We stayed last night at a hotel in Kampong Cham town and got an early start this morning, going to a commune center where our staff work with a group of deaf people on sign language. Then we headed back to Phnom Penh where the afternoon was spent in meetings between Johanna Karinen and Justin Smith.

Trip to Kampong Cham 8 February 2012

Our hotel was right on the Mekong River in Kampong Cham town and we could see the new day and the new bridge as soon as we walked out the front doors heading for the car.
Breakfast was simple fare, rice and chicken or rice and pork, in a local eatery where our staff tend to eat in Kampong Cham. The restaurant staff are now familiar with their deaf customers appearing a few times a month.
As we headed out of town, we made a quick stop at the DDP offices on the edge of the town to see our staff there.
In a commune center building ten or fifteen miles outside of town, we stopped to observe our interpreter and teacher working with a group of young adult deaf people, four women and one man. Charlie Dittmeier began talking to them to assess their level of communication.
Justin Smith spoke to the group which included the deaf people and also some of their families who had been invited to meet Johanna Karinen, a special visitor from Finland.
A horse-drawn cart went by the center while we were there. These small horses are common in Kampong Cham Province. I have never seen a full-size horse in Cambodia although I am sure there must be some.
At the rest stop on the way back, Charlie bought a few tarantulas from a young woman selling them.

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Go to Charlie Dittmeier's home page