Cambodia

Cambodia 13/08/08

2008-08-13T02:32:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the 18th took my students to Kirrirom National Park for a day trip. When other teachers heard about it they decided to do the same, we ended up taking 83 students. As you can see from the photos mostly the girls, as the boys all had jobs and could not get the time off.

Modesty was the rule of the day. No bikini's here. Not that they could not afford them it is their culture. They will often wear a singlet type of garment with bare shoulders but will put a lightweight shirt over the top not done up but covering their bare shoulders.

The two weeks following the elections class attendance was terrible often only one student. Self doubt was creeping in. The didn't like me, didn't like my teaching, felt the were not getting anything from the classes. Class levels are back to normal now, a lot who went to the Provinces to vote took a holiday whilst there.

Feeling a lot better about myself now as the comments from the students is often why are you going home I want you to be my teacher next semester or you are good teacher I want you to teach my brother/sister. Who am I kidding they are just buttering me up as I will do their assessments at the end of next week.

Cambodia 30/7/08

2008-07-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Have just done my visa run to Thailand but am still one day short on my visa. Think I'll just ignore it and travel as planned, if they pick it up the fine I'm told is $5 per day. In Thailand I went to Chaing Mai and whilst having lunch the first day noticed all these people in costume entering a building across the road. Needless to say I went for a look and walked into a conference celebrating the United Nations ruling on the rights of Indigenous people. There were representatives from all over Asia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Malaysia etc. Spent that afternoon and the following just enjoying the traditional music and dance performances. Some of the younger people were really talented.

My visa run coincided with national elections in Cambodia and Phnon Penh emptied out for the weekend as most people had to return to their Province to vote. As a result this weeks classes have been poorly attended. On Tuesday I had three consecutive classes with only one student.

Cambodia 29/07/08

2008-07-29T03:35:00.000-07:00

In Battambang I heard a story of an incident that took place about a week before I arrived. UNICEF had discovered that an orphanage they had been supporting for two years was the site of child molestation and labour. They took the children and went to a local branch of an organization that ran a shelter for children and was supervised by a young Kiwi lass. She told them she was happy to have the children but she did not have the financial resources to feed and clothe them. UNICEF told her she was a resourceful young woman and would manage until they could release funds approximately 2 months down the track.
In desperation she went to one of the bars that a lot of tourist and expats used, told her story and asked for help. The Aussie and Kiwi's in the place told her they would fix things and hit every bar and resturant in town. Within a couple of hours she had enough money to run the place for several months.
How do I know, I met her and her grandfather at breakfast my first day. Her grandfather had been planing to come and had booked his ticket just prior to all this taking place. This 80 plus man had steam coming out of his ears and said UNICEF would be hearing from him. Several days later I saw him on local TV and although there was an interpretation of what he was saying over the top you could clearly hear him say UNICEF could not organize a f*** in a brothel. The betting is that this young lady has full funding by the end of the week.

Cambodia 28/07/08

2008-07-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

I have had my week off and went to Sianookville with the Khmer staff for the the first 4 days. The second half went inland to Battambang, not all that impressive but met a very interesting young lady and her grandfather. More about this in my next post. Sianookville is the seaside resort for Cambodia and some of the staff had never been to the seaside. They had a ball and each evening we had a barbie on the beach. Some of the best food I have eaten since arriving here. The main reason I came with them was that I had been told we could hire yatchs here. When I tried to was told that no hire during rainy season. Onshore breeze of 6/7 knots and tiny little shore break, too say that I was ticked off is an understatement.
Went on a boat trip out to an island about 2 mile off shore and had a very pleasant day but on the trip back we had a beam sea with the boat rolling a fair bit and taking water occasionally. The girls were scared out of their wits and the boys were no better off although they put on a brave face. Little Rasmay was terrified and started to hyperventilate, called her to come off the gunnel and sit with me in the centre and stern of the boat. She grabbed my arm, closed her eyes and did not open them again until we hit the beach. I have a bruise on my right arm to prove how hard she hung on.

Cambodia 24/07/08

2008-07-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

Just photos double click to enlarge

Cute

Village kids

Happy school class

Cambodia 15/07/08

2008-07-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

And the rains came. Not much rain in Phnom Penh, we are getting a thunder storm most afternoons that lasts about an hour and dump more than an inch. Much more falling in country, the Meekong River has risen more than 4 metres and the Tonlie Sap has started flowing backwards. Look forward to the rain as it drops the humidity and temp by at least 6 degrees.

Still not eating much of the local food, need my western fix most days. The photo is of a meal stand in the local market. Not that you would eat there a minimum of 2 days on the toilet if you did.

Two of the staff getting their photo taken with the Marines at the American Embassy. We were invited there for their 4th of July party. Had to submit id's two weeks before hand for security checks. Cambodians only had to show their id day of the party. There is a large Muslem population in Cambodia and it was weird to see them inside the Embassy, knowing how paranoid the yanks are.
I'm losing pictures as I type so will post again in a day or so. Currently on my week off and have been down to the coast with the staff on their annual break. Tomorrow I am catching the bus to Battonbong and will stay there for three days before returning to work next Monday.

Cambodia 25/06/08

2008-06-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Been here almost a month, it seems like only yesterday. Two weeks of orientation and two of teaching. Don't know that I'll ever make an English teacher but as our tutor told us you can do no harm, I hope he was right.

Teaching from 630 to midday with a break from 830 to 1000 with the afternoons off. Preparation for the classes is taking about 2 hours per 1 of teaching. Lot more respect for teachers now although I'm assured the longer you are at it the less prep time required. My biggest difficulty is that I am teaching abstracts like respect and good manners to level 5. My best class so far was when I spent the whole hour insulting the class. In Khmer culture things like touching an unmarried woman, touching someome on the head or sit with the soles of your feet pointing at them are all taboo. They loved it, spent most of the hour laughing. Big gamble but paid off.

Level 3 is all about shopping. Heaps of new words and explaning what they mean and the use of same. Not quite as difficult as abstacts but you need lots of pictures which are hard to find as advertising brochures as we know them don't exist in Cambodia. Spending a lot of time on the internet. My other class is one on one tutoring with a member of the school staff. Lovely young woman, Rasmay, who is the accountant and her English is brilliant. This is the most rewarding of them all but stretches my knowledge of the English language.

For those who don't already know as part of orientation we visited an island village in the middle of the Meekon River about 7 long hours in a bus north of Phnom Penh. No running water, no electricity although some houses have methane gas drawn from the biodigester for cooking and lighting. Bed for the night was a woven mat, pillow of sorts and mosie net.

Roasted crickets and deep fried spiders were on the menu but did not try them. To thank the villages for their hospitality we paid for a generator and dj with his equipment to come across from the mainland for a party. Total cost $20.

Lunch at village

Bedroom for night

Who are these funny looking people?

Kids involved

Parties on!!!!

What we did not realise was that the villages considered us the entertainment and after a lot of silly behavour buy us stone cold sober foriegners we got the kids involved, with adults eventualy joining in.