I've Made It!

Saturday 23rd February 2008

Well, apparently! 5 minutes of fame on Khmer TV - or perhaps slightly less than 5.

Today my district's Office of Education was officially opened in a typically Khmer style ceremony. On the stage this time were very important people from the Provincial Office of Education, the District Governor of Phnom Srok, yours truly (but of course!) and a couple of my supporters (Pam and Corine).

I had been asked to make a speech, in advance this time, which was quite a luxury. Having advance notice meant that I could alledgedly prepare a coherent speech, however it also offered my nerves the chance to get very agitated - to the point where I had some very weird dreams about my teeth falling out the night before! I also managed to read my whole speech with my reading glasses on my head...

I spoke the first part of the speech down a dodgy microphone in Khmer to which my audience of teachers and school directors politely listened, pretended to understand and laughed (I wasn't even trying to be funny - I think it was embarrassed, nervous laughter on my behalf). Then I completed my token ramble about education, inclusion and embracing new ideas in English which Sarey translated. I kept it short and sweet(unlike my Khmer colleagues!) and after about 2 and a half hours of lengthy speeches, watching some traditional Apsara dancing, snipping a huge red ribbon and wandering into the new office as if it were the first time we had seen it, we all sat down and ate copious amounts of food!

Sadly, I'm getting used to eating and drinking at these functions whilst being watched by curious pairs of eyes. The same scruffy kids turn out to these events to scavenge and collect plastic bottles and tin cans to recycle for a few hundred Riel. I recognise some of the children as I've met them in the nearby schools. Some, I fear, dropped out of school long ago for a whole list of possible reasons and now help their families and work for their living. As they accept the weird looking barang living amongst them, I am accepting that the district I live in is poor and that this is a way of life for many. As soon as we left our table, the kids were around it like vultures, eating and drinking our leftovers.

Elbow Grease

I finally feel as though I’ve started something and done an honest day’s work! Phew! With fresh vigour and brimming with possibilities after the Model School visit in Kampong Cham and a feeling of relief that child-friendly schools actually exist in this country, I have been on somewhat of a mission to start the ball rolling in my district. It’s been a busy month for many school directors and teachers as well as my colleagues as many have been involved in training for the census collection which happens in March. However, I managed to find one teacher, a bit of a gem, a diamond in the rough, who was willing to let me loose in his classroom!

I’ve visited his school a number of times and noticed that he is what I would consider a child-friendly teacher! He acts like he actually enjoys his job, likes children, has the desks organised in groups and with very limited resources has tried to improve the environment for his Grade 1 class. And the children learn every day! through songs, games, actions, chanting, dancing! Oh how I miss being in my own classroom! He’s brilliant and he actually has fun with his class of scruffy kids and you can tell they really enjoy coming to school to learn – unlike some I observe who are almost asleep in their classes due to lacking motivation or working too hard out of school!

I showed the teacher and school director photographs of the Model School in Kampong Cham and talked to them about creating subject areas and organising resources and displays into these areas. The teacher already had many teaching aids he has made himself, from old cardboard boxes and the like, so it was just a case of removing the broken desks at the back of his classroom (many classrooms are also used as storerooms/dumping grounds!), sweeping up a bit and sorting out his resources. Easy! With a bit of elbow grease from all those involved! Of course, I involved the director of the school and a representative from the District Office of Education. Well, this has got to be sustainable afterall! My hope is that the ideas shared here will develop and spread. Schools here are organised in clusters of around 4 and they hold a meeting together once a month on a Thursday (in theory). The idea is that using resources, organising space into subject areas is something that more and more teachers will try out for themselves but I know from my own experience that these things can take an age to develop into the norm.

Pictures before:

Picture after;

We got invited to the school’s monthly Technical Thursday meeting but the school director who had obviously got some vigour and possibilities from our visit to his Grade 1 teacher. We were excited to learn that the focus for the meeting would be making resources. Fantastic! We spoke to the meeting room of teachers for a while about why and how resources and display can be used in classrooms to enhance learning and showed the group around the classroom we had all worked so hard on in the week – they were suitably impressed (I think!) and then it was the directors turn... disaster! The school Director told everyone to split into groups depending on what grade they taught and go away and make resources. Well, the teachers had no idea what to do and had nothing to do it with even if they did know. I could’ve cried! It was an absolute disaster! The teachers sat around the school grounds smoking and chatting all morning apart from a minority who could scrape together a piece of dusty paper or draw some pictures. (My Grade 1 teacher didn’t let me down however and dutifully worked with the other Grade 1 teachers from his cluster and made an alphabet game!) What topped it all off was at the end of the morning when the teachers all gave in the resources they had made to the school director. He meant to keep them and instructed everyone to make the resources again in order to use in the classroom!!!! Aaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Oh well! We made a difference to one teacher’s life and if others follow then all well and good! We also managed to take the Grade 1 teacher to see some up and coming model schools in a neighbouring district and he got straight back to his classroom to create more resources! Great stuff!

I have more plans round the corner too... after persuading my colleagues that staggering the monthly meetings schools have would be better for supporting, training and monitoring them, rather than absolutely every cluster in the district meeting on the last Thursday of the month, I now want to be involved in supporting, training and monitoring them... I’d like to get some Leadership and Management training (which already exists by the way!) to School Directors by ambushing their monthly meetings... and possibly repeat this for the DOE staff... take a group of teachers and staff ton a Study Tour to visit some local model schools in the province... and set up a committee of teachers to help spread the ‘Child-Friendly’ message... and go and watch the Formula 1 in Kuala Lumpa... and visit my friends in Battambang again... and get a puppy!

English Speakers Need Not Apply

Today was shortlisting day. Surprisingly I have received 8 applications for the job of my VA (Volunteer Assistant). What follows is a mere selection of quotations from the aforementioned cover letters and CVs...

"I wish to apply for any vacant post under your kind control in accordance with my experiences and qualification"

"I hope that the above position that I love I am given as soon as possible"

"I am pleased very much interested to participating with you as Full Time Assistant"

"I know your organisation is high standard profile and need high qualified staffs within core competency to promoting and improving within planning purpose in your industries"

"I look forward to talking and staying in contact with you in hopes that there may be an opportunity to join your body"

"I have had a lot of experience of teaching fields"

"I am anxious to discuss this opportunity with you further, with have no expectation on utilities"

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

I had recently reached a point of feeling quite miserable about being here in Cambodia. It was nothing I could put my finger on but probably a combination of a period of low self-esteem coupled with missing friends (who are becoming pregnant at a rate of 2 per month at the moment!!) and missing family.

During our in-country training we were warned that most of us would experience an emotional roller-coaster consisting of, enjoyment and immense happiness at the novelty of being in a wonderfully new country, depression as the novelty wore off, acceptance of how things are and then finally when you start enjoying yourself and feel like you're really making a difference it's time to go home!

Well, the novelty has definitely worn thin (if not off!). Sensing this, I have received numerous messages from friends in the UK, most of which have encouraged me to get over myself and keep my chin up, although not in those exact words. Mads even spent her normally very busy week nights penning a song in my honour in order to cheer me up. It worked!

Despite it not being her 'best work' (her words, not mine), she allowed me full permission to publish it on my blog for all to read, sing along to and enjoy...

I've written you this song to the tune of 'Don't worry be Happy' by Bill Withers (you can sing this to yourself in pop idol styleee!)

Here's a little song I wrote,
About a ginger friend on whom I dote,
She's ginger - well ginger.

She's really far away in a dust filled land,
And even though it's hot she's still not tanned,
But don't worry - white's healthy.

Remember everthing can't always got to plan,
But she'll persevere and things will turn out grand,
I'm not worried - she'll get there!

And when she leaves she'll leave behind,
A model school created from her mind,
So don't worry - be happy.

I can't wait to visit and join the fun,
And hear about all the things that she has done,
We're all proud - well proud.

So get all your troubles out of your head,
And remember these words that Bill Withers said,
Don't worry - be happy!!!

It worked... I'm well and truely cheered up! Thank you Mads!

Frogging

Tuesday 12th February 2008

This afternoon I was invited by my landlady's family to go with them to their pond which is situated in their field, a few minutes down the road. They told me they would be fishing and based on my enjoyment of the last fishing trip, I graciously accepted the invitation and looked forward to catching a few myslef if given the opportunity.

I was mistaken however, by thinking that fishing meant with a net or line and this style of fishing was new to me! A huge motor pumped the water out of the pond and into a neighbouring field. This left a dirty, muddy bog with the wildlife ready to be caught and cooked! A group of (mostly male) volunteers then went about catching what ever they could find whilst knee deep in mud. It was highly entertaining to watch and I only just suppressed the overwhelming urge to abandon my flipflops and join them!

They quickly filled the buckets with the fish they caught by hand. Huge water snails also turned up, were thrown out of the emptying pond towards the watching women so that they could be placed in a stack of burning hay and cooked! Unfortunately I didn't get to try one! It was amazing what came out of this pond other than fish. There were a few snakes caught, swiftly kiled and plopped into the bucket of fish. There was one crab which was also thrown into one bucket and loads and loads of frogs! Huge, ugly, green frogs!!

They looked like quite a challenge to catch. They were also quite a challenge to kill as I witnessed against my better judgement! They were held by the legs and their heads smashed against a near by tree stump or whatever was close to hand. This would have to be repeated several times until quite often the eyes started to bleed, the tongue and goodness knows what else fell out of their mouths but still they lived! Watching this and then watching them being skinned was enough to turn my stomach. I am trying to be more Khmer and not let my face always betray my feelings but I was really quite physically repelled watching the capture, execution and skinning of these animals. The family laughed at my revulsion and I declined the offer to taste a cooked one. I have eaten frog before at Khmer restaurants and they've been really tasty but I couldn't bring myself to this time after having witnessed their brutal murders! I have heard that in the marekts, frogs are skinned while they're still alive so it could've been worse!

The fish tasted great though. Funny, but I didn't experience the same ethical challenges watching them being caught, kept alive in buckets and then hit on the head before being thrown into the fire. Yum yum!

Banteay Chhmar

Saturday 9th February 2008

What can three volunteers in Sisaphon do to liven up a dull Saturday? Hop on their motos and ride 71km on a very bumpy road north of Sisaphon to Banteay Chhmar. Well, that's exactly what we did!

Corine, Debbie and I drove north for a good couple of hours, through the districts of Svay Chek and Tmour Puok to reach the Ankorian temple ruins of Banteay Chhmar (Narrow Fortress).

The temple is probably as old as other famous Khmer temples from the Angkorian area, but lesser-known. It was a city surrounded by a large moat and a 900m-long wall, and its bas-reliefs were believed to rival that of the Bayon, 150km away, in the Angkor Wat complex near Siam Reap (which I have yet to visit!).

At the center of this temple was one of the largest Buddhist monasteries of the Angkor period. However, now little remains. Banteay Chhmar is slowly being smothered by trees and the most impressive pieces stolen or sold to Thailand.

It was an exhillerating moto ride up to see the temples and we stopped off in Thmour Puok district to visit another VSO volunteer working in the Health sector. She showed us round the 'hospital' where we accidently walked in on a woman in labour (she later gave birth to a healthy boy!) and saw a thankfully empty A&E department. I'm sure she has a much tougher job than us in Education. She has to witness people dying from illness and disease daily, which wouldn't even reach a hospital in the west because of our vaccination programmes.

It was an interesting day all in all. I wish I could've taken photos while driving my moto because the sights we passed on the way home were 'some-ing else!'

Dust? Anyone? Anyone for Dust?

Thursday 8th February 2008

It has not rained since November and the roads have turned to dust, rivers and ponds are drying up and its altogether fairly depressing really. I think I arrived in the country when Cambodia was at its most beautiful. Everything was lush and the landscape was bright green with flooded rice fields. Now, the rice has been harvested and in my district many of the rice fields have been burnt so the landscape has a scorched, wasted look about it. Every movement, be it from cow, moto, feet or car, creates a cloud of dust in its wake which covers absolutely everything!

Everthing looks dull brown because of the layer of dust covering it. I often return home from work thinking I have developed a lovely golden brown tan during the day only to find that it washes off in the shower! And even after my shower, the towel I dry myself with appears covered in dust! I never feel clean!

The novelty of moving far away from home, friends and family is most definitely wearing off. I have stopped 'ohh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' and 'wow-ing' at everyting I see and do now as I develop the realisation of the fact that I'm staying here for another 2 years. It is now home. Everything that was initially so different from my experiences in the UK is becoming the norm. I am noticing the beautiful Cambodian smiles and beautiful Cambodian countryside less and less and I now notice the rubbish everywhere, the dirt everywhere, the unhappiness and the poverty.

Can you tell I've had a crap week?

Happy New Year (again)

Wednesday 6th February 2008

With the office unexpectedly closed this afternoon, I found myself with nothing to do... but not for long! I was not only invited to 1 Chinese New Year party, but three Chinese New Year parties! And it is extremely impolite not to accept an invitation in Cambodia so I found myself joining all three!


Funnily enough, it was exactly the same food at each party, the same beer and strangley many of the same people at each one too, having the same conversations!


My first party was with some colleagues from the District Office of Education. I'm not sure who the host actually was but I happily tucked into the duck curry and bread which was being served on mats on the floor of someone's house in the village.

After making a polite exit, I made my way back to the guesthouse where I live, where the landlady's family were holding a party. This party was also for little Pon who turned 3 years old on the same day. He is probably my favourite one out of the little boys related to the landlord. Despite his blackened front teeth, he doesn't scream as much as the other two when he doesn't get his own way and he has a gentler side which means he refrains from kicking unsuspecting, passing dogs for no reason. I even gave in to pressure and had a little dance at this party!



Again, after polite excuses and promises to return, I headed to the third party. This was at a colleaugues house and was a more somber (no, not sober!) affair. Here, the Khmer gentlemen had drunk just enough beer by this time to allow the few English words they had lodged in the depths of their memories to rise to the surface. They proceeded to shout their slurred English words at me as we repeated the same conversations we had had at party number 1 a few hours previously.



And then I returned to Party number 2 as promised, fed the dogs some of the left overs, cuddled one of the 3 remaining puppies and then went to bed. I still stand by the fact that I can drink more than 10 Khmer men and still hold a reasonable conversation but its very funny watching them try!

Slow Progress

Monday 4th February 2008

So, Monday found me back at work in the new office! Filled with bright ideas, fresh thinking and things to do after the two week 'break' in Kampong Cham, I came to work full of purpose and energy, but oh how quickly my attitude changed! I was told that a lot of people would be celebrating Chinese New Year this week but assured that the office would still be open as usual - well, by Wednesday afternoon the office was suddenly closed (I really must get myself a key!) and then to top it all off, my VA handed in his resignation so as of the end of month I will have no translator! Arrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Fair enough, he has been offered another full time job nearer to where he lives and it's back to the drawing board for me (back to interviewing!) What a disaster!!

I excitedly shared my ideas for setting up a 'model' classroom and organising a study tour and applying for a grant for resources for schools and even though they are all fairly simple, small ideas, it does feel that some progress is being made, but it is painfully slow!! And when unexpected things happen like Chinese New Year and resignations start flying around, progress becomes even slower.

I have also learnt that most of my Khmer colleagues who work in the District Office of Education will be collecting data for the national census for two weeks in March. These two weeks will obviously be preceded by two more weeks in February for training those collecting the data. Every small step forward seems to result in at least 2 steps backwards.

Goodbye Kampong Cham

Friday 1st February

For the last 2 weeks I have been participating in the second leg of language training with 16 of my fellow volunteers. In theory I know, understand and can say hundred of words and phrases in Khmer and my confidence in speaking the language has definitely experienced a boost in the right direction. It’s also really exciting when you can confidently communicate with members of the Cambodian public and be understood. It’s still sometimes a challenge to understand what is said in reply but with a bit of luck and guesswork it is becoming more common that I at least get the gist of what people say to me. I guess it also helps that my conversations are pretty basic and commonly involve asking a motodop driver to take me to the post office or a restaurant so context also helps in my level of understanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 weeks in Kampong Cham and as well as language training, we got the opportunity to chat lots, play silly games, visit a Model school and stay up late! – very different from the goings on in my district! It was very relaxed and was a real treat to be with a lot of other English speaking people. The September ’07 group are a really diverse group with little more than an educational background in common but as a group we get on famously, can play group games together and share many an interesting discussion. It might be the last time we will be together as a group in this way and what a great time was had.

One of the amazing things about Kampong Cham is the bamboo bridge which gets built each year during the dry season to connect the main land with Koh Pbain, a ten-kilometre-long island in the middle of the Mekong River. Last time we were here, back in October, it was still wet season and a group of us crossed by the small ferry and took our bicycles to explore the very friendly villages on the island. It was so different this time as the River has greatly reduced in size, exposing sandbanks and making the island look a lot larger and allowing for the bamboo bridge crossing. Amazingly, the river and its banks look so different to the time before when we saw houses and trees standing in water. I was feeling much less adventurous this time round and didn’t actually cross the bridge but I did manage to take some photos...