Too Australian?

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There are two phrases in Khmer (traditional Cambodian language) that you get to know VERY well... you use them more than any other words in a day! "Te" simply means "no". Everywhere you walk in Siem Reap, tuk-tuk drivers, massage places, the market sellers will try and entice you into having a ride or buying their products. The extremeties they go to, in trying to endorse their products is very funny at times! So, on your very first day, you are taught "te", and boy, oh boy have I used it incessantly. The second word, is "akun", meaning thank you. I feel it is very important to have good manners, especially in a foreign country, and the Cambodian people are very excited when foreigners can employ the language, no matter how minute the use may be. The beauty of only knowing two words?... Using them together!!



"Tuk-tuk lady?"

"Te Akun!"

In this way, you confuse the tuk-tuk driver or masseuse. The short burst of Khmer combined with politeness from a foreigner must be rare, and it gives you a few short seconds to escape them! Anyway, just though I'd enlighten anyone who was looking to coming to Cambodia! ( I would HIGHLY reccommend it!)

Today was another early start, and we woke at 6:30am. After a quick breakfast, we headed off to 'Friends International'. This is an organisation funded by UNICEF that aims to protect children. They keep children off the streets by providing them education and advice. In Siem Reap (the tourist capital of Cambodia), street kids are everywhere, trying to sell anything and everything, from postcards to bracelets. Many tourists will buy these cheap items from them, not realising they are fuelling for less education in Cambodia. The more successful these children are, the less likely they will go to school, as their parents are depending on the child's income as well as their own. Friends Internaional approaches families like this, and offers them an alternative way of life. They will offer the family lessons on how to create recycled goods that can be sold at the markets, and will give them the funding and the materials they need to make them. In exchange, Friends International requires that the children go to school instead of the streets. In this way, the parents are earning enough money to support the family, and the children are able to receive an education.

When our Friends International talk concluded, we then procceeded to the Peace Cafe...YUM. Feeling daring, I ordered a "peanut butter yum yum" which was simply described as a peanut butter smoothie with ice-cream! It was SO good, like liquid peanut butter that was frozen... delicious! At only $2.00, it was the perfect refreshment! After this we visited the Angkor Children's Hospital... what an inspirational place. We approaced the green gate embellished with a love heart, not sure what to expect. As many of you know, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, making medical treatment difficult to obtain in different parts. After the Khmer Rouge (a horrible war that occurred in Cambodia, killing 1 in 3 people... 2 million died), out of 4000 trained doctors, only 40 survived. We watched a short video where the founder of the hospital, Kenro Izu, explained why he started the hospital in the first place (after watching a Cambodian girl, who was the same age as his own (12), die right in front of his eyes). I connected so much with his story, it was very moving. We had a quick tour of the hospital, and we began to realise that this was no normal hospital. Anyone that came was followed up with home visits, educated on how to access clean drinking water and given food to cook for the duration of the child's stay in the hospital. We were also given a few horrifying statistics... Did you know that since the Khmer Rouge ended, 51% of the population is under the age of 18? And that one in five of these children do not live till the age of 5? I was appalled at these statistics, and I'm going to do some of my own research and see if there is anything I can personally do to make a difference, whether it is now or in the future.

We then proceeded to have lunch at "common grounds", a small cafe who's profits went to Cambodians in need. I had a chicken parmigana burger, for only $3.50! And mind you, it was the BEST burger... I think I inhaled it rather than eating it!! After lunch we went to the office of TLC (this life cambodia), where we met the whole staff. TLC is who WYI works with in order to get the best results possible. At TLC, we had a long talk abotu our project, and what TLC is all about. TLC is different to any other organisation I've ever heard of. Rather than giving small villages just money or assuming what they need, they sit down the village and involve everyone who is part of the small community in deciding what could improve their community. The village we will be working in, tommorrow, (gulp) requested a fence to keep out wild animals and to make the children feel more secure, and this is what we are for!!

The TLC people are really committed and inspring, and it makes me really think about how lucky I am. I really want to help more, and some time in the future, I know I will! About two hours ago, we had our first Khmer lesson... it was absolutely hilarious! Many of the words are difficult to say, and must be said in a lower tone and very fast to make any sense at all. Unanimously, the girls and our teacher decided that I possessed the strongest Australian accent, making it near possible to master this complicated language! Though I will keep persisting until it is perfect, I promise!! I leave you with a phrase that is often said to us by many people here in Siem Reap.... "Som Sam Nangh Loar" ( I wish you good luck) xxx

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Photos

A common sight
Another day, another fish massage! Us girls cannot resist them!

Trouble
We were walking along the street and an electrical post caught fire! The traffic and atmosphere was ridiculous, there were police EVERYWHERE!

Amazing statues
These animal statues are everywhere by the river, their beauty is simply astounding!