Wednesday 14 January 2015

A birthday party for Emmie


- a princess indeed!
A very Happy New Year to all you.  Thank you so much for your warm and well wishes through Skype, emails, phone … from the other side of the world.

Protecting myself against the 'harsh' elements ...
All is still very well with Kevin and I, except for a minor eye operation that I just had (shared with many of you), due to a persisting sty, swelling and dry dusty weather.   As a result, I did convalesce for a couple of days, which was very much needed.   I now have joined the rest of the ‘rural’ crowd here in MDK and wear sunglasses and a scarf wrapped around my head/face/eyes to protect my eyes from dust. I have even considered wearing goggles … especially when riding to the field.

Other news, during the holiday festivities, we went to a couple of dinner parties, had fireworks and joined our little VSO group to see the New Year in.  We had a great time.  

For Christmas, we went to an expat’s house for a communal dinner - with all the yummy trimmings included.  Everyone pitched in.  There was roast turkey, baked potatoes, gravy, quiche, pies, cakes and more -- with wine and beer 'to be merry' of course.  It was a real treat to have ‘Christmas’ cuisine right at your door step that we so much craved for and missed.  What was even more amazing is that Kevin and I left the party at 1:30 a.m., a rare event for us, as we are normally in bed by 7 - 8 p.m.  That's what country life in the highlands does to you ...  

The festivity theme continued the following eve when a group of us Mondolkiri expats who are regulars at one of our local restaurants –a.k.a. as the $100 dollar club, were invited to join the Khmer/Australian owners to celebrate their daughter's first birthday party.  Their daughter Emmie was fitted with a white princess dress and 'Ruby' sparkling red shoes.  Definitely a princess!  I must say we had exceptionally scrumptious food.  During the course of the evening, it was amusing to watch human nature unfold, to the expat tribe automatically gravitated toward each other and sat at one end of the room (together with the Australian owner), whilst his Khmer wife, her family and friends sat at the other end. 

For New Year’s Eve, we saw the New Year in with a few glasses of local champagne -it was very nice indeed.   At the airstrip, thousands of people gathered to bring the New Year in with fireworks, paper lanterns, music and more.  It was awesome to see the lanterns being lit, slowly being released in the air to join the countless shining stars.  By midnight the sky glowed with a 'cheer' -with lit paper lanterns and fireworks to mark the New Year… 

The next morning however, the morning we looked forward to sleeping in, we were instead 'abruptly' woken- up by the earth shattering sound of a wedding that lasted 3 days. And, by the way, the wedding tent was installed (literally) on our doorstep!  By day, other than escaping to town to run a thousand errands … Kevin and I spent our time lip reading with each other - straining our ears to hear -trying to hear what the other was saying, because the ear shattering sound was drowning our conversation.  By night, we either wore earplugs or escaped, to our local restaurant for a break in hopes that the pounding music had stopped by the time we had returned home.

Equally ear shattering, at the crack of dawn, we were further woken up by loud voices that travelled through the cracks of our bedroom floor boards; we were woken up by the spa down below us that the landlady had recently opened up (by what now seems to be a common theme in our little community), for a flow of, (what appears) incoming traffic -mainly women- who without a doubt come to socialize before a hard day's work....  Ah the sounds of la Vie Quotidienne in the neighbourhood … 

On that note, our darling daughter Léah is visiting for 6 glorious weeks - during that period of time she plans to travel to the neighbouring countries.
More later …

Friday 9 January 2015

Cambodian Voices

... Paving the way on inclusion and on ethnic minorities …

During the week of June 16 - 20, 2014, MondulKiri Province (and other provinces) were visited by a ‘bubbly‘ group of Ph'nong/ Khmer media: newspaper, magazine, television and radio reporters and, who came from the Delegation of the European Union in Cambodia (DEU) in Phnom Penh.   The
purpose of the visit was to highlight the role of the EU in supporting Education in Cambodia. They wanted to document the stories of educators across Cambodia with a focus on inclusion and on ethnic minorities. 



 
In courtesy of VSO, I hosted, gave a presentation (on ‘Strengthening Education’ in MondulKiri), coordinated meetings and visits (with the media delegation) to two rural Village Schools and one elementary school in Sen Monorom town.  Below are brief interview excerpts that were conducted with teachers, school directors and the POE director.

PouLong Village School, approximately 20 kilometres from Sen Monoron Town is a privileged and a well-equipped ‘model’ rural school where 169 children are predominantly Ph’nong.   Last January 2014, this village school received an award at the ‘MondulKiri Annual Congress’ meeting for its many attributes and its exemplary for other Village Schools.   PouLong School is a lucky school.  It gets a high level of support from several NGOs, including VSO! This includes a fully operated library; ample teaching resources; a nutritional breakfast, a health sanitation and dental programme. (Child Friendly School Programme: Dimension 3 - ‘Living Hygienically’), and receives much more. 

The school director and teachers who were smartly dressed in colourful outfits, a reflection of their school, were both excited and nervous with the anticipation of being interviewed by the ‘bubbly’ group of reporters.  Whilst being interviewed we heard a sense of accomplishment in the voices of the school director and teachers.  Through their expressions and laughter, we could even hear the excitement in their voices when they were telling their story of the successes of PouLong Village School.  

Sot Chanthoeun the school director proudly announced ‘At one time the enrolment was low.  Parents and students didn’t ‘ know‘ the value of education.  Now, most of our children come to school’.  They want to learn!’  

Beamed with delight the grade 1 Bunong teacher told the reporters  ‘We have breakfast here!’  And, pointing to the toothbrushes lined at the back of her classroom wall, she excitedly declared.  ‘After the children eat, they brush their teeth outside by the fence and use their own water bottles, hung on a clothes line, to rinse’.    
Moved by the teacher’s enthusiasm, which intrigued the reporters further, was the teacher librarian who was in the midst of preparing a story for the grade 1 students.  The Ph’nong librarian who shyly smiled at the camera also echoed the success story of PouLong Village School, and, of her ‘smart looking’ little library.  During the course of her testimonial, the grade 1 students softly ‘tip toed’ into the library (some with a book in hand, discreetly passing them to the front for the teacher to chose from), and sat on the floor, quietly waiting for the librarian to read them a story; a regular event at PouLong Village School.  After her interview, and, conscientious of her eager cross legged little brood, the librarian happily picked up one of the books placed in front of her, comfortably held her baby in one arm and began to read a story.  

PouTaing Village School is a more typical underprivileged and poorly supported rural school where children are predominantly Ph’nong.   The village school lacks teaching resources and has no water supply or latrines.  There is no breakfast programme for its 84 students.  However, the Ph’nong children at the school have the unique opportunity to attend an
after school English for Cambodia classes with a retired Ph’nong local teacher.   Loyt Chanty, school director of the school noted 2 important positive factors in his school; benefiting in education.  First, he claimed that ‘Progress in Early Childhood Education in the Northeastern area is a bit slow, but better than before. He also pointed out that his Bunong students were benefiting from the Khmer language curriculum and English lessons  Previously, no one knew Khmer, or English, but Ph’nong children now know how to speak, read and write Khmer’.  With a grin and poise, he added  And, they know some English too!   
Hu Sen-Sen Monorom Primary School is the largest school in MondulKiri province.  It is well funded by education and several NGOs.  The school has adequate teaching resources, a nutritional breakfast, and a health sanitation programme for its 933 students who are predominantly Khmer.   The day of the interview, the sun glowed on the school director’s well-pressed pastel ‘coral’ shirt;  a rarity for MondulKiri’s sometimes-dusty weather that will keep clothes permanently stained in saffron red.  While the children played and squealed with delight, Sang Ra, school director, took the reporters on a school tour and proudly showed off the school’s well manicured gardens, the classrooms, the health facilities and much more.  He spoke softly and eloquently to ensure that the media absorbed every word he uttered, suggesting that his school was the best in all of MondulKiri province!  

Tim Sangvat, POE director of MondulKiri province, proudly gave an overview of the capacity development partnership fund and spoke of its purpose, framework and benefits.  ‘Some of the results are very good.   As a result of EU’s funding, as a result of UNICEF and, VSO’s great support since 2005: school dropout rates have decreased; students’ attendance, particularly girls’ attendance has increased, professional development workshops for teachers and school directors have improved and much more’.   However, Sangvat
expressed a concern about the partnership fund that was created in 2011 and was sadly expiring by the end of 2014.   He also reflected on the needs of many village schools (in particular, Bunong remote village schools) in MondulKiri province. ‘Some of the things here in our province are still lacking.  MondulKiri is in much need of an extended Province Wide Breakfast Programme’.  With some optimism and some certainty in his voice, he added.  ‘We hope that the EU will help us!’  
 
Since the interview took place early last summer, the financing agreement for the EU-Cambodia Education Sector Reform Partnership 2014-2016 proudly announced that the EU have now funded Cambodia double the money they had initially received during the last 3 years to support the education sector in Cambodia.  (More information can be  found in
the Cambodian Daily).   

More later ... :)

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Introducing some of our housemates ...

Gecko growing a new tail and chasing MayPleans in our kitchen



With the rains came the MayPleans. These ant like winged insects, were attracted in their thousands by the light on our verendah and were greedily recieved by our housemates  
A young rat joining in the MayPleans' feast














He - she (the rat) may also be the culprit that later chewed a hole in my sweater and, started building a nest in our bedroom.










 Three legged Tokay Gecko getting some of the action
















This Tokay Gecko caught something larger for dinner
















Moulting Tokay Gecko - looks like it's in the 'Klan' member
Giant Cicada - You learn to duck when these big boys are in coming ...





Praying Mantis waiting for dinner on our food cabinet









... and in his throne in our bathroom






Visiting bat in our living room which came nightly to eat its berry harvest








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Our Prince  (tree frog) on his throne in our living room ...







Nana on our front steps -DuK-DoR her husband is off duty sleeping as usual!





More later ....