Volunteering with Globalteer in Cambodia

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We woke bright and early for our first morning in Cambodia. We got ourselves and our luggage sorted and headed downstairs, looking for breakfast. We sat at one of the outside tables, only metres from the dusty street and placed our order. Whilst we waited we chatted with three young American guys at the next table, who had just arrived in Siem Reap from China. Everyone here has an interesting story to tell. Earlier we had met an English lady doing yoga on the verandah. She was a photographer, travelling the world taking photos for her own magazine, and had been in Cambodia for eight months.
Not long after we had finished a very hearty breakfast, Ryan from Globalteer arrived with two tuks tuks, one for us and one for the luggage. We all piled in and headed to Globalteer House, our home for the next 12 weeks. The road to Globalteer House, once we left the main town area, was the worst I have seen, anywhere, ever! It is bitumen but more potholes, gravel and dust than anything else. You need a well sprung tuk tuk to travel this long forgotten road with any degree of comfort!

Globalteer House used to be a guesthouse, so all rooms come complete with ensuites. Ginny and I were given two spacious rooms on the second floor. They are opposite each other so we leave our doors open and wander between the two. We have a big balcony along the front of our rooms which overlooks the street. There are big timber framed windows in both our rooms which open onto this balcony, and a window in the side walls of our rooms, so we get cross breezes. We have 2 double beds each, modern ensuites, tiled floors, TV and lots of storage space. Every room has an air conditioner which will cost an extra $4 per day to use. Electricity is very expensive here due to the fact that Cambodia buys all its power supplies from Thailand and Vietnam. So far the pedestal fans have done the job. Also in our rooms are locked boxes for our valuables - a cash box attached to a heavy piece of furniture with a bicycle chain and lock. Another invaluable item is our mozzie zapper. It looks like a tennis rachet and you use it to take a swipe at any mozzies you see. If you're lucky enough to make contact, it zaps and kills the offending bug. It requires way to much energy for me to bother with. What ever happened to the old fashioned can of spray?

We have no fridges in our rooms so keep our supplies in the fridges in the lobby. That's exactly 40 steps down and 40 steps back up again to get milk for a cuppa. I reckon I'll be running up and down those stairs by the time we leave here, they are a great workout. We also have no Internet in our rooms but fast wifi is available in the lobby and in the rooftop lounge, another 40 steps down or 40 steps up... Ryan gave us half an hour to settle in and then we did an orientation in the lobby. We ran through rules and regulations, do's and don'ts, and their Child Protection Policy. All straight forward stuff.

Ryan had a tuk tuk waiting and we headed into town for a quick tour. He showed us the only ATM machine in town with no charges, the travel agency where we can extend our visas, the best pharmacy, a market we would have never found on our own, and everything we would need during our stay. A quick visit to a supermarket to get supplies and we headed back to Globalteer House. Ryan advised us not to hire motorcycles and brave the roads, which we hadn't considered doing anyway. He made us laugh when he said the locals regard the traffic lights as a new form of street art!

Later that afternoon Ryan took us to ABC's & Rice School where we meet the staff and other volunteers, had a look around the school and adjoining Full Belly Farm where vegetables to feed the children are grown. We also spend a couple of hours in the classroom, sitting in on the afternoon lessons and talking with the kids. They range in ages from 5 to 18, totalling about 150. Classes in the morning commence at 8.00am and finish at 11.00am. Then there's a 3 hour break when everyone goes home. Classes re-commence at 2.00pm with different students, and finish at 5.00pm. There are 2 x 15 minute breaks during the 3 hour lessons as the kids lose concentration easily. All the kids who attend the morning session go to a State School during the afternoon and vice versa. A tuk tuk picked us up at 5.00pm. We asked to be dropped in Pub Street instead of Globalteer House, as we wanted to have an early dinner so we wouldn't have to come out again later.

Pub Street was filling up fast. We enjoyed another lovely meal, washed down with a glass of wine for Ginny and a beer for me, followed by a cocktail each. Total bill $14. We paid our bill in $USD except for $1 which we paid in cambodian Reil. There are over 4000 reil to the Aussie dollar, and we handed over an extra 20 notes to pay that $1. No wonder the locals prefer to be paid in $USD instead of their own currency, and no wonder we don't want to hang on to it! We didn't linger for long after finishing our meal and hopped in a tuk tuk for another bumpy ride down Thea Chamrat Road and home to Globalteer House. Tomorrow is our first 'official' work day at ABCs & Rice.

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Photos

My bedroom at Globalteer House
These windows open out to the verandah outside our rooms.

My bedroom at Globalteer House
Ginny's door is across the hall.

The road outside ABC's & Rice
This would be the 2nd worst road we've travelled on!

Full Belly Farm
This adjoins ABC's & Rice School. Verges are grown here to feed the kids.

Industrious student
His friends were kicking a football around but this little guy was doing his school work.

The Rainforest
Another volunteer had this waterfall photo blown up, printed on corflute and created a cool area for the kids to sit in.

Pumping water
These girls are pumping and carting the water to their classroom to wash down the concrete at the entrance.

One squat toilet
This is the only toilet for everyone to use at school. New facilities are currently being built with 3 western style chemical style toilets.

The Classroom Huts
There are 5 of these huts or individual classrooms. They are built when finances allow it.

The School Bus
This bus picks up the kids from the State Schools and brings them to ABC's & Rice every morning and afternoon.

No Child Forgotten
Written on the fence at ABC's & Rice.

Ginny and Tim
Chatting outside the school.

Comments

[MIck Amiss]

Bet you\'ll be a black tea convert before the trip is up.