Well and truly settled in...

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Well, life has well and truly settled into a routine and I feel like I’ve been here for a very long time, so much so that when I see what at home would be a pretty odd sight, I hardly do a double-take......like two days ago when I saw a moto with the pillion carrying a car windshield, or more so yesterday, when I saw a pillion carrying the bonnet of a car........normal, every day stuff here!!! Though I confess to wishing I had my camera in my hand on the way to school yesterday when I saw a guy riding along beside us, on a bright, lolly-pink scooter, with a bright, lolly-pink business shirt on, while wearing a bright, lolly-pink helmet with “hello Kitty” stickers on it !!! Obviously felt secure in his masculinity.

Many of the volunteers are here for at least two months, so many great friendships have been established and life is pretty much like a stream....we all blend together, mix and socialise well, support each other through the fun times and the tough times, so it’s really good. The great thing is too, that apart from the one nation that wants to rule the world, the rest of us just get on, work well together and it’s a great blend of nations and personalities.....generally no one wants to dominate (apart from that one nation, and the rest of us largely do our best to ignore the pushing & shoving from that quarter).

A few of the volunteers had a really tough day yesterday at their orphanage, and it really brought home just how hard the Care placements can be. They have twins in the orphanage that were given up by the mother, as the father is physically violent and the kids were at risk. Over here there are not too many programs in place to rescue women from these domestic violence situations, so sadly they stay. Anyway, the mother went to visit the twins yesterday and it was so heart-wrenching for everyone that witnessed the visit. The nuns gave her some brochures on potential assistance, so the hope is that the woman will be able to get out soon, and take the kids home with her where they will be loved etc....not for a moment do I think the life will be easy though. The second event yesterday, was the delivery of a young girl, who’s mother had died the day before, and at present there is no one to look after her. Apparently she kept crying out that she was “all alone” and again, devastating to witness. The authorities are looking for her extended family, and the hope is that she’ll go to them soon. I understand that over here it’s an honour to raise a dead relatives children, so my prayer is for her to be with them soon, if they can be found.

Life for me at school continues to be so rewarding, awesome, fun, and at times, a little challenging. I sometimes wonder how on earth I will be able to come up with enough lessons for the duration of my time here, but somehow the information just keeps coming, and the kids keep learning, and I’ve had no complaints yet.....even the teachers take notes and are learning along with the kid. My two senior classes are great – the kids are so responsive and really delightful. You would never guess that their lives outside of school are mostly really tough, because they are always smiling, always really attentive, and so quick to get involved. There are one or two shy kids that hold back sometimes, but one on one, they shine through. I confess to having a few favourites........ok, probably about 20 of them, but that seems a bit greedy, so I’ll stick with “a few”. One girl in particular is quite serious and I was pretty sure that life for her is particularly tough. The teacher confirmed the other day that her dad is very poor. She’s so bright though and tries really hard, but her English is minimal. I bought her a nice folder the other day and have written pages of English spelling rules in it, and then more pages of English conversation. I asked the teacher yesterday to explain to her that I’ll help her every day with it, and that I want her to practice at night also. She was shy but grateful, and I look forward to working with her over the next five or so weeks, in the hope that by the time I leave, she can have a basic conversation with me. I’m also considering supporting her financially to get through school and into uni – I think she has was it takes to go far, she’s dedicated, but also very helpful to the other students. I have such a great respect for her.

In my junior class, I started with 4 of the slow learners and we’ve gone back to basics. They can cite the ABC’s but can hardly write them. I’m not sure if I’ve explained in a previous blog, but in Khmer (pronounced Ka Mi) they write all words in sentences, together, ie no spaces, so I’m having to teach the kids to write the alphabet and also how to include spaces between the words when writing a sentence....it’s fun.......actually, it’s challenging. One of my littlies, Ly (Lee), is SO CUTE and knows how to charm everyone......he’s very good at saying “yes”. “Ly, this is how you write “a”, do you understand?”.....”Yes!”.........”Ly, start here, ok”........”Yes!”.......”Ly, write it nice and round, like this one, ok?”.....”Yes!”.......”Ly, write between the lines, ok?”.....”Yes!”....”Ly, ok, start writing “a” on this line here, ok?”...........”Yes!”........then he goes and starts writing it way down the page, and the A’s look almost nothing like an A, and they go over multiple lines etc etc.........but he just smiles that cute smile at you and keeps on his merry way. We all love him to bits. He was in one of his cute “yes” modes the other day and you know for sure that he has no understanding of what you’re saying and that he’s just being agreeable, and so I asked him if I was a pink elephant with purple spots.......and his answer “yes” !!

Yesterday, the teacher gave me another junior student to teach, so I now have 5.....Jem is great at writing, but doesn’t recognise the words, so it’ll be a new angle I need to work into the class....yea!!! 5 kids, all different levels, all wanting attention at the same time ....if I had a dollar for every time they called my name during the hour that I have with them, I’d be able to employ a teacher to help me. I’ve started spending some breaks with them also to help them with reading etc.

Ok, started writing the above before I went to my morning classes, and just got home for lunch etc........and I now have 6 junior students, all at different skill levels, all needing one-on-one time..............I think Lalil (teacher) thinks I’m way more talented than I really am.

I was thinking on the moto ride to school about how it feels to live in Cambodia and the daily challenges we face with such limited knowledge of the language. The best way I can describe it is being struck 90% deaf and dumb. You can hear fuzzy sounds, but can’t decipher anything.......you can make gurgling sounds, but no one can understand you. It’s seriously exhausting and I have a new found compassion for people trapped in their bodies with no means of communication....

As anyone that has read my blogs or been on facebook, you’ve seen the pictures of our trip to the Animal Rescue Sanctuary last weekend, and know that we had a great afternoon there. I couldn’t help but think that my kids would love a trip there also. I was in two minds though – do I spend maybe $200 - $300 on the day which in Cambodia is wildly extravagant, or do I buy the families, food packages etc? The reality is, the food would come in handy for many of the families............but the idea of giving the kids a trip out of their day to day reality, and to see their faces when they see the lions, tiger, elephants and dear etc, would be priceless and you just know that they’ll remember it for a very long time to come. Most don’t get out of the slum, let alone a one & a half hour drive out of Phnom Penh.

So I raised it today with Lalil and Lida (one of the senior teachers), and they’re really excited about the idea..........and Lida is Really, Really excited – she said she’s wanted to go there for 6 years, so she was almost bouncing off the wall at the idea. I’ll ring the head monk today and have a chat about how we can organise it. There’s a suggestion that I may be able to get Projects Abroad’s financial support and if I do, then I can still look at the food packages for the families. Stay tuned.

Weather-wise, it’s still the wet season and we have major storms most days.....it’s the way it is, so we just get on with things.........the Cambodian’s don’t stop for the rain, neither do we. The streets flood – depth depends on the size and severity of the storm.....the water recedes, the dirt remains, dries out and everything goes back to looking really dusty and dirty again.....and our feet remain dirty, apart from the few minutes post our nice, cold showers.

Talking weather, and in particular, temperatures........most people know that I hate the heat – yeah, yeah, so go figure why I came to Cambodia and not Romania for my placement. Anyway, after a week or so you quickly become acclimatised and get used to being hot, damn hot, and sweaty. At home the heat peaks at around 2pm, yet here it’s more like 11am. There’s a temperate display near the hospital on the way to school, and most days by 8.15am, it’s 30 degrees........and anywhere between 31 (cool day) and 35 degrees by 11am. I no longer perspire at 30 degrees....though, unlike others, I won’t go so far as to put a cardigan on – seriously, they do !!!

Oh, and on an important note, I understand that there is plenty of flooding in various regions of south east Asia, but at present where I am, we're fine. There's been plenty up north in Siem Reap etc, and in Thailand, but down south is still pretty good. There is flooding around the Mekong and people have been evacuated, but I'm 6kms away from it, so doing ok. If anything changes, I will keep you posted.

Ok, lunch time, and we don’t like to keep the cook waiting. Then I’ll head to the cafe to post this........catch you later.

Hugs from Cambodia, Rob

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Comments

[Erika]

glad to hear you are settled in
Hi Rob! I found your blog randomly as I was searching for more information on Cambodia, and have read all your entries over the past day. I have loved hearing about your experiences and am impressed by your journey and commitment to help the children there. I'll send you a note. Take care and good luck! erika