Friday, 30 October 2015

Everybody went to work on Monday

Indeed it was an unusual day …

Monday, October 26, 2015 was an unusual day.  Everybody went to work!  Savy, my translator went to work, to his 'real' job as a teacher, to meet with his boss and colleagues  to review and pick-up his (two day week) work schedule.  The girl who lives below us, had her police uniform on, and went to work with her two (female) colleagues, at the new police station, that's beside the produce stand just down the road from us.   Both high school and elementary students went to school in their ‘spick and spam’ school uniforms to clean the grounds, to prepare for the School Opening Day on November 1st, 2015.

Added to this unusual day, we noticed that our little grey bat had returned to our house, unusually early at that, to hang on the living room wire, all the while happily chomping on his fruit berries leaving the remains of his little treasures, strewn on the floor  for us to discover the next morning.  Last year our little bat hung around our house during the months of November, December and January  - during the cold months.  It appears that our little bat knows something that we don’t know.  Could it be that he’s come to warn us, that  this sudden change of the season,  has abruptly sublimated from hot to cold, from lush green to saffron dusty, windy weather?  November is known to be the best, most comfortable time of the year in Mondolkiri.  

October was a month packed with a number of exciting activities.  In early October, new teachers at the education complex were deployed and placed in a number of village schools throughout the 5 districts in MDK.  We also conducted several workshops with teachers and, follow up trainings with school directors .  During the last two weeks of October, we (Kevin, educational NGO’s, POE, VSO –ICS youths) joined us to organize the School Enrollment Campaign in the villages, which was successful in many ways, in that we were pleasantly surprised how well it was attended by the community and more ... 

It’s been a month when we were further invited for dinner with the VSO – ICS youth group to meet and share initiatives that we're presently working on in the various districts. Throughout October, we also collaborated and worked on several activities together: writing a play and making masks for the school enrollment campaign ‘Why go to school?'    Prior to the  school enrollment campaign,  ICC – NGO lent us a cameraman, and a  truck for the day to interview a group of locals from different professional background, with different levels of education describing how their education has been of value to them in their jobs  and in their personal lives. Their personal stories were aired on the Mondolkiri radio for the month.   This was to reach everyone and beyond, especially those in the villages (whom we’ve been told) owned a radio.  

Oh yes, on Hallowe’en morning we awoke to a nervous little red fellow, to a shy little tree frog who was sitting on the kitchen counter's tray, exposed to unfamiliar surroundings. Was he by chance getting ready for  his first ‘Trick or Treat?”

More later :)

Saturday, 17 October 2015

The cycle of rice

- rice for the spirits ...  P’chum Ben is the most important religious festival in Cambodia.

Traditionally, over the progression of 15 days, the whole community gets involved in donating food and money to the monks and the nuns, at the pagoda, for them to distribute as they see fit, to the poor. Community supporters consist of various collaborators: government, ministry of commerce, private businesses, tourism, private individuals, and alike take turn, that take a day each, to donate to the poor.

In Mondolkiri, we saw local people outside the Watt (pagoda) waiting to receive bags of rice, other foodstuff, scarfs, money and basic needs for the community poor so that they too, can celebrate P’Chum Ben.    Outside Sen Monorom Town, the provincial governor also supported the people in the villages.

As well as providing the basic needs for the poor, during the Buddhist festival of P’Chum Ben celebration, the women in town delivered dishes of cooked rice and other foods in silver bowls ,to the monks to share with everyone at the pagoda to honour the spirits of the deceased.

“Such dead people cannot eat cooked rice and food properly by using a spoon, but they can eat rice properly by not using a spoon or eat cooked rice thrown on the land,” one of the locals said, referring to the practice of throwing balls of rice, or “ben,” onto the ground outside a pagoda’s main temple before dawn during the first 14 days of Pchum Ben to feed the famished spirits.

More later :)

Sunday, 11 October 2015

Quirks and quarks ...

Identity for sale anyone ...?

- Sukhon, the landlord's 29 year old friend, told us, that he had proudly bought someone's else's position  - someone else's  ID card, that stated this 'retired' particulars - this older person's personal identification: DOB, name etc.  He bought it for the purpose of legally retiring early, as an 'older' policeman.  Now,  this 'lucky' individual will be able to legally collect government pension for the rest of his life.

- Owning a good pair of walking shoes is a must with rubber soles at that, to avoid electric shocks from unearthed, dodgy wiring.

- A minivan for 14 people will usually be packed, like sardines, with 25 people or more.  For example, it's normal for 6 people to share a two seater chair.  And, if you're lucky, a child might even end up siting on your lap.

- Some may even sit on motorbikes hung at the back of the minivan for comfort?  

- Bus drivers, minivans and alike, are randomly stopped by the police, on the side of the road, to check for accurate documents.  In turn,  a case of water, money, you name it,  are donated for the patrollers to share with their comrades.

- Holding several monologues is the key to be had on the bus, talking over each other on their phones throughout the 5 ½ hour journey to Phnom Penh  

- Lack of the correct tools or materials will never stop a Khmer person. Where there is a will there is always a way. 

- Creepy crawlies, mice, rats are usually found in printers, photocopy machines, desk draws etc. , until they're released to freedom ...

- Occasionally, the office computer will be full of viruses that it can no longer save or print documents either on the desktop or the USB.  Instead, a logo of a smiley little man pops up to warn you of these deadly viruses. 

- Recently, 3 new staff was added to our office.  Rationale:  to fill the empty seats.   Perhaps, 3 specialists (Math, Science, English) could potentially replace them for ongoing trainings, workshops, follow-ups ... to build the capacity of teachers?

- Every once in a while, the director, will order everyone at the office to reorganize furniture for more space.  Even though the office is already large enough with plenty of space to maneuver around.

- No one knows where anyone else is, what they’re doing or when they’ll be back, even when you ask of their whereabouts.  This counts for yours truly, despite the fact that my translated weekly agenda is on the board for all to see.

- Pate, aka sandwiches with unidentifiable slab of processed meat are usually offered at trainings, workshops and alike that everyone looks forward to at break.

More later :)