Eating our way in the UK

Cranberry rouge à lèvre, dark shades to mask fatigued eyes from travelling near 20 hours from Cambodia; now descending the UK soil to meet  relatives after a long spell ...  

May was a month of a whirlwind adventure before we left Cambodia.  May was also a month of relaxation, visiting fun places with family, eating our way throughout the well manicured UK that certainly left us wanting to spend more  time there.

First rewinding the clock to our busy week in Cambodia … Before we left for our break, for our break away from Cambodia, we went through a bit of a whirlwind adventure; from packing, to sorting things out for work, from getting rid of stuff at home that I will never use, to giving them away to neighbours, colleagues, and friends ... Added to our whirlwind of endless things to do , we had misplaced the motorbike key – what to do? 

Our landlady/ landlord, Savy and Sukhon came to the rescue and drove us to and from work, to the market and to other  various places for last minute to do list.  Over the week, over the period that we were busy getting ready to leave Cambodia, Savy and Sukhon pampered us to no end with yummy lunches, including snagging fresh avocados from their tall trees, twisting passion fruits from their vines ... What’s more, when the new contract was reviewed, renewed and resigned, by the landlord and yours truly, they agreed to keep the rent to the original  VSO standard rate.  Having had some unsettling dealings with Savy and Sukhon in the past with rent and alike, the Country office was astonished at their unusual ‘accommodating’ attitude toward us.  They wanted to know: What was our secret?  What had we done to keep them so content?  How could we possible have hit the right chord?  See post ‘Going the extra mile … The hearts `the minds of my comrades’ December 25, 2015’.

Oh yes,  the day before we left, we  had also inherited one of our colleague, Rebecca's two large, extremely comfortable chairs that ICC, our neighbouring NGO friend, helped transport to our house by lending us both a driver and a truck to move them.    Sophal, Sophek's husband's rationale, 'You're part of the community and we have to help each other.'   I was pleasantly surprised to say the least and relieved that we were able to arrange this last minute plan before leaving Cambodia for the UK.   See post ‘A morning with Sophek’ April 15, 2015.

Fast forwarding to the present, to the UK – well it goes without saying – it's such a treat to be here, to be here with family.

The first thing that we noticed when we touched the UK soil, the many places that we visited, that garbage was almost non-existent, especially in the countryside.  We also noticed that outdoor furniture such as tables and chairs were left out overnight, which is unheard of in Cambodia – The people there will store them away daily.  

Whilst here, it was indeed a treat to use a washing machine instead of washing clothes by hand.   Except, that some of the laundry disintegrated in the spinning cycle …  lol

During our stay, we took hikes to our favourite places, such as Ashdown forest – Pooh’s forest for a spectacular view over the Sussex countryside.  As some of you may know, Ashdown forest  is  well known as the ‘home of Winnie-the-Pooh’.  After each hike. for more extraordinary luscious scenery, we also treated ourselves to ice cream despite the cool weather.

In London, we went to Rebecca’s (our niece) art show and visited more family.  We also rode on red double-decker buses and swiped a card at the entrance of the bus that Alan gave us, instead of paying the bus conductor who in the past cranked out a transfer from his ticket machine for your next destination, (that is should you needed one,  either to transfer to the tube or to another bus).  Instead, it was all done electronically– I think its called advance technology :) 

Food was heavenly delicious wherever we went!  In the quaint villages we had gorgeous meals at various local pubs and then back at the house to enjoy cake and more goodies.  At various homes that we stayed at, food was just as scrumptious and in some, we had a proper roast with ample wine at that!  What’s more, during warmish sunny days, we had barbecues and stayed outside as long as we could to relish the long days.  Over the month, we must have gained at least 5 to 10 lbs,  all because everything that we ate was deliciously decadent as we ate our way throughout  the various parts of the UK.

So yes, everything that we had hoped for did come about during our visit in the UK.  

More later … :)

Greetings from the UK ...

Beautiful old churches, some more Gothic looking than others, village pubs, shades of lush green fields - from hunter green to emerald, blue bell woods, wild Marguerites, hawthorn bushes and an array of more brilliant 'rainbow' flowers gracefully shape the landscape, all composed with an ensemble of bird songs that surround us.  Accompanying the ensemble is the subtle distinctive song of black birds that Kevin claims to be the England that he knows.   He compares it with the Watt melody that has become so familiar to us in Cambodia, the melody that typifies the familiarity of the country, the place that we have called home, at least for now.   'Tis truly idyllic here in picturesque England ...  Though, we are indeed, slowwwly adjusting to the cool breezy temperatures.... 

A typical morning whilst everyone attends to their usual routines, to their usual this and that, Kevin and I take daily walks, with Bumble, to the ‘Yew Tree’ Pub in Arlington.  On the way, cyclists whizze past weaving in and out of fences whilst we explore and hike through lush green fields,  climb over several locked fences to other fields to pass wild rabbits hopping to their hiding place, to pause and watch sheep grazing, to find that the same group of dark chataigne cows huddle for warmth or are they huddling to prepare for a  meeting to discuss the world news?  Toward the tail end of our trek, we climb yet over another fence to stroll along side the river to reach St Pancreas church and of course  to stop at the pub for a piping hot cup of coffee to warm us up. The owner of the pub, attentive to his customers and, their pet, ensures that a well-washed basin and clean water is at hand for Bumble to use. Though we, humans, approve of the owner’s goodwill, is Bumble however, in sync with our approval?  Or would he rather be lapping from a muddy bowl with insects swimming on top of the water instead?

On our return to the ‘postcard’ cottage a variety of birds: pigeons, wood peckers, rooks, jackdaws, swallows, blue tits, and others fly in and out, in dozens, to feast from the  ‘table’ bird stand, the bird feeders that hang from trees and from wrought ironed stands throughout the day.  There’s even a ‘cheeky’ robin that boldly fly in the kitchen and dares to sample the shrimps thawing on the counter top.   Other robins, on the other hand, regularly fly in pairs, in and out of the kitchen to stake grounds, to ensure that it’s safe to come in, before sampling those ‘delicious’ meal-worms from the bowl.

We've divided our time with Sussex, London and Slough for  birthday celebrations at local pubs, for gorgeous delicious cream teas at the Firle estate,  for numerous delightful visits to gardens either at the Grange or within the vicinity, to join  a ‘bourgeois’ art show, exploring each piece of art with a glass of wine, at the London College, and much more … And, sharing and experiencing,  all of this with some of the most important people we know - our family … So yes, we’re having a brilliant time!

More later …

What's in a Per diem?

Simply, a ‘per diem’ fund, as I understand it, is  to cover the cost for travel, food, and in some cases accommodation.  More to the point, it is to compensate out of pocket expenses that participants have incurred when they have attended a workshop, training, etc.   

Recently, the partners have requested a much higher per diem,  an extra x amount of $ per day,  for  the participants to attend a workshop, which is not consistent with the principles of VSO. They have claimed that 'VSO continue to provide insufficient ‘per deem’  fund  for the participants and, that they are not in line with other NGO’s per diem policy – even with other small NGO organizations. ' This of course has created an unsettling situation for us because, as mentioned in the previous post, we have now put the literacy workshop on hold … 

It is a well-known fact here in Cambodia, that teachers’ earn a meager salary to say the least – that teachers don’t earn enough to make ends meet.  As a result, they will often have a second job to supplement their present income.   Sadly, they will spend little time to none, preparing lessons, marking, etc.    In class, some teachers will request their students to pay them approximately 500 riels per day (12 cents) for teaching them, that in some cases, parents cannot afford the bribery, and as a result, will keep they children at home.  What’s more, some teachers, will write a line or two on the board for students to copy, and will go home for the rest of the morning to attend to their second job. 

Workshop at the Ministry

This leads me to question if some teachers attend workshops, because they are genuinely interested in their professional development or to make money?  It’s hard to say …

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education announced that more $ will be spent on education, raising teachers’ salaries, in providing more resources, cultivating teachers’ professional development and more.  Teachers are still waiting for the change, and students, the innocent by standers, are caught in the middle of this political affair.

So what’s in a per diem you may ask, here in Cambodia?

Follow-up workshop at the village

Everyone across Cambodia knows what a workshop is.  In fact, the word ‘workshop’ has become a ‘household’ word amongst NGO organizations and anyone else who care to give a workshop to train teachers and the community alike in every sector – such as Health, Governance, and Livelihood.  Inevitably, you may think that everyone’s well trained and ready to implement their newly acquired skill?

Per diems can very well  be an incentive indeed for participants to attend a workshop either to seek professional development or to earn a few extra dollars for their families.   

The per diem fund may compensate a second income – so it seems ….  For instance, the partners have recently suggested that VSO pay teachers the rate of $49.00 a day regardless of distance participants’ travel from.  So a teacher who earn between $100.00 - $150.00 (depending on the salary grid they fall under), may receive as much as, for a 3 day workshop - $147.0, as they would do for a month’s salary.  In other words they may receive double their original income.   

Workshop for directors

Perhaps one needs to ask if workshops will continue to be popular  and flourish  as they are today,  if the per deem was no longer available to the people?  If teachers were required to attend workshops regardless of the per deem – that a per diem would no longer be a second income to sustain their family, would teachers be motivated to attend a workshop for their own professional growth?   It is hard to say …  this is definitely a ‘hot’ issue that is often discussed amongst colleagues and NGO organizations …. 

More later …