That's Life!

My artwork on my gate.

Hello Everyone!

I am hoping this finds everyone well and into spring/summer mode.  It won't be long before those of you in Grand Forks will be floating down the Kettle to cool off.  I'm trying to imagine the lovely cool CLEAN, CLEAR water of the Granby!  Oh well, I will certainly appreciate the water and the mountains in a couple of years. Wherever you are, summer is just around the corner so it won't be long 'til the lazy hazy days!

Here, every day is a melange of challenges, frustrations, rewards, and delight.  It is amazing how one's perspective changes and the little things that can cheer one up.  When I find I am getting lonely or in the dumps, I just get on my bicycle and cycle around the neighbourhood.  I can't tell you how much it delights me just to see the lovely warm smiles and hear the giggles of the people I greet.  I have started walking in the early morning and I just love all the people I meet on my round.  Going to the market is getting easier too the more I do it.  I am either getting better at understanding the prices or I am caring less about how silly I appear as I say the numbers over and over in my head trying to figure it out.  It doesn't help that in Sisophon they have their own way of saying prices!  Took me a while to figure that out.

The stash from THE parcel! It was so awesome .  Thanks  Tracey, Anna, and Gordon!
p.s. Vomith loved your energy rolls Tracey (I only share one though. Kept the rest for myself.)

Oh, I should tell you about my moto crash...almost.  Vomith, my assistant, had brought a parcel to the office that Anna and Tracey sent from GF, and so, I needed to get it home.  He had offered but it was out of his way and I figured I had to learn how to drive like the Khmer people.   I was a tad nervous about riding with it in front of me but figured if these little kids can do it with 3 siblings on the moto with them, so can I...not!  Luckily there was only one person to witness my out-of-control-everything-flying-off-the-bike manoeuvre as I just about ended up in the fish pond!  I had the box between my legs but to put the bike in gear, I had to take my foot off the brake on one side and use it to hold me up.  I had the front hand brake on but I must have had the throttle on as well...whoops! So, as I popped it in gear, off I go right for the fish pool. Nice time to find out the hand brake doesn't work!  I tried to turn the bike but the parcel wouldn't let me.  Finally got it turned a bit, drove through the gutter around the pond, then over a 6" high cement sewer cover, and off towards the road.  I couldn't stop the bike because I couldn't get my foot up to the brake, and I didn't have balance to let go of the throttle.  It was at the sewer cover where everything flew off the bike.  There was one guy standing by the other motos, in total disbelief!  Can you imagine what was going through his mind? (Needless to say there wasn't much going through mine.) Or the look on my face?  I finally stopped, turned around, picked up all my scattered mess, put the box back between my legs and tried again.  As I drove by the poor guy, he stepped out of the way and looked...well, dumbfounded! I can almost hear the roars as he relates the story of this Barang who shouldn't be driving a moto.  Made me realize that I am really not very good at this yet...I'd hate to get over confident!  In spite of the fiasco, I do enjoy "zooming" around in the chaos and am feeling more like a Khmer person every day (even if they don't think so). And with my antics, I am grateful to make it home alive and in one piece at the end of the day.

Pics from the model school

Students working in the school garden during recess

playground at the model scho

Students using the library at recess 

just hangin' out in the playground

Recess is over

By the way, I do actually work.  I have been busy getting around to schools, and meeting the directors, teachers, and students.The teachers amongst you will love this.  The director at the model school I will use as a reference was telling me, when it comes to the School Development Plan, he does the administrative work and looking after books but leaves the classroom teachers to develop what needs to happen for them because they know best what goes on in the classroom. AND, he supports what they decide!  Whoa!  How novel don't you think?



























































 Thursday, I went to a school that was by far the poorest school I had seen yet, although Vomith tells me that most rural schools are similar. As we were driving past the community, I was thinking that this is the Cambodia that few tourists really see.  Then, when we turned into the school, I was overwhelmed.  There is only a very small area that is elevated which doesn't flood and contained old painted tires for a playground.  Beneath both buildings, there is low land which fills with water as does everything surrounding the school.  One of the buildings was made of dilapidated boards and I was afraid to actually go up the steep crumbling wooden steps and walk to the classes as I was afraid to fall through the floor boards.  The teacher told me that students drop books and pencils through the boards only to get ruined or lost .  Last year one of the students fell through and ended up in the flood water.  Luckily he knew how to swim.  The teachers and director were so welcoming and were afraid that once I saw the school, I wouldn't want to help them.  The director is so eager and said he would take whatever help I could give him and his staff as "tiny steps is better than standing still"!  There aren't enough books for all the students so they work in groups of 4. How could I refuse to help! Apparently if I visit them in the rainy season, I will have to go by boat! (I wasn't sure how serious they were about there being a boat though; I think I just don't visit them then.)

Oh but the students! You should see their smiling faces!  They are just so unbelievably cute. They stand and hold their hands in front of their faces like in prayer as you walk into the class.  Absolutely adorable!  When a student answers a question, he/she stands up, thanks the teacher with the prayer-like gesture then answers the question.  If it is a good answer, everyone applauds.  Before going out to recess, the students stand, do the gesture, thank the teacher very much for teaching them, then wait until the teacher dismisses them.  All the classes I have observed, the students are paying attention, and doing what they are supposed to be doing.  One class was a 5/6 split class with 40 students in the class--26 grade 5's and 14 grade 6's.  I have seen classes as big as 46.


Now, for a walk around my neighbourhood.  

This wedding is the reason I got up to put earplugs in at 5 am this morning!!  The music blasts out to the street for  days.  Thank goodness for earplugs.

Just walking down the street. 

A young monk going from house to house.

These coconuts are awesome.  And a good tree produces 200 a year! 

Your typical corner store.  That is gasoline in the bottles...for  one's motorbike. 

One day I saw one of these heading towards the market without a driver and loaded with  sacks!

Treacherous on my motorbike! 

This fellow goes through peoples trash.

The reason there are blood-sucking disease infested mosquitoes!

Walking along here when I remembered about land mines.  Oh dear me.!  I tiptoed to the next road following the mucky tracks. 

Traditional Khmer house

No, not Grand Forks!

Delivering meat.

The neighbourhood butcher.

One of the fouls that can't tell the time!

Training him to chauffeur her around. 

One of the cleaner drainages. 

Can you see the 2 kids? 1 in front of the driver and one between the parents. 

2 of the many reasons I haven't started running yet. 

The construction of a school behind and beside my house. 

These are buddies I practice my Khmer with.  Very short conversations!

On Friday, I am heading to Rattanakiri which is in the north east of Cambodia to visit a fellow volunteer, a Canadian I might add.  It is a 2 day journey one way as all roads lead from Phnom Penh.  It is one of the more remote and wilder places in Cambodia so I am looking forward to a swim in the volcanic lake and seeing waterfalls, and perhaps a rare glimpse at some exotic animal... but not spending 4 days travelling on bumpy, pot-holed mucky roads, nor having the exotic animal be a centipede. The trip has become a mini-reunion with 5 of us who arrived in Cambodia at the same time, 2 Canadians, 2 Scots, 1 Dutch. I am very excited.

The intense heat seems to have eased off since the rains have started.  There are some pretty spectacular thunderstorms most days.  The deluge lasts for a few hours but usually subsides.  I love the coolness in the air  (a relative term you realize) during and after the rain.  However, there seems to be a downside to everything.  I'm noticing more MOSQUITOES about these days! The Dengue-Malarial-transmitting-blood-sucking varieties too.  Guess I need to get vigilant about wearing repellent.

Found a dead rat in my courtyard this morning.  Think I will do something nice for the cats that are hanging out at my house...perhaps the juice from my tinned fish!

Well, I hope you enjoy.  Next post after I get back from Rattanakiri.

Take care everyone and love your feedback.  The responses and emails keep me going. Miss you lots!

Lots of love and hugs from afar.

Andy

Happy New Year!!!!

My Guard Gecko

Yes, Sok Sabay Ch'nam T'mai everyone.  A beginning of the new year has passed and I never even thought to make a New Year's Resolution...again!  I did get doused with water and powdered as is the tradition here.  For 3 days, there is loud music in the streets as kids from 2 to 20+ stand armed with bags filled with water to throw at all the passers-by, especially if you are on a motorcycle or bicycle.  Everyone seems to be drenched as they ride around.  The really awesome thing is that if people signal they don't want it, their wish is respected.  I was indoctrinated and everyone thought it was so funny to see a "barang" laughing as she got hit and splashed.  It is all in good fun and people sit on their patios to watch all the shenanigans.  It is now year 2556 of the Buddhist Era in Cambodia.  Harvest is now over and the fields are getting ready for planting rice...which means RAIN!!! from June until October.  At this point I will be grateful for anything besides the relentless heat.  The temperature in the sun was 46 degrees one afternoon!!!!!! and humid!!!!

The actual New Year is officially 3 days but the parties go on for almost 2 weeks.  This was the last day of the Khmer New Year and there was dancing all day into the wee hours of the evening.  I no sooner got off the motorcycle and I had people running over to me to get me dancing. That is the thing here.  They had never seen me before and had no idea who I was but it didn't matter. So, around and around we went, the steps changed as the music changed, although I really had difficulty hearing much difference.  There were definitely "old favourites" from the sounds of the dancers.  Believe me, they just don't let you sit down for a minute.  I'd beg to sit but by the time the circle was half way around, there would be a new person grabbing my hand, pulling into the circle.

Yours truly dancing up a storm

Dancing in a circle around a tree. 

You should see the kids dance...they are so good. 

I did finally get a break when my assistant suggested we head to his house for some dinner before he drove me home.  Phew!  So, I arrived at his house and his wife brought out a mat and a pillow so I could have a nap before dinner.  Hmmmm!  Okay!

The entrance to Vomith's yard

Vomith's back yard with chickens and ducks. 

Dinner with Vomith and his lovely wife

I did manage to take a day trip to Siem Reap for a break from Sisophon.  Actually it was to really to shop for some western type food.  Yes, I found healthy peanut butter!!! pop corn!!! and Classico spaghetti sauce!!! but no coconut oil :-(  With all the coconuts around, I can't believe there is no coconut oil to be had!  Okay, back to my story...the taxi ride!  I thought I would go cheap and take the $5 back seat on the way there.  Well, the driver picks me up and into the back I go.  There were 4 squished in the back and 4 squished in the front...with the driver of the right-had drive sitting somewhere in the middle.  Yikes, I didn't know it would be a right-hand drive or that the driver fits a passenger beside him by the door! Having a monk share the back seat must mean some good karma don't you think?  When we arrived in Siem Reap, the driver didn't want to take me to where I wanted to go and told me to take a moto! Hope I don't get that taxi driver again!  Wait a minute...

 That was nothing.  On the way back, I decided to pay for 2 seats and sit in the front.  What good luck!  There were 9 on the way back, with one of the 6 in the back seat throwing up all the way.  Lovely smell and in this heat! I was happy to have my seat belt fastened and sitting up front...even if the driver did sit in the middle at least it was a left-hand drive vehicle.  No monk this time!

This is just your normal taxi ride.

6 comfortably fit in the back. 

 



























Angry Birds made it to Cambodia!

It is quite hilarious that everywhere here there is "Angry Bird" stuff...hats, bags, T-shirts, you name it. The really funny thing is no one knows what Angry Birds is all about.  I decided to enlighten my assistant.

Vomith playing Angry Birds on my iPod

I think he's addicted!  

Yikes,
I had better go.  I just saw a cockroach run past the kitchen door into the shower where I discovered another S-P-I-D-E-R!  I just closed them both in there but now I must go and deal with it so I can have a shower before heading off to bed!!  I'll leave you with a picture of my lovely chirping inside gecko.  I think it takes great pleasure in startling me when in runs out from under my cups or from between my water filters. It is very cute though, unlike the other creatures that share my house with me.

my inside gecko 

Oh ya!  Great joy today as my garbage was picked up!  Apparently it is the first time in 6 months!  Hopefully it is a good year for garbage pick up.

Off to deal with critters then to bed.  I hope this finds you all healthy and happy.  Lots of love and thoughts from Sisophon.  

Monks Motorcycles and More

My first house guests arrived to open arms on Saturday afternoon.  A neighbouring volunteer, only "1h45 away by taxi door to door", arrived with her brother and sister-in-law.  It was so great to see friendly faces, go to the market together, and cook in my kitchen...fresh coconut juice to start, followed by curried pumpkin, rice and boiled eggs, ending with fresh pineapple.  It was scrumptious. Thanks you guys!

Ellen in pink (volunteer) Stephen, and Tessa visiting from the Netherlands.

Easter KitKat hunt. 

With their stash!

Sadly, my very first guest were heading off on an early bus...would you believe 6:45 am much to Stephen's chagrin!  I think the 5:15 hunt was what really got him out of bed.  And, my guests were off to explore the wilds of Battambong and Siem Reap before heading back to the paradise of Stong Tren.   And I was left feeling, well, tired quite frankly, as well as lonely...my first day off with no one around for about 2+ months.





Not to despair, I set about cleaning up the area outside my fence and burned my garbage.  It was fun seeing all the neighbours going by and smiling, chatting with me.  I sure wish I knew what they were saying but I think they were indicating that cleaning up garbage from the street is an endless job.  While out there, an Australian fellow and his friend stopped by and stayed for tea, then another volunteer from Uganda stopped by.  To quote Anna, how great is that to have breakfast with Dutch people and tea with Australians and a Ugandan in one day.  Ya guess it is pretty great.

I think the raining season is starting as most days we have heavy rains at about 4 pm.  I like just swinging in my hammock as the deluge comes down. At times I deceive myself and pretend I'm getting used to the heat.  After the rain, I actually thought I was chilly.  Turns out I just wasn't hot and sweaty! Sort of the same, right?

The rains as seen from my hammock

 Well, it is the K'mai New Year starting tomorrow and things are very busy.  People are off to families and temples and having their houses blessed.  We also had a blessing at the office.  It was lovely to see how revered the monks are and the hierarchy of respect.  First the monks arrive by car and everyone is very excited.  Then,the monks sit in the designated area on cushions with bowls of flower petals and candy and a lovely wrapped gift in front of each of them.  I was the only non-Cambodian there but everyone was very welcoming to me and motioned for me to join the women on the mats. Candles lit, incense burning, and the chanting begins.  I love the chanting and the devotion.

At the start of the ceremony the directors approached the monks . 

Chanting and praying

After the monks throw the flower petals and candies, they are presented with their gifts 

The following day, there was a big New Year's banquet at the Provincial Office of Education complete with the bigwigs in education for the province.  It was amazing to see how they are treated like royalty, really!  The fresh fish were taken from the pond, cooked on a fire, and so much food...noodles, soups, meats and greens, bread and yes, French wine!  As the big Poo bahs walked by and spotted us, we were motioned to the head table to eat with the royalty.  Quite a privilege apparently.  I must say, I am much more comfortable with the working stiffs.  However, the wine was good!

the fishing was quite the spectator sport

Catfish in the "bag"

Now they are really getting in the bag

These kids were giggling with glee every time the fish were netted

One of the spectators

Soon to be served to the masses

Just a glimpse of what was a huge amount of food

Yours truly and my Ugandan colleague eating at the head table between the fish ponds.  Within the first few minutes I dropped my water bottle in the nicely cleaned fish pond!

Well, I am now on about a week off for the New Year and really too pooped to go anywhere.  I am so tired of moving about living out of a suitcase, that I am enjoying just taking some time to get my thoughts organized not to mention my place. It has been very stressful trying to get used to a new life here, to learn the language, to live with people I just met, to understand not only the K'mai culture but the culture and ways of fellow volunteers, to find a place to live, and all hours of travel by bus from place to place.  I love the K'mai people, their smiles, there openness, and warmth.  We all have so much to learn.  Whenever I find I'm feeling at a loss, I get my motorcycle on the road and I am so busy trying to stay alive, I feel the excitement getting the better of me.

The chaos on the streets of Sisophon

Yup, that's me!! 

On my way into the chaos

Louise, your picture is on my fridge!  Love that smiling face.

I have had some people request a mailing address for me so I will include the two possibilities below.  The first is my local address but I have had word that the Canadian post office would only send mail to Phnom Penh.  Maybe that was only for parcels. Anyway, if you are so inclined, snail mail is a real treat.  No pressure though.  It could take months to get here although it is very unpredictable.

Andrea Vowell
P.O. Box 0120
Sisophon Town,
Banteay Meanchey Province
CAMBODIA

or

Andrea Vowell
c/o VSO Cambodia
#17, Street 234,
Sangkat Phsar Deumkor, Khan Tuol kork,
PO Box 912,
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia

Tel: 023 882 768/ 023 882 758

Hey Terry, maybe all the brain work to learn K'mai will help me in Scrabble!

Well, that's all folks.  I miss you all so much and am forever grateful to have so many truly lovely family and friends.  Lots of hugs, love, and, thoughts!!!

Home sweet home

Hello everyone!  

Finally I have made it to my placement of Banteay Meanchey Town, or Sereisisophon, or...I don't know what the name of this place really is because it depends what you want to say and where you are.  Before I get to my placement, I leave you with a parting sight of Phnom Penh with glimpses of the past as these two pass in the street carrying their goods.  

crossing paths

So, after parting with some of my goods which were to be sent with the other volunteer in 3 days, I was up at 6am to catch the bus to my placement, and endure the 7 hour trip.  Just so you know that it isn't just relaxing on a bus watching a Cambodian vampire movie, I thought I would add that the driver was regularly texting or phoning while he was "keeping an eye" on the road.  You really have to be here to appreciate the big picture of cyclists, horse and carts, tractors, motorcycles, trucks, other buses, and cars all sharing the 2 lane road.  Yes, I arrived in one piece and my VA (volunteer assistant) picked me up at the bus and we road his motorcycle with me, and my duffle, backpack, and "purse", to look at accommodation.

Let me introduce you to my new home.

This is outside the gate with my push bike (which now has a flat!). 

This is inside the gate.

My kitchen complete with fridge. (not everyone is so lucky)

Where the gourmet cooking will happen :-) The big white thing is my water filter

My downstairs living space and garage for my motorcycle. 

Where I dream of all the creepy crawly things OUTSIDE the net.  Yes, I am making doubly sure everything is tucked in now!!!!

My shower with hot water...really, who in their right mind would want hot water! 

When my VA wrote about the house, he enticed me with "an inside toilet"!  Bonus!! Until I met my new 8-legged friend this morning. 

My verandah (with glimpses of the construction material). My orchids haven't started flowering yet.  

View from my verandah

So, now you can see where I live.  I have cable TV ...if you enjoy listening to Khmer...actually there are English channels with lots of football (soccer) CNN, and BBC news.  I have only listened to K'mai as I am so wanting to get the hang of the language.  Yikes!  Will I ever manage it?  I have internet but the cable kind so no facebooking from inside my mosquito net.

Apparently the house is creature friendly.  The geckos startle me as they dart out from places where I'm not expecting to see anything move.  I do however love them and fall asleep to their chirping.  And, as some of you may have seen my post on Facebook, I have a creepy house guest sharing my toilet. I think I jinxed myself when I told Jesse that I hadn't seen any tarantulas yet.  It wasn't actually a tarantula...

I have come up with a name yet. Any suggestions? 

This is what greeted my sleepy eyes this morning when I went to have a pee.  I now knock before I enter but tonight it was back and the knocking first didn't do any good.  I thought it was safely locked in the bathroom until I notices a 4 inch square hole connecting the toilet room to the shower room.  Now, all 3 doors to that area of the house are bolted shut.  Do you think that will work?  Hopefully I won't have to pee in the night.  

Well, to make matters worse, my VA was telling me about centipedes.  My first encounter was in the hotel in Kampong Cham.  Anna, another volunteer found one in her room and together we investigated.  We got it in a glass ashtray to have a closer look.  When I took it outside to have a local tell me what it was, he freaked out, told me to drop it on the ground then he stepped on it.  So it was interesting having Vomith explain that he sleeps under the mosquito net to keep the centipedes out!  REALLY!!!  It would seem that once bitten you feel like you are going to die for about 24 hours.  Okay guess I really need to tuck my net it tight!

It is getting late and must to bed.  The roosters next door don't really know what time it is and start there noise anywhere from 4 am to 5 am.  Actually they can cock-a-doodle-doo just about anytime.  Guess no one told them to be quiet until sunrise!

I will leave you with pictures of my VA, Vomith.

This is Vomith with his 2 year old son. 

Vomith, his wife, and Alexander ready to ride home from the park...yes, all three on the bike.

Night all.  Hope you enjoy.  Again, love to hear from you.  Oh yes, and I have a spare room...if anyone is interested in a visit...off the beaten track...creatures and all.  

Lots of love and hugs,
Andy