Ah the sounds of la vie quotienne here in Mondolkiri

Time goes quickly.  It’s hard to believe that Kevin and I have been here for almost 10 months.   It means that we’re still having fun … working out in the field, organizing workshops, taking trips to Vietnam, Kep, Kratie and lately, taking several trips to Phnom Penh trying to get my laptop (that crashed recently) fixed, celebrating, organizing induction plans for new VSO volunteers (while sadly biding farewell to others)…   Not to mention the sounds of la vie quotidienne from our little community down below who are still working on the new house that began to take shape a while ago.   Though we’ve had many activities on the go, I have no real excuse for not writing.  My motto is to procrastinate until guilt creeps in to tell me that it’s time to put pen to paper.

For the Khmer New Year, Kevin and I spent a week  (via Kep) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  Though we were warned that Saigon would be like a ‘zoo’, we welcomed it with open arms after camping for nearly 10 months.   It was indeed a nice break for us.   On the way to Ho Chi Minh, we spent the weekend in Kep.  Kep is known as the ‘little French Riviera’ of Cambodia.  It’s a popular place for tourists and it is the place to relax, sleep and soak up the sun on a sleepy afternoon.  The best part of the day is taking a stroll to the sailing club for a drink and to end up at the crab market to watch the sunset while eating crab slathered in Kempot pepper sauce. 

As for work, we conducted several workshops to build the capacity of State/community teachers, directors and cluster chiefs in education: reading, math, science, social justice and inclusion; Healthy living, some English (here  and there) in the villages, in Sen Monorom town and in Kratié, our neighbouring province.  In late June 2014, VSO Educators from the 3 northern Provinces (Stung Treng; Kratie, Ratanakiri) joined us VSO educators here in Moldolkiri Province to  discuss and to possibly link a VSO English programme to the new Cambodian student book that was published late last year - November 2013 and was put into action in some village schools here in Mondolkiri province in January 2014.  A follow-up of the workshop was done in Kratié where teachers were given the opportunity to put into practice what they had learned!

Now that the rainy season is here I’ve been staying in the villages for longer periods of time to work with teachers and directors.  Sometimes the teachers come to school and other times they are out in their farms harvesting mung beans, planting cassava, or working in rice fields.   Seasonal food production work is critical to the village people and salvaging their crop will always be a priority for them.  For example, if the village people don’t harvest the beans before the rain comes they will spoil.   So my VA and I plan our activities around the teachers’ schedule.  However, it’s good to know that when I’m in the village for several days, teachers do come to school and will let me know ahead of time when they plan to work on their farm.    

Elsewhere in Mondolkiri, on the way home (to Sen Monorom) from the villages, on one occasion, when we thought it was safe to return home from our village visits in several schools, we were caught in a heavy  rain storm and got drenched.  Rutted muddy roads turned to rivers, high cliffs on the outskirts of Buch'ri Commune converted to a cascade  that contributed to rivers, and, my camera got soaked.  I was able to salvage some of my photos, however, I lost them all when my laptop crashed just recently.

On the positive side, in courtesy of Kevin and our daughter Tralore, I had a month long birthday celebration at home and in Phnom Penh.  During one of our many trips to Phnom Penh to find out the cause of my laptop, why the operation system failed and crashed, we took a river cruise along the river.    We noticed that the direction of the Tonlé Sap flowed backward because of the high waters of the Mekong.

More later … promise!

photos will be posted at a later date.

A time of change …

The dry season is over.  It’s early May and the rains have arrived. 

Each day lightning with thunderstorms heralds the rain and each day the rain last longer turning the ‘saffron’ dirt roads into streams and rivers of mud becoming treacherous to ride on …  

So now I get up at 5 a.m.  In the dark.  In a vain attempt to beat the rain, my VA and I rush to the villages to deliver workshops, but invariably return home drenched and splattered with mud … I have adopted a large bamboo stick as my travelling companion to wade through the muddy waters when I have to dismount the motorbike while Savy pushes the motorbike up and down the muddy hills.

With the rains, surrounding forest has come alive with lush green foliage;  together with deafening sounds of frogs, cicadas and other unknown ‘electrical’ insects.  Also, swarms of cream yellow butterflies drift by during the day and at night we are invaded by thousands of ‘May Pleans’.

‘May Pleans’ - Rain Insects, also known as: large 4 wing-flying ants appear at night. After a heavy rain thousands of ‘May Pleans’ dance around night-lights shedding their wings in the course of the night littering the grounds by morning.   Fried ‘May Pleans’ are a local delicacy which I’m told taste like bacon bits. 

Of course this time of the year ‘May Pleans’ are a real feast for geckos.  Every evening, around 7, our friendly gecko positions himself on the awning with his head stuck out ready to attack.  First, he lets flying insects swirl around him and then he devours them whole once they are close to his bite.

Farewell to VSO volunteers

With the changing of the season, there’s a change of VSO Volunteers.  As I speak a swarm of VSO volunteers are getting ready to leave Cambodia.  Gemma has just left.  Followed by Tracy, Karen.  Soon Yves, Zeneida, Sabrina will be leaving …

Last night we had a party for my colleague whom we met at our pre-departure training in Ottawa.   While Karen and I prepared for the party, the heavens opened, the house began to leak and Kevin began to ‘madly’ mop up the floors.  

During the downpour the power went out.  The pizza guy called to say that the pizzas were ‘ready’, but not cooked due to power failure.   So for a while we sat on the verandah with romantic lit candles, wine, beer and food until magically the power returned just as our guest arrived with the pizzas at that!   In the end, everything fell into place, despite the constant downpour that continued throughout the evening.

It’s now 2 in the afternoon.  Dark clouds are rolling in quickly.  Another burst of torrential rainfall is about to start.  Kevin and I are getting ready to meet the VSO gang at Café Pkhar for one last farewell ….

More later ...

Photos will be posted at a later date

One day in the life of … Hello my name is …

Monday morning, I asked my Line Manager for the key to the POE Resource Centre. This was to prepare for the Saturday BEL workshop.  With a smile he replied ‘Do not worry...  You will get the key by Thursday or Friday of this week’.   Pointing to the other POE building he said,  ‘Find the ‘cheerful housekeeper’ and she will give you the key’. 

By Friday morning, I became a little anxious.  There was no sign of the  ‘cheerful housekeeper’ who throughout the week had promised me the key.   Finally, she appeared with a tangle of keys wired together and dared me to try and separate the one I needed.   I sat on the steps outside our office and like everyone else before me, I did a few twists and turns to separate the keys when  ‘Voilà’ – Success!  

Once I had the key, there was a mad scramble to get the room prepared.   Mop in hand and bucket in the other, together, Kevin my husband, Savy my translator, the ‘cheerful housekeeper’ and I, we began to clean the room. 

Preparing for the workshop

We opened the windows, washed the floors; dusted walls, tables, chairs; placed chairs in a horseshoe shape ...  I even washed the garbage container and positioned it at the entrance of the door as a reminder to keep the room clean.  Finally, it was!      

Unfortunately, the toilets were not functional, apparently, the man who had authorized the water supply was in Phnom Penh.   What the participants did remains a mystery, although the POE complex has many walls to hide.

In total 27 Directors and teachers attended the workshop.  They came from 6 different districts in Mondol Kiri Province, some traveling up to 135 km by motorbike on rutted dusty roads.    At first they appeared to be just as nervous as me because of their limited English.   However, they went away with a few simple English expressions such as:  ‘Hello my name is …  I am from …’

Posting survey charts

Creating survey charts

In the end, the workshop came altogether.   

Kevin and Savy had created charts with questions for the participants to respond to and taped them to the walls.   
We had enough BEL materials for all participants.  The water and snack -banana fritters and sandwiches arrived as planned.

Picking a partner ...

Most importantly, the teachers had joined in most, if not all of the BEL
activities, contributed to discussions and had fun in the process.

Hello my name is … Part 2.   

Savy - midwife and super lady ...

Back on the ranch, the highlight of the day
was to discover the wail of a new born baby that had newly arrived in our little community.   Savy, our landlady and midwife (not to be confused with Savy my VA), had just delivered a baby in her little shed below our house.   Though she looked a little wary, in her English she said, ‘baby’ -  ‘proh’.  I answered with a nod, ‘baby boy’.   She repeated, ‘baby boy’.  And we never did know his name.

More later ...

Follow-up to an ‘Unusual’ Day - ‘There will be ‘NO’ middle-man’

Mondolkiri Province is a large and sparsely populated rural Province that borders Vietnam.   It’s home to the Bunong people – the indigenous people who have lived here for many years.  Some of the Bunong people practice their traditional semi nomadic lifestyle living off the forest through hunting, collecting fruits and plants.

However, more and more Bunongs have chosen a different lifestyle.   They have settled and established small communes with smallholdings producing rice, vegetables and life stock. 

Usually, these communes have a number of small schools consisting of 2 to 6 classrooms and 50 to 200 students in each village.  (Buchiri Commune for instance has 5 villages with 5 different schools).  Students are taught from grades 1 to 6.   However, Student attendance drops off greatly at the later grade levels because children are required to either help collect produce from the forest or grow produce on the farm.  Teachers in these schools are typically Bunong and have a grade 9 Education.   

  

Teachers in these remote schools have been dependent on receiving their salary from the DOE via the POE.  Now very recently the government has decided that teachers will be paid their salary directly into their own personal bank account.   In early February 2014 ACLEDA bank staff were busy in the schools opening bank accounts for the teachers.

Throughout Mondolkiri Province, teachers will now be able to travel to Sen Monorom or to ACLEDA ‘apartment’ banks to withdraw their money.

February 19, 2014, Teachers were interviewed and were asked how they felt about having their own bank account.   See below answers from teachers:

Are you excited that you now have a bank account?

“Yes I’m excited to have a new bank account.   I can get my salary anytime I want.  It is much easier to get my salary from the bank”.   Krob Khna

“Yes, I’m happy to have a bank account”.

“In fact, I’m very excited because the State –the government has made it mandatory for all teachers to open a bank account to secure their money” . 

Sadin Sreymao

Is having a bank account important for you?  Why?

“Yes, because when I go to the DOE in Bousra to collect  my money, I’m never sure if I’m going to receive  it.  The DOE doesn’t always have my salary.  I have to wait many months for the DOE in Bousra to pay me because the DOE didn’t collect  my salary from the POE in Sen Monorom”. 

“This is a very long process and during the monsoon season we are not able to reach Bousra because the roads are not good to travel”.

 

“Now I can go directly to Sen Monorom and collect my money from the bank”.

“This is how the system works: 

-       The POE goes to the Provincial Bank in Sen Monorom to take the money out.

     The POE contacts the DOE in Bousra to let him know that the teachers’ salary is at his office.
The DOE goes to the POE in Sen Monorom to collect the teachers’ salary.

The DOE contacts each school directors to inform the teachers that the money is waiting for them in Bousra.”  Kroye Chet                                                                

Does it make you feel respected by your family, friends, community  now that you have a bank account?

“Yes!  My family, my parents and my community are so proud that I now have a new ACLEDA account.  It gives me a sense of pride”. 

Sarun Seyen

“Yes, I feel respected more than before because my family told me that the DOE will not ‘cut’ my money anymore.   My family is very happy for me that I will have a bank account.  They will not worry about me anymore.  They will know that my salary is in the bank and will not be ‘cut’ [and will be secured] by the bank”.    Neyso Kon

“Yes. My friends,  my family, my community ask me ‘where are you going?’  I tell them,  ‘I’m going to ACLEDA bank to get money’.  People respect me because of this”. 

Yun  Sokhun

Do you expect to receive a full salary?  How will you know? 

“When I get my salary at the DOE in Boursra, there is a list of names and salaries posted on the wall.    Now, the government will put our  money directly in our bank account. 

                  There will be ‘NO’ middle man”. 
Tun Oeung and Khay Tola

“Yes.  I listen to the radio.  The government announced that all teachers throughout Cambodia will receive a ‘full’ salary.  No one can ‘cut’ their salary”.

Sarun Seyen

What are the benefits to you of having a bank account?

 “When my money is in the bank it will grow”.

 “I know about interest because I read the ACLEDA document the bank people gave me.  I read the bank document  ‘very carefully’ and I found out that my money can grow”.

“When I keep my money in the bank it has ‘security’ and I can also get interest.  I heard it from my sister.  My sister has a bank account"           Neyso Kon
 
“ When I go to my homeland ‘Tae Kaev Province’  I can withdraw my money from there also”.   

Yun  Sokhun

“There is benefit for me.  I spend less money to travel to Sen Monorom.   Sometimes we have to call the DOE in Boursra to ask ‘where are you?’   ‘Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work’. 

With the bank, I know I can count on my money to be there.  I don’t have to wait for anyone to give me my salary”.   

“My salary is more safe and secure.  I will spend less money, less time for travel”.        Yoy Bora and Roeun Len

Where will you withdraw your money from?

“Sen Monorom”.   “It will be much easier than travelling to Boursra.  The road condition to Bousra is treacherous. It’s rutted and dusty in the dry season and slippery during the monsoon season”.

Khay Tola

Teachers' bank account will be opened  “April 1^st , 2014”.  Salaries will be deposited monthly.

Savy my VA was responsible in translating the interview with the teachers.

“I think that it’s good for the teachers to have a bank account because they can spend less time, and less money to get their salary.  Teachers can be more independent and if they want to save money and earn interest then they can”.   Let Savy

*  February 19, 2014       Interview Questions/Answers re: Opening a Bank Account    
*POE = Provincial Office of Education     *DOE = District  Office of Education   *Photos were taken with the teachers/directors permission to up load on any website or to be printed in newspapers or news letters.

More later ...