All Good Things Must Come To An End

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Hi everyone!

So my volunteering placement is all over now...and it's time to move on! It was so sad to leave and for a while I was in denial about it, but there is more to do and see. Siem Reap has become like a second home to me, and so familiar that leaving is a strange thought. I had an amazing last stint though, filled with more in-depth experiences of Cambodia.

The family visited in September, and it was great to see them again. They were just in time for the national holiday, so I got 5 days off to spend time with them which was perfect! Showing them around the town was one of the highlights, I love showing people the other side of Siem Reap. We made the obvious trip out to the temples (Dad for the millionth time), to find them just as amazing as expected. We experienced Angkor Wat filled with locals, because the national holiday is to honour the ancestors, so Cambodians must journey to seven different pagodas to leave food, so the temple complex was filled with locals visiting from all around to give their offerings. It was a really nice vibe. We saw the beautiful, serene carved faces at the temple of Bayon, and the amazing way nature has reclaimed the stone at Ta Prohm, with twisted roots climbing all over the structure. The second day we did as the locals did and had a picnic inside one of the walled kingdoms, alongside the monkeys. Baguettes and laughing cow cheese and Cambodian fruits amongst the trees and the temples - lovely! We spared some of our bananas for the little monkeys, who looked so decievingly cute while peeling and eating their sugar banana, but who turned savage all of a sudden, one climbing on me to steal my bananas. We drove out to a temple further away called Banteay Srey, with our lovely tuk-tuk driver Sok Eng. Caught in the soft afternoon light, the pink sandstone just glowed and the miniature scale of this temple allowed us to really appreciate the carvings and the structure, as the other temples are so large it is almost uncomprehendable. Definately worth the extra journey! We chose well when we decided to visit the "flooded forest" which lies in the floodplains of the Tonle Sap Lake. We went out on boat to see the beautiful colourful houses on stilts - a town in water, like a Cambodian style Venice. This sight is less frequented by tourists, so we got fairly intimate insights into this lifestyle. Cambodians live their lives very much out on the street, (or the waterways in this case) in the open, so you are guaranteed to always see something interesting going on. We got on tiny little boats (I was unfortunate enough to have to share with dad, and every time he moved the boat tipped violently, an inch away from letting in water, and for a while there I was certain this trip would end with us in the brown, murky water, which, considering there is no proper sewerage system in place, I think is best left undiscovered.) But no! We made it. Through the low trees we went, in the shade, with just the sound of birds, (and dad trying to copy the birds). And apart from the awkward moment where Mum and Emma's boat got wedged in between two trees, the whole thing was a lovely peaceful experience. Back on the big boat and into the Tonle Sap, where I surprised the locals by jumping in the now clear, blue, deep and apparantly crocodile infested waters, properly dressed in my Kroma (traditional Cambodian scarf used for EVERYHING). But it was such a beautiful sunny day I couldn't resist. One more day saw me and Emma bike riding around the outer loop of the temples, and the slacker parents on the tuk-tuk again for one last visit. The whole week was great. We saw a lot of things, did a lot of things, I got all my meals paid for (bonus!)...so everyone was happy!

Almost as soon as Mum, Dad and Emma left, the floods hit! I woke up one morning, and, about to ride my bike in to school nice and early, to find....water! Lots and lots of water! As far as the eye could see. The bike option obviously wasn't going to work today. In fact, 5 days later, all of us volunteers still had not managed to make it out to any of our projects. Luckily, there were a couple of volunteers who became close friends of mine, (probably the fact we were cooped up together for days on end helped) and we managed to entertain ourselves throughout this whole period, the three of us. The rooftop lounge became very popular, but when we felt brave we made the big journey through the water into town...wade wade wade...The locals would look at us with mild amusement on their faces, and out of this came the personal joke we would never cease to find funny "Barang in Water!" Barang is the word used for westerners (originally French but now all) by Cambodians. Robert, Jessie and I were constantly finding stupid yet hilarious jokes during this flood period that would reduce us to tears of laughter over and over again. On retrospect, I think the flood just made us all a little crazy. There were a few hotspots in town that helped us through. The infamous "Angkor Famous" with its 50c beer and 2 cocktails for $2 deals, not to mention never ending free popcorn was a winner. "Le Tigre De Pa Pier" and the discovery of it's lovely $2 house white didn't go astray either. Siem Reap has a plethora of amazing food to choose from...so we were spoilt for options. The productive thing that did happen during this time was that my Cambodian improved immensely, (which wasn't hard because I previously had a very small, almost non-existent repertoir of simple phrases) and I became an enthusiastic learner of the language. The locals get so excited when you speak their language to them that it's hard not to be encouraged to learn more. Experiencing a natural disaster in a developing country, and being right in the thick of it, is endlessly interesting. We can now say "I survived the Siem Reap Flood 2009."

All jokes aside, the flood was a hard time for many Cambodians. Many of the kids from my school were suffering because they live along the river. When we did finally get back to school (via truck) we asked each child what was happening at home due to the floods. A lot of them were up to their waists in water, for some food and water supplies were low (food costs went up dramatically as the flood washed away the rice crops), water pumps were broken, mothers were sick...the ongoing stream of problems caused by this natural disaster is massive. We ended up holding a rice drop. We gave out 30 bags of rice to the families most in need (we found out who these were by talking to the village elders). They each got a 50kg bag, bottle of soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, bag of garlic, M.S.G (!). It was a great thing to see and very interesting when all of the respresentatives of each family came in to collect their lot. It is quite a ceremonious occassion, and was great to know that those families will be eating well for the next month at least.

School was going very well. My classroom finally got desks!!! A very exciting moment, making the class so much easier to run. We finished one new classroom, and began to build a kindergarten. I painted one mural on the side of the classroom - just the Grace House Logo, and another on the side of the main building. This consisted of every child's handprint in all different colours, with a sillouhette of the Cambodian countryside along the bottom. It's nice to leave knowing that the project is on the road to expanding and becoming better and better. We recently began to go out to each child's house to see their family, so we can start to develop a profile on each kid. This way we will have a better idea of how to help each

The kids at school continued to be a constant joy to see every day. When I had my last day I was showered with gifts and given a t-shirt by each class signed by every student saying "We Will Never Forget You Teacher Zoe"and "Thankyou Teacher Zoe." It was very emotional leaving them all...they all wanted to know when I was coming back. I wish I could have told them. As one of our last activities I had printed them all out a picture of our class, and they had decorated a frame for it. I had laminated them all and then gave them out again, which they were thrilled to take home (and hopefully keep.)

I moved out of the volunteer guesthouse to stay in a cheaper hostel in town for the weekend, so I could so some last minute things and say goodbye to everyone I wanted to say bye to. The last Friday we started a big dance party in the middle of Pub Street to some live music - a great way to end. I said a last goodbye to my local friends - the brother and sister at the dollar stall who made me amazing $1 food for three months, all the people at Angkor What? Bar (my favourite weekend hangout), my tuk-tuk driver...the list goes on. I will miss Siem Reap, but it was definately time to move on, and I'll be back!

Siem Reap constantly surprised and educated me, and it never got boring...I will miss it. But there are other things to do and see, so goodbye Siem Reap - for now!

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Comments

[Autumn]

So as to begin the next good things
Miss Zoe.......loved reading your blog with my morning coffee on this chilly Wednesday morning here in Malmsbury where I have been staying for a few days. love hearing your adventures. Especially about the work and the close relationships that were made with the children and the locals. Thank you for sharing. love Autumn x