The Ambassador's Reception

This afternoon, my companions and I were cordially invited to the British Ambassador's home in Phnom Penh for an informal talk on the state of security in Cambodia. It was incredibly interesting and we all felt terribly important - even the Dutch, Irish and Americans with us were impressed! We also had a gorgeous lunch and just enough wine to enquire whether there would be a Christmas Party in December. The Ambassador (David, to us!) assured us there would certainly be a carol and mince pie evening and that we would all be very welcome. Although we didn't get to explore the whole house, we were all very awestruck at the general decor, the artefacts from around the world, impressive pictures of London and a very inviting swimming pool in the back garden. No pictures I'm afraid as any recording devices were strictly prohibited. And would you believe it, there was not a Ferrero Rocher in sight - how disappointing!

Khnom rien paesa Khmer

I am learning Khmer

Well, sort of! (The pictures above show me practicing with fellow volunteers - Sabine and Charlene).

We have had a daily 4-hour language lesson while staying in Kampong Cham. They have been very good lessons and I can now (in theory) say lots about myself, my family and my job as well as buy a whole range of items at the market and direct a tuk tuk driver to my house. I can successfully write the language down but in its Romanised form which is absolutely useless apart for a Western learner. The problem comes when I try and use all this newly acquired language with the Khmer people. Even after practicing my sentence thoroughly before trying it out on an unsuspecting local, I am usually responded to with a sympathetic smile and blank look to which I return to the universal language of pointing, nodding and shaking my head. Some of the group have really taken to it (it’s all in the accent apparently) and are excellent already. I, on the other hand, am far from fluent and feeling slightly frustrated that the language doesn’t just automatically absorb into my brain without requiring any effort. Isn’t that what immersion means?! I feel like I have some SEN (Special Education Needs) but maybe I should just dedicate more time to study.

The local corner shop!

It is Sunday today and three of the group fancied checking out Kampong Cham’s local Methodist church. So, we cycled off for the 9 o’clock start, were welcomed warmly, handed a copy of the Bible in English and sat through a very entertaining (but completely incomprehensible!) service. The service followed a familiar format of songs, welcome, more songs, bible reading, prayer, sermon, songs but instead of coffee and tea afterwards, we were offered a banana and a coconut to drink. At the welcome part of the service everyone stood, respectfully bowed their heads and said "Chum Reap Sua" (the formal ‘hello’) and then as we settled in our seats, I was suddenly aware that everyone was looking at us (the only foreigners in the building) and shock horror, someone was heading our way with a microphone! Luckily for my two friends, guess who was sitting on the end of the aisle and therefore the first to face the microphone - yes yours truely. I suppressed the urge to take hold of the microphone and burst into singing ‘I’m an Alien in Cambodia’ (a song the group have adapted from The Police’s hit). Instead, I half translated and half guessed what was asked of me and replied in stereo "Khnom chmouy Anna. Khnom mok pei prorteis Anglais" (My name is Anna. I am from England) and thankfully received a round of applause from the congregation. My companions breathed a huge sigh of relief, followed suit and also received applause after which we sank into our chairs but with a certain amount of pride that we had been understood!

We have our last language lesson (for now) on Monday which is probably when this entry will readh the blog, and then head back to Phnom Penh for more briefings about HIV/AIDS in Cambodia as well as advice on house hunting. Then, on Sunday (a week today) we split up and travel in smaller groups to our future home provinces. I’ll be going with Corine and Pam to Banteay Meanchey where we’ll then split again to go to our future home towns!! I will be accompanied by a few VSO people who will help me find my accommodation in Phnom Srok, visit the office where I’ll be working and meet the people I’ll be working with. And then I will finally get a taste for what life will really be like over the coming two years - and probably cry!
We have been so protected and so well looked after since arriving in the country. A few of us (me included) even think we have been putting on weight - imagine that - living in a third world country and putting weight ON - that is just WRONG!). I think the culture shock is just around the corner...

Photos show the upstairs and downstairs of our compound in Kampong Cham

Introducing Bob

Once upon a time, about a week ago, a Khmer mosquito decided to attack. He chose his time carefully so as to ambush me at my most vulnerable and enjoy his long thirst quenching drink from my blood without interruption. In consequence to this uninvited drain from my personal blood supply, my body decided to defend itself and begin the natural healing process by creating a sensible blister over the scene of attack.

I noticed the appearance of said blister and, after saying a silent prayer that it wasn’t due to the insect being a malaria or dengue fever carrier, I was thankful that my skin had this amazing ability to create a force field around an open wound in order to protect it from infection. I have been happily going about my business as usual, occasionally stoking the blister in order to check it and have found myself introducing it to my new friends and colleagues as if it were a small puppy following me around or a plant that I have lovingly cultivated from seed. (I haven’t noticed the same fondness in those who have been lucky enough to be introduced.) In fact, I have become so attached to this blister that I have named it Bob. Bob sits on my left ankle, perfectly circular and slightly raised from my skin. He is dark pink in colour and a little smaller than the size of a 5 pence piece. I know that Bob won’t be around for long (in fact I’m slightly worried he has survived this long with all the fluid he is carrying around inside him) but I want to enjoy the time we have together before the inevitable occurs and he bursts. He doesn’t hurt or itch, he just sits quietly on my left ankle, always there when I look down to check, always there when my hand reaches down to give him a gentle stroke.

And what I should be doing right now is learning my new Khmer words from language training today... it's really hard!!!!!

Turning 29

Sunday 16th September

Turning 29 was not nearly as bad as I had expected and despite being millions of miles away from my family and friends, I think it's safe to say I had one of the best birthdays ever!

As luck would have it my birthday fell on a Sunday this year which happened to be the group’s day off from language training. It’s actually quite amazing how well and how quickly everyone in the group has bonded. We all come from quite different walks of life and countries and within days of meeting, we seem to know each other really well. I mean, you don’t often get to hang up people’s underwear on the washing line after only a matter of days of meeting them. Needless to say, they seem to have got to know me quite well too. Not without creatively dropped hints during the 10 short days I have known them, my new friends managed to organise a whole day of fun and surprises for me! I think it’s important for everyone’s well being and general mental health to enjoy at least one day per year which is totally dedicated to me! The birthday started at midnight with ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to me in four different languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch.

When I woke up in the morning I opened cards in bed and received a bilingual dawn chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ again (this time English and Gaelic! - we are such a diverse multicultural group!). Then it was pancakes and coffee for breakfast and a tuk tuk down to the Mekong River. It was surprise followed by surprise the whole day. I imagined we were all meeting at the river to have lunch or go for a walk but when I arrived there, everyone was sat aboard a huge boat singing 'Happy Birthday’ (again) ready to be taken down the Mekong and then up one of its tributaries. We spent the whole day on the boat; enjoying the beautiful scenery we passed, waving at the people fishing or bathing and stopping off to visit a Buddhist pagoda and later on a community of silk weavers. We had lunch on the boat, played games, took a nap, and took lots of photos and luckily for us it did not rain at all (it is rainy season so usually the heavens open for a down pour for an hour or so every day). Near the end of our journey we even stopped at a ‘safe’ place to swim so most of us piled into the muddy brown water still fully clothed. It was so refreshing and all thoughts of our health and safety briefings about contact with water in Cambodia and the various diseases and infections we might contract went flying out the window!

But that was not all - when we got back to the house and had all showered and scrubbed the mud out of our toe nails, the evening party began. We had dinner, made speeches and danced the night away. ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung at least twice more and the guys had organised a birthday cake, flowers and a treasure hunt in the Khmer language to find my presents! It was a really wonderful day and my new friends made me feel very special!

Missed you all heaps tho’ xx

Photos on the way...

I need to work out how to compress my photos because it's taking forever (and about 2000Riel) to upload the bloody things!) Photos soon - promise!! xxx

Language lessons

Saturday 15th September

Four other volunteers and I have been getting up for a 7.30 breakfast and then cycling to our language lessons in the University buildings round the corner. Now when I say university, what I mean is large concrete building of small rooms with a canteen comprising of a hammock and plastic chairs gathered around a large cool box outside in the shade.

Our teacher is Mr. Khamdy and he has filled our brains and our books with absolutely loads of Khmer vocabulary, phrases and sentences. I can now say what my name is, where I come from, where I live and what my job is. I can also (in theory) ask a tuk tuk driver to take me to the petrol station, hospital; market and internet shop as well as ask how much 2 bottles of beer is. All very helpful stuff. It is a relatively simple language to learn as it has few words compared to the English language and the verb stays the same whether you’re speaking in past, present or future tense! Nouns do not have a gender either like they do in French or German for example. Every little helps.

The test comes when we practice on unsuspecting members of the Khmer public during our break times and realise that what we have been practicing for hours is in fact completely mispronounced. We have over 20 days of language training in all so I’m hoping to pick it up by then...!

To market, to market to buy a fat pig

Friday 14th September

I had experienced the Cambodian markets in Phnom Pehn so was fully aware of the sights and sounds and smells! that would await me on today’s visit to Kompong Cham’s main market. After our morning language lesson, a group of us mounted our bicycles and headed to the market. Some of the group were hoping to find the infamous cooked spiders to sample while I was quite happy to get some photos and was definitely drawing the line at consuming arachnids! We had seen platters of cooked spiders during our bus journey to Kompong Cham on Wednesday but resisted the urge to buy and try! We failed in finding any cooked insects for sale – the closest we came across was barbequed frogs.

The market stalls are all very close together and the smell and number of flies would suggest it is not too hygienic. Women literally sit on their stall, swatting flies that dare to land on their goods. They sell a whole range of fruit and vegetables that I have never seen before and bits of meat that I do not recognise. It is quite normal to see a huge bowl of large live fish flapping about which is then unceremoniously beheaded, usually with a less than sharp cleaver (sometimes it takes a number of attempts) and often de-scaled whilst still wriggling.

There are also lively bowls of small crabs, the shells of which are ripped from the rest of the body in order to kill them in front of your eyes. The market is certainly not an experience for the squeamish!

We are lucky enough to have a Khmer lady cook for us every breakfast and lunch time (what a treat!). She is also very obliging at helping us practice our ever expanding Khmer vocabulary. She buys the food from the market in the morning – a fact not far from my thoughts while we wandered around the place earlier.

In the evening we found yet another Western establishment on the Mekong River to eat and have a few beers. The place is called The Mekong Crossing and run by an American named Joe and his Cambodian wife. It is really nice to experience these small Western luxuries while we can so I had a burger and chips!

For the first time since my arrival in Cambodia (where the air is hot and humid ALL THE TIME!'), I experienced being a bit chilly! We were sat in Jo's place by the river and I actually had goosebumps on my arms from the chill in the air. I have to say, my arm was still clammy from the sweat that had not dried off (and never does!) but there were definitely goosebumps! Maybe I needed to bring that cardi' after all!

Horror and Heaven

Sunday 9th September

This morning I visited the Genocide Museum (Toul Sleng) in Phnom Pehn with my new Dutch friends Corine and Sabine. We had had a rather deep discussion with ‘the group’ last night about whether to go or not or whether it was best to go sooner or later. We decided to brave it. Toul Sleng used to be a high school but was turned into a secret prison during the Khmer Rouge regime only about 30 years ago. Absolutely thousands of people were interrogated, tortured and murdered there in the worst conditions imaginable and it has been turned into a horrifying educational site. It really has an eerie feeling about it and was very harrowing indeed. Again, words can’t really describe it and I took no photos at all. I think the images there will be ingrained on my memory for a long time. It was fascinating though and it shocked and amazed me (even though I have read lots about it already) what human beings can do to each other. Horrible!

To clear my mind of the graphic horror of the museum I went to have a traditional massage this afternoon. Now when I hear the word massage I imagine tranquil music, aromatherapy, sweet smelling oils and gentle soothing motions releasing and easing tension. Well, not Cambodian massage. We paid $3 for an hour of an intense work out! And that was just the masseur! We kept fully clothed and the masseur literally pummelled my whole body black and blue. He used his fingers, hands, elbows, knees and feet to push by force all the knots and tension out of my limbs and back. It was quite honestly acrobatic. I think I may be slightly heavier than the average Cambodian female so some of the lifts (yes lifts) may not have been strictly traditional but saying all that and despite the odd painful elbow in the calf muscles, I did thoroughly enjoy it and left feeling like I’d had 8 hours sleep and at least 2 inches taller. Heaven!

And then we went out for dinner in a tuk tuk...

Whistle Stop Tour (by Cyclo)

Saturday 8th September


Unfortunately for me and anyone reading this entry, my camera battery decided to die this morning so there is very little pictorial evidence that his day actually happened so you’ll have to take my word(s) for it! VSO are very kind to us all and helpfully arranged a Cyclo tour for all 17 of us to get our bearings of Phnom Pehn.

Cyclos are bicycles with two front wheels and a seat for the passenger, driven by a Khmer man. We paid $5 for the whole day and we were taken around the place in convoy, stopping off at a number of landmarks. The trick is to choose your driver carefully and make sure you recognise him when you are ready to get in again. I managed to find a driver with both eyes and whose feet touched the peddles, a luxury that was not shared by all!

Roads in Phnom Pehn are mad! Officially, vehicles are driven on the right hand side of the road. However, if you are driving a moto, cyclo or tuk tuk and having difficulty turning into a road, it is very normal to drive the wrong way down a road until you get the chance to filter through the on-coming traffic and cross to the correct side! This is rather hell-raising when sitting in a Cyclo seat as you can imagine.

We managed to visit Wat Phnom (a very old temple in the city where there were monkeys, an elephant wandering round, many beggars and children selling whatever they could and birds you could pay $2 to be set free from their cage). Needless to say I kept a close eye on my purse and even attempted to dissuade others from paying to free the incredibly tame birds. I’m sure they come back to the cage of their own free will when its dinner time! It was a beautiful temple to wander round but soooo hot!!

We also managed to visit two of the bigger, more well known markets; Central market and the Russian market which were fantastic experiences. I cannot describe the overwhelming attack on the senses: the colours, smells, people, food, material, and so much more! It was wonderful and I’m definitely going back with more time to buy some cooler clothing. Did I mention that it’s quite hot?

For lunch we visited the Foreign Correspondents Club overlooking the river for a coconut (again, a very luxurious western establishment) and then the Bali Cafe for the most delicious food. And then it rained! Proper rain though – not the drizzly pissy rain of England fame. It was so cool and refreshing and heavy!

In the evening we were invited to the Deputy Director’s home for a welcome party with yet more fantastic Khmer food! We have certainly been well looked after so far. I have to keep reminding myself that this is not the reality of the next 2 years though – I will not have a fan going all night in my bedroom when I’m in Phnom Sarok!

Anna Elsewhere

Friday 7th September

My first full day proved to be an interesting introduction to life in Cambodia. We were introduced to members of staff at the Programme Office, where most of us are also staying while in Phnom Pehn, and had an introductory talk and security briefing from the Programme Director.

There are 17 volunteers in this group and quite a mixture of people including couples, singles, young, old with initially one thing in common – Education. There are a few on the Youth for Development programme which VSO runs for graduates with slightly different criteria for entry. There is also a couple who appear to be VSO junkies on their 3rd VSO placement! There are also 4 from the Netherlands VSO who are fab – one of which (Corine) is also coming to Banteay Meancheay so we will be working together in the same area. Fortunately, one of the Dutch guys is about 7ft tall which is approximately twice the height of the average Khmer person much to everyone’s amusement! I must admit, it’s quite a relief not to be the one pointed and stared at although that will probably change once I’m in my placement. Everyone is fantastic and I’m pleased I’m in an easy-going group of people. I am sharing a room with Jean, a lovely lady from Newcastle who very kindly wakes me up with a cup of tea each morning (well – has done so far anyway).

Luckily for us, it happened to be the first Friday of the month which we learnt was THE night to go to Elsewhere – a western bar in Phnom Pehn. After some deliberation, a number of us decided to try it out and what a night we had! Elsewhere is situated off a very ordinary looking Khmer street. It looks like a big white house and in effect we were sat in the garden all night. But what a garden! Little paved paths lead round an outdoor pool with tables, cushions, benches and stools set amongst trees (with fans nailed to them) and a bar. It was a like a small paradise. Personally, it felt a bit weird to be in such an obviously white western place with such luxuries after just stepping off a plane to volunteer in the third world, especially as we had paid our tuk tuk driver $1 (50p) to drive us there!

However, several mojitos later and the guilt had been replaced with a dozen reasons to justify enjoying such luxury, a temptation to jump into the pool and an overwhelming need to dance! Needless to say, we had a fantastic night which went on till the small hours! We even recognised Matt Dillons’ minders at the bar!

Arrival!

Anna has arrived in Cambodia. At last the Blog Title actually refers to reality!

Flying with Thai Airwarys proved seamless after a 1 hour delay at Heathrow. I even had the pleasure of sharing airspace with a Hollywood superstar - none other than Matt Dillon of 'There's something about Mary' and 'Wild Things' fame. OK, so the photo doesnt show his face but I did make eye contact with him at the VISA cheque!

I arrived in Phnom Pehn with about 10 other VSO volunteers I collected during the journey. We were met at the airport, given an itinerary of our training over the next 7 weeks and taken to the VSO Programme Office where I'll be staying until language training commences next week.

First impressions are positive: friendly people, good food, cold beer and hot weather. We'll see what second impressions are later...

Ginger Appreciation Society

I attended my final farewell party at the weekend with my bestest friends in the whole wide world at a stunning holiday destination by the sea - my dad's house on the Isle of Wight! Luckily the sun shone all weekend and on Saturday we took the opportunity to visit the island's Extreme Water Sports festival at Sandown. Though most of us are not easily disappointed, we did consider whether 'Extreme' was the most appropriate adjective to describe what appeared to be little more than a glorified village fete! Good old Isle of Wight! However, we had an amazing time: Ruth proved to be most Extreme by having a go on the Climbing Wall, I became the unofficial champion of the well known Extreme sport - Bungee Running, Mads managed to get a picture of Chilli in yet another AMAZING HOLIDAY DESTINATION, the Red Arrows were out of this world and Sarah won a BIKE!

And as if that wasn't enough, my bestest friends in the whole wide world put on a surprise 'Ginger' party for me in the evening. We ate ginger food, wore 'Ginger Appreciation Society' badges and each friend donned a ginger wig in order to show their appreciation of ginger-ness and in doing so truely empathise with the suffering I have had to endure over the last 29 years (mosty subjected by them - my bestest friends in the whole wide world).