Funny Funny

I had resigned from ACE and ChildSafe and move to America for almost one year.
And today I received an invitation from USAID, and all these important people, they invited me to join their Women's Day Celebration!! It's funny for me because it's been a long time that's I never involve with NGOs, but good to know they still remember me!
Here is their invitation that I received from them, have a look!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Re: Request for Your Attendance Confirmation at the Women Leaders’ Reception

When: Monday, March 16, 2009 – from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Sokha Club Hotel

Dear Ms. Phon Kaknika:

Following the invitation that has been sent out to you, I am writing herewith to request for your attendance confirmation at the Women Leaders’ Reception on March 16, 2009 at the Sokha Club Hotel. You may do so by simply replying to this email with “yes” or “no” message. If you wish to confirm by phone, you may call to 023-728-302. Thank you.

Regards,

Erin Soto

Mission Director

USAID/Cambodia


In Celebration of International Women’s Day


H.E. Ms. Margaret Adamson, Ambassador of Australia

Ms. Evelyne Coulombe, Chargé d’affaires of Canada

Ms. Eva Gibson Smedberg, Country Director of Sida

Ms. Erin Soto, Mission Director of USAID

Ms. Alice Levisay, Representative of UNFPA

Dr. Lili Sisombat, IFC

The World Bank

and The Asian Development Bank

request the pleasure of the company of

Ms. Phon Kaknika

at a Women Leaders’ Reception

on Monday, March 16, 2009 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.


Business Attire

R.S.V.P. 023 728 302


Sokha Club Hotel

#63, Norodom Boulevard

My first English poem

With Cowboy boot, Texas-Dallas, 2009.

In front of Federick Douglass house, 2009.

Every Thursday I'm going to school one hour early to join poetry workshop. Two weeks ago at the poetry workshop, our teacher requested us to wrote a poem about something that we hate and give poem's definitions.
It's very interesting, and here is my poem. It's my first English poem that I ever wrote.
Please have a read and let me know what do you think.

With Federick Douglass statue, 2009.

What do I hate?

We were born the same

With empty hands

And try to grow.

When we grew up

We all changed

It is normal.

She’s suffering from sickness

He’s suffering from disabilities

I’m suffering from physical defects and abnormalities

You are fit and healthy.

She’s black and strong

He’s big and tall

I’m small and petite

You’re white and trim.

She’s not very intellectual

He had lost memories

I’m uneducated and

You’re intelligent.

She’s just begun to think

He’s just begun to start

I took the test and lost the contest

You won it all.

But remember we're still the same.

In Texas-Dallas, 2009.

Definition

This poem I wrote in Annie poetry workshop, it’s about what I hated the most that often happened to me.
The meaning of the poem is about discrimination: People in higher class look down at the people in lower class, because they are richer, healthier, cleaner...etc… but they should remember that doesn’t matter how wealthy are they, they are still the same like normal people, because when they was born they bring nothing but their life.

In Texas-Dallas, 2009.

Educated people looked down at uneducated people, because they thought uneducated people don’t like to go to school, don’t have higher degree, had no skill, not intelligence and in their opinion uneducated people should be always staying in lower position in any job.

With Mr Joseph Mussomeli at Dulles airport, 2009.

In my view, instead of looking down at uneducated people, we should try to understand the reason why uneducated people are had no education, because there are several reasons that hardly to understand might made people not to be able to get education.
I think who look down at uneducated people; they are more uneducated than the people who have non education.

With Federick Douglass statue, 2009.

In the poem had described how the human being and the different after they grew up, but also remanding us that, doesn’t mater how different you are from each other, you all still the same, are HUMAN beings.

At Texas-Dallas airport, 2009.

I believe anyone can do anything they like to do, if you give them a chance to prove it.

Thanks Annie that made me written this poem.
From Nika

My first Essay

Texas-Dallas, 2009.

February 2009 is Black History Month for American; my school requested all the students to write a essay about a black person who you know living or not living, for the contest, the prize for the winner is $50 and $25. And here is my essay for the black history month.

Topic: Bonne

Bonne is the name of an African-American woman who has been in America her whole life, but not many people know her because she is a normal person just like us.

Bonne was born on May 25, 1950, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her father was Thomas Lee and her mother was Annie Mac Lee, both deceased. Bonne had one older brother named James. She hasn’t been in contact with her brother for a long time; she is not sure what her brother is up to. Her older sister, Yvonne Brown is a registered nurse in New York.

Bonne always felt that she was blessed because when she was born she weighed two and one half pounds (in 1950 a baby that weight seldom lived.). Bonne grew up in a middle class family and her parents worked while her grandmother took care of her.

After graduating from high school in 1968, she wanted to become a dressmaker because she loved sewing, so she decided to go to college for that. After a while Bonne changed her mind and got a job in a store. At the same time she also took some classes at the community college because school was a must in her family. She always liked history when she was studying. She thought history has so much to teach and she enjoyed it, but she never wanted to do anything that related to history.

In 1974 Bonne decided to move to Washington, DC because she thought it was time for a change. When she arrived in DC she needed a job and applied for many different positions with hope. Not long afterwards she got a job at child care and has worked there ever since.

In 1982 Bonne married police officer. They have four children; three have children of their own and their youngest child still lives at home.

Bonne is now working in child care’s reintegration center, Monday through Friday. She is very happy and enjoys what she is doing. She gets to share her responsibilities with other parents. She thinks the great thing about working with parents is that they all are very helpful and active, which makes her work go easily and smoothly.

Bonne is not sure what she wants to do after she retires, but knows that she wants to take a rest on a beach and read the history of America.

Texas-Dallas, 2009.

I wrote a essay but I'm not put it in the contest, because I thought I have a job, I could make enough profit to support myself every month. Many students in my school I had knew did not have job, some of them can't even pay for their school fees. I think the prize should go to them.

I knew I am a little bit old fashion, but for me to be clever I don't need any prize, as long as I learn what I want to learn, I felt I had won the big prize.

Texas-Dallas, 2009.

My Essay is about a normal person that not many people have knew, I'm not putting my Essay in the contest, but I will read it out loud for everyone, because I am very please to join the Black History Month with black people all around the world. I thought doesn't matter you black or white you all deserve the same human rights. Also to make everyone understand that, everyone around you had their own history, and you should care to get to know about them, and learn how to take care each other, should not be discriminating.

God bless all of you.

Baby and Marrriage Life (Update 1)

Quinn, Elliott young brothers

Many people having problem in their relationship, because they not very sure about what they want from their partner, plus it's hard to make decision to commit to what each other wants. Sometime the lady wants the baby and the man not ready, sometime the man wants the baby but the lady not ready, and yet both partners like to have a baby but they think it’s not the right time yet. They worry about many different things, for example financial, the right time to have the baby, times to spend with the baby because they both working and busies, have to find the best way to raise the baby, health care, education…etc… the more you think is the more problems you have. I agree that to have a baby is a lot of responsibilities, and needed commitment if you want to raise a child. But one thing I want to share with everyone is: there are no right time to have baby, because life born to deal with activities. There are always something to do, there always something happen to keep you busy. There are something you want to do, to make all this dollars to pay your bills. So you never find the right time to deal with baby.

Elliott, the boy that I take care in DC.

There are never enough money to have a baby because: street people have not enough money to buy food, poor people have not enough money to buy a house, middle class people have not enough money to buy a expensive car, and rich people have not enough money to buy a airplane, people never have enough… the more you have is the more you want. The best time to be ready to have baby is, both of you agree to have baby together for any reason. To make decide to have a baby, it is the best reason to have a baby. The perfect marriage life is beginning with two people, but end with more than two. Perhaps, I’m wrong but that what I though after been through many life experiences… I enjoy working with children, even they are not mine, but I still think having children are the best thing that ever happens in people life. So if you want to have a baby, all you need to do is, ready to be a good parent... and good parent can always make good thing happen for their children. What do you think? any better idea?

Charities Organization in Cambodia (Update1)

As some of you had read about my pass experiences. I have been involved with some Organizations, both local and international in Cambodia.

Among of my experiences, NGOs (Non Government non profit Organization) is the best experience that I really like, and inspires me to keep doing the right thing and keep helping other people.

Some of my friends in ChildSafe, having farewell drinks

There are more than one thousand NGOs in Cambodia. A lot of them located in Phnom Penh the capital city of Cambodia. Many NGOs started because they wanted to help to develop the country. Some NGOs working with women, many of them working with children, a few of them working to help to promote the local products…etc.... Every NGOs had its own reasons and stories, they not just came to Cambodia to started a organization or they want to do it because it’s fun things to do. Many of them took a lot of times did researched before started one Organization. Also some of NGOs was taken over from local people project, Orphanage, or Church…etc.. And there are many reasons and commitments to start a Charity Organization in Cambodia, for example:

ChildSafe and FI team in Model day, the smallest person is me!

The Happy School started by a group of Australian, who came to visit Cambodia as tourist. The Australians came to visit Cambodia as tourists like many other tourists in 2002. When Australians group visited around Phnom Penh, they encountered the Cambodia Government Non formal Education School, in a poor district called Phsar Derm Dvove, teaches by Mr Men Soven the old retired teacher. The first time that Australians Group met Mr Men Soven, he was teaching 46 students, the youngest student approximately 6 years old, and the oldest student approximately 40 years old, so the overage age is 23 years old.
The first school that Mr: Men Soven teaches, is not really a school, it’s doesn’t look like school, because there are no building or learning material, it’s just the land that cover of plastic roof, all the student sitting on the ground together to learned from one teacher. Sound a little bit hard that all the students different ages, have to sit together learning from just a teacher.

Happy School Student lining to get their month learning materials

Because it’s a poor non formal educational school, had not enough resources, and the pities, there force Australians Group takes an action, to help to short out some issues try to make the old school look more professional. The first thing that they did is started rent the building around local area created the school, hired more teachers, bought more learning materials for the students, created a library and created some policies for teaching system with the teachers and the students, manage and arrange everything more like school. After the hard work everyone was very happy with the result from what they had done, and then they decided to call the school: Happy School!

Happy School Student sitting in their class.

After finished with the Happy School in Cambodia, Australians Group have to go back to their country, and they started a Charity Organization in Australia, called Australians for Cambodians Education (ACE), registered with Australian Government in 2004. Since then ACE is keeping raising money to supporting Happy School with, rent, utilities, staffs wages (teachers, manager, guards) student learning materials, etc… and many other administration...
Australian Group had referred the management in the school to local people to run, the school is still under the control of Cambodia Government Non formal Educational, but its funding and managing by ACE.

I making announcement to students.

However the Government only keeps on eyes about what Happy School doing, they never provide any learning materials to the school as it should be. ACE keep involving by hired a manager to run the school and to report to them. And ACE based in Australia with their community keep supporting technical whenever the Happy School staffs needed. It’s never perfect because everyone learning how to run an organization, but they tried very hard, as everyone in organization is volunteered, and they all have to works to survives and funding for Happy School too.

That’s how the ACE started.

Happy School small class students.

Back to the article, most of NGOs in Cambodia started by foreigners, then referred to local people, or registered their NGOs with Cambodia Government as International Organization and they keep working in the NGO with local people. From what I see, many NGOs in Cambodia tried very hard to do a good job, to run a good Organization, and to make the different for people who needed, but it’s not easy to run a good organization, they have to have a lot of outfits, plus Cambodia having a high number of corruptions, so it’s take a long time to see the result of what they have done and they have to improve their result every step they had, also they needed an cooperative people in their team to make it better.

Many Organization in Cambodia are very corrupts, also many of them have done a great job by helping to reduce many difficulties for poor local people, such as: street people, street children, poor children that can’t afforded to pay for government school, help to encourage women to knows and to use their rights, encourage people to support their local products to help to improving incomes of local people, provided an vocational training skills to youths that dropped school, so that they can find job to earn some incomes for their future, provided some good medical care to poor people, youth and children, provided drugs elimination programs, teach local people how to help each other, society reintegration program…etc…

Receiving donation from Australia Post office. 2006

Even thought, there are many organizations that doing many different things to help the people in Cambodia, it’s still many issues that you always can see on the street, it’s seem not much different, and the worst things is that the more NGOs is the more problems in the country, people starting depend on NGOs.

More and more foreigners came to Cambodia to start new NGOs, everyone want to own their own NGOs so that they can do their way to help, in the same time also many organizations trying to take advantages of the country and other good NGOs names, by started some project and tell everyone or traveler that they helping children and poor people in Cambodia, then make people and traveler gives money to their organization, but they take the money put in there pocket.

As a Cambodian who supporting the charities in my country such as many other countries, I would like to say: I really grateful and appreciates, people who came to help my country, especially the people who had started the NGOs in Cambodia, I think they are amazing people who born to help others and they all is real heroes, they are very special that could started such a wonderful project and put their commitment tries to make the different, for other people even not their nationalities. Beside that I also request, if you really want to help, children or other people that you have in mind in my country, you can always support them without started a new NGO, instead of going to Cambodia started a new Organization, better try to cooperate with other NGOs that already exited to do a better job.

Receiving donation check from Sharni, Post office to Happy school program.

Bobilee ACE president and I eating oysters, my favorite food!

Please keep in mind Charity is to help, everyone should not think that they own this organization or that organization, everyone should have rights to involve helping with charity, doesn’t matter where you are or who you are, and if you want to support organization or other NGOs all around the world, you should first do the research before you give your money to them.

Organization needed the support from all kinds of people to reach their goal and make the different!!

The end, I wish all he good organizations success with every project you had, and I also wish the bad organization can do a better job.

Thanks

ACE team having dinner in Australia 2006

What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .

What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional
people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What
does love mean?'
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could
have imagined.. See what you think.

When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the
time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.

Rebecca- age 8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.

Billy - age 4
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Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.

Karl - age 5
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Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
French fries without making them give you any of theirs.

Chrissy - age 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.

Terri - age 4
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Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.

Danny - age 7
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Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss

Emily - age 8
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Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.

Mary Ann - age 4
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Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
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You really shouldn't say 'I love you unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.

Jessica - age 8
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If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a
friend who you hate.

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
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I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.

Lauren - age 4
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Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.

Noelle - age 7
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When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you. (what an image)

Karen - age 7
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are
still friends even after they know each other so well.

Tommy - age 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.

Mark - age 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------

During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.

Cindy - age 8
----------------------------------------------------------------------

My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.

Clare - age 6



















Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.

Elaine-age 5







Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says
he is handsomer than Robert Redford.

Chris - age 7
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
Nothing, I just helped him cry

Awesome!! Many thing we need to learn from kids!
Happy Valentine's Day. XoX

My Work Experiences ( Update 4)

I like to works… and like to do many different things, because the more I works is the more I learn and the more I get to understand how to do the good job… I never get bored from working hard, but I easily get bored from doing the same thing all the time, and having routine days.

Ricky Martin Visited ChildSafe Center

ChildSafe team, in THINK Campaign celebration.

Of course it’s tiring working hard all the time, but living in Cambodia with many responsibilities, you had to work hard to earn money… But I’m lucky because I could always find jobs, and people often hired me to do different things and they paid me very well. That how I survived in Cambodia.

Gave presentation to Rotary club in Australia, end of 2006

Going home after school! Good transport!

When you do a lot of different things, and have many different experiences, you know that every job is the same. It’s fun at the beginning, because you need to learn the new things to do a good job for a new job. But after awhile I always feel bored, especially if I have to do the same thing all over again and again everyday. Every job has its own problems, every problem has its own solutions, and there are many different solutions that you can find, to solve your issues.

Happy School Old building

You should always find the best solution to solve your issues, instead of just find temporary way. This is the annoying part of my experience, which I often had at my work. Most of my bosses said let do this way, to solve this problem, and when I tell them is not the best way to solve the problem, they all answered the same, we don’t have enough money to do your way, plus how do you know this way will not work if you not even try?

Sokna, in Happy School, playing Holaho!

I think they are right, you never know if you don't try. I have different way to solve the problem, if there are many chooses, I always take the solution that I have in mind, write in one paper then try to find the advantages and disadvantages of each solution, then I choose the solution that has most advantages. That how I solve the problem, even it has to pay a little bit more, its alright, because if you don’t find the best solution now you will have the same problem again and again, and to solve the same problem all over again it's spend more money and wasted times. Sometime your boss doesn't care, because if the same problem come up again you the one that need to deal with it, not them. As a employee three things you need to know about your boss. One: your boss always right! Two: The boss never wrong!. Three: If the boss wrong doesn’t talk about it!. And one bigger thing is, it’s not easy to be a good boss in every employees eye.

Happy school student received learning materials.

Here are some tips to share with everyone, if you want to do a lot of different things in the same time, you should always try to find the interesting part of your job and enjoy doing it, don't do just because you need the money to pay your bill. Every job had its own special part, its take some times to find it. Doesn’t matter you like your job or not, always do your best. To be or not to be! Whatever result you received, it’s shows your ability, that would make you not to regret what you had done.

Now I am a nanny in DC looking after two children. I love my job. Children are very annoying sometimes, but they are our future. They are beautiful people and yet they make me sad, angry, bring me to tears but also make me laugh. I have learn a lot from children: I learned how to have patience, to care, to think, to love and to be a good person. I want them to grow up to become good people, so I have to always be a good example for them.

Quin, Jolony, Caroline and Elliott, my DC family.

Below are some of my experiences in Cambodia. In the same time, after work I studying in Academy of Hope trying to get my GED, hope to continue to study in University after GED.

SangHar, show his dancing style!

Working Experiences.

1- Sep 2007-Sep 2008: Organization name: Friends International (FI).

Position: ChildSafe Center manager

Responsibilities: Running ChildSafe information center in Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

For more information about ChildSafe please goes to

www.childsafe-international.org

2- July 2005-Sep 2007: Organization name: Australian for Cambodian Education (ACE)

Position: Project Manager

Responsibilities: Running Street to school project, called Happy School. Support Poor Children Right to Education Health and Play. For more information about ACE please go to www.acecambodia.org.au

3- Jun-October 2005: Company name: Cambodia Yellow Pages

Position: Sale Assistant

Responsibilities: Make appointment with client for Sale Constantan.

4- Jun 2004 – Jun 2005: Company name: Korean Company

Position: Business Manager (Part time and weekend)

Responsibilities: Take photos, check the new stock, make list and buy clothes from Cambodia send to Korea.

5- Sep 2004 – Dec 2004: Pen Chang Lottery Company

Position: General Manager

Responsibilities: Manage the lottery ticket and selling system.

6- 2003 – 2004: Lacrosette Restaurant, Waitress and Cashier

7- 2001 – 2003: Philimore Company, Domestic maid in Malaysia

8- Part time jobs, night time jobs and weekend jobs.

2005 Running a bar name Soho2 (Night time)

2005 Khmer teacher, teach Khmer to foreigners (Weekend)

2008 Running Korea Interior Design Company (Part time)

2008 Private Investigator for Cambodia children adoption (Part time)

2008 Translator, Khmer to English, English to Khmer (Part time)

2007 Own a beauty salon shop in Phnom Penh