I have got the impression from VSO that all we new volunteers do for the first 6 months of our placement is network. During the training I have received so far, both in the UK and in-country, the importance of relationship building has been emphasised again and again. Well, I quite agree. There is little value in turning up in a placement and being too task-focussed. The main priority should be building trust, getting to know one another and networking. Bearing this in mind I have already got myself invited to a wedding, caused quite a stir in the market by trying to use my limited Khmer to buy food (I only wanted a small piece of beef but managed to attract about 20 people who watched me – and laughed at me – trying to communicate this to the lady with the beef!) and spent a whole afternoon at work chatting outside the office to the office staff trying to get invited out for dinner or for a fishing expedition.
So far I have tried to make sure I spend some of my time in the evenings at the shop front downstairs where so much seems to happen. Mr Banlie (my landlord) speaks a little English so we have had some interesting conversations in an English/Khmer language mixture. I have also started playing games with some of the kids – at first they were very afraid of me (and still are a little) but we have started to have some fun now! There are also two teenagers who hang around a lot and are learning English at school. They are also still very shy but some progress is made every day which is a good sign. Sigh (the 15 year old boy) keeps bringing his English school books to the shop front but runs away whenever I suggest we practice! – am I really that scary?! I have also said hello to the neighbours opposite the shop; a tailor and a lady who crushes dried chillies for a living!
And I ambushed another neighbour yesterday who teaches English in the evening to a group of high school children. I kept hearing random English words being chanted each evening so plucked up the courage to investigate and found a headmaster who teaches underneath his house each night. I said “hello” and one brave boy said “how are you”, I said “I’m fine” and repeated the question and was answered with a whole chorus of “I’M FINE”. I had to laugh – it was very funny!! I didn’t want to outstay my welcome so left the class to it but when the lesson was over they all cycled past the shop front shouting “hello!” at me. I met the teacher today at the District Education Office and spoke to him through my translator – apparently he only knows English up to Book 3 (of the Cambodian high school curriculum) so he asked me not to talk to him in English too much in front of the children! He did invite me back though and said the children really wanted me to stay and speak to them in English so I may’ve found some future evening entertainment.
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