend Jane, who owns my favorite pizza place – named after her daughter: “Neva’s Place.”  I was devouring a special pizza and salad Jane had prepared for me, when Jacquie wandered in.  I’d  heard of Jacquie, a Belgian veterinarian – reputedly eccentric - and had imagined her very differently…she didn’t seem all that odd to me when she said that she preferred animals to humans and believes that they have souls.  She has caused quite a stir here – she nabs stray animals and spays/neuters them and treats them for diseases - all on her own tab…40-50 animals a month she told me.  She feels that she is upholding the law in the Philippines when she gathers up wayward animals (pests to the natives), spays them and releases them, but others here would eat them and don't appreciate her efforts.  She eats no eggs or dairy products like milk or yogurt because to do so is to encourage the industrialized, inhumane caging of animals for human benefit.  I always thought yogurt was a good thing, and had to pause and reflect.   I’ve never been that much of an extremist and wonder if I have never believed in anything that devoutly, or am just lazy.

 

Laws, extremists and law-breakers are talked about often here, as well as freely observed.  I’ve mentioned before that the written laws here in the Philippines are the best I’ve ever seen – on child labor, corporate governance,  special education and mining for example.  There is a joke here that the first people to break new laws are the very people who write the laws - and thereafter the laws are just pieces of paper to collect dust. I’ve noticed that laws are often used by people in power to exploit others, by either enforcing them rigidly, or ignoring them altogether.

"Mining on Palawan"  encompasses a situation rife with extremists.  Because we are the “last frontier” and have pristine ecology (fast dwindling), mining has accrued a vast number of enemies.  I, too, have signed petitions against mining and will continue to do so - at least against the small independent miners who rape the land and leave scars and wastelands.  However, Jane has long told me about the difference that a few mining companies make here – and the conditions under which they operate.  It is easy to blame the big corporations, but here, almost everyone has a hand in raping the land – from the slash-and-burn agricultural techniques of natives; to common tourism practices of throwing boat anchors directly onto coral;  to polluting the land with trash and human waste (we have no sewage system here in Puerto - designated a "highly urbanized city" of the Philippines with about 200,000 residents in the "city")…no one is lily white.

After I wrote this piece, I was talking with my boss about the irony of being an environmental province - when you couldn't even find a trash can to deposit trash in - and that I'd seen a dead dog putrifying in the water at the Baybay tourist walk on the bay.  She told me that the reason there are few trash receptacles anywhere is the terrorism scares of about 10 years ago.  Bombs could be easily planted in trash bins - and they did away with them.  So, what to do?  As is so often the case here - a solution to one problem simply creates another problem - and often one with even greater negative impact.  sigh..   as I've often said - the older I get, the less there is a right/wrong; good/bad; black/white - living here has muddied my values and made me look at things very differently.

So - a couple weeks ago, I had the chance to muddy my values even more.  I was lucky to join Jane and three others (Carlos, Bituin and Roy) for a 6 hour ride over really bumpy “roads” (as in carsickville) to actually see how the best mining companies operate.  We journeyed to tour a mining company in the town of Rio Tuba in southern Palawan – the company for which Jane works as community outreach coordinator. 

I’d long wanted to do this trip, but timing never seemed to work out, and it was "bawal" (forbidden), by the Peace Corps due to tensions about mining.   Another friend had warned me – after I questioned her about her lack of enthusiasm on my going – that although the residents inside the corporate town did well, those outside its boundaries fared poorly.  Since I respect both of my friends greatly, I was really interested to check things out. 

We were to start driving at 8am, but one of the participants had stomach problems (boy can I empathize!) and we finally got moving around noon (he was left behind to "rest" - and I know what "rest" really means in amoebaville...poor man).     Typically Pilipino – we stopped for lunch as we headed out of town – about 5 minutes down the road from me!  This was my first trip farther south than Narra, which is about 3 hours from Puerto and only half way to our Rio Tuba destination. 

Jane

Perhaps 30 minutes south of Narra, the terrain changed; forests opened up to larger grasslands, and different types of trees prevailed – some really odd-looking, tall trees that I’ve never encountered, with huge, though sparse, flat leaves and big pods. 

We stopped for coffee and a snack about an hour from our destination and finally arrived around 7pm into the heavily guarded compound

(I found out the next day that the company employs 500 guards on their 5,000 hectares). 

Jane was well-known here, so we weren’t hassled, and drove up to the Guest Facilities, where we received keys to our individual rooms where a towel, toothbrush and paste and shampoo waited on our clean and comfy beds.  Each bathroom was spacious with hot and cold water – a rarity for me – and aircon which is a blessing here.   We freshened up and headed to the dining room where a fabulously delicious dinner was served:  chicken and lechon baboy (roasted pig) and lapu-lapu (a fish named after the Chieftain who killed Magellan…strange), along with pakbit (ampalaya, squash and string beans).  And, cold fresh watermelon for dessert.  I'd forgotten what working for a money-making corporation could be like!   It was obvious that they wanted to educate people on what responsible mining is – there were AFS students from 6 countries; businessmen from China, schoolteachers from Manila, and two very tall league basketball players - all stayed overnight at the guest house to be educated on personalized tours.

Two mining companies (Rio Tuba Nickel and Coral Bay) are located in Rio Tuba, where they mine nickel and cobalt –Until RTN (Nickel Asia) began producing here, the Philippines didn't rank on any list of metal producers.  Now, Nickel Asia ranks 7th in the world, with virtually all nickel being used for stainless steel (for which there is no replacement metal).  RTN is the larger and was established here about 30 years ago, on about 5,000 hectares of land – only 200 of which has been mined due to the concentration of the metal in those hectares. They estimate another 30 years of productivity in Rio Tuba - and are already planning their exit strategy - which is what I wanted to investigate. 



Early to bed; early to rise: we awoke, had breakfast and set out for the tour around 7:30am. Our itinerary included the hospital; indigenous peoples' council; the school (1,300 students K-12); the alternative school for indigenous peoples, the previously mined areas in differing stages of rehabilitation;  the plant nursery and the research farm.

 THE COMPANY TOWN

As we traveled in our air conditioned van through the areas, I was reminded of the Northern California town of Scotia – where I’d taken my daughters nearly two decades ago, to see the processing facility where enormous lumber was milled from even more enormous redwood trees – fascinating.  Scotia was a beautiful little town near the coast just past Ferndale and before Eureka - founded in 1863 by the Pacific Lumber Company, who built all sorts of amenities for its employees – including a fancy movie theatre – which was the height of luxury in those days.  However, today Scotia is a relic – a ghost town; known as “the last company town in America”.   

Wide roads, drainage, tidy electrical lines - all told that we
were somewhere near Oz.
 

Rio Tuba looked much as I imagined Scotia did in its heyday, with a "3rd world" flavor.  Roads were about 5 times normal width and neatly laid out; electrical lines did not overlap; everything was clean and tidy - no trash thrown at the side of the road, and even a drainage system. 

It looks like Palm Springs, California in the 1960's!

Each staff employee has a house, water, electricity, etc…..all free from the company. I asked what happened if something broke– the company pays for the repair!  The downside is obviously the reason for the company town and benefits:  employees reside in the middle of nowhere and there's not a lot to do out here, except work for the company.

THE HOSPITAL 

Carlos, Bituin and Doc on our tour of the hospital

RTN built, and recently expanded a hospital facility to 40 rooms – all medications and treatments are free to employees and the indigenous peoples who live on the land being mined. 



 

The impressive clinical laboratory

Clean, shiny corridors

The doctor-director said that there were only 12 deaths from malaria last year; that tuberculosis cases had been dramatically reduced (although mortality rates are high because people delay coming to the hospital until it is too late), and that there were fewer cholera outbreaks due to his intensive education programs. 

 Dengue of course has no vaccine, and he deals with outbreaks as they occur.  We did discuss that none of these results would have been possible without the total underwriting of whatever he needs, by the company.  On the other hand - what a rewarding life he has - such an impact he is making!



The pharmacy - where all meds are free

 

You can see from the pictures that this is a pretty impressive facility.  And it was packed (we visited on a Monday) with indigenous people, waiting for treatment.



One of the nurses' stations



  

 





 

 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The Alternative School for Indigenous Peoples who work
on their property and come here for computer classes

We then proceeded to the Indigenous Peoples Council and spoke to the Chieftain,  hired to oversee distribution of royalties to the 13 tribes in the 11 barangays.  The Mining Law in the Philippines requires several different types of support and remediation for the people whose lands are being mined.  Unfortunately, the law's intent might be laudable, but  the effects tend to increase the dependency of indigenous peoples  rather than empower them and it often feels like bribery rather than fee payment.  

The Chieftain is Cuyonon, from the distant island of Cuyo in north Palawan, and coordinates the Council, addressing the desires of each of the 13 tribes.  They meet to discuss projects that determine how the 83 million pesos are to be spent.  So, as my friend had noted - the law creates relatively enormous wealth for those under the royalty law...but those living outside of the physical and legal boundaries maintain the highest poverty levels on the island.  Again, the law needs to be revised to attain the intent - not to dole out millions of pesos to people who still have their hands out.

Onward to the community school - a treat – just a regular school – 1,350 children from K-12 in the middle of nowhere. All in uniform and well-behaved. The school is staffed by faculty and staff from La Salle University and was one of the nicest schools I've visited hereon Palawan, complete with playing fields and a staffed library. 

Large class sizes and no teacher aides here -
but well-behaved students nonetheless

About 1/4 of the Library





 

OUTSIDE THE RESIDENTIAL AREA

The part of 'mining' that everyone knows about

On our way to the reforested areas, we passed the corporate air strip and drove through the part of the land that looked familiar to all the No to Mining posters - the land that was actually being mined for nickel and its cobalt by-product.  And, yes, it was ugly - but to me, no uglier than the sights I see daily around the city - trash and contaminants and unclean water.  And, at least there was some good coming out of this unsightliness.

 

This was an Education for me - Wow.

 

Studies on reforestation and crop raising

  The difference between the bad actors and the ones who work sustainably lies in the efforts to repair the land close to its original state.  I was impressed with the dedication of this company to refurbishing the land to a usable, productive state - reforesting and amending soil for agriculture.

  




The man in charge - master forester

  

Rice fields

                Their work addresses speeding up the reclamation process by using endemic species of plants that thrive here, in addition to populating the area with endemic insects to reclaim the ecology of the forest.



seedlings at the ready

Engineers are the mainstay of the chemical and mining business - known for detailed task orientation rather than community sustainability.  But, top management intends to leave behind a functioning community rather than a ghost town and are working hard to do so - but the transitioning from a community dependent upon a benefactor to a self-reliant body of decision makers...is a daunting proposition - no matter the altruistic intent.  They have their work cut out for them - for the next 30 years.


THE RESEARCH FARM

 Our last stop, as we headed out of Rio Tuba, was at the Research Farm which attempts to optimize crops and train the indigenous peoples to tend those crops and do research on soils and crop optimization.  Although there were many workers on the farm, one man headed up everything.  We walked around a bit of the very rustic farm, looking at the pineapples, dwarf cocohut tress and papays that touched the ground, then returned  and ate senorita bananas till we were stuffed, chatting amiably (in Tagalog - so I didn't catch all of the converation - let alone the jokes and innuendos).  The farm is on hard times - the best I could tell was that much of it was due to apathy.  Paul, the manager, has been there for over 20 years and raised his family there - yet none of his children have an interest in working on the farm.  He has no apprentice who is interested in managing the farm and there does not seems to be a lot of involvement from the community.  We discussed starting a soils analysis lab there, and will be pursuing that, but, the energy level definitely needs to rise.

Delicious berries that Jane says are made into wine

At the farm

 



Our chariot

We took home all of these bananas!

As we rode back (taking 8 hours because our gas filter had collected water.  Our driver Ronald had to stop and dismantle it, shake all the water out and dry it out.  Fascinating that this seemed to be a common occurrence, since everyone simply disembarked and stood for maybe an hour on the side of the road and chatted – then somehow knew, without any questions, when to re-embark and we resumed our trip),  we talked about how to use what we saw.  Our meeting was fortuitous – we will work together to enhance the rehabilitation process by introducing endemic insect and butterfly species; propose establishing a soils analysis lab at Rio Tuba which will be available for foresters and farmers throughout the province to use; and design research demonstration farms on the land of indigenous peoples to augment their education and training according to the company’s intent to leave a benefit behind when they leave the processing site.  This is why I live here now – as Dr. Seuss said – “Oh the things you can do, the things you can see!”

In the days following the trip, I’ve ruminated on what I saw and what it means.  I finally decided that it’s back to the law and extremists.  The law, enacted in 2005, requires social action on the part of mining companies to prevent simply raping the land for profit.  It demands that mining companies rehabilitate the land, and also provide education and training for the people of that land.  The problem seems to be that the law restricts benefactors of the profits to those inhabiting the land.  Thus, whilst the indigenous peoples on company property  (eleven barangays) benefit greatly – P 83million a month royalties, plus additional money for education, medical, etc. etc.   while people outside of this boundary receive nothing. 

To the point of absurdity – an artificial man-made wall erected between the “haves” and the “have-nots”.  It is the man-made laws and implementation of the laws of this land that need to be looked at.  And only extremists will do the looking.  So, while I will never be an extremist, I do value those extremists making me examine the intent of the law and see if it really is doing what it set out to do. 

I also value the extremists' microscope on mining techniques.  I would prefer not to mine – but nickel especially is used in everyday possessions that I doubt even extremists would avoid – things like hot water tanks, surgical instruments and food processing.  I now understand why Jacquie does not eat eggs – she creates a market for abuse of animals if she does.  She does eat the eggs from her own chickens, the uncaged free roaming ones…but not those from animals abused in industrialized settings.  I get it.   But I don't know many people who would give up their conveniences like she does.

I agree with the heavy restrictions on mining companies to preserve the environment, and am still doing my own research to understand if even “responsible” mining can work long term – even though that's what I saw at this 30 year old mine.   And, from what I saw in Rio Tuba, this may be as good as it gets until people stop buying things made with stainless steel.

The Rio Tuba research team - thank you!

 

She's BAAACK!!

The short version:

·       18 months into Peace Corps service I fell on vacation in Thailand, February, 2012

·       Hospitalized for 3 weeks with blood clots, I was sent home to the US on April 17th

·       After treatment (and rejection by Peace Corps for returning), I decided to return to the Philippines for about 9 months on my own

·       Returned here to Palawan almost 6 months ago – and am considering staying longer.

 
The longer version follows:

 A year ago, after 18 months of service in the Peace Corps, I took my first big vacation - to Thailand - first exploring islands, then Chiang Mai's elephants, cooking schools, flower markets and temples, temples, temples - then bussed to Chiang Rai and stayed outside of town at the home of an indigenous family of the "hill tribes" - the family I spent the night with was Yao.

4 of us slept here

The next morning (February 20^th, 2012), the husband told me we were going on a hike..."Oh - I didn't know that and don't have a backpack, or hiking shoes."   Not to worry - my sturdy Merrell sandals would be sufficient and a backpack was produced (our young, handsome guide wore flip flops).

After 3 hours, as we were descending a steep hill covered with thousands of beautiful, tiny leaves, when 2 of us slipped and fell - one slid down the path; one fell, face first over the side. The faceplant would be me and the impaling of my shin on a rock stopped my flight. I was stunned, but got up and asked how much further ..... 7 km...hmm.

This was the view just before we fell - I claimed the cliff to the right

PANGIT!  A beastly sight

Thankfully, my body was in shock and I made it a couple more km, where we hailed a tourist van and they agreed to take me back to town. 

The White Temple in Chiang Rai - white marble

Gorgeous linens at the Night Market

People told me it was just a scratch (what a wimp I am I thought!), so I limped to the magnificent White Temple, then finished the evening at the Night Market.




                                          



A sleepless night with pain second to childbirth and a 4am trip to the hospital yielded test results: nothing broken and no infection.  "Just walk it off."  After assuring there were no risks for flying (it looked like a baseball had been subcutaneously inserted), I limped back to my hotel and joined the 7am all-day tour to a tribal cultural center and then to the "Golden Triangle," where we boated to Laos and ate lunch on the Mekong River. We returned at 8pm.

Depicting local culture at the tribal center

  

No caption needed

At the Golden Triangle, standing in Thailand

Ashley's very comfortable couch

I flew to Bangkok the next day - I will post those pictures here soon - wow!

Visiting my daughter for 4 days in Bangkok was a whirlwind of walking 10 hour days - I slept on her very comfortable couch with my leg elevated…then flew home via Manila to Palawan.  And made it 2 days at work before something major clobbered me with 104F fever.  After 2 days the fever broke and I made it to the hospital, where the doc told me that nothing was wrong with my leg and that I had coincidental flu – and sent me home.  Where my fever started rising. Against the Peace Corps' wishes, I asked friends to escort me back to the hospital where I was tested and admitted immediately for amoebic dysentery (on March 8^th, 2012) ….which ironically saved my life.

My first semi-private room on Palawan

Upgraded to Garden Suite #5

Two days later, sounding like a broken record “please, will you look at my leg?” they finally did a sonogram and operated, taking out 100cc of clots (not in the official report, but my doctor told me). 

I thought that I'd be good to go snorkeling in a week with Cathy and Liz who arrived to visit me.  But, medical being what it is on Palawan, they didn’t get all the clots, and a few days later I passed some – a very scary episode in the middle of the night that had white-faced doctors and nurses telling me not to move. Portable heart scans, oxygen tanks and monitors filled the tiny room. They finally gave me some pain medication and I slept. 

The next day my PCV daughter Krystal called the Peace Corps saying to get me to Manila, and I called the executor to my will  and told him to add several beneficiaries and to make sure everything was in order.  I quite thought that this was it.

The next morning I got my first ambulance ride and my other Palawan PCV daughter, Petra, accompanied me to Manila, where the medical was day to the night of Palawan.  I started my 2nd week in hospital hooked up to blood thinners and visited by 4 different specialists.


   

I thanked my vascular surgeon in Manila, Dr. Chua, for saving my life – his response was that God did it and he just helped.  “Thank you then for being the first doctor to assist God in saving my life.”  He smiled.  So, after 3 weeks flat on my back in hospital, I was released in time to meet up with my two dear friends who had traveled to visit me on Palawan…my plans to snorkel with them – or even have dinner together on the island I had so wanted to tour with them - were not realized.  They pushed me around in a wheel chair through Greenbelt and we did a little shopping before they took off. 


We knew we would see each other shortly, because the Peace Corps had told me they were sending me home. I will avoid most comment about the Peace Corps here, it is all water under the bridge now, except to say that I’m not sure that I’d recommend joining to someone who might get hurt or develop a disease during service – haha – how one decides if that pertains to you, I’m not sure.

Arriving home without a doctor, barely able to walk a block, without a home (rented out) or car (sold) is rather daunting – especially when you are still ill. More Peace Corps dreams were dashed with a lack of support, but my view of friendships became nearly spiritual. And the only way that I will be able to ever repay my friends is to “pay it forward.”  For a total of 6 months (!!) my friends offered beds, cars, food and camaraderie – like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  I was totally cared for and allowed to heal in all respects. 

At the end of medical treatment in June, I faced another emo:  the Peace Corps said that they decided to not return me to my site, contrary to conversations with me before I left the country.  But, after the emo, and, since my home was rented out until at least November, 2013, I decided to return on my own – one of the best decisions I’ve made.  So, in the end, should I be thankful to the Peace Corps?  I’m trying to look at it that way.

I spoke as a Peace Corps Volunteer to several groups while I was home in the states (obviously before the Peace Corps ditched me), and after they heard that I planned to return without Peace Corps, people asked to contribute money for the several projects I returned to.  I’ve tried to keep them updated with a Facebook page called Palawan Progress Fund.  But, it’s not nearly as pretty to read as this blog, which I may print as a memoir….so I will transcribe the Facebook entries here as soon as I can – apologies if you’ve already seen them.

I returned to Palawan in October and have been busy since I landed; resuming pro bono work with the Chamber of Commerce and doing consulting work with businesses.  I am so grateful to be here and accepted – much more so than when I was with the Peace Corps – people in other countries still seem to believe that the Peace Corps is CIA!!!  I’m even investigating a retirement visa here and how to build a little home (nothing that my friends in America would think of as a house though!). 

How life can change!!

Dedicated to all the incredible friends who got me through life to this point!