South-South Institute on Sexual Violence Against Men & Boys

Here in Phnom Penh, the weather is hot and humid. Everyone is waiting for the rainy season to begin. The Institute delegates have been arriving: from USA, UK, Australia, Uganda, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Serbia, Albania, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, China, Philippines, Nepal. Here’s a photo of some of us at breakfast this morning:

Phnom Penh is glorious: hot, stinky, humid, dynamic, loud, colorful, intense. On my walk today I found a little Buddha factory up a smoky alley that wound back into a neighborhood of people:

And here are couple of shots taken in the “Russian Market” where the smoke from cooking fires, frying fish, burning incense and tobacco, raw meats hanging on bamboo racks, and sweat, will smother and gag you after a few minutes in the 120 degree heat:

My body clock is all off. I don’t feel especially jet lagged or tired, just out of sync somewhat. I have been moved many times already by my conversations with other delegates: activists, survivors, researchers, clinicians — and the Institute has not begun! That’s in four hours. I’d better try to get some sleep.