Weather update: HOT. Followed by lightning storm and monsoon.
Khmer word of the day: deik (to sleep)
So a bit of an update!
It has been boiling hot for the past few days, easily near 40 degrees every day and no rain. So we were all kind of hoping and praying that it would monsoon so it would cool down a bit! Last night we got our wish...sat on the roof terrace eating dinner we watched the most amazing lightning I have ever seen. Huge forks which went across the sky lighting it up all different colours. I tried to take some photos and videos but typically it was never at the perfect time! The storm seemed to be happening all around us but completely missing KC so we were worried that it wouldn’t happen. We all headed to bed about 10 (early morning for temple visit, will explain later) and I sat up reading and watching family guy until about 12, when the rain and thunder started...MY GOD it was loud! It was completely mental. The wind was so strong and the noise so bad that I had to shut the windows for the first time and just rely on my fan. It went on for ages and when I fell asleep it was still going strong.
As we have a day off today (Patchum Ben, biggest public holiday of the year in Cambodia) we decided to get up early and cycle to a pretty famous temple about 7km away. When we awoke this morning it was to find that thanks to the storm it was pretty cool and we headed out of town towards the temple in a barang convoy which caused much laughter amongst the Khmer people here. Riding a push bike here is seen as pretty low status and no one rides for enjoyment (too hot!) so they think it is pretty amusing when they see us cycling along. It is quite rare to see barangs out of Lexus 4x4’s, unless of course, they are volunteers and not on an obscene NGO salary!!
So after the 7km cycle we were all pretty pooped and had a water break at the top of the hill (which we pushed the bikes up...I am yet to see a bike here with gears!). It was really busy owing to the festival but had a really vibrant spirit with all the Khmer people dressed in their best and carrying offerings to the temples. At the festival Buddhists believe that their dead ancestors who have been unable to reincarnate, owing to being naughty, come back to earth. If you’re a bad spirit your curse is your mouth being too small to eat rice (which is seen as an awful thing here as they eat nice all day every day). This one day a year they are able to eat rice so they go to the temple to pray and throw rice at them. I did not see much actual rice throwing but there was plenty lying around on the offering shrines.
Lots of photo taking ensued, followed by some drinking of sugar cane juice (which isn’t as sweet as you’d think and mixed with lime and lots of ice) and some random monkeys. We then decided to proceed onto the temple under the hill but part of the same complex. So hopped onto our bikes and headed down the hill where there was an actual bike parking area and lots and lots of people. It was at this point, whilst walking down a really uneven path that I fell over. My right ankle just completely gave way and I was unable to get up as it was really painful. The girls ran to the guys selling cold drinks and managed to get some ice which has probably prevented it swelling more. Was a nightmare as completely unable to even stand un-aided so we had to call Gideon (the tuk-tuk driver from the boat trip) who came and picked up me and my bike. He was really nice and put my bike away and practically carried me into the house. I gave him a massive tip, then crawled to the stairs and spent about 30mins going up on my arse! Then crawled to my room and managed to pull myself up onto the bed. Jean has made some kind of strapping for it but it has started to go lots of wonderful colours and swelling like mad. Yes Mum, I have taken ibuprofen and also some arnica from Jean. So just great really as am now pretty much bed ridden. Jean thinks I have torn a tendon or ligament on the top of my foot/ankle as she has had something pretty similar but I will need to see a dr for confirmation. I highly doubt the presence of an x-ray machine here though and really hoping I won’t need to do 3hrs on a bus to PP for it. Will definitely need crutches though as I cannot put any weight on it at all. Total pain in the arse basically but the other volunteers have been very supportive, bringing me food, drinks and company.
Anyway, I’m going to spend my time productively studying. Hmmmm. Very hot again.
Love xx
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Sunday, 13 September 2009
The Boat Trip 14/09/2009
So yesterday we had arranged with a local guy called ‘Gideon’ to go on a boat trip up the Mekong stopping at a couple of places along the way. So we all arrived promptly at 10am expecting something quite different to what we got. Firstly, whilst we were waiting and chatting with Gideon it became clear that what Jeltje had thought was ‘seals’ were in fact ‘silks’! So we weren’t going to be seeing any animals then...! When the boat pulled up I think we were all a little shocked. I had imagined a small dragon boat type thing. What we got as a REALLY old flat bottomed fishing boat with a mat in the middle to sit on! As Bob pointed out afterwards, if VSO had seen what we had got on they would’ve actually had kittens. So anyway, after negotiating our way across all the rubbish covering the river banks, (in sandals. I tried not to think about it.) and the boat rocking dangerously, threatening to throw us off we all managed to find a place to sit and were underway!
I was right at the front which means I got the very wet seat as it was really quite choppy and I got quite wet. However, this was the least of my problems! We had been promised that the boat had a cover. Therefore, when I was getting dressed in the morning and all my long sleeved tops were still drying I thought, that’s ok, I’ll be under shelter. Needless to say the boat did not have a cover. It was 38 degrees yesterday with the tropical sun beating down on us, my factor 50 didn’t stand a chance. However, I was so absorbed at looking at all the sights around us and holding on to the boat that I didn’t notice any of this until our first stop and it was pointed out to me!
So our first stop was at a Muslim village on one of the Islands of the Mekong. The ladies there make the most beautiful silks all from hand. It was tempting...until I heard the prices $80 for 4m. Apparently this is the actual price and not just a tourist one, in fact in PP the Cambodian ladies who buy the silk are charged around $200 for 4m by the companies that buy it off these ladies. So, no silk on a VSO budget but it was gorgeous.
We also had quite a gathering of little children and it felt really weird as I felt like a tourist going around looking at these people’s lives as a ‘them and us’. Bob and Jean have been on quite a few of these trips before (unintentionally, like this) and refer to them as the ‘human zoo’. However, it was quite useful to see what the traditional houses and villages look like and to meet some of the lovely children. Saying that, Jeljte found a hand in her bag not long after we arrived and although the people here do not usually steal it is different when Westerners are involved. They believe that every single white person is rich and will therefore not miss the contents of their bags. This is a belief held by many people here, not just village kids. On the boat Gideon, who has very good English, was asking if we have any poor people in the West. We then had to try and explain that in our country we are not considered to be rich at all and there are many poor people. He found this very surprising even though he had been to Ireland for a month! He also failed to understand the concept of someone Indian or any other race, being British. In Cambodia you are what your ethnicity denotes, even if you’re born there.
Anyway, I digress, back to the village! They’re building a massive new mosque there which really dominates the whole place. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take pictures of it so you will just have to take my word! So, with this gaggle of children following us we carried on walking around and we asked if we were expected to give them money or something. Gideon did not want us to give them money as he said it breeds corruption and makes the children believe in begging and perpetuates the idea of Western wealth. So he suggested we buy them some sweets, however, I still kindda disagreed with this but we did it anyway as it was clearly what the kids expected and wanted.
So back on the boat...by this point it is 11:45 and the hottest part of the day. So the ideal time to be on an uncovered boat in the middle of a river without covering clothes or a hat! I reapplied tons of sun cream and got my waterproof out of my backpack and put it over my back. Jen kindly lent me a bandana to cover my head but it was seriously hot! Anyway, I think these actions prevented my sun burn from getting any worse and it has in fact just become very annoying tan lines!!
We went on for just over an hour, looking at all the submerged riverbanks and houses then turned off the main river onto a little tributary leading up to ‘The Wooden Temple’. When we got there our first stop was the sugar cane juice stall to sit in some shade and rehydrate. Now, sugar cane juice still isn’t quite to my taste (kind of sugary, greeny and limey tasting) and I’m avoiding ice, but it was nice just to be in the shade for a minute.
When we went in to the temple it was really quiet and we sat on a ledge under a nice shady tree while Gideon explained the purpose of the temple. Basically, from what I understand, it is an evil temple and there is an evil spirit which dwells there. Gideon described it as a kind of ‘satan’ (this is because he is Christian I think) and said that he is seen as a giant black man with a little beard who can step over the entire temple. He also claims that he has seen him twice and that if we stayed just one night there we would see him also. I was pessimistic! So this temple is one of only 2 wooden temples left in Cambodia and a very powerful one. Many people come to pray here and I’m guessing the idea of evil spirits isn’t the same as in Christianity but my knowledge of Buddhism is seriously limited!
Gideon also told us that when the Americans were bombing the area during the Vietnam War a bomb was dropped on the temple but the power of the temple caused it to disperse the bombs so they fell elsewhere. Pol Pot also failed in destroying the temple. His soldiers were unable to stay there and when one tried to saw a pillar he was plagued by the spirits (or something like that!).
When we were inside the Temple and Gideon was explaining about Pol Pot he also opened up about his life during that time. His grandparents were both killed as they were doctors and he and his family were in a work camp when a friend of his grandparents (a soldier) came to them and told them to run as they were to be arrested and killed. Pol Pot killed entire families as he believed that if one person was bad then the whole family, even those without genetic contact, were bad too. They then left and ran the entire way to the Vietnamese border, where they lived until just after Pol Pot was overthrown. He looked very emotional whilst telling us this story, the most I have seen a Cambodian get in fact (tears in public are very frowned upon here). It is great that so many people are so open in sharing their stories with us and it really helps to hear the individual accounts.
So this temple has stood for over 200 years and it was pretty fascinating. The gardens surrounding it were full of statues of all the different gods and other stone sculptures. They were also full of fire ants which really sting when they bite! So not too long spent in there...! We then walked on to another village where they make cotton. All these ladies sit at these massive looms under their houses producing this vividly coloured cotton to sell to others and also to trade. We quickly had another gaggle of small children, who’re all really sweet and shout ‘Hello’ at you every 5 seconds. They also got really in to hi 5’s which they kept wanting to do with us! It felt a bit better here as we were here to buy the cotton so didn’t feel the need to give them money for nothing. We went upstairs into one of the houses on stilts (the floor is just bamboo reeds placed across and looked very weak. I was concerned as I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to take Western weight!). I chose a pink (of course) and blue one in a stripey pattern. It cost $2, which is less than what they usually charge tourists ($4) as Gideon explained that we’re volunteers. The lady also said that the money was going towards building her a new house which was nice. So armed with our scarf material (no hems yet) we headed back to the boat. This time, after the tranquillity of the temple and village I really noticed the extremely noisy engine which was really starting to grate. It is a shame as it would’ve been amazing if it hadn’t been for the noise. I should also probably say at this point that there was a boy on the boat whose sole purpose was to continuously bail out all the water we were taking on. This was not totally reassuring! It also began to rain on the way back and although I was grateful that this meant no sun it also meant getting wet. Luckily a tarp was produced and we put all our bags under this (which is good as I really don’t think my ‘Northern Rock’ bag from the market is waterproof...!). So with our poncho’s and waterproofs on we settled in to getting wet for the 2 hour ride back. It wasn’t until we got onto the main river that we realised how much of a problem the rain was going to be. Basically, the wind and rain has whipped the river up so it was really quite choppy. This would be fine on anything other than the low lying, flat bottomed, rickety wooden thing we were on! We decided not to share this trip with VSO as we feel we may get into trouble!
Anyway, after a fairly hairy trip back we managed to get back to dry land and decided to go for drink in at the Lazy Mekong cafe, where they informed us that quite a lot of the restaurants and cafe’s would be closed this week for the Pachum Bum (wrong spelling, sorry) Festival, which is the biggest one of the year. Great.
Anyway, we then went back to the same stall as last night and had some noodles. We had a bit of trouble as Bob and Jean are vegetarian, which is a concept fairly alien to Cambodians, especially outside PP. On the way back I stopped to get some water and we noticed a shop full of boys and sewing machines and Jean and I paid them 1000rl (about 25c) to hem our scarfs. So feeling pretty exhausted we headed back to the house to scrub off all the filth of the day. However, I had literally just got out of the shower when the power went off. We have been having loads of problems with the electricity and it was quickly obvious that is was just our house affected in the whole street again. I hate to think what sate the electrics are in and in fact am trying not to think about it. We spoke to our land lady who spoke to a Cambodian at the VSO who said that they were not sure who had the key to the electrics box so we would have to wait until morning. So that put the scuppers on my planned evening of sorting photos and blog writing. It also meant no fans which caused a very restless and hot night. Definitely one of those ‘always look on the Brightside of life’ moments.
So this morning we have had the electricians here and I can smell electrical burning which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing...! My fan has just buzzed into life which is an amazing feeling and it means I can charge up my phone which died and continue to write this blog.
On a more personal note, I am seriously starting to miss things from home, so anyone who wants to send me stuff please, please do! E-mail me for the address J
Love xx
I was right at the front which means I got the very wet seat as it was really quite choppy and I got quite wet. However, this was the least of my problems! We had been promised that the boat had a cover. Therefore, when I was getting dressed in the morning and all my long sleeved tops were still drying I thought, that’s ok, I’ll be under shelter. Needless to say the boat did not have a cover. It was 38 degrees yesterday with the tropical sun beating down on us, my factor 50 didn’t stand a chance. However, I was so absorbed at looking at all the sights around us and holding on to the boat that I didn’t notice any of this until our first stop and it was pointed out to me!
So our first stop was at a Muslim village on one of the Islands of the Mekong. The ladies there make the most beautiful silks all from hand. It was tempting...until I heard the prices $80 for 4m. Apparently this is the actual price and not just a tourist one, in fact in PP the Cambodian ladies who buy the silk are charged around $200 for 4m by the companies that buy it off these ladies. So, no silk on a VSO budget but it was gorgeous.
We also had quite a gathering of little children and it felt really weird as I felt like a tourist going around looking at these people’s lives as a ‘them and us’. Bob and Jean have been on quite a few of these trips before (unintentionally, like this) and refer to them as the ‘human zoo’. However, it was quite useful to see what the traditional houses and villages look like and to meet some of the lovely children. Saying that, Jeljte found a hand in her bag not long after we arrived and although the people here do not usually steal it is different when Westerners are involved. They believe that every single white person is rich and will therefore not miss the contents of their bags. This is a belief held by many people here, not just village kids. On the boat Gideon, who has very good English, was asking if we have any poor people in the West. We then had to try and explain that in our country we are not considered to be rich at all and there are many poor people. He found this very surprising even though he had been to Ireland for a month! He also failed to understand the concept of someone Indian or any other race, being British. In Cambodia you are what your ethnicity denotes, even if you’re born there.
Anyway, I digress, back to the village! They’re building a massive new mosque there which really dominates the whole place. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take pictures of it so you will just have to take my word! So, with this gaggle of children following us we carried on walking around and we asked if we were expected to give them money or something. Gideon did not want us to give them money as he said it breeds corruption and makes the children believe in begging and perpetuates the idea of Western wealth. So he suggested we buy them some sweets, however, I still kindda disagreed with this but we did it anyway as it was clearly what the kids expected and wanted.
So back on the boat...by this point it is 11:45 and the hottest part of the day. So the ideal time to be on an uncovered boat in the middle of a river without covering clothes or a hat! I reapplied tons of sun cream and got my waterproof out of my backpack and put it over my back. Jen kindly lent me a bandana to cover my head but it was seriously hot! Anyway, I think these actions prevented my sun burn from getting any worse and it has in fact just become very annoying tan lines!!
We went on for just over an hour, looking at all the submerged riverbanks and houses then turned off the main river onto a little tributary leading up to ‘The Wooden Temple’. When we got there our first stop was the sugar cane juice stall to sit in some shade and rehydrate. Now, sugar cane juice still isn’t quite to my taste (kind of sugary, greeny and limey tasting) and I’m avoiding ice, but it was nice just to be in the shade for a minute.
When we went in to the temple it was really quiet and we sat on a ledge under a nice shady tree while Gideon explained the purpose of the temple. Basically, from what I understand, it is an evil temple and there is an evil spirit which dwells there. Gideon described it as a kind of ‘satan’ (this is because he is Christian I think) and said that he is seen as a giant black man with a little beard who can step over the entire temple. He also claims that he has seen him twice and that if we stayed just one night there we would see him also. I was pessimistic! So this temple is one of only 2 wooden temples left in Cambodia and a very powerful one. Many people come to pray here and I’m guessing the idea of evil spirits isn’t the same as in Christianity but my knowledge of Buddhism is seriously limited!
Gideon also told us that when the Americans were bombing the area during the Vietnam War a bomb was dropped on the temple but the power of the temple caused it to disperse the bombs so they fell elsewhere. Pol Pot also failed in destroying the temple. His soldiers were unable to stay there and when one tried to saw a pillar he was plagued by the spirits (or something like that!).
When we were inside the Temple and Gideon was explaining about Pol Pot he also opened up about his life during that time. His grandparents were both killed as they were doctors and he and his family were in a work camp when a friend of his grandparents (a soldier) came to them and told them to run as they were to be arrested and killed. Pol Pot killed entire families as he believed that if one person was bad then the whole family, even those without genetic contact, were bad too. They then left and ran the entire way to the Vietnamese border, where they lived until just after Pol Pot was overthrown. He looked very emotional whilst telling us this story, the most I have seen a Cambodian get in fact (tears in public are very frowned upon here). It is great that so many people are so open in sharing their stories with us and it really helps to hear the individual accounts.
So this temple has stood for over 200 years and it was pretty fascinating. The gardens surrounding it were full of statues of all the different gods and other stone sculptures. They were also full of fire ants which really sting when they bite! So not too long spent in there...! We then walked on to another village where they make cotton. All these ladies sit at these massive looms under their houses producing this vividly coloured cotton to sell to others and also to trade. We quickly had another gaggle of small children, who’re all really sweet and shout ‘Hello’ at you every 5 seconds. They also got really in to hi 5’s which they kept wanting to do with us! It felt a bit better here as we were here to buy the cotton so didn’t feel the need to give them money for nothing. We went upstairs into one of the houses on stilts (the floor is just bamboo reeds placed across and looked very weak. I was concerned as I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to take Western weight!). I chose a pink (of course) and blue one in a stripey pattern. It cost $2, which is less than what they usually charge tourists ($4) as Gideon explained that we’re volunteers. The lady also said that the money was going towards building her a new house which was nice. So armed with our scarf material (no hems yet) we headed back to the boat. This time, after the tranquillity of the temple and village I really noticed the extremely noisy engine which was really starting to grate. It is a shame as it would’ve been amazing if it hadn’t been for the noise. I should also probably say at this point that there was a boy on the boat whose sole purpose was to continuously bail out all the water we were taking on. This was not totally reassuring! It also began to rain on the way back and although I was grateful that this meant no sun it also meant getting wet. Luckily a tarp was produced and we put all our bags under this (which is good as I really don’t think my ‘Northern Rock’ bag from the market is waterproof...!). So with our poncho’s and waterproofs on we settled in to getting wet for the 2 hour ride back. It wasn’t until we got onto the main river that we realised how much of a problem the rain was going to be. Basically, the wind and rain has whipped the river up so it was really quite choppy. This would be fine on anything other than the low lying, flat bottomed, rickety wooden thing we were on! We decided not to share this trip with VSO as we feel we may get into trouble!
Anyway, after a fairly hairy trip back we managed to get back to dry land and decided to go for drink in at the Lazy Mekong cafe, where they informed us that quite a lot of the restaurants and cafe’s would be closed this week for the Pachum Bum (wrong spelling, sorry) Festival, which is the biggest one of the year. Great.
Anyway, we then went back to the same stall as last night and had some noodles. We had a bit of trouble as Bob and Jean are vegetarian, which is a concept fairly alien to Cambodians, especially outside PP. On the way back I stopped to get some water and we noticed a shop full of boys and sewing machines and Jean and I paid them 1000rl (about 25c) to hem our scarfs. So feeling pretty exhausted we headed back to the house to scrub off all the filth of the day. However, I had literally just got out of the shower when the power went off. We have been having loads of problems with the electricity and it was quickly obvious that is was just our house affected in the whole street again. I hate to think what sate the electrics are in and in fact am trying not to think about it. We spoke to our land lady who spoke to a Cambodian at the VSO who said that they were not sure who had the key to the electrics box so we would have to wait until morning. So that put the scuppers on my planned evening of sorting photos and blog writing. It also meant no fans which caused a very restless and hot night. Definitely one of those ‘always look on the Brightside of life’ moments.
So this morning we have had the electricians here and I can smell electrical burning which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing...! My fan has just buzzed into life which is an amazing feeling and it means I can charge up my phone which died and continue to write this blog.
On a more personal note, I am seriously starting to miss things from home, so anyone who wants to send me stuff please, please do! E-mail me for the address J
Love xx
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Photo-ma-graphs!
Breakfast!!
Shopping in the Monsoon!
Guitars...I am yet to hear them play though!
Night time tuk-tuk
Welcome party- Kirsty (l) Jen (r)
It was requested that I put some photo's up on here of my adventure...so here goes. This is just going to be a highlight, if you would like to see them all add me on facebook search 'Charlotte Harman' and I am in my profile picture so you should recognise me!!
Hot and Uncomfortable 12/09/09
Khmer word of the day: Hael teuk ( to swim...yes please!)
Weather update: Really very hot! The clouds have cleared and it hasn’t rained for a couple of days so it is boiling. I have forgotten what cold feels like again! It reminds me a lot of Greece but the heat here is a lot more humid at the moment.
So another day in Kampong Cham learning the Khmer language...
It is great here and I love learning the language, however, there has to be a but here...! As I keep being reminded ‘nothing worth doing is easy’ well no, but sat in my office in the UK doing the VSO applications I never imagined it would be this hard either!
The home sickness and culture shock are all encompassing and fairly crushing to deal with. Although I know it is going to get easier every day, it is still really very upsetting right now!
Anyway, enough of my moping! Our language teacher, Dara, is a really nice guy and has been teaching VSO volunteers for nearly 20 years. He really doesn’t like it hot when he is teaching and it is about 30 degrees at the moment and I’m sure it is worse in the classroom. Dara says that every year he has worked for VSO they have provided air conditioning, except this year. From what I understand, this is a result of the recession and the weakness of the pound against the dollar, VSO are getting a lot less spending power from their DFID (Department for International Development) funding. So no air conditioning for the classroom! However, if it continues being this hot the we are thinking of putting some money in every week so we could get it for him. This affects us especially as we are in the afternoon class, when the heat is really starting to sap energy.
During one of the breaks yesterday Jen and I cycled and bought a green coconut with a straw in to drink. We had seen a little shack place selling them and decided it might be quite refreshing, so to get out a bit, we cycled down there and a nice lady cut us a couple with a massive machete. These then when in our baskets (much to the locals amusement) and we cycled back with them to the school.
When we returned we all sat at our desks just chatting and I don’t know how it began but Dara started telling us about his experience of life under the Khmer Rouge. That is one thing you have to remember here, everyone over 30 has some kind of memory of that time and their lives. Dara was working in the fields for exactly 3 years 8 months and 20 days, he remembers the dates exactly. He fought in the civil war before that for 5 years and was 17 when he went to the fields. Dara explained how he and his fellow prisoners (he referred to it as a prison without walls) were set to work at 6am when they would watch the sun all day until 12. They would then get a 1 hour break to eat a spoonful of rice and work again until the sun set about 6 when they would get another spoonful of rice. Everyday he would watch the sun move across the sky and couldn’t wait for another day to be over. His entire family was killed apart from 3 of his brothers, who still live today, all together in Siem Riep.
After the war Dara was moved to a refugee camp in Thailand (he called it ‘the cage’) where he lived for 10 years in the rough conditions of the camp. He remembers when it was cold, putting hay over his body to keep warm. It was also here where a group of Americans taught him English and he was given a certificate showing he could teach English. This was his way out and shortly after this he began work with VSO.
It was a very moving story and I don’t think I moved a muscle the entire time he was speaking; I was so riveted by what he was saying.
When you hear stories like that from just normal people it really helps to put into perspective what we’re doing here and helps me to deal with my low feelings. We are helping a country which is desperate to recover after a gruesome, crippling and very recent conflict.
Last night, after dinner, Jen and I went and chilled out with Sarah and Kirsty in their hotel room and watched a bit of BBC world news. All it had on was the live footage of the Memorial Day in the US for the victims of 9/11. It was strange to think that just as the USA was waking up we were getting ready for bed!
It is 7:30am here (it is impossible to sleep late unless it is drug induced owing to the lady chopping things outside my window at 6:30am and the general massive amount of noise early in the morning!) and I have just looked outside the window. It is another cloudless day, which also means a very hot one! The electricity has also gone off and I am really hoping it comes back on soon as I am using my laptop battery to write this and the fan has gone off! Jean has just informed me that this might be due to some guys arriving in the street with loads of new cables. No nice informative letters here...!
I’m also hoping that a couple of volunteers might be up for staying up late tonight and having a few drinks as we don’t have class tomorrow!!
I think I might even try and do some laundry today, not sure how I’ll hang it but will give it a go!!
Love :o) xx
Weather update: Really very hot! The clouds have cleared and it hasn’t rained for a couple of days so it is boiling. I have forgotten what cold feels like again! It reminds me a lot of Greece but the heat here is a lot more humid at the moment.
So another day in Kampong Cham learning the Khmer language...
It is great here and I love learning the language, however, there has to be a but here...! As I keep being reminded ‘nothing worth doing is easy’ well no, but sat in my office in the UK doing the VSO applications I never imagined it would be this hard either!
The home sickness and culture shock are all encompassing and fairly crushing to deal with. Although I know it is going to get easier every day, it is still really very upsetting right now!
Anyway, enough of my moping! Our language teacher, Dara, is a really nice guy and has been teaching VSO volunteers for nearly 20 years. He really doesn’t like it hot when he is teaching and it is about 30 degrees at the moment and I’m sure it is worse in the classroom. Dara says that every year he has worked for VSO they have provided air conditioning, except this year. From what I understand, this is a result of the recession and the weakness of the pound against the dollar, VSO are getting a lot less spending power from their DFID (Department for International Development) funding. So no air conditioning for the classroom! However, if it continues being this hot the we are thinking of putting some money in every week so we could get it for him. This affects us especially as we are in the afternoon class, when the heat is really starting to sap energy.
During one of the breaks yesterday Jen and I cycled and bought a green coconut with a straw in to drink. We had seen a little shack place selling them and decided it might be quite refreshing, so to get out a bit, we cycled down there and a nice lady cut us a couple with a massive machete. These then when in our baskets (much to the locals amusement) and we cycled back with them to the school.
When we returned we all sat at our desks just chatting and I don’t know how it began but Dara started telling us about his experience of life under the Khmer Rouge. That is one thing you have to remember here, everyone over 30 has some kind of memory of that time and their lives. Dara was working in the fields for exactly 3 years 8 months and 20 days, he remembers the dates exactly. He fought in the civil war before that for 5 years and was 17 when he went to the fields. Dara explained how he and his fellow prisoners (he referred to it as a prison without walls) were set to work at 6am when they would watch the sun all day until 12. They would then get a 1 hour break to eat a spoonful of rice and work again until the sun set about 6 when they would get another spoonful of rice. Everyday he would watch the sun move across the sky and couldn’t wait for another day to be over. His entire family was killed apart from 3 of his brothers, who still live today, all together in Siem Riep.
After the war Dara was moved to a refugee camp in Thailand (he called it ‘the cage’) where he lived for 10 years in the rough conditions of the camp. He remembers when it was cold, putting hay over his body to keep warm. It was also here where a group of Americans taught him English and he was given a certificate showing he could teach English. This was his way out and shortly after this he began work with VSO.
It was a very moving story and I don’t think I moved a muscle the entire time he was speaking; I was so riveted by what he was saying.
When you hear stories like that from just normal people it really helps to put into perspective what we’re doing here and helps me to deal with my low feelings. We are helping a country which is desperate to recover after a gruesome, crippling and very recent conflict.
Last night, after dinner, Jen and I went and chilled out with Sarah and Kirsty in their hotel room and watched a bit of BBC world news. All it had on was the live footage of the Memorial Day in the US for the victims of 9/11. It was strange to think that just as the USA was waking up we were getting ready for bed!
It is 7:30am here (it is impossible to sleep late unless it is drug induced owing to the lady chopping things outside my window at 6:30am and the general massive amount of noise early in the morning!) and I have just looked outside the window. It is another cloudless day, which also means a very hot one! The electricity has also gone off and I am really hoping it comes back on soon as I am using my laptop battery to write this and the fan has gone off! Jean has just informed me that this might be due to some guys arriving in the street with loads of new cables. No nice informative letters here...!
I’m also hoping that a couple of volunteers might be up for staying up late tonight and having a few drinks as we don’t have class tomorrow!!
I think I might even try and do some laundry today, not sure how I’ll hang it but will give it a go!!
Love :o) xx
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
On the Move 09/09/09
So today we moved to Kampong Cham, where we will be living for six weeks whilst we do our intensive Khmer language training.
Anyway, I had a pretty interesting day today so I shall try and describe it for you...
Our first session of the day was entitled ‘Health and Safety’ and I was a little worried as we already had a talk in the UK regarding all the horrid diseases we would be susceptible to! The biggest issue for most volunteers here is malaria and whether to take the prophylactics or not. The advice given by the doctor here is NOT to take them as dealing with the side effects for the entire length of your placement could be hard. Also, if a mosquito bites you whilst you’re taking the drugs it can build up a resistance to the few drugs which are used to treat the disease. You can also still get malaria whilst taking the drugs. However, I DO NOT want to get malaria, it is a deadly and very dangerous disease which is a major problem in the area I am going to be living in. The decision is left up to me as to take them or not and there is an equal number of volunteers who do and don’t. So I shall be mulling that over for the next few weeks (whilst living in a malaria free zone!). I won’t even start on dengue fever as I do not want to scare you lovely readers, but put it this way, my chances of NOT getting it are not good!
So after that uplifting session Kirsty and I headed out to find a pharmacy as she wanted someone to look at her very swollen mosquito bite on her ankle and I needed sleeping tablets (still on UK time grr!).
I also merged this trip with one to a ‘reputable’ dvd shop to stock up for the long evenings in the provinces! I managed to get the entire 3rd season on The Tudors and loads of great films for about $1 each. I don’t usually agree with piracy, but, when in rome!
So we were then going to head back to the programme office but still had over an hour to kill and didn’t fancy just sitting around so we ended up going to the Cambodian National Museum. I mean, we’re not talking the British Museum here, it is pretty small but the building is lovely with a beautiful garden section in the middle. We half of the time sat by the pretty carp ponds on a bench as it was mega hot! It was generally very relaxing and enjoyable and the objects on display were fascinating. So well worth the $3!
For lunch we were joined by the visiting UK MP Sharon Hodgson, who is here to do some advocacy work with a NGO called ‘Disability Action’ and has several high profile meetings with Cambodian ministers. Sharon is also giving a speech on Friday in Siem Reap to all the female MP’s in Cambodia on the role of female MP’s in the UK. Anyway, it all sounds really fascinating and Sharon is a lovely person to speak to.
So we then all headed off to the bus office in a convoy of tuk-tuks to board our bus to the countryside. The bus was alot nicer than I expected and air-conditioned (actually, it was bloody freezing but I dare not complain because I could hardly remember what being cold feels like!). Once we made it out of PP, which took a good 45mins, we headed out into the wild Cambodian countryside. It was at this point that the monsoon started and it was unbelievable! The roads were massively flooded and the driver didn’t seem to want to slow down whilst swerving wildly around massive puddles and pot holes! Crazy times!
On the way we stopped at a little pit stop place where they were selling the token deep fried spiders. They were pretty massive actually and black, which is what concerned me more than the fact that people we eating them! So, goaded on by the (very wimpy) group Simon decided to go for it and we all watched, took photos and decided that if one of the group had done it, it kindda meant we all had! Looked pretty gross actually and he managed quite a bit of leg before he decided enough was enough!
So back on the bus (after a coffee with condensed milk!) and on our way again. We arrived in Kampong Cham about 3hrs after leaving, which isn’t bad considering the state of the roads and the weather.
6 of us, including me, are staying in a house and the other 6 in the Mekong Hotel on the waterfront. This turns out to have been quite jammy on my part (totally unintentional might I add!) as I have my own room with a double bed and wet room. So I’m pretty happy. Apart from the fact that I’ve just realised that my bed is lacking a top sheet for some reason so I will have to sleep under my towel!
The family that have rented us the house live next door and we share a little courtyard area which is nice. We will also be cycling to our language classes, so it is another chance for us to test our biking skills (by skill I mean staying on the 40 year old bike, which I doubt has ever had a service or new brakes in its entire life and veers to the left when you push off!).
Anyway, this evening we had a lovely meal at a place called ‘Smiles’. It has been set up by an NGO and is completely run by ex street children from the local area and gives them training and a job. The food was amazing (I had pasta....YES!! I have never loved the taste so much!) and the staff are great. It was pretty cheap too with breakfast costing $2 and my big dinner and a drink came to $5 with tip! It also has wireless internet so I’m sure it will become a second home for all of us for the next 6 weeks!
I’m about to chill (literally, thanks to lack of sheet and enthusiastic fan) and watch The Tudors.
Lots of love xx
Anyway, I had a pretty interesting day today so I shall try and describe it for you...
Our first session of the day was entitled ‘Health and Safety’ and I was a little worried as we already had a talk in the UK regarding all the horrid diseases we would be susceptible to! The biggest issue for most volunteers here is malaria and whether to take the prophylactics or not. The advice given by the doctor here is NOT to take them as dealing with the side effects for the entire length of your placement could be hard. Also, if a mosquito bites you whilst you’re taking the drugs it can build up a resistance to the few drugs which are used to treat the disease. You can also still get malaria whilst taking the drugs. However, I DO NOT want to get malaria, it is a deadly and very dangerous disease which is a major problem in the area I am going to be living in. The decision is left up to me as to take them or not and there is an equal number of volunteers who do and don’t. So I shall be mulling that over for the next few weeks (whilst living in a malaria free zone!). I won’t even start on dengue fever as I do not want to scare you lovely readers, but put it this way, my chances of NOT getting it are not good!
So after that uplifting session Kirsty and I headed out to find a pharmacy as she wanted someone to look at her very swollen mosquito bite on her ankle and I needed sleeping tablets (still on UK time grr!).
I also merged this trip with one to a ‘reputable’ dvd shop to stock up for the long evenings in the provinces! I managed to get the entire 3rd season on The Tudors and loads of great films for about $1 each. I don’t usually agree with piracy, but, when in rome!
So we were then going to head back to the programme office but still had over an hour to kill and didn’t fancy just sitting around so we ended up going to the Cambodian National Museum. I mean, we’re not talking the British Museum here, it is pretty small but the building is lovely with a beautiful garden section in the middle. We half of the time sat by the pretty carp ponds on a bench as it was mega hot! It was generally very relaxing and enjoyable and the objects on display were fascinating. So well worth the $3!
For lunch we were joined by the visiting UK MP Sharon Hodgson, who is here to do some advocacy work with a NGO called ‘Disability Action’ and has several high profile meetings with Cambodian ministers. Sharon is also giving a speech on Friday in Siem Reap to all the female MP’s in Cambodia on the role of female MP’s in the UK. Anyway, it all sounds really fascinating and Sharon is a lovely person to speak to.
So we then all headed off to the bus office in a convoy of tuk-tuks to board our bus to the countryside. The bus was alot nicer than I expected and air-conditioned (actually, it was bloody freezing but I dare not complain because I could hardly remember what being cold feels like!). Once we made it out of PP, which took a good 45mins, we headed out into the wild Cambodian countryside. It was at this point that the monsoon started and it was unbelievable! The roads were massively flooded and the driver didn’t seem to want to slow down whilst swerving wildly around massive puddles and pot holes! Crazy times!
On the way we stopped at a little pit stop place where they were selling the token deep fried spiders. They were pretty massive actually and black, which is what concerned me more than the fact that people we eating them! So, goaded on by the (very wimpy) group Simon decided to go for it and we all watched, took photos and decided that if one of the group had done it, it kindda meant we all had! Looked pretty gross actually and he managed quite a bit of leg before he decided enough was enough!
So back on the bus (after a coffee with condensed milk!) and on our way again. We arrived in Kampong Cham about 3hrs after leaving, which isn’t bad considering the state of the roads and the weather.
6 of us, including me, are staying in a house and the other 6 in the Mekong Hotel on the waterfront. This turns out to have been quite jammy on my part (totally unintentional might I add!) as I have my own room with a double bed and wet room. So I’m pretty happy. Apart from the fact that I’ve just realised that my bed is lacking a top sheet for some reason so I will have to sleep under my towel!
The family that have rented us the house live next door and we share a little courtyard area which is nice. We will also be cycling to our language classes, so it is another chance for us to test our biking skills (by skill I mean staying on the 40 year old bike, which I doubt has ever had a service or new brakes in its entire life and veers to the left when you push off!).
Anyway, this evening we had a lovely meal at a place called ‘Smiles’. It has been set up by an NGO and is completely run by ex street children from the local area and gives them training and a job. The food was amazing (I had pasta....YES!! I have never loved the taste so much!) and the staff are great. It was pretty cheap too with breakfast costing $2 and my big dinner and a drink came to $5 with tip! It also has wireless internet so I’m sure it will become a second home for all of us for the next 6 weeks!
I’m about to chill (literally, thanks to lack of sheet and enthusiastic fan) and watch The Tudors.
Lots of love xx
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
The Calm Before the Storm
Right so time to update you on what I've been up to for the last couple of days...
We have been having intensive training sessions at the Programme Office on everything from cultural do's and don'ts (watch the soles of your feet!) to corruption (everywhere).
It was really very interesting and I have learnt alot, however, sitting in a warm office whilst still suffering from horrid jet lag is some what of a challenge!
No photo's to update on facebook either I'm afraid as I actually haven't been anywhere really. Well, apart from the crazy bike ride around PP earlier today with Jeltje! However, I was focusing too hard on trying not to hit anything and avoiding some crazy road behaviour. A Khmer dude on a moped actually laughed at me...he was coming towards me on the wrong side of the road!!!!! Was definately a worth while experience though!
I have a free morning from 9am tomorrow so I was planning on walking down the river side to get my last few purchases before we head up to Kompong Cham (on Mekong river north of PP). It looks like a really nice place and I'm staying in a house with a roof terrace with views over the town. However, it is a little more rural than PP so stocking up on some luxuries now!
We are all staying there for 3 weeks doing launguage lessons for 4 hours a day 6 days a week. Then heading up to Placement for a visit and it is a chance to meet my co-workers and the volunteers who are living there. It is also the time when Jeltje and I go househunting...We have decided to live together as it means we have more money for a bigger and nicer place for when all you lovely people visit :)
Kompong Cham is quite small but I hear you can do boat trips up river to Kratie and see the really rare freshwater dolphins, which makes me quite excited. It will also be nice to see some of the countryside which Cambodia is famous for!
So next time you hear from me that is where I will be and don't worry I will take many many pictures on the 2hr bus journey!!
Love xx
We have been having intensive training sessions at the Programme Office on everything from cultural do's and don'ts (watch the soles of your feet!) to corruption (everywhere).
It was really very interesting and I have learnt alot, however, sitting in a warm office whilst still suffering from horrid jet lag is some what of a challenge!
No photo's to update on facebook either I'm afraid as I actually haven't been anywhere really. Well, apart from the crazy bike ride around PP earlier today with Jeltje! However, I was focusing too hard on trying not to hit anything and avoiding some crazy road behaviour. A Khmer dude on a moped actually laughed at me...he was coming towards me on the wrong side of the road!!!!! Was definately a worth while experience though!
I have a free morning from 9am tomorrow so I was planning on walking down the river side to get my last few purchases before we head up to Kompong Cham (on Mekong river north of PP). It looks like a really nice place and I'm staying in a house with a roof terrace with views over the town. However, it is a little more rural than PP so stocking up on some luxuries now!
We are all staying there for 3 weeks doing launguage lessons for 4 hours a day 6 days a week. Then heading up to Placement for a visit and it is a chance to meet my co-workers and the volunteers who are living there. It is also the time when Jeltje and I go househunting...We have decided to live together as it means we have more money for a bigger and nicer place for when all you lovely people visit :)
Kompong Cham is quite small but I hear you can do boat trips up river to Kratie and see the really rare freshwater dolphins, which makes me quite excited. It will also be nice to see some of the countryside which Cambodia is famous for!
So next time you hear from me that is where I will be and don't worry I will take many many pictures on the 2hr bus journey!!
Love xx
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