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.