Hi Everyone
We've actually been busy this last couple of weeks and time seems to be passing more quickly.I have my 3 month review with VSO in 2 weeks and have had to get my brain in gear and write of my general impressions of my partner organisation, its strengths and challenges , and come up with a work plan. I meet with the managers of CHHRA tomorrow so hopefully we'll agree on what is feasible for me to try and achieve. It still feels a very humbling experience here - the staff work hard, out on their motos in scorching heat and often muddy, dirt roads, visiting remote villages, all for about $150 a month. I've been out with all the health promoters now. A big part of my work will be improving their basic understanding of the commonest diseases here - malaria, diarrhoea, dengue fever etc and supporting them to become confident in organising village health workshops.
Shortly after the last blog, I went to the remotest and poorest area yet, about 1hr off the main road. The truck struggled on the narrow sandy road with deep potholes and pools of water. 2 of the staff had gone ahead on their mbikes and were there to welcome us, having made breakfast of roasted corn cobs on a fire by the roadside! These villages were in the forest, such as is left in Cambodia. Illegal logging still happens and many poor people have had their land 'stolen' by rich and influential people. No such thing as land rights here.
Geoff's busy too with his English classes. We've found a young teacher to teach us Khymie. He didn't want payment, just wanted Geoff to take one of his English conversation classes, a group of 10 adolescents at the private school next door! We're giving it a month's trial - our 1st lesson on Sunday, me dreading it, and Geoff relishing the thought!
We've just had a lovely weekend, on a boat from Battambang to Sim Reap.It took 7 hrs in hot sun but we passed floating villages and saw egrets and storks. James, one of the VSOers in Samraong is coming to the end of his time here, so it was his leaving do. We'll miss him. He's just 25, very witty and has been working with a forestry NGO. His girlfriend, also with VSO, is here this week. She's from Horsforth! Its a small world - another volunteer was telling me about her holiday job before coming out here, a waitress at the 'Angel' at Hetton!
Sadly, Geoff's Mum fell in the bathroom last week and is in hospital with a fracture to her ankle. We feel pretty helpless here but Geoff will be home before Christmas and we just hope that she will make a good recovery.We're very much looking forward to our next break, a long weekend in Singapore for Laura's birthday.
Keep the emails coming - we miss you all!
With lots of love from us both
Carol xx
Monday, 24 August 2009
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Hello everyone.
I am writing the blog this time perhaps to give a different perspective on life in Samraong. Since I have no NGO or public service department as employer and no colleagues to get along with ,I am in charge of my own destiny. I have taken my time before deciding whom to teach, when I could have filled a timetable from day one. Carol`s staff wanted English teaching from her but she was pleased to accept my offer to replace her. Then I got together a small group that I teach at home, all of whom are far from beginners. Tomorrow I`m meeting a group from Malteser, one of the prominent NGOs, with a view to taking an advanced class for some of their staff.
As you know I have recently been back to England. This was not at all unsettling. The weather was wonderful, friends and family were well and I had a great time in Newcastle and Manchester. However I had no difficulty in coming home to Cambodia. For after five months I do feel at home here. Our house is really nice and I haven`t seen one I`d rather live in. To make things even better we now have the Internet installed in our lounge. I made enquiries on Tuesday and it was installed on Thusday morning for 35 dollars.
Another example of Cambodian service; our gas container ran out at 6.45 on Wednesday night and after a quick call to the company was replaced at 7.00. We are so used to a very efficient service industry here. Yet we still have unfinished business with npower after five months away.
Next week I`m staying in Samraong on my own while Carol goes off with her Health Promotion team to Anglong Venh, former Khmer Rouge stronghold. She will be away for three nights working in remote villages.
Now that we are back home we can enjoy the simple life for a while. We had a bbq with the other VSOs at the weekend and we are hosting a curry night next Saturday with food coming up from an Indian restaurant in SiemReap by taxi. I`m hoping to play badminton on Monday dodgy knee permitting.
I know this is a shorter post than usual, but Carol will more than make up for it next time with news from Anglong Venh.
Regards to all of you,
Geoff
I am writing the blog this time perhaps to give a different perspective on life in Samraong. Since I have no NGO or public service department as employer and no colleagues to get along with ,I am in charge of my own destiny. I have taken my time before deciding whom to teach, when I could have filled a timetable from day one. Carol`s staff wanted English teaching from her but she was pleased to accept my offer to replace her. Then I got together a small group that I teach at home, all of whom are far from beginners. Tomorrow I`m meeting a group from Malteser, one of the prominent NGOs, with a view to taking an advanced class for some of their staff.
As you know I have recently been back to England. This was not at all unsettling. The weather was wonderful, friends and family were well and I had a great time in Newcastle and Manchester. However I had no difficulty in coming home to Cambodia. For after five months I do feel at home here. Our house is really nice and I haven`t seen one I`d rather live in. To make things even better we now have the Internet installed in our lounge. I made enquiries on Tuesday and it was installed on Thusday morning for 35 dollars.
Another example of Cambodian service; our gas container ran out at 6.45 on Wednesday night and after a quick call to the company was replaced at 7.00. We are so used to a very efficient service industry here. Yet we still have unfinished business with npower after five months away.
Next week I`m staying in Samraong on my own while Carol goes off with her Health Promotion team to Anglong Venh, former Khmer Rouge stronghold. She will be away for three nights working in remote villages.
Now that we are back home we can enjoy the simple life for a while. We had a bbq with the other VSOs at the weekend and we are hosting a curry night next Saturday with food coming up from an Indian restaurant in SiemReap by taxi. I`m hoping to play badminton on Monday dodgy knee permitting.
I know this is a shorter post than usual, but Carol will more than make up for it next time with news from Anglong Venh.
Regards to all of you,
Geoff
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Fully Fledged Volunteers!
Hi Everyone
Our in service training is over and we're on our way back to Samraong, with our usual stop over in Siem Reap at the Golden Banana. It's a good feeling to have the language training behind us - I've learnt a bit, Geoff has learned loads, and now we need to put it all into practice! VSO give us a grant to carry on with lessons locally, so now we need to find a teacher to meet both our needs.
We had classes for half the day and were then free to explore Pnomh Penh, which has got better for knowing. We've walked a lot, in the several French quarters and the colonial area - its all somewhat second division compared to the grandeur of many European cities, but it has its charms, and we've found charming cafees and restaurants , many in beautiful gardens, with stunning food.There are faded French villas and wide boulevards choked with motos and 4 wheel drive Lexus' with no traffic rules, which we're now used to. You just have to step out into it all and hope that the traffic will avoid you, which it generally does!
We stayed in the Programme Office which was hot but convenient and free. Good to see all our group again too. On the last evening the Phillipino group organised a phillipino meal for us to say goodbye to Dara, our superb Cambodian teacher, who is one of the most inspirational characters I've ever met. He survived the Killing Fields, has the most infectious laugh, and is a great Man. U fan. He might come to stay in Uppermill, a promise to take him to a match and their museum being a big draw. How will Geoff cope with all of that! We all then went dancing to the Cambodiana, a grand hotel on the river front, and of course, the live band was Phillipino!
Geoff and I are generally the oldest at most social gatherings but it doesn't seem to matter. It's one of the best things here - we meet so many people from very different cultures and nationalities who all seem to have lots to say! So now its time for a quick swim, a supermarket shop, lunch and our taxi back to Samraong. Work starts in earnest tomorrow - I wonder what surprises await and how I'll get on trying to find a donor.
Laura and Alberto are in Europe at the moment visiting friends and family. Nic is looking forward to starting his new job in September after a short break for much needed rest and recuperation! Hope you've all had good summer breaks and as usual, looking forward to hearing all your news!
With much love
Carol and Geoff xx
Our in service training is over and we're on our way back to Samraong, with our usual stop over in Siem Reap at the Golden Banana. It's a good feeling to have the language training behind us - I've learnt a bit, Geoff has learned loads, and now we need to put it all into practice! VSO give us a grant to carry on with lessons locally, so now we need to find a teacher to meet both our needs.
We had classes for half the day and were then free to explore Pnomh Penh, which has got better for knowing. We've walked a lot, in the several French quarters and the colonial area - its all somewhat second division compared to the grandeur of many European cities, but it has its charms, and we've found charming cafees and restaurants , many in beautiful gardens, with stunning food.There are faded French villas and wide boulevards choked with motos and 4 wheel drive Lexus' with no traffic rules, which we're now used to. You just have to step out into it all and hope that the traffic will avoid you, which it generally does!
We stayed in the Programme Office which was hot but convenient and free. Good to see all our group again too. On the last evening the Phillipino group organised a phillipino meal for us to say goodbye to Dara, our superb Cambodian teacher, who is one of the most inspirational characters I've ever met. He survived the Killing Fields, has the most infectious laugh, and is a great Man. U fan. He might come to stay in Uppermill, a promise to take him to a match and their museum being a big draw. How will Geoff cope with all of that! We all then went dancing to the Cambodiana, a grand hotel on the river front, and of course, the live band was Phillipino!
Geoff and I are generally the oldest at most social gatherings but it doesn't seem to matter. It's one of the best things here - we meet so many people from very different cultures and nationalities who all seem to have lots to say! So now its time for a quick swim, a supermarket shop, lunch and our taxi back to Samraong. Work starts in earnest tomorrow - I wonder what surprises await and how I'll get on trying to find a donor.
Laura and Alberto are in Europe at the moment visiting friends and family. Nic is looking forward to starting his new job in September after a short break for much needed rest and recuperation! Hope you've all had good summer breaks and as usual, looking forward to hearing all your news!
With much love
Carol and Geoff xx
Sunday, 19 July 2009
A Quiet Time in Samraong
Hi Everyone
I'm speaking to you from a poolside of a lovely garden hotel in PP. It's cloudy and breezy so perhaps there is rain on the way. We're here to start our last bit of language training at the VSO Programme Office tomorrow. The blog is a welcome diversion from learning vocab!
Geoff arrived back safely from UK via Singapore last night and I travelled south on the bus from a Health Workshop in Siem Reap yesterday. It was great - lively, informative and friendly and largely presented by volunteers. I sat next to a hospital management adviser from Broadbottom, near Glossop who said that a volunteer coming out in the October batch to work in the province next to us, has parents who live in Saddleworth! He is called Oliver Shipp for those Saddleworthians reading this. The world is a small place.
Geoff has had a good time and says to say sorry to all those he was unable to speak to.He spent most of the time with Nick and his Mum and saw the Farne Islands and Bamburgh in the sunshine.Our house is still in one piece and I'm looking forward to getting onto our roof with my new paints. It's been very quiet without him but I've been busy at work teaching his 3 English classes, supporting the Project Manager in writing his quarterly report and interviewing for a new manager for the Project's community based health insurance scheme. The next big priority is to look for a new donor as the present funding ends in April 09. There seems to be no sense of urgency even though everyone could be out of a job in 9 mths, including me! Today we said goodbye to an Indian couple in our group who are returning home as their placement has not worked out - I think they have found it difficult to adapt to the very different work culture here.
We have a good social life to look forward to for 2 weeks, especially good as there are few treats in Samraong. I've survived though with the company of the other 2 volunteers - bike rides, coffee in the market, lunch in a lean too shed costing all of 70p, and lots of reading has helped to pass the time, but its good to have Geoff back.
Hope the Summer sunshine continues and that those of you going away have a lovely time. Keep us posted!
Much love from us both
Carol and Geoff xx
I'm speaking to you from a poolside of a lovely garden hotel in PP. It's cloudy and breezy so perhaps there is rain on the way. We're here to start our last bit of language training at the VSO Programme Office tomorrow. The blog is a welcome diversion from learning vocab!
Geoff arrived back safely from UK via Singapore last night and I travelled south on the bus from a Health Workshop in Siem Reap yesterday. It was great - lively, informative and friendly and largely presented by volunteers. I sat next to a hospital management adviser from Broadbottom, near Glossop who said that a volunteer coming out in the October batch to work in the province next to us, has parents who live in Saddleworth! He is called Oliver Shipp for those Saddleworthians reading this. The world is a small place.
Geoff has had a good time and says to say sorry to all those he was unable to speak to.He spent most of the time with Nick and his Mum and saw the Farne Islands and Bamburgh in the sunshine.Our house is still in one piece and I'm looking forward to getting onto our roof with my new paints. It's been very quiet without him but I've been busy at work teaching his 3 English classes, supporting the Project Manager in writing his quarterly report and interviewing for a new manager for the Project's community based health insurance scheme. The next big priority is to look for a new donor as the present funding ends in April 09. There seems to be no sense of urgency even though everyone could be out of a job in 9 mths, including me! Today we said goodbye to an Indian couple in our group who are returning home as their placement has not worked out - I think they have found it difficult to adapt to the very different work culture here.
We have a good social life to look forward to for 2 weeks, especially good as there are few treats in Samraong. I've survived though with the company of the other 2 volunteers - bike rides, coffee in the market, lunch in a lean too shed costing all of 70p, and lots of reading has helped to pass the time, but its good to have Geoff back.
Hope the Summer sunshine continues and that those of you going away have a lovely time. Keep us posted!
Much love from us both
Carol and Geoff xx
Friday, 3 July 2009
Buddy Week in Kratie
Hi Everyone
We've been back almost a week from our trip to the SE of Cambodia - 1 1/2 days of buses and an overnight stay en route each way.We're getting used to feeling saddle - sore but I'm so grateful for Yoga and the Alexander technique which I have plenty of time to practice and which seem to sort us both out. Geoff arrives in the UK today, for 2 weeks, having booked a flight via Singapore so as to have a night with Laura and Alberto.He's spending time largely with his Mum and Nick.
We stayed with 2 volunteers in Kratie, our age, the wife, a doctor, working in health promotion and her accompanying husband, teaching english to young people recruited to work in the tourist industry. They made us feel very welcome in their large wooden house in spite of the heat and frequent power cuts. I visited villages with her and her health promotion team, spent time with a volunteer working as a maternal and child health adviser, and also a Kenyan volunteer who works as a health adviser to a small NGO like me but is having a really difficult time with inadequate funding and poor organisation.Kratie is a poor, small town, very much in need of building repairs and a general clean - up, like so many places in Cambodia, but the sunsets over the Mekong were stunning, they had a couple of western restaurants, and it felt good to meet new people. We then had a stunning day watching the Irawaddy dolphins from a small boat on the Mekong. We saw lots, swimming in the deep pools , but their numbers are falling and the WWF in Kratie feel that their nos, about 70, are nearly unsustainable. Pollution from the likes of China and Laos seem to be the major culprits.
We had a night of luxury on the way home - we've found a great boutique hotel in Siem Reap, Golden Banana, which we would recommend to any of you planning to visit us and Angkor Wat.It's run by a couple of guys, Thai and New Zealand, with a great pool, stylish rooms, and of course, a/c. Very friendly staff too. So all this along with massage, pedicure, 2nd hand bookshops and a lovely French restaurant set us up well for our return to Samraong. The road is still good inspite of heavy rain and we were home in 2hrs.
It feels good to be home. I think that I have turned a little corner in that I feel more settled and time seems to be passing more quickly. Geoff has really settled in well - I wonder how he'll feel about the UK? I've begun to work on my activities which I need to come up with for my VSO review visit in August/Sept. and we've heard this week that we are getting 3 more health volunteers in October. So then we'll be 6!.
I've just come back to the office from a day's celebration to mark the completion of a village irrigation scheme and a new bridge. A crowd of about a 100 villagers, lots of speeches from the likes of the district governor and the programme coordinator of ZOA, a Dutch international NGO, - she's Irish, married to a Cambodian, speaks fluent Kamai and has lived here for 15 years! - and followed by a big party with food, lots of beer and whiskey, and dancing to a live band. These people know how to enjoy themselves - Dad, in his younger days , would have loved it!
On that happy note I'll close - keep the comments and emails rolling!
With lots of love
Carol and Geoff xx
We've been back almost a week from our trip to the SE of Cambodia - 1 1/2 days of buses and an overnight stay en route each way.We're getting used to feeling saddle - sore but I'm so grateful for Yoga and the Alexander technique which I have plenty of time to practice and which seem to sort us both out. Geoff arrives in the UK today, for 2 weeks, having booked a flight via Singapore so as to have a night with Laura and Alberto.He's spending time largely with his Mum and Nick.
We stayed with 2 volunteers in Kratie, our age, the wife, a doctor, working in health promotion and her accompanying husband, teaching english to young people recruited to work in the tourist industry. They made us feel very welcome in their large wooden house in spite of the heat and frequent power cuts. I visited villages with her and her health promotion team, spent time with a volunteer working as a maternal and child health adviser, and also a Kenyan volunteer who works as a health adviser to a small NGO like me but is having a really difficult time with inadequate funding and poor organisation.Kratie is a poor, small town, very much in need of building repairs and a general clean - up, like so many places in Cambodia, but the sunsets over the Mekong were stunning, they had a couple of western restaurants, and it felt good to meet new people. We then had a stunning day watching the Irawaddy dolphins from a small boat on the Mekong. We saw lots, swimming in the deep pools , but their numbers are falling and the WWF in Kratie feel that their nos, about 70, are nearly unsustainable. Pollution from the likes of China and Laos seem to be the major culprits.
We had a night of luxury on the way home - we've found a great boutique hotel in Siem Reap, Golden Banana, which we would recommend to any of you planning to visit us and Angkor Wat.It's run by a couple of guys, Thai and New Zealand, with a great pool, stylish rooms, and of course, a/c. Very friendly staff too. So all this along with massage, pedicure, 2nd hand bookshops and a lovely French restaurant set us up well for our return to Samraong. The road is still good inspite of heavy rain and we were home in 2hrs.
It feels good to be home. I think that I have turned a little corner in that I feel more settled and time seems to be passing more quickly. Geoff has really settled in well - I wonder how he'll feel about the UK? I've begun to work on my activities which I need to come up with for my VSO review visit in August/Sept. and we've heard this week that we are getting 3 more health volunteers in October. So then we'll be 6!.
I've just come back to the office from a day's celebration to mark the completion of a village irrigation scheme and a new bridge. A crowd of about a 100 villagers, lots of speeches from the likes of the district governor and the programme coordinator of ZOA, a Dutch international NGO, - she's Irish, married to a Cambodian, speaks fluent Kamai and has lived here for 15 years! - and followed by a big party with food, lots of beer and whiskey, and dancing to a live band. These people know how to enjoy themselves - Dad, in his younger days , would have loved it!
On that happy note I'll close - keep the comments and emails rolling!
With lots of love
Carol and Geoff xx
Friday, 19 June 2009
Field Trip to Anlong Veng
Hi Everyone
We've had an adventure since last being in touch as last week Geoff and I travelled 2hrs east of Samraong in work's land cruiser to visit several villages. It was a remote and poor part of the province and the idea was to support some motivated villages who with the support of our project team have improved the health of themselves and their families by for eg. covering water jars to prevent mosquitoes breeding, started to boil water and possibly built a pig house to keep people and animals separate!
We had large meetings of about 30 villagers with the village chief and village health support workers, who work voluntarily to improve their community's health.People from unmotivated villages were invited to hear and then we all walked around the village, the idea being that everyone would see what was good and bad and come up with an action plan as to how they could bring about change in their own place. These people are a tough lot, living in the middle of nowhere, in the most basic of houses, eating what they grow, in an area still being cleared of landmines and with the sun beating down. We sat under thatched shelters though, had tea and biscuits as a snack, and a lunch of rice and a leafy vegetable soup provided by our project. There was lots of laughter too which is typical of life here and people listened intently even to the session on domestic violence!
After 2 days of these activities, the project manager took us off for a bit of macabre tourism - this area was the last stronghold of the Kymer Rouge in the late 80's. We saw Pol Pot's grave and the house of his 2nd in command, Ou Moc. It was up a mountain, the first hill we'd seen in 3mths, and the views south over a flat, largely deforested Cambodia were stunning.
On the home front, our landlord has built us a thatched shelter on the flat roof which is lovely to escape the sun and get a breeze in the evenings. It's difficult to tolerate being in the house during the day as it is so hot and humid, usually about 33c. Geoff has got going with his teaching, 3 sessions each week at my work place, at 7am! and an advanced english language group at home 3 times a week. He'll be home 2nd July for 2wks to see Nic and his Mum.
I'm rushing this as we're out tonight at a friend's leaving do, a lovely German Girl whose been here for 6 mths building the admin. capacity of an international NGO. We leave for Kratie tomorrow, a town on the Mekong, where we hope to see the rare irrawaddy dolphins. Its a buddy week, arranged by VSO to see how other volunteers work.
Hope all's well with you all and that the sunshine is still with you!
With much love from us both
Carol and Geoff xx
We've had an adventure since last being in touch as last week Geoff and I travelled 2hrs east of Samraong in work's land cruiser to visit several villages. It was a remote and poor part of the province and the idea was to support some motivated villages who with the support of our project team have improved the health of themselves and their families by for eg. covering water jars to prevent mosquitoes breeding, started to boil water and possibly built a pig house to keep people and animals separate!
We had large meetings of about 30 villagers with the village chief and village health support workers, who work voluntarily to improve their community's health.People from unmotivated villages were invited to hear and then we all walked around the village, the idea being that everyone would see what was good and bad and come up with an action plan as to how they could bring about change in their own place. These people are a tough lot, living in the middle of nowhere, in the most basic of houses, eating what they grow, in an area still being cleared of landmines and with the sun beating down. We sat under thatched shelters though, had tea and biscuits as a snack, and a lunch of rice and a leafy vegetable soup provided by our project. There was lots of laughter too which is typical of life here and people listened intently even to the session on domestic violence!
After 2 days of these activities, the project manager took us off for a bit of macabre tourism - this area was the last stronghold of the Kymer Rouge in the late 80's. We saw Pol Pot's grave and the house of his 2nd in command, Ou Moc. It was up a mountain, the first hill we'd seen in 3mths, and the views south over a flat, largely deforested Cambodia were stunning.
On the home front, our landlord has built us a thatched shelter on the flat roof which is lovely to escape the sun and get a breeze in the evenings. It's difficult to tolerate being in the house during the day as it is so hot and humid, usually about 33c. Geoff has got going with his teaching, 3 sessions each week at my work place, at 7am! and an advanced english language group at home 3 times a week. He'll be home 2nd July for 2wks to see Nic and his Mum.
I'm rushing this as we're out tonight at a friend's leaving do, a lovely German Girl whose been here for 6 mths building the admin. capacity of an international NGO. We leave for Kratie tomorrow, a town on the Mekong, where we hope to see the rare irrawaddy dolphins. Its a buddy week, arranged by VSO to see how other volunteers work.
Hope all's well with you all and that the sunshine is still with you!
With much love from us both
Carol and Geoff xx
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