December News (13/12/10)

Northern Exposure

It’s been a while now since my friends from Swansea left. I had a great time with them.

They were here to visit a family (Glen, Siobhan, Zoe, Hannah and Sarah Miles) who used to go to their church. Glen heads up the Love 146 branch in Asia (see www.love146.org) so we spent most of the time travelling with the family, visiting some of the projects he’s involved with.

I was out of it the first day though. I must have eaten something dodgy in Phnom Penh so I missed the touristy temple bit in Siem Reap. Slept and stayed close to a bathroom instead. Thankfully it was short-lived and was up and about the next day when we travelled to a province further north called Banteay Meanchey.

The main reason I was with the group was to help Meri as she uses a wheelchair most of the time. My experience of pushing her prior to the trip was limited. Frequent trips to Asda when I stayed with her recently and mooching round the town centre was about it. So Cambodian roads, potholes, dips and unexpected steps took some getting used to. What was more of an eye-opener, however, were the reactions from people as we went by. There’s none of the polite pretending-not-to-notice stuff going on here! People laughed, stared, pointed and took the mick. Some asked questions, wondering aloud what was wrong. And some were just shocked, amazed, as we found out later, to see someone in such apparent weakness laughing along with it (most of the time.......) and being just as outspoken back!

Interestingly, we hardly saw anyone in a wheelchair as we travelled about. And the conversations Meri had with some of our Khmer friends on the trip were very telling. Here if you have a disability it’s seen as a shameful thing, a punishment for something bad from a previous life and disabled people can live fairly hidden and limited lives. So it was good for all of us to be around Meri and see her breaking the victim mould and living life to the full.

Anyway, just to say a bit about the projects we visited...... One was a hostel for teenagers from poor rural families needing somewhere to stay so they can go to High School. Ten girls and ten boys live there at the moment and we spent three evenings with them, playing games, singing, dancing and doing a drawing exercise together about our lives and hopes for the future.

Another was a school way off the beaten track. To get there we had to jump on and off the minibus to lighten its load as it traversed the ripped-up post-flooded dried-up mud roads:

When we finally got there, the kids were great and we had a laugh playing games and hearing Sarah tell them all a story:

Our last visit was to a safehouse just outside Poipet (a town on the Thai border) where children rescued from being trafficked are cared for until they are placed in an orphanage or with an NGO which can give them the proper care and support in the long-term. We didn’t see any of the kids, they were all in school, but we got to look around and see what’s been built and hear how the centre is being run and funded.

The day we heard of the Water Festival tragedy was sad and poignant day in many ways. Our Khmer friends had been up all night watching CNN and phoning up friends and family to see if they were all OK. Thankfully no one they knew had died or was hurt but it brought home how difficult a time this must be for families with not such good news.

When we arrived back in PP there were lots of little shrines outside homes, burning candles for the dead. Hearing my Indonesian friend, Marta, talk about how she and some friends went to the hospitals to give out food and water was very moving. Some of the things she saw were shocking. It really was a terrible night and I don’t think I’ve really grasped it yet.

(Have written a poem reflecting on the tragedy - see "The Mourning After Bon Om Tuk"  which I''ve added on a seperate page).

Settling In

Well the office/flat that’s been my home since I’ve been here is soon to become my permenant living space. The team leaders here have decided to rent an office somewhere else so it leaves it free for me to rent now.  Am chuffed cos it’s in a quiet street, near the market and not far from friends. The landlady and her teenage daughter upstairs are great and I get on well with them. And I feel safe there so all in all, tis good. Glad to be settling in properly now.

Have still been going along to Cafe Eden to help and hang out, mainly in the craft workshop downstairs.  Helped with the annual Christmas Craft fair last Sunday and have been advising on prices and the design of some goods. Have also stayed over a couple of nights watching DVDs which has been a giggle.

One door that’s opened unexpectedly is with Love146. I’ve been offered a consultancy job for a pilot project using puppets to teach kids about good touch and bad touch. They’ve put together a powerpoint presentation which tellsthe story of 3 kids and a bloke from their village who befriends them and turns out to be a bad man. It’s all done v simply and tells kids about their rights and where to go for help etc.

There’s 3 groups involved in the pilot, all working with street kids and kids at risk, and basically I have to visit them all, show the film and then get feedback eg: if kids are upset what support do they have? Are the right issues being covered and understood? etc.  All the findings I’ll record in a report and present it at the end of Feb.

Soooooo, am excited about that. And of things to come next year too. Will start language learning properly then. And a writers group in Cafe Eden for friends and fellow writers to share our work and encourage each other.

Til then, Christmas is coming......... Will probably spend Christmas Day with the kids at CFC again. And will go to various doos too. Hope Christmas on the Wight is a bright white one. Thinking of you all and sending lots of love from Cambodia XX