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
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