Rats, Red Wine and the Realities of Volunteering

I want to preface this by saying that the opinions and views expressed in this blog are my own and not VSO.

Well a month has now passed in work and things are falling into place for me here in Kampot.  I have my favourite Cafe where the woman knows that I want noodles without me asking, I go to the same lovely old lady for my vegetables in the morning and I slowly fall in love with this place a little more every day. But I am beginning to feel that the work is draining me more than I'd anticipated... And for all it's charm it is tough being here sometimes, its tough on the body and on the mind.

A trip to the markets of Cambodia is always a colourful and vibrant experience

Christmas was quite a relaxed and understated affair which was welcome. I had a few offers of going to Phnom Penh for parties and boat cruises and all that jazz but the allure of lovely little Kampot with its sea side charm and its gentle ways made me decline- how unlike me to turn down party invites ! I must be getting old and sensible- I need to monitor this.....Fear not  I made up for it New Years Eve and danced the night away under a moonlit sky in a very cool  bar on the river) It’s important to keep a balance, I think, between living a Khmai life and keeping a sense of your self too. All work and no play etc etc. And the work can be isolating enough at times.

Chillin

  Christmas and New Year is not a big affair here and I quite enjoyed being away from the traditional Western Christmas for a change. Christmas Eve was spent with two KIWI backpackers, two lovely guys actually. Its nice to meet travellers and listen to their stories, reminds me of my time travelling.  Things are a little different for me this time around- Oh to be a snail again, with my life on my back, a few quid in my pocket and not a care in the world...... Great days

 On Christmas morning I woke up and had a leisurely breakfast by the river followed by a lazy swim.  The sun was rising slowly over the mountains and the rhythm of daily life got underway as normal. As I floated on the water peering up  at the blue sky I thought of home and my family and friends and of how they were and  what they might be doing. I tried to imagine the cold- its funny how you forget! Clare and Joss rang from London - what a great couple. So much fun and so chilled out.

 For Christmas dinner I went to Blissful Guest house where a lovely, although slightly bonkers, English ex pat served me up one of the best dinners I think I have ever had.  I had a few glasses of red wine- oh my god it was heaven in a glass! After almost 3 months of no red wine- my favourite thing. This little town is full of hidden gems... I love it! But no place no matter how wonderful and beautiful is without its challenges and hidden troubles and my word is that true of Cambodia. 

My work here in Kampot is in Education. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it all and wonder where on earth I start with this job.... Cambodia as the world knows was virtually destroyed and brought to its knees during the Khmer Rouge years. The Education system had to begin from scratch. It has been developing gradually since 1979 but its severe shortage of human and material resources make it so difficult.  I have done a fair few school and classroom visits now and it is hard to know where to start. I have my guidelines and deadlines from VSO as to what to do but I’m quickly realising it will take time. Time to build up trust between me and these teachers, time to get my head around the fact that many of these men and women are lucky to be alive, time to reflect on the thousands of educated people that were tortured, murdered and slaughtered in this land just because they wore glasses or could read or had a beautiful name....Many of them lack training, motivation, and resources but I’m acutely aware that these teachers earn on average 50 dollars a month.  So for now my job, as I see it, is to build relationships with these teachers and to help them slowly to open up to a new way of teaching and learning.  After all isn’t that what development is all about- PEOPLE. POTENTIAL. 

Sometimes as one volunteer in a massive global NGO I wonder where I fit in the picture... I think I am beginning to realise now. It’s about imparting in some small way a sense of  empowerment, self belief, and a will to develop.  Traits that people everywhere from every background can lack at times, myself included.  So these Cambodian teachers are my teachers too.  Sometimes we teach what we need to learn most ourselves.

With the teachers of Ang Sophy Primary School

Before I sign off I want to tell you about a small little school outside Kampot known as the Remote School. It is a school for 1^st grade little kids only. I visited it the other week with my translator. It’s not so much a school but a place where one teacher comes every day to teach children who cannot make it to the main school in the town.  These children cannot afford nor physically get to the public school because they can’t afford the materials and bless them... they are too small to cycle there as well.  Many of them are from very impoverished homes.  This is a project funded by the KCF- Kampot Children’s Fund, founded by volunteers and run by volunteers and it is here I think I would like to start some fundraising.  KCF does not give money directly to the families but provides them with rice, bikes, clothes, medicine etc. They will only give to the families who show a real desire to attend and learn, so these kids are eager and so beautiful they could melt the hardest of hearts with a smile.  

I did not ask for money from people before I left. I absolutely hate fundraising!!   Plus I wanted to wait and see if I could find something that actually meant something to me first and I have. I want to simply raise $750 for this one teacher which will pay her salary for one year.  So if you would like to put a couple of quid towards this one teacher and her potential as a person in this most complex country please keep an eye on my facebook page over the next few days.

Well that’s about all for now I guess. I’m glad to hear some people are enjoying reading about my Cambodian life- I’m enjoying living it. It's tough but I'm learning every day.

Bye for now

Lizzy

xxx

I was definitely here in another life!!!

Hello from Kampot Province.  I'm writing this from my new home. Its really nice to finally be settled and I like my new home. It’s far more luxurious than I had I imagined- I have a flushing toilet and  shower  with hot water ! So the In- Country Training has come to an end and all volunteers have left to begin work and life in our provinces.  I am in Kampot , about 3 hours from Phnom Penh.

The last week in PP was very interesting , we were given some very interesting talks on Landmines,  Corruption, Child Protection, The Khmer Rouge and the history of this country. We also visited the British Embassy and had a meeting with the Deputy Ambassador to Cambodia and we also had a talk from an UKAID economist regarding Cambodia’s economic situation.

We had a very sobering talk from Dara our Khmai teacher about his life during Pol Pot’s regime.  It is one thing to have read about it in a book but quite another to sit in a room and listen to a grown man's voice quiver as  he recalls  how he spent nights in the jungle eating rats or centipedes and not knowing what would become of him. His admission that he only feels truly safe and happy since the year 2000 really brought it home for me.  He ended his speech by saying that he can forgive but he will never forget those years.

I spent a night out in a very remote village with a Khmai family.  It was a very modest bamboo house on stilts.  Nobody spoke a word of English but we managed with some bad Khmai and lots of hand gestures ! The food was delicious, although food wasn’t the only thing some of us were offered – some volunteers were asked to take some children away with them to keep. It was quite an unpleasant and surreal experience to have these strangers offer you their children like material possessions. 

I had my first Aerobics class Khmai style- it was hilarious ! Lots of dancing around to really bad 90's trance. Some of the ladies wore their pyjamas , one had a black pairs of leather pants on- Only in Cambodia. We danced for an hour as the sunset over the lake and mountains in front of me- not bad for 25cent !!

So it is here i find myself until August.  Kampot is the most chilled out little place I think I have ever been to.  It has now emerged as one of the most popular destinations for backpackers ( or snails as they are called locally ) and tourists. Although most of the attractions can be absorbed in a  few days most people end up staying here longer than planned. It a  sleepy little town with a big French architectural legacy, the old men speak French and the coffee and bread are Yummy !

 I travelled out to the schools to meet with the Directors and District Offices of Education.  VSO along with NEP have given each school a budget for school improvements so my job is to advise and help with those budgets.I have met my new best friend.....LIZARD- my Honda dream motorbike. I love her ! A match made in heaven ! More importantly I  have also met Bunteng my translator. We are going to notch up serious mileage on our bikes, some of my cluster schools are very very remote, almost in Vietnam !

Bunteng is a  lovely man. I think we will get on really well.  I am going to try and fundraise for some of these schools online so keep an eye out here for more details.

Thats all for now I guess.

Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful and fun Christmas.

Lizzy 
x



 

On the road



My favourite pic so far I think !

Finding a home in Kampot

Hello

Well, I have been quite the busy bee of late, house hunting, motorbike riding, snake watching..
I travelled to Kampot Province last week for what VSO call Placement Visit Week. Volunteers here were dispersed to the far flung corners of this beautfiul country from Phnom Pehn to Kratie from Kampot to Ratinakiri. Each of us went to a different province to find a home, meet our employers and generally get a feel for where we will be based for the forseeable future. Apart from having a nasty cold and feeling a bit under the weather the week was really good. I have decided to live in Kampot town, it'-s a lovely chilled out French colonial style place that sits alongside the mighty Mekong River. It has opened up to tourists in the last few years as its location is good for getting to the beaches of Kep and Sannokeyville! Its also very near the mountains and paddyfields are a plenty.

The first few days was spent visiting my cluster schools. It is great to see how the previous volunteers have had such an impact. I hope I can do something no matter how small. I met with the school directors and observed some lessons- beautifully behaved children in every class, all 61 of them !!! It was incredible !Im thinking I will do a few sports days with them, they dont seem to do very much in the way of Physical Education. Activity is not encouraged...

All these schools are a few hours drive away away from Kampot town itself so I will be spending alot of time on my Moto every day ( at least 4 hours three days a week) I will probably only travel on the days in which I have my translator with me. Fluency is very far off yet....... The roads are scary as hell but I took to the roads and felt fine. Im sure I will get used to it ! I hope I have the stamina to do this. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by it all.

I also found a nice new home in the middle of the town. Its a 2 bed flat over a lovely bookstore that is run by a Khmer family. They live down stairs with their two children Pi seth and Dalin. They are both English teachers so I will be able to practise my Khmai with them. And I get to read the books for free- YAY!

I Went out in Kampot for a few drinks. Interesting little place for sure. Met a few musicians and had a little session with a few fiddles and guitars ! Alot of ex pats in this town.

I have a very good feeling about my new home in Kampot. Its really is a taste of the true Cambodia. I feel so very lucky to be here.

Im back in Kampong Cham for now, back to the daily installments of language lessons. We got off early today so I am currently sitting in The Mekong Crossing Cafe sipping on a chilled Lemon juice watching the people go bye slowly and gently....

x

Halloween, Boats and Monks

Hey !

The last few weeks here in Kamong Cham are coming to an end. On Saturday I leave for the coast and my new home in Kampot Province. I have one week there to find a new house and meet with the schools. Then its back here for more language lessons and the all important motor bike training. I'll miss my little bicycle but it's time to get something more powerful ! Vrooom Vroooom

The emphasis to date has been on language. I know over 100 words now !! And its nice to be able to chat to people on the street even if it is only to tell them that ''yes I like bananas and I like to swim in my free time." My teacher Dara, whom I had breakfast with this morning is quite a man. He recalled his life during the Khmer Rouge to myself and Amanda this morning. He lived in a refugee camp on the Thai border for 10 years. He lost his father, and other members of his family during the regime. He is a lovely man- he has many girlfriends and likes whiskey !

We celebrated Halloween in Jo's restaurant , it was one to remember,  everyone had a good time and we learned a bit of Khmer traditional dancing to boot!

Last Sunday we went to see a boat race on the Mekong River. It was pretty impressive! They are competing for the finals in PP next week, all part of the Water Festival. VSO are the only NGO allowed to enter a boat every year, unfortunately we cant go.

This afternoon after school I took a little wander out into the country side and came across a lovely pagoda, which had some young  monks there. Many of them are orphans or their parents just sent them there as they cant afford to raise them. I sat and spoke to the main guy, who repeated ad nausem how busy he was cutting bamboo etc, mind you I have yet to see him do any work! The younger monks are doing it all!

 I feel quite at home in this beautiful country with its million smiles and its enchanting ways.

Lea Hi

xxx


Early days

Kampong Cham, Cambodia

Thursday  October 21^st

Hello everyone

So I have decided to get involved in this blogging business,  a record for myself and for any of my friends who want to keep tabs on my life here for the next while! I hope you enjoy. xxx

Arrived  last week after what was a very long  journey via London and Kuala Lumpar.   Was collected from the airport  by Soklain form the VSO program Office. Was a bit of a blur.  I was pretty emotional after all the goodbyes. Great to be back in Cambodia, surreal, yet  in  a way I felt I have never left. The instant smells, heat , colour  and vibrancy hit me the minute I walked through the airport doors.  I have already noticed a few changes  on the streets of Phnom Pehn, in particular  the increase in the amount of cars in particular big SVU ‘s on the roads. The driving is still as crazy as ever. 

Didnt do much on the first night, just chilled and got over the jet lag. Had a few Welcome drinks on the second night.  Met Sarah. I will be taking over from her in Kampot.  Everyone says that Kampot is really beautiful. I cant wait to get there.   

Have left Phnom Pehn for a smaller city called Kampong Cham, the third biggest city in Cambodia.  It’s really lovely here, much less traffic and noise than in the capital. The main purpose of staying here is to learn Khmer and become as compotent as we can before we attempt to work.   Our teacher Dara is brilliant and says we need to learn 20 new words a day. There are no tenses in Khmer so that’s a bonus. So hopefully with repetition and practise with the locals I’ll get  a grip on it.  Went for a cycle out into the country side after class. It was so beautiful. Now is a lovely time to be here.  It’s post monsoon and the paddy fields are glistening in the hazy sun, the cows are ploughing the fields and the monks are strikingly vibrant with their orange robes.

Will remain here for a few weeks , then we have a placement visit week to meet our employers , find a house and hire a translator. Im quite looking forward to having my very own little home in Cambodia.