The Happy School

---

Today would have to rank amongst the most amazing days of my life. I think I just smiled the entire day, literally from dusk till dawn (and still smiling). I guess you want to know why????

Well.....

I think I had mentioned that I had a contact in Phnom Penh by the name of Kirk, who is one of the young Melbournians who runs and funds the Happy School, a small community school in the southern quarters of PP.

Kirk showed up last night as we were having our traditional Khmer dinner at the guesthouse, and joined us for a Beer Lao, some curry, chicken and basil, spring rolls and Cambodian fried rice - delicious. He offered to take us on a spin on his moto (which he hires for US$1.50 per day), so we jumped straight on, eager to not miss a single opportunity. (Leens and I went with Kirk, and Eva with another moto driver - in Havaianas, T-shirts and shorts - helmets? What are they?). We cruised down to the Tonle Sap River, and went for a stroll along the banks. The streets and sidewalks were alive, as usual, and we soaked in the atmosphere and all that Kirk had to say. Leens was busy looking at the stars as we tried to balance on the small scooter, so the trip was full of giggles and spare-tyre grabbing.

Kirk had a lot to tell us. He talked to us about life in PP, the people, his own reasons for being here, the huge aid community and what they are really doing here - basically all of the third-world questions covered in a who wants to be a millionaire style quiz (only slightly quicker, eddy). By the time he dropped us at the guesthouse, we were full of dreams and hopes, anxious to wake up and start the next day.

At 7.30am, Kirk picked us up again, this time with Sirowan, one of the guards from the Happy School, who is also a moto driver. We weaved our way through the traffic to a one of the many street stalls, this one being Kirk's favourite. They serve breakfast - boiled rice and BBQ pork - to a who heap of Khmers, and I think we were some of the few Westerners to try this style of eating. We were all sceptical due largely to the hygiene standards which are so lacking in many eateries, but this morning, we just put that aside and enjoyed our tasty food (just for the record, breakfast cost us 1500 riel each, which is roughly US$0.32). I even had a Khmer coffee - a really strong brew with a good long shot of sweetened condensed milk - very yummy, and good for the teeth.

We got back on our motos after thanking the host, an amazing lady who dished up plate after plate with precision and immense pride, and headed out to the Happy School.

The trip there was another adventure in itself, as the streets (mostly sealed in PP) were bustling with activity, families, chickens, even a mattress on the back of a scooter! (Yesterday, there was a guy with an elephant - pretty much anything goes)

When we finally arrived, it felt so wonderful to finally see the little school with only 30 students, that I had waited so long to see. The school ground was about the size of a backyard - maybe 1/8 acre - with two buildings and a tall solid concrete fence. One of the buildings, the former residence of the landlord off whom the Happy School rents, is a small two room timber house on stilts, the other is a brick room which the guys raised funds for and had built not so long ago.

As soon as we got off the motos, Kirk burst into the lower school room and the little kids yelled out 'Hello Kirk" in response to his greeting. Their eyes were wide open in awe of the new people they were seeing, and it was so so cute and beautiful. They sat in their little classroom with their teacher, Narin, a native Khmer who had pretty much dedicated his life and money to helping these underprivileged kids, and just beamed at us with smiles.

Next, we met the big kids (all between 10 and 17), and this for me was very special. They all seemed so genuinely pleased and intruiged to meet us - I guess mainly because we are Westerners; as Kirk says, if you are white over here, you are like God.

Kirk and Nika, the school's 21yo coordinator (amazing girl, full of so much energy and passion) had an interview with a potential English teacher, so we chatted to the school's guards while we waited for the kids' lunch break. They were also such humbling people. Sirowan and John are both from poor families, Sirowan having just married a young bride several weeks ago. They make minimal wage in their guard jobs, and drive motos during the time they are not at the Happy School, in order to make enough money to feed their families. According to Kirk, Sirowan would be lucky to take home US$80 per month from both of his jobs, so he must have felt like all of his Christmas' had come at once when we paid him US$9 for driving us around all day.

After playing with the kids for a while, Kirk took us back through the city and over the Tonle Sap river to the Mekong delta, where a whole row of little stilted eateries are housed, I think only frequented by locals, as the menu was entirely in Khmer. Sirowan picked out a dish and we all kicked back in out hammocks, all strung to form small square spaces in which guests could then sit to eat. The breeze was perfect, and I could just imagine living in Phnom Penh as an expat, and coming down to this little hidden corner of the world to drink iced tea, munch on banana in sticky rice and get my teeth into a good book. There is something so liberating about this place, the people and the possibilities. Hmmm.

By 12.45, we were running slightly late to meet Nika at the Central Market, where we were going to buy the kids such much needed educational toys and stationery. We found a few items, but decided to head to the Psar O Russei instead, the secondhand market in PP. Here, we found some toys, though all very expensive. When we frowned at the price, the vendor remarked, 'This from Taiwan! Very good, very good!'. Funny how you can perceive the same thing in two such different ways.

Loaded with all of our purchases, we embarked on our longish trip back to the Happy School one more time. I doubled with Nika, and struggled to hang onto the HUGE plastic bag full of goodies as we hit the back roads near the school. But everything made it back...

The kids were absolutely enthralled by all of their new toys. Most of them would have only seen they sorts of things for the first time in their lives, and they were all so deeply concentrated on their puzzles, blocks, tea set, it was just bizarre. Even Sirowan, our moto driver, ended up sitting cross-legged on the woven mat, trying to put one of the puzzles back together on its board, apparently 'putting the toys away'. : )

Then we gave the kids the Twister game that I had bought for them in Australia. Very funny, very funny. Helyna was spinning the board, I was taking photos, and Nika was trying to explain to each of the kids what they had to do when their turn was up. She would say 'Left foot green' (in Khmer), and the entire brigade of kids would move their feet, hands, head, anything, just to make sure they were not missing out. After they got the hang of it and were tangled up, one of the little boys, who lives with Narin, the Khmer teacher, cried out in laughter, 'I think i'm gonna die!'. Everyone laughed, even us silly Westerners who had no idea what this kid was saying, as him happiness just beamed off to everyone. Can't wait to show you the photos of this episode when I get home.

Finally, we came back home, after a "full-on day", in Helyna's words. We strode into our guesthouse, and I don't think any of us could help but smirk at the tourists watching Western DVD's in the common room. Funny, probably would have been amongst them only a few days ago. How things can change.

I hope I have expressed the beauty of this place and its people in an adequate way, as I think it so hard to grasp until you are really experiencing it, and I don't mean spending a week at the Phnom Penh Hilton (not that it exists). I came here thinking that I could help improve the lives of poverty stricken people. But, more and more, I realise that perhaps it is not these people who need the help, but rather that I am the one who has so much to learn. Yes, they may be poor in the sense of money and material belongings - most of the people I met today have nothing - but they are so drenched in this infinite happiness, that nothing seems to be able to break. The moto drivers may sit by the side of the road from 6 in the morning until 9 at night, and even if they have had no customer all day, they will still smile at you and nod when you turn down their offer of a ride.

Anyway, I think, once again, I have talked enough D&M tonight.

Sleep tight,

Maz x

---

Comments

[Gabi K.]

Dear Girls, I am so overwhelmed by Maria's description of the days in P.P. and the Happy School.Make sure you come back, though, Maria, at least for now! In case you see Kirk again and go back to the school, I am happy for you to spend the "jewellery" money on something more important for the School, so just go ahead and forget about the initial idea. Or spend it on something that you think is worth it and helps someone. I am so happy for you, Maria, that you seem so fulfilled, and the minute Eva gives away the designer clothes, and asks Gavin to establish a branch for Visy in P.P., Cambodia and its people have put a spell on all of you... I wonder how long you will stay in P.P.? I am sure the experiences and memories will last for a lifetime for all of you. With lots of lve, mum