FIRST FULL DAY IN CAMBODIA.

Hello! Mother is here to give me a right good ear bashing on what's what and whose who. So she's  decided to also take over my blog for the next couple of days, whilst she is here. Please enjoy!

Greg met me at Phnom Penh airport yesterday after telling me that he wouldn't be able to which was my second (wonderful) surprise upon entering Cambodia - the first being that the visa had gone up by $10 since my Lonely Planet guide was written in Sept 2014.  Flight over with Thai Airways was brilliant and managed to watch 'Frozen' at last.  A bit bleary eyed I got into the tuk tuk Greg had arranged to take us to his flat, driven by his friend Sky.  She drew a lot of glances as one of the very few female drivers in the city and then - out into the heat of a crazy world of thousands of motos carrying everything from up to 5 people (3 of whom are often small children and babies clinging on), tables, huge sacks, monks in their saffron robes sitting side saddle, live ducks gazing out with loads of chickens hanging upside down apparently hypnotised their beaks nearly on the road surface, tuk tuks loaded up with every conceivable item used by mankind, old ladies walking along with a stick across their shoulder with their cooking implements hanging from baskets on either end.  Lorries loaded sky high usually with someone on the top, little refreshment stalls with a moto attached with one bent wheel hanging on for dear life.  A trailer on a moto being loaded up with 20' wooden poles - how does he go round corners?  The side roads are full of potholes, dust, rubbish - then to my horror there are people on motos and bikes coming towards us on the wrong side of the road! Junctions - pah; traffic lights -  might stop if everyone else does; zebra crossings - don't bother!  I cling to Greg's hand when we cross roads now as if I were the child.  The trick is to be confident and they go round you!  

Everywhere is full of personal industry - cafe's, stalls, workshops fixing anything that has ever worked, shops stacked high with bits of metal god knows from where, another old lady selling snails off a tray by the road side, chickens on the bbq smelling delicious, all covered in a thick layer of dust and diesel.  What an experience - I can see why Greg loves it here. 

The poverty is unconsciounable - I watched a female street seller lay a blanket on  the pavement last night on the equivalent of the Embankment (but warmer) by the Mekong river for her small child to lie on for the night inches from the busy road.  Young boys no older than 5 or 6 approached us begging in a street cafe last night.  No-one walks anywhere - the pavements are broken up badly and covered by parked cars - huge 4x4's so there is wealth here and which are an obvious status symbol, heaps of debris, cafes, parked tuk tuks and motos on which you find the driver asleep.

 

I visited one of the 'Killing Fields' sites today in the suburbs and was very moved by the peace there as in the war cemetries in France and Belgium and the audio tour, then went to a genocide museum near where Greg works which was a secondary school before it was turned into a prison and torture centre by the Khymer Rouge in the second half of the 1970s.  People were taken from here to the Killing Field I visited to be executed.  It was full of photos of the people held there and the cells they were kept in.  They were the middle classes, the teachers, doctors, lawyers, shop keepers that Pol Pot hated despite being a teacher himself.  The rest of the population were worked or starved to death in the countryside growing rice to export to China to buy arms.  3 of the 8 million population were murdered. Horrific. When will we learn!  

Close shaves

Please excuse the poor grammar in this post and missing letters i will try to fix it all but my keyoard is broken and i may miss some full stops. 

However anyway i want to talk about some incidents i’ve had so far out here. Especially after my most recent incident. So i recently met my friend purely by accident at a festival they have out here to celebrate the water and the river, Im unsure but I get three days off, so i’m happy. Any how there I was on the river side taking pictures of the boats when all of a sudden i get a tap on the shoulder saying ‘hello Greg’ and it was my friend Rory with whom i had gone to school with. It was so nice to see a familiar face! It made me even more excited for my mum coming. So we went for something to eat and what have you and a catch up. At that time we decided we would watch the Manchester United game which started at ten p.m the next day. We met at a bar and watched the game (it was a drab affair) after which we split off and went our own ways. All was well with the world. I got about half way home and onto a street near my house when i realised i had some people following me, not just any people, two prostitutes who were ladyboys. They pulled up alongside and started asking where i was going and the like. I say ‘no i’m going home.’ Big mistake letting them know that i was soon gonna be off my bike. They followed me the rest of the way home. There I was, trying to get off my bike and they get off their moto and come up to me and (Sorry Mother) they were grabbing things that weren’t asking to be touched so i tell them in no uncertain terms to go away and stop touching me this was when they put their hand in my pocket to take my wallet. I stopped them right there and then on that one. Blood was starting to pump around my body, I was getting ready. The one whose hand i took out my pocket returned to the moto the other bigger one got off and came straight up to me to grab my phone out of my hand. It was in my hand because i was trying to get my key out of my pocket where the phone was obviously i was interupted before i could get at it. So this ladyboy grabbed the phone but years of siblings and friends snatching things out my hand meant i was prepared. This ladyboy wasn’t getting it without a fight. So as she twirled round to break my vice like grip i was pulled off my bike. That was it fight or flight kicked in. It was fight. I managed to break her grasp on the phone and pushed her away. Her friend had driven off round the corner I was now bellowing at her in less than gentlemanly terms to go away I think this is what frightened them off. That i had turned from someone saying please go away to them, to someone who had an army mans voice (years of watching and playing football) telling them to f*ck off. Which was for some reason came out in a northern accent, i think. It came out as ‘F*ck off eh?’ And off she did. Me victorious them in defeat. Of course i felt immediately shakey and weird because that isn’t me nor is it usual to have an attempted mugging. A quick call home to mum and dad to calm the nerves and i fell asleep. 

 

Of course at the time i was angry. However now retrospectively speaking i bear no ill will to these two people they may have mouths to feed or rent to pay. They were doing it out of necessity when a country has no infrastructure in place to support these sorts of people of course this is going to happen, especially to foreigners. I just hope at some point they can get out of this hole they are in and do better for themselves but i have feeling its very difficult to do.

 

I have had some other close shaves in Cambodia many traffic incidents. Witnessed one fight, a few arguments, my sprained ankle, someone eating eggs in front of me that sent him to hospital to get his stomach pumped he even offered me to try them! Rather glad i wasn’t feeling brave that day!

However i am typing this as i have been given the rest of the day off to go to the hospital and get my right ear checked out as i cant hear anything out of it which is slightly worrying. I reckon its been infected with some dirty water because, when i was having a shower the water pressure was low as i had just gone to the toilet, and just as i turned my ear to the shower it suddenly went full power shower and i managed to get a straight shot into the ear hole! It hurt like hell and now i think its infected with that dirty water.

 

Anyway good luck to Rory on the rest of his travels and have a look at some photos i took of the water festival.

 

The link of the day is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwSNMibfaRg I just watched Shawshank Redemption and i think the way Morgan Freeman described this music was lovely.

 ‘I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are better left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream. It was as if some beautiful bird had flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.’

Update!

So I haven't written in a while. A very long while. So I thought rather than just give up because it had become such a huge thing to write I'd do a vlog. Please watch and enjoy. 

The link of the day is my vlog then! 

http://youtu.be/jVmPSP1nwLA

Where am i?

Where am I?



How do i feel? Am i happy? Is this the correct decision? Could anything be improved?

Whats the next move? Do i miss home?



These are questions constantly running through my mind and i’m going to try to answer them somehow. It maybe a bit jumbled as these answers are coming straight out of my head onto paper. However i’m hoping that writing this it may help with my understanding of where i am.



I generally feel that i’m in the region of attaining happiness and being happy all the time. As when i living in England, i did feel depressed and had no energy to continue with anything just wanting the world to stop. However i feel that was a mixture of things such as wanting to come back here, no job, getting rejected from jobs and no day to day routine so everything was just piling on and you sit there and you think about life in its entirety and honestly it does begin to get you down, as i’m at an age in my life where the norm nowadays is to be in Uni. However i wasn’t and i felt like i was a waste of space. So now being here with a job and a routine it does make me happier as those thoughts can be placed at the back of your head and ignored for rainy days and decisions. It’s not to say i’m walking around smiling and nor does it mean i’m walking around crying all the time. I’m like goldilocks and i’m just right. Which is nice, this feeling of contentment.



I do sometimes have to force myself to spend money though. Such as last night i was freaking out at the idea of having spent $9 on a delicious two course meal of steak and chips and then ice cream. (Already breaking my promise to go full native) Though I have to say it was flippin’ amazing! I have to constantly remind myself that i can spend money and not worry too much about it. As whats the point of working and saving the money for that ‘day’ you have to use it every once in a while. And boy did i use it for the right thing. I must be the exact opposite of those who get that release of endophorins when they spend money and there’s me convulsing on the ground after spending $9! I think i maybe spending more this weekend though which may end up being a fair bit! Football shoes, a suitcase that isn’t my massive one (for a couple days public holiday in two weeks i think i might be going down to Sihanoukville) and then a portable dvd player....Now i’m buying one of these because my wifi is awful so can’t stream stuff, my tv can’t be heard over the rain and then on top of that it is rainy season so i wont be going and playing football much or doing anything at all really...so i’m buying one to sit and watch english TV with. The titles im buying with it are ‘friends, True Detective (heard good things about it, I’m looking at you person in particular if it’s bad i will not be happy ;), Mrs Brown boys (been watching clips on youtube and seems hilarious) and finally Game of Thrones latest season. So i’ve sold it to myself, you can’t stop me Mum! So that’s going to be some money being spent i just hope it works out all okay. Eek!



Anyway back to answering questions for the time being i do feel as though this is a step in the right direction for myself, i am learning about myself and it’s certainly been interesting as i have learnt, how i learn best- which is to say it a couple of times and write it down. Bit useless now i’m not taking any exams but never mind. I’m fulfilling a dream of speaking another language, i just think its amazing how i can make a few different sounds with my mouth and people understand me, language i have always found fascinating so its nice to be putting in the effort of learning a different one. Not one that would be helpful exactly if i was to move back to England but i would be in a niche of people to speak it. So i know i’m moving at the moment in a generally right direction. Whereas in England when i was unemployed so many days were just filler of doing nothing which can be nice but not all the time...Now it’s work and live a bit, no offence to my friends at home but i didn’t do a lot with most of you because generally we lived miles apart or you were at uni and i had no money. Here though i see my friends everyday, play football and perhaps at the weekend i go for a drink and dinner with a load of them which is great and i’m always welcomed even though i may not understand what all of them say but i love every minute!



Could anything be improved......... My single complaint to be honest is that my guesthouse could be a bit better, as at the moment, every day i come back from school they are drinking

‘Gregory, drink with us!’ they call

‘No, sorry i don’t like beer.’ Is my go-to reply

I then go to play football after i come back two hours later they are still there. I then go shower and rest for a bit. In that time i get hungry so then i’m off for food. Again they call ‘Gregory, have one beer’ by this time they are all out of it.

‘No i need to eat first otherwise i’ll be drunk in seconds’ is another reply i give.

Most of the drinkers I’m generally friendly with but they aren’t my crowd, most times they have already got one guy to sit with them and he sits in silence. I suppose if you switch the perspective that’s what people may think of me with my friends at the weekend but then again i can speak a bit of khmer and generally fit in more with people around my age not like this one foreigner who is always with them. I couldn’t think of something more boring than sitting around, not talking and drinking. It’s a waste of life in my eyes! So yeah if i could improve it, they wouldn’t do that but its their culture so i cant deny them that. The only way i could improve it would be to move, but the location of where i live is fantastic, it’s nearby to everything and i have bought stuff that wouldn’t fit into my bag so maybe when i get this second suitcase i might have to start looking for somewhere or just another guesthouse. As they are so useful, clean my room for me, useful knowledge and friendly people. So it’s something to think about certainly.



Next move? Staying here for the time being, always looking for the next opportunity that may lead to not having to work again, that’s the dream obviously but its to generally trot along and learn khmer and stay happy with my simple little life. Which, to me, sounds good for the time being. I’m fulfilling my Maslow hierachy of needs so i’m content when any of those change or are fulfilled such as knowing enough khmer that i’m comfortable in any situation that’s when plans will be laid down to get out of here. That or when it takes me the same amount of time to eat a bowl of noodles with chopsticks as it does to eat a bowl of rice with a spoon! I think i will be safe for a while yet!








Yes i miss home, i miss the familiarity of everything, locations, weather, people or to be able to talk to someone about whats happening in the world and chat about it. Or talking with friends about past incidents and jokes, going to the movies with someone. Oh i should add i do miss my family as well! But i know i’m going to see them again at some point so it’s not a major issue that one. In all honesty i miss England a bit but its not at all crippling or going to stop me in my tracks any time soon! It’s going to be there whenever i come back so there’s no need for me to worry. I’m excited for the future i can’t focus on the past otherwise you get stuck, in the words of Walt Disney from ‘Meet the Robinsons.’ ‘Keep moving forward’ and i shall.



Nothing much more to add, maybe that answers some people questions i hope. Now that i have written over 1500 words i think i should get back to work before somebody notices what i have been doing. :)



Link of the day: Miami 2017 (Hopefully England doesn’t change as much as New York does in this song.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az1FSLfZxH4

Well, well, well...

A couple of weeks into the job now. Going swimmingly, maybe apart from getting bitten by the young kindergartens, life's pretty good or is it?

Generally it really is, but yesterday morning I had a two hour meeting with the faculty (how much of an adult do I sound?) outlining future objectives and what have you and I feel slightly overwhelmed, I think I will to talk to my boss. If I get in tomorrow. 

Yesterday I got paid half a paycheck as I've only been there two weeks. So that was nice. As a slight celebration I've always said to my self I would have a British fry up when I got paid. So I did. Unfortunately this led to me having some pretty awful food poisoning. I'm getting better now but boy did I feel awful. I slept from 8-7. Interrupted by trips to the toilet. It was all over by 12 but to me it felt like years that it had lasted and then it was still an interrupted nights sleep.

So I hope to go to school tomorrow but I'll give them a ring, they say you should wait 48 hours before coming into school if you've thrown up but if it's food poisoning I'm not infectious so I can work surely? Well we'll find out. 

My football shoes that I play with here are breaking so I decided I would buy ones that everyone else wears. Went and found some and had a massive group of khmer people surround me, because I was speaking khmer. So they all got excited, so I bought this pair that felt a little bit too small but they were size 9. So I go to football but take my others just in case. I wear them and realise that they are diabolical! No cushioning and crushing my feet. So I thought I'd give them away. As a lot of people can't afford to buy shoes so play barefoot. In the end I gave them to my friend. He was as happy as Larry. I was then rewarded by being ill! Trying to change the world, one happy person at a time. 

Not much too add apart from now on I'm going full native and not having western meals, I mean I generally didn't anyway but after that affair I'm not going to have any. 

I wrote that and went and bought some Pringles because I was feeling sorry for myself. They tasted like crap. SO from now on I will be not be having western meals! 

Link today- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9b6jgbNyc

Working Now

Two weeks on the job. I meant to post this last week but my SD card keeps deleting randoms bit of stuff and i didn’t want to write it all out again. However here’s me trying again, i suppose it gives me a chance to rewrite the bits i didn’t particularly like.



Well anyway I have a job now! It’s in a private primary school. Named rather aptly Cambridge International School. However its a franchise from Singapore so i don’t quite know how the Cambridge bit came about. My job title is EAL teacher. EAL stands for English as an additional language teacher. I think.... Well anyway i teach from Kindergarten right up until what would be years five and six in England. So a huge mix of students.



I’m not going to lie that i found out at my volunteer school, the kids i taught were my favourite age group of about twelve to fifteen year olds. More mature but not mature enough to not find me making funny noises and being stupid whilst teaching them funny. Whilst also listening to the teacher. However these age groups provide a... shall we say interesting challenge? Its good for allsorts of experience such as classroom management, writing tests, absolute beginners and perhaps in a year i will say i never want to leave. For now though i have had a couple of moments of fondly looking at that other older age group. Not to say i haven’t enjoyed it here. My colleagues are fantastic. My bosses are great and its quite tight knit. Most of my colleagues i regularly am in contact with on a daily basis are predominately Filipino. With whom i have worked with before and i know how great they are so when i found that out i was very interested to get started.



Now i have to be careful with what i say about the students for obvious reasons. Though i will say this most are great, some are good, some are okay and some are challenges. When i say challenges they aren’t ‘oh god what am i doing here?’ they are challenges of ‘okay, how can i get them involved today?’ Which, again, is great for experience. With that in mind i believe all these kids are fairly sheltered as its a very good school so most kids haven’t had an exactly normal upbringing. Although ask yourself if you had lots of money would you not treat your child to the absolute best? I know i would. So i’m sure the reason some children might say ‘my house is bigger than this school.’ Is because truthfully, it is and they are just telling me. They don’t necessarily know that its not normal to have that.



I personally believe that in a year my khmer will be a lot better than it is now. So much so i could possibly work in a public school. So i could access the less privileged child. I think this because on my first day of being here, the children did their morning exercise and a beggar and his child walked past the schools gate looking for rubbish to pick up and sell/live off. Then i had what i’d call a bit of epiphany, i realised that those less privileged children are the ones i want to help. The ones that need english to get started and begin to live. As more and more this is becoming a world where you need English to start making money. Whereas these kids here are just like english young ‘uns they speak great english, spelling and writing leaves a little to be desired (which is fine as i wouldn’t have a job otherwise) but speaking you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an english kid of the same age and these.



However seeing that poor beggar kid it struck me that at some point i need to work in a place where i can begin to help these poor children. Maybe in a year i’ll say you know what? I can speak khmer lets go start work in a public school. Maybe in a year I could also say I love these kids here and i don’t wanna work in no stinkin’ high school especially with my awful khmer. That’s for the future to decide, i have no idea yet. You never know what might happen. For the foreseeable future though i know for now that i’ll be here for at least year. I also know as i was wisely told in an eighteenth birthday card:



Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Ecclesiastes 9:10



That is for certain. For the future i may not think teaching this age group is my favourite but i know i will throw all i can into it. As that’s what this school deserves. Nothing half-assed. For the future is far away and we can only live in the now, so we might as well, work now and make a decision later on what we to do as we never know what might happen.



The other week i was speaking about taking time to talk to the people you see everyday and how i was talking to my friends at the local mart. Well this week i found out that one of my friends is living in a house with four bedrooms and one bathroom with ten other people. He has gotten a full scholarship to a university and is working his socks off to make sure he makes his parents proud. He sleeps on the floor of his house. Plus he is here all by himself. Its bordering on illegal what his living conditions are like but hes the happiest bubbliest person i’ve met and i always enjoy my time with him. For example the other day he tried to say the phrase ‘Working hard or hardly working.’ However he got it wrong so what came out was ‘Working hard or hard working.’ I was in stitches. Good effort though. To be honest thats the first time i’ve heard him get something wrong. Then theres me speaking awful khmer and helps anyway he can for me to learn.



Beautiful place, beautiful people.



Link for the day : I couldn’t find something that would fit this text. So have a listen to some rather rousing classical music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz0b4STz1lo

Football,life and blogging

Well my system of trying to upload a blog every Saturday completely went out the window. I just have not wanted to do one. As I don't believe anything that I have done is particularly interesting. Plus I don't just want to be writing 'In the morning I ate noodles. It was good' However I received a message from my Mum saying that she hasn't seen one and I realised that life isn't always about these grand happenings. Its about the little things that you do, that make life. Such as saying 'Hello' to your neighbours, buying breakfast at the local market or even just sat watching TV. These are the things we do most often in life. So why not write about them and immortalise them in words. So here goes....

I played football a couple of weeks ago and managed to badly sprain my ankle again. So most of life has been spent sat doing nothing but watching TV and eating. Its been getting better slowly. I went to the doctors for it and spent $45 dollars on an X-ray, consultation, splint and pills which to me isn't half bad. I was expecting it to be in the hundreds. Doctor said no football for 4 weeks!! My idea of hell! No matter, it lets me rest and focus on getting a job. I was also advised by the guesthouse owner to get some Khmer medicine. All well and good so I ask him to write it down so I can go to the local market and get it. Proudly I hop off with my splint on and show some people who direct me out to the other side of the market and then someone else shows me where to get it. Fantastic! I buy it and proudly come back to show off my new medicine to the manager. I thought it was slightly strange because it was just ginger. Just the plant, that was it. After my guesthouse owner had picked himself up off the floor after laughing he managed to get his friend to make it properly for me into a paste mixed with alcohol. No worries. A day later I get it back and apply it only problem is that it looks like cat sick. So its a nice thing to rub all over my ankle as you can imagine. I just hope it is helping! So I can resume a more normal life without so many stares. I mean, I get stared at for being a westerner in a densely populated Khmer location where not many foreigners really go. So you can imagine how it was when I clinked along with a big black splint on. I felt like a cowboy with spurs!

The ankle

 

The Splint

Catsick/Medicine

At the time of writing its okay, I don't wear the splint, just sometimes wear a compression thing that I thought to bring with me knowing I would play football and hurt myself.

Football really does transcend language as on Saturday I went out with five people to a club. These people were ones I had played football with for a couple of weeks. However only one speaks generally good English. I speak a bit of Khmer so I can communicate with them all. Just not in depth. We went out and they all said to the English speaker 'Even though I am not Khmer, they feel as though I am one of them' 'If I ever need help they will be there for me' This was all because I played football with them and could joke around a bit, it really helps you settle when in another country and someone says that. They are just so nice and friendly. There's no way I can explain it without yourself experiencing it. They just accept you. I just would like to learn Khmer quicker because then I can communicate with all these people and meet more of them. Such as yesterday I went and ate dinner afterwards I went to buy an ice cream at a local mart where they have seen me a few times and I have joked about my foot and a multitude of other things in Khmer. So they know I speak a bit and they speak good English. There's a few that are really friendly. So yesterday I just sat down with them for two hours and got to know them some more whilst practising Khmer.

I honestly believe that in England unless you get to know someone through work, groups, school, university you never meet the people you see everyday. For example how many readers know the name of the people in their local shop or the taxi's drivers they walk past everyday. Here I sat down with some shop workers and got to know them. In western countries the pace of life is so fast. It just goes past you and sometimes you have to sit down and let it. But in England there is no opportunity for that because if you miss a chance then it'll never come back so you have to keep up with that pace. It's like treading water, western countries are constantly treading to not sink and it tires them out which how things like depression happen just non-stop with no end in sight (RIP Robin Williams) Cambodia and many other countries around here they let themselves sink, but they sink with friends. Possibly not the greatest allegory as it ends in mass joint suicide, but I hope you kind of get the picture. Here people sit down outside of shops, marts, parks and just chat and let others join them if they want to. Further expanding their circle of people to help or be helped by. I just love it. It suits me right down to the ground. Once I get a job i'll be part of the community finally rather than a dosser that sits down outside of shops with his foreign money!

Job wise. Where to begin? I've had a couple of interviews and opportunities. That haven't arisen and nothing further has happened so now. I have started my own company! Greg Preston English Tutoring. Every night I go out like Batman seeking lampposts to put up my posters of my company and of how to get in touch. $15 p/h or less depending on what they want to be taught. As most tutors round here try to charge $35 an hour! No one has that much money to burn. So I decided to hit the niche market and go cheap. So  I hope this will pick up soon and people will notice my posters and get in touch. I spend around $6 a day so if I got even one at $15 I'd be set for at least two days! I will continue to look for a school job but if this takes off then I should be okay to continue just as private tutor. We shall see. Exciting times ahead. Lets just hope it involves me making some money and continuing to live here.

Not a song but a video from Good Will Hunting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8mn3nLPSMY

Running for the Visa

Tomorrow my visa runs out. A one month tourist visa extended by another month. I need to change it to a business visa. As when I first entered the country I chose a tourist visa thinking I could change it to the renewable business visa whilst I was in the country. Alas it wasn't to be so I needed to leave the country to come back in and change it to business.

My first thought was to have a small holiday and go to Bangkok. Then I thought I can't do that as Bangkok is fairly expensive compared to Phnom Penh and isn't as beautiful. Although now some parts of Phnom Penh are strikingly similar to Bangkok. Aeon Shopping Mall, Diamond Island, Nagaworld and others as this city begins to develop for the western world. So then the plan was created to get a night bus, arrive, cross the border to turn around and come back again. All very exciting stuff to write home about.

Bought the ticket advertised as having free wifi, luxury legspace, a snack/water and a towel which cost ten dollars. I bought it way in advance on Wednesday ready for Friday 20:00 departure time 20:30. Eight hour journey time arriving at the border at 4 for the border to open at 6 with space for wiggle time. There was a lot of wiggle time. Probably didn't leave Phnom Penh till 21:00 due to folk arriving late then when we did get going stopping for them to buy supplies for the journey and what have you all whilst us 'barangs' are none the wiser to as to what was going on. Only hoping it was going in the right direction. As of the earlier promises, what was fulfilled:
Wifi: X
Legspace: My chair was above the stairwell so couldn't stretch out as I was afraid of hitting someone as they went downstairs.
Snack/Water: Perhaps the first stop I was meant to buy it for myself? Otherwise nothing doin'
Towel: Turned out to be enlarged wet wipe.     
So it was a great start as you can imagine. Trying to sleep whilst stopping every once in a while for people to get off and continue their own journeys. Whilst being on the stairwell this was brilliant as they bumped past you to get down and out. During that time I possibly slept for 45 minutes. Then eventually these other foreigners got off at Battambang 3/4 of the way in. I took the chance to nick their 'luxury seat' and slept contortedly for the last two or three hours.

We arrive in Poipet. A place I've only seen of through a car window mostly. Dropped off at 4am in pitch darkness and left to deal with it. My pride meant I wasn't going to get a Moto when I could walk it! Off I pop down the road, feeling really safe in this slightly dodgy, dark and shady areas of a city. No worries at all...I arrive to the unopen border crossing which has the feeling of a refugee camp as many locals waited for the chance to get through to Thailand. Whether it was to work or live I don't know. Many had some big bags. People do what they need to survive. I completely understand it. They give up so much to make sure their children has what it needs to grow up in a better environment. All for the better.

I sat and waited for an hour and a half till the foreigner part opened. Luckily I was front of the queue. Good choice by me for the bus I went with for all the times to line up. Everything was so seemless as it was just that early in the morning. No problems at all when it came to getting a business visa. It cost $30 rather than the $25 that was advertised. Ahem* say no more. As previously mentioned they do what they need to so they can survive.

Its now about 6:30 first time I have seen Poipet without being chaperoned because I have a sticker on my chest it was upto me to find a bus. Luckily due to my earlier walking I had spotted a rather swanky bus station so I swanned up to it after being harassed by motos to take me to their bus stations. Hoping I could just hope onto the next available bus. This wasn't so easy as it turns out they were full for the day... Swine! Who could dare take this quick minibus away from me...Never mind I carried on and sat down to have an overpriced breakfast because I was a foreigner. I say overpriced but $2 isn't bad...Its more the blatant discrimination against white face and Khmer face...do what they need to survive...

I finally gave in to a moto man and let him drive me to his bus station (where he gets money for taking me there). Its the same one I came to Poipet on. That's fine by me I know what to expect so i'm not bothered anymore. Ten dollars and sit and wait. Go barefoot to the dirtiest inhouse toilet ever. Luckily I have no cuts on my feet...I think.

The bus arrives, oh it's not the same? Never mind I can deal with this. I'm sure I can hook up with some foreigners to make the journey far more pleasurable. Air-con bust..sat on top of a wheel arch...sun in my eyes...filled with Khmer. Look on the bright side it will leave soon and you will be back with familiar faces in Phnom Penh 'catch up on some sleep' I think to myself. Two hours later I awaken to find that we haven't moved. They were waiting until more people bought tickets as the four of us on a big bus for the 7:30 departure wasn't enough (understandably) so they waited until they collected enough people from the 8:30 and 9:30 to fill it up and then we went. Great. Sweating like a pig now. Cramped in because a lady who was slightly above weight had squeezed herself in next to me. Journey starts finally.

First quick fag stop for the driver i'm busting for the toilet. The majority of people have only been on the bus for an hour or so, me? three hours!! So I quickly nipped off making sure I had my stuff with me. Toilet? is the question I ask. Out the back is the curt reply. I make my way down passing the two kids who are sat near me on the bus as they go back, then I quickly pop to the toilet. Come out and see a bus pass the front door and I think to myself a question I often ask my sister 'what would you do if that was your actual bus leaving without you?' I chuckle to myself, what an absurd thought. I haul myself out of the house and to the secretary's shock and horror he forgot I was on the bus. Hang on a minute that was my bus!! Luckily the secretary kept a cool head, picked his jaw off the floor and then rang the driver and told him to stop so we could catch up on moto and I could get on. Thank god the secretary hadn't gone otherwise that would have been it. No more internet, no more electricity that's how tiny this place was, I would have been lost to the mine-infested wilderness of Cambodia.

So we continue on in the newly christened sweat bus. We get to Battamabang after what feels like at least 5 hours. In retrospect it probably was for me. Pick some people up who are in the good political party who are coming to Phnom Penh to be apart of a big meeting for the party and an eventual demonstration. We chat a bit as one can speak English. We stop for lunch and they fix the air-con on the bus. In the meanwhile my new friend told me his friends story of what happened after they were liberated from the Pol Pot regime.

He had to walk from Battambang to the Thai border. It took him three months. Can you imagine that? The elation that this pure evil that has stolen everything you ever had, your innocence, your possessions, your family has been gotton rid of. The one that has had you working to a bone in the rice fields everyday but then to find out true salvation from it you needed to walk to the refugee camp many long miles away. Walking your way to your salvation with just the eerie silence as your companion; the soft patter of your tired barefeet trudging along knowing that every step takes you further away from the evil that was and closer into the unknown of the future.

He said he was a little bit hot on the bus but didn't mind as he wasn't repeating this feat. After this was mentioned to me , I said nothing more of complaints and annoyance as everything just seemed easy compared to that. I am now back in Phnom Penh safe and sound after a couple more rest stops. I'm now typing this tucked up in bed, all tuckered out from my mild exhaustion and sleep depravation but not any way near as much as that poor child who had to do what he did.

They do what they do to survive.

Link today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax6UXyAXSZo Walk-Foo Fighters because I'm so glad I didn't have to.

Job Hunting and a Birthday

Well my first week of independent living is over. Pretty easy all in all. Slightly boring as well seeing as I haven't got a job but that's beside the point. 

I predominately email schools in the morning and then mid afternoon I go and play football for a couple of hours. Come back and find a place to eat for less than a dollar or two. Then go, sit and chat with the locals to improve my khmer. It's a simple life but I enjoy it. No stress, just general slow paced living. 

Everyday I'll spend around 6 dollars for food which ain't bad going for three meals and some snacks. Noodle soup in the morning, a kebab or a sandwich thing that I'm unsure to what it is has in it but it's spicy and has cucumber. Then fried rice and a meat in the evening. All washed down with water that I get free from my hotel. Then at dinner I drink ice tea which I don't particularly like but it's free so I might as well. As I said it's a simple life with not much to write home about. 

The other interesting thing this week is that I turned 19!! Only one more year mum and you won't have any grotty teenagers left. I didn't do much because it landed on a Thursday, did my usual routine and then one of my khmer friends took me out for some food and drink which was nice. However the thing that annoyed me most was that the little buttery cake I bought myself to celebrate with was eaten by ants but never mind I hope they enjoyed it! 

This weekend with the money my relatives gave me I have bought a bicycle and named it Floyd after the Pink Floyd song 'Bike' I didn't particularly want to call it 'Pink' or 'Bike' so Floyd fit best. Now I need a helmet and a lock for it and it's good to go. I did go on a tour with it around the city in a baptism of fire and everything went beautifully till I realised I went the wrong way down a one way street for about 10 blocks. Quickly scuttled off of that road. All in all fairly safe! 

As I say I haven't done much so can't write much. Have a little look at Floyd in all his blue beauty. 

Although in the time it has taken me to write this me and Floyd have had a falling out. The front wheel started to make some noise as I rode. Which was really irritating. So I stopped and checked it out to no avail. So later as I was riding along the noise still being made I thought the best course of action was to kick the front wheel. Whilst still on the bike. This went fantastically as you can imagine. My flip flop came off and got jammed in the spokes my toes still hurt. Then Floyd was on the floor. Get my flip flop back and it's all come undone, fix that then take a closer look at the front wheel it just turns out the guard had slipped and was catching it to make a noise. All sorted not without a small misunderstanding first. 

Link today- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SmW17QvUhRM

Sorry is the hardest word?

That is completely untrue. Goodbye is the hardest word. I know some of my recent goodbyes are because of my choice. However when you leave these kids. The kids that just become an extension of your family however the difference with your real family is you can keep in touch and know their immediate future whereas with these guys you don't know what may happen next. What with some of the monstrosities that are going up in Phnom Penh these guys could suddenly be kicked out of there homes by the corrupt government. Such as what happened to the river people. All their lives they have lived on the Mekong and then suddenly some Koreans pay 180 million dollars to make an island on their homes. Well they say 180 million...really the sum was 90 million as the rest was paid to the prime minister to make sure it happened. 

However back to the issue at hand of saying goodbye. It was hard, I managed to not cry, just about. It's weird knowing that come Monday I will not be going back to them. One of the few constants i've had was of having my class and now it's gone and it's time to be an adult. An adult who has veered off of life's usual pre-determined path of school-uni-job. For me it's school-tefl-Cambodia! I always felt the way I was treated and others were treated by Chesham Grammar School was a little bit unfair when I said I wasn't coming back or others said they weren't going to uni. It was as if you'd hit them with a rotten fish. There is no forward thinking. It's as if everyone must go to Uni and it's not always the answer one wants to hear or should be hearing. In the modern day it's not necessarily practical with the fees you now have to pay. However people take the path and yes in a few years time I may be taking this back saying, I've hit a ceiling and am unable to go further. Whereas others who have a degree will be able to delve further into there field. However that is for a later date and by that time things may have had to change in England. 

For my last day sadly, it was a slight impromptu bank holiday so I didn't get to say goodbye to some of the other classes as they weren't there which is sad. On the other hand I had nearly full capacity for my class even though they knew they didn't have to come in. Whether it was because of my leaving or because of the food I had we'll never know.

There were upset kids. Some saying 'stay teacher.' I wish. One got his knickers in a twist because he was upset I was going. He was one of my favourites. A story one of the other teachers told me was that a child wanted to draw a picture of a lion (his nickname) and me. He got very upset when he couldn't draw one and had to go to this teacher for help. Which touched me. I was sad some people didn't manage to come in. Especially one kid who would come in on and off who I liked a lot and this last week I didn't see him at all so I hope he is okay.

 I don't know if they all say the same to every teacher but I certainly feel that I was able to get a bit closer with these guys due to slight similarities in age, speaking khmer and knowing cultural rules. One day I will go back certainly and see them again. They wanted me to come back around Christmas time as they have a party for all the kids. So that seems like a good target. It's not too bad for me because at least I am still in the same country for the time being. 

One of the hardest bits was saying goodbye to my morning class. Every day both classes will say 'Good morning/afternoon teacher' then at the end 'thank you teacher, see you tomorrow' just as a sign of respect. But this time they said 'Thank you teacher, see you again' And there it was, the hard lump in my throat, the sting in my eyes, the voice wavering. These children with their endless laughter at my stupid antics and their hope at me coming back. How many times a year do these guys become attached to someone and for that someone to say 'I'll be back' or 'Khgnom nu'ng mul ven' just for it to be a lie and for that person to go back to their life of comfort never to return. That's what tore me up nearly. Their childish hope, none of the seriousness of reality that an adult has. I miss that and I wouldn't want them to lose it but I feel as though it's too late as many have to look after their brothers and sisters whilst their parents are out begging/looking for money. It's just not fair. Then whilst in school all those responsibilities are gone and they get to be children again where the hope and glee returns whilst they are with their friends. I vow now that I will go back at some point this year so that hope doesn't fade into another 'oh he was just another teacher here.' 

Also saying goodbye to a friend I have been with for six weeks was just as hard. It should be made illegal sometimes how difficult it is to say goodbye. She has given me confidence and words of advice for the future and of living here. It has been very weird these past couple of days when I go out to walk somewhere for her to not be next to me. I wish Mel the best of luck in Vietnam and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. 

For now I must focus on myself and get somewhere to live which may just be sorted by the end of this weekend. Just in time for my birthday that I have no idea what to do for. Then to focus on getting myself a new school. With a new set of kids to teach and enjoy. Wish me luck. 

This week for my link is purely for the title as if you know anything about the Mac then it doesn't work: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6ul-cZyuYq4

Below are the photos of my kids on the last day:

The kid I'm holding is the one that got upset I was going. 

I look like I have a really long arm in this one.

I love this photo

Sokhea, I gave him my football, lovely kid. Will miss him a lot.  

These two were great, always laughing. 

Not great grammar but I'll let it go. 

The other classes message. 

The letters the kids wrote for me. Now in a box labelled 'Memories' - always wanted one of those. 

Writing about these gave me a lump in my throat. 

Gone for a Month

Wow, I've done one month on my own in another country at 18. I've been gone for a month. 'Gone' was my first word so maybe that was the start of something all that time ago. Or it was that I had just eaten something and said it. I'm leaning towards that but the greater meaning thing fits better. However I'm really enjoying this ride so far. I've learnt a lot about myself, independence, teaching style, money control and all sorts of other things. Whilst enjoying every second. 

I've realised I like fish. Maybe not the fish cooked in England (that's nothing against my mother, brother or father's cooking...) it's just here they make it taste beautiful. Or 'chnang' which is delicious or depending on the way you say it 'cooking pot.' So I get some weird looks at restaurants when trying to compliment the food. The soups they have here....yum! The pork, the spices, the bitter and sour, the bbq's are all great. Also I ate rat. Tasted like pistachio a bit. It wasn't a sewer rat. It was one that swims in the dirty lakes and rivers but also lives on land so wasn't huge but wasn't tiny. If someone offered it to me I wouldn't refuse it but I wouldn't eat the whole thing probably. When I was back in England I knew that some food had to taste more than what we had and that I was missing it! So I'm glad I'm here, catching up...by eating rat. Whilst not really having to worry about weight issues because you sweat more off whilst you are eating the stuff! 

The language I'm getting there with. It will take time, I can do directions, marketplace, food ordering and classroom environment but I can't do conversation. So it's no good when I ask someone what they did at the weekend and they reply to which I have no idea to what they said. I just nod and say yes which has led to a few situations where I have placed joke bets. At least I hope they were jokes... So as they in 'Field of Dreams' 'They will come' or in my case 'It will come' it's just a matter of practising a bit at a time. Certainly when my teaching stops it'll drop as I won't be speaking it everyday to kids who have the patience to listen. On the other hand  there are others who I have made friends with who do have the patience to teach and help. I just don't want to not keep learning it. As it is so useful to have a second language. Although I had an embarrassing moment the other day...I managed to learn some not so good words just because they would become useful. Possibly to say to a tuk tuk driver eventually! They also taught me a respectful term for lady. I thought 'great! Thanks guys' Next day in class I use it when talking to a girl...Turns out the word is the same one we use for a girl dog. Cue embarrassment all round. Will have to use some of those words with the people I learnt that one off! We learn from our mistakes though. I now won't forget it, nor will I use it. 

Heat. As you can imagine it's hot. Very hot. Some days it rains and guess what it's hot. At the time of writing this it's 33 degrees. I'm not too bad though I think playing football in this weather in Bangkok and here means that I have become more accustomed to it and am able to deal with it. That's not to say if I had the chance I wouldn't jump in a swimming pool. It just means that I'm not constantly dripping like I was when I first got to Bangkok. So as I've been learning on this ride my body adapts pretty well after it gets used to the toilet.

I have had to be fairly careful with money because I didn't have a lot and I have to pay for things like rent and deposits and food in the coming months which I may not have a paycheck coming in. This weekend I am going around looking at places to live hopefully. Then next week it will be CV central as it'll be my last week at the guesthouse. I really don't want this teaching to end. I've grown with my kids. I have loved it. When I have been tired on a Sunday night I was looking forward to Monday to see them again and there cheekiness. I would miss it after only two days! So not doing it for a while, whilst trying to find a job will be annoying. 

These two last days I have been playing football with the kids at break times. Finally! They played often but didn't invite me. As I was a teacher. Then the older kids in another class asked me if I wanted to play. Of course. So now break times I go play! Come back in sweating as the bell rings, just like being back at school! Although here you have to wash the dripping sweat off of you before you go back to class and clean your dirty feet as you play barefoot. Which isn't a great idea considering what we play on... 

The goals are our flip flops. Picture doesn't do it justice of how uneven it is. 

This weekend will be hard but I hope to maybe find somewhere to live but also I'm attempting to get another haircut so hopefully it goes better than last time...

Haircut attempt last time. They call it 'The Hitler'...

However I must ride on to the next stop and see what it holds for me. 

Song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S0nlygb1Qfw

Delve into Teaching

Well another week over. I really cannot believe this. I remember when Mum said that she wanted me to have something to go to for when I got there for her peace of mind. My immediate reaction was 'pfft, she doesn't know what she's talking about.' As it got closer to the time I was becoming more and more glad that she had said to book this. As you know what? I am really happy that I did this. Somewhere to sleep and eat for six weeks to be able to set up a base of operations and organise anything from there on out. 

Last week was Sihanoukville where it rained and that was about it. The other volunteers went out in the club next door whilst I managed to sit and watch my first World Cup match which was Uruguay-Costa Rica I think. Then we left the next day. I didn't really like Sihanoukville but perhaps it was because of the rain, hotel and only being there one day. Phnom Penh has a lot more going on. Then again Phnom Penh doesn't have a beach! Whilst I was wandering down the beach, I did manage to snap this shot whilst sat on a coconut. 

Coconut Shot

Then it was back to Phnom Penh on a funny mini bus ride with the other volunteers who had to shoot back to the Orphanage, whilst the rest of us, sat and chilled. Me knowing the next day I was back at the place that I really enjoy. Somewhere I got excited to be at. Somewhere where I was getting fulfilled. Somewhere where I can muck around and learn whilst these kids learn from me. Whilst chilling I was getting worried because I was running out of things for my students to learn. We managed to scrap through this short week (Public holiday on Wednesday) however next week will be tougher. I'm sure I'll think of something. This week I did get them doing postcards. So I had to find somewhere where they sold them for a cheap price. I hadn't seen any apart from the professional ones that cost $1 a shot and I needed 27! In the search I accidentally came across Cambodia's equivalent of Iceland though. It was a huge supermarket at the back of a shopping mall and everyone working was so uninterested, shelves half stacked, other places empty and sticky and workers just sat chatting. After that life experience I did find some old dusty ones in the back of a shop that I managed to get for $10. Sorted. So the next day I explained and they were all very excited!...As you can imagine they had the enthusiasm of a lethargic giraffe to write English to someone they didn't know ( My kids aren't excited about writing only talking it, same with me and khmer so I can understand), I think there was a bit of lost in translation but I eventually got across I was going to send these home and then they were more excited about it. Finally! So I got them to do it. A lot were very similar to each other, as they copy all the time. Same as me at school with German to be honest. Here they just shout 'Lok Pa! Lok Pa! He/she look!' They have just started to call me 'Lok Pa'  Lok is a respect thing similar to Mr. and Mrs. Whilst Pa is father. So it's nice to know they do really like me. Anyway they were a written and will hopefully be sent home this weekend. So have fun with that Mum when 27 postcards turn up on your doorstep! 

My morning class

My afternoon class

The night before the public holiday was a volunteer teacher's birthday. So we went on a boat and drank which ended up being fairly messy and ended up at karaoke which is a great night out for Cambodians as I found out. Sorry Ma! However then on the public holiday me and another volunteer-Mel decided we would go to Russian Market and have a wander. We did some shopping but it was very hot and stuffy. I bought two Khmer phrase books, so it's starting to get serious my language learning! After that it was two more great days teaching. This weekend it's saying goodbye to some volunteers and general oddjobs such as rewriting my cv to focus on the English teaching. Eek! 

Russian Market-Food section 

Link this week: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Cs-bZ2YX0

English tutor in Phnom Penh http://www.gregprestontutoring.com/

2 down 4 to go

Well, what can I tell you? These past two weeks have gone rather quickly. By Monday I'll be half way through already! That's mad. Time really just goes. Do it now before it's too late. As I have gotton to learn about these kids, from their names, to aspirations, to hobbies, to homes. They really have begun to affect me. I think when this is all over, tears will be shed. 

Day to day I'm teaching a general overview of the English language, in fact I'm running out of simple things to teach. My class has the biggest discrepancy of levels. Some kids are very good, others have a small grasp of the language. Therefore trying to cater to all levels makes life fairly difficult but who doesn't love a challenge. Trying to keep them all engaged within my lessons is the hardest part. 

Every Friday they have a test. Which is a general revision of the weeks work, so it writes itself essentially. Then they have a simpler lesson after which is mostly games. However yesterday after the test I got them teaching me Khmer as a table turner. They loved it! Engaging them on a different level as they became the teacher and me the student. Being a teacher means they get respect. Lots of bowing and a different attitude to learning to the one in England as the teacher is to be respected here. Which is good as I wouldn't quite know how to deal with a khmer kid mouthing off. 

At break times I get to go out and play with the kids. Whether that's 'chose bi chun' (kick the shoe) a game which is similar to bowls or curling but you use your shoe haven't quite fathomed it yet; or football shuttle cock which I think I managed to somehow bet a $1000 on with my small bit of khmer. All a bit of fun but the kids love it and so do I. Some of the very young ones are completely gobsmacked when I speak khmer. They just stare, mouths agape. 

Apart from that what's been happening? Generally football with some expats and then football with some locals on the riverside. Most of my money is spent on delicious food. This consists of fish (yes mum, fish of many types, some I don't even know) cakes, apples, mango and many others. I then was robbed last night by a monk! I always tell people don't shake hands or out your hands out as people will put stuff on them and you are expected to pay. What do I do? Shake hands with the friendly monk, 5 minutes later a massive shark tooth necklace and two bracelets I'm $5 down. God dammit. Never mind at least i have been blessed. I think. After dinner and a chat with a very drunk American bloke who eventually ended up having a fight nearly with the hotel owner as he took his money away to get him to stop buying alcohol. I went for a walk. Everything being offered as per usual 'tuk tuk' 'lady' 'marijuana' one of these moments I was distracted, uneven floor and a tripped and my flip flop broke. Flip! I was walking along trying to fix this and again I was offered a tuk tuk right next to my hotel.

 'No' 

'What happened '

'Broken'

He takes it from me and fixes it. After a joke of me nicking his flip flops, he says sit down. So we talk in Khmer! It was slow but I got my ideas across and understood his. Eventually after a while of this he says 'Yeung Chang baan kumpong' which translates to 'we would like beer' I fathomed out what he was saying and managed to get out of there not in a harsh way it's just the culture here of drinking. I also wasn't going to buy beer for people I'd just met and not drink any of it. 

Then it was bedtime. I was fairly tired quite early as I read that you can solve toilet problems by not drinking caffeine and I had been drinking a tonne of coke. I was also up early to catch a bus to the beach town of Sihanoukville. 

Which I'm now on as I write this. Watching Khmer dubbed 'Avengers' I just hope it's nice on the coast!

Link this time: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNP5yqg7hc

Poverty and teaching

Well after a couple of days doing nothing and playing football I got ill. I have had toilet problems of all types. Slept many hours, slept few hours. Now it's gone to my head and throat. Just as I start teaching I lose my voice completely! Never in my entire life have I lost my voice in it's entirety. Maybe a bit, after shouting it raw at a match, but never like this. So yesterday I went to school and observed these lovely kids being taught then in the afternoon I taught... We'll get to that later. 

However for now we'll talk about Cambodia's poverty. Obviously here, in Phnom Penh it is unbelievable. They will raise up debts trying to save their sick mothers or fathers and then have to sell their rural farms and so come to the Capital to find work. With that as you walk down the street you see so many people bedding down for the night on the pavement or under a bench or a group of families together on a corner. It is saddening but I have been dealt the cards that have allowed me to not have to deal with that. So I dealt some cards of my own...

In Phnom Penh there is a particular restaurant many tuk tuks will take you as they get food for it. So I asked to go there deliberately, food for one person achieved. Food for me next. At this restaurant they will sit you near the front so the beggars can come and try to sell to you. I didn't want to be hassled as I was already starting to feel ill. So asked 'Can I be sat further back please?'

'No understand, sorry, sit here' This person then went on to take my order...

Never mind. Maybe it's too hot for the sellers. I was wrong. One, two, three came by. 'Book?' 'Bracelet?' 'Scarf?' 

Then a fourth kid came by. He started playing these games with me. Rock, paper, scissors to get you to lose (I didn't) so you have to buy something. Arm wrestling. All sorts. None of which I lost. I can proudly say I'm stronger than a malnourished 15 year old kid. So instead of sending him away I thought of sticking two fingers up at the establishment. 

'Have you eaten?'

'Me?'

'Yes'

'No I need 2000 riel' 

'Okay' 'You want to eat now?' 

'Yes 2000 riele'

'No, you can eat with me'

I give him the menu. So for once in this kids life. He was going to get a full meal of whatever he wanted with no backchat from me (I did have a panic attack when he said he jokingly said he wanted a $24 steak) and he wasn't going to pay a penny. He was going to be able to order these staff around who usually shout at him if he overstays his welcome. The waiters and waitresses didn't like me very much after that...I asked about him a bit. He was 15 and had been selling things for 10 years earning less than a dollar most days or nothing. As the items he sells aren't his so he pays most money to the book shop owner. So I'm glad I gave him something he himself could have. He gets up at 5 to play football before school and then goes to school at 7. Leaves at 11. Then comes to the Riverside and starts selling for the rest of the day. Then plays football maybe at 5-6. Then back to selling till maybe 10 later if it's a weekend. For ten years he has done that. For ten years he has worked 9 hour days. Just think about that for second. There are people my age who still haven't worked a 9 hour day. They certainly wouldn't work for 9 hours for less than 60p. Incredible. Then again in England he'd be credited with a 'great work ethic' to write on his cv. Then not be hired because he has no office experience. It's just so messed up. I'm glad I gave him something. He remembered me as well when I saw him a few days later. Hopefully because he saw me as a good person not as $$$. I want to be able to say I have a positive influence on people and that's the start. 

Well anyway enough of me reenacting 'My Fair Lady'  Another thing I saw the other day as an example of poverty is the kids will share football boots. They will find enough money to buy a pair then have a boot and a sock each to kick a ball about. You just can't believe it. The culture here is a lot more open though. The complete opposite to England. In England the culture is if you go out for a meal you pay for your bit or you split it by however many people. Here, there's none of that. They pay by however much they have. The best way to describe it is if there are two tuk tuk drivers, one has a good day, the other has a bad day. Tuk1 makes $10 and Tuk2 makes $5 both need $3 for fuel tomorrow. They need food so what do they do? Tuk1 pays maybe $5 and Tuk2 pays $1 just because that's all he can. They have no issues with it. It doesn't arise next time of 'remember that time I paid more?' They just let it go. That is the culture here. If you have nothing and I have slightly more than that I'll give you half of it. We're fairly greedy as a populace in England and isolated. Go on the underground, hear how deathly silent it is. Here a tuk tuk driver will take you somewhere then won't say 'I'm going back because I don't want to talk to these people' They make friends immediately and chat. It's fantastic. 

As for teaching? Well... I tell you what I was terrified as I met other volunteers all of whom were doing everything other than teaching. Then learning about the teaching project itself. Having to lesson plan. Am I doing it right? Will the principal get annoyed? As I left I to go to the school I couldn't be more scared. Emails were drafted to the project manager seeing if I could get it shortened to less than 6 weeks. As we drew closer. Screw it! I could walk to England from here. They would never know. As we pulled up hearing children chant in the classroom, I could just faint right now and they would have to take me somewhere else. Anywhere but here. As I walk in. I meet the other volunteer who was there, calming down a bit. Children running out for break... Aren't they gorgeous? All smiling laughing and above all no grotty little children not wanting to learn. I observed in the morning and in the afternoon I taught. It flew. I'm just annoyed I have had to have a day off because I have no voice. I can tell these six weeks will fly now I have broken it in. All worries washed away. Ready for it all now. 

My link today is: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1AesMfIf8

That's where I was going to end this blog but today I saw something very saddening. 

At my project we teach less than fortunate children which is more than often than not, the norm. But today I saw how bad some of them have it. My school is great. It's free. They give out free rice to the families of the children to replace the work hands lost. As the children go to school instead of helping to farm. They help with paying for the public school uniform, they can't go to public school without it. So I was invited out today to take some pictures of where these kids live. I don't think I said a word apart from a happy hello to the gleeful children at seeing foreign visitors. These children who will know no better. My school is in a bit of suburb. Imagine an Uxbridge to a London that's the distance I travel everyday. These little towns exist all over and this is what they live in...

Dank, smelly and overcrowded

Kids walk on this bare foot. 

A Tuk Tuk driver, he will drive 35 minutes into Phnom Penh to work for 9/10/11 hours and come back. Today he has not gone out. So no money...

Packed in like sardines

Water running next to the path. Stagnant and smelly. Imagine cutting your foot on a rock and then stepping in that. 

Not all bad though. Huge sense of community and still time for volleyball!

These are little houses set up by an NGO, fairly recently. They get these for two years and pay 30,000 (£4.44, not a lot to us but it is to them) riel in utilities. How you get one of these I don't know; but the ones that do feel very lucky. They are all on stilts to keep insects away I think I was told last year. 

So all in all a very eye-opening experience and a very hot one at that, 37 degrees walking around taking these pictures. Those blokes were playing volleyball in it! 

I hope the ones that get to go to school and study, become something, so they can get out of this. 

We are so lucky. 

After that I don't think 'Here Comes The Sun' is an appropriate link but I don't want to link to a new one down here because nothing can convey the sadness I felt for the children and the families in these squalid conditions.