TEARS, TEMPLES, AQUA AND BUTTERFLIES

So the past two weeks have been interesting. I've experienced so much in such a short period of time which is making time fly and I'm trying to hold on to each moment before it's my time to say good-bye to Siem Reap. I'm not ready:( So there are approximately 120 kids that come to Anjali everyday and I've gotten close to lots of them however there are a few that hold a special place in my heart. One of these amazing kids is 13 year-old Chy. The other day I was walking towards the bathroom when I noticed Chy sitting alone in one of the class rooms crying. It took a little bit of prying to get her to open up but when she did it broke my heart. Chy told me she was afraid that she would never see her mother again. See Chy and her younger brother live with their maternal grandmother. Chy's Dad is an alcoholic who, according to Chy, hits his wife and the kids. The grandmother, who owns the home, refuses to let Chy's Dad live with them so she's kicked him out however Chy's mother refuses to live without her husband so she has to choose between living with her children and living with her husband. Not exactly a common western teenage girl issue going on here. I sat there watching this usually very cheerful, intelligent, beautiful girl struggle to get the right English words out through her sobs to explain to me why she was so upset. It was more than heartbreaking because as I sat there in foreign territory not knowing what to say or do, I was so afraid I would say the wrong thing and this gorgeous little child would shut down. In return for telling me why she was crying Chy wanted me to promise not to tell anyone. But I was way in over my head and I knew I could not make that promise so I somehow managed to persuade Chy to let me tell Kimsan, one of the social workers. I practically let out a loud sigh of relief when Chy agreed because I would not know the first thing to do to resolve this domestic issue. I then gave Chy a hug and told her we would help even though I didn't know if there was anything Anjali's social workers could do. As Chy wiped her tears and pulled herself together she said "thank you" and then walked downstairs to join school assembly. As soon as she was out of sight, the tears welled up in my eyes and I had to fight to keep it together. Alone in the washroom I wanted to just let the tears go but I was afraid that if I did, they wouldn't stop. I went back down and saw Chy getting on with the other kids as though nothing had happened. It's what the kids do here, it's what they have to do here. At the end of the day while I was at my locker, Chy called out to me from the front gate. I went out and saw Chy's father speaking with Kimsan while Chy's mother was hiding in the shop behind. I approached Kimsan and asked him what was going on. Kimsan explained to me that Chy's father is not much of a drunk as he used to be and that he doesn't think he really beats the wife although does think he probably uses force at times. Personally I believe Chy. Chy and her brother looked on as the father explained to Kimsan the issue. Chy was in tears at this point and her mother was still in the shop hurled over as apparently her stomach was in pain. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chy's father told his family to all get on his moto. Kimsan was still trying to translate for me what had just happened. I'm still not too sure. The next day at school Kimsan said he would let the dust settle and try to talk to the family if they were not able to resolve the problem on their own. It's been a week and what Chy was afraid of happening has happened. Chy's mother has chosen to live with her husband far away from the children. Kimsan doesn't think there's much that he can do since this is a family issue which is not affecting Chy's attendance at school. Chy still comes to school everyday but that sparkle I'd see in her eyes everyday has vanished and it just breaks my heart. I know there's nothing I can say or do to help this little girl and I know she's disappointed in Anjali and perhaps in me for not being able to make her mom stay. I wish I could make her come back...

Two Friday's ago it was 3 volunteers' last day so the 4 of us volunteers took out 4 Khmer teachers for dinner. We dined at a local restaurant. 3 of us ordered chicken with lemongrass but did not know we would be eating the bits of chicken leg, the meal was not good. It was my first meal at a local restaurant and although I didn't enjoy my meal I'm still willing to try another local restaurant considering everyone else enjoyed their meals. We were then joined by another Khmer teacher and her friend and decided we hit a local dance club. I was pumped since this would be my first time. The outside of the club looked like a cheap strip joint in Las Vegas. The neon lights matched those on the outside and as we made our way in our conservations were muted out by the blaring music. From then on I was limited to communicating using my cell phone as a notepad. I felt like I needed alcohol to kill any bacteria I may have consumed during dinner so I got myself a gin and tonic and then another. I saw a few foreigners around but this was definitely a Khmer place. After about an hour of English songs the music turned Khmer and I was pumped to learn how to dance local style. It's hard to describe the style but I'd say it's a bit like hula dancing with the hands making sway like movements however there isn't much hip movement. It's more of a bopping while swaying your hands from one side to the next. It was really neat to be dancing to Khmer music. That was the highlight of the night.

Eating at the Khmer restaurant



On Sitha's moto heading to the club




At Blue Sands dance club




That same weekend Gemma and I did sunrise at the mother of all temples, Angkor temple. I slept in only to be woken up by a phone call by Gemma at 5am asking if I was just about ready. I jumped out of bed and was downstairs in 10 minutes! I don't think I've ever moved that fast that early in the morning. We were at Angkor by 5:30am and sat on one of the structures waiting for the sun to rise. The place was packed with tourists all eagerly awaiting to see the stunning colours that usually accompany a sun rise. By 6am it was getting lighter however the sky was only a light pinky orange. We didn't get an amazing sunrise but it wasn't that bad either. So after about 6 hours of touring temples Gemma and I were exhausted and headed back home and treated ourselves to another evening at Aqua which is now 'our' hangout.


Angkor Wat, the sunrise and its reflection





Bayon Temple





Angkor monkey enjoying coke



I saw Lady Gaga!



I have been really busy at school with rehearsals. The kids are working really hard and memorizing is coming along. We have gone over the definition and pronunciation of 'big' words used in the scrip such as humiliate and engagement. Some of the kids pronunciation is amazing and certain kids have surprised me with their improvement. I held rehearsal at Anjali two Saturday's ago with everyone who is in the play including some of the Khmer teachers. It was a successful day and I could have used more time with the kids but with the warm sun beating down on us and the kids' concentration levels, it was time to call it a day after 4 hours. However it wasn't all just work, there were times of uncontrollable laughter and snacking on mandarins which I had bought for the kids. Even though I was pooped after, I couldn't have imagined spending my Saturday afternoon any other way. Of course I then treated my self to meeting up with Gemma at 'our' second home, Aqua. We chilled for a while, had a couple of lime drinks and called it a night. I got sick last week. I think it was my own cooking that did me in. It all came out in the middle of the night and the morning brought a fever along with the nausea. I felt terrible for missing school since I had promised the kids we would check out Pannasastra University. I was going to take the kids there to basically observe university students- a little bit of method acting. The kids are playing university students in the play. We've changed the date to tomorrow. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing a Cambodian University and I think the kids are too. Some of the kids are trying so hard to memorize their lines and get the pronunciation right it just melts my heart when I see their dedication and patience as I repeatedly grill them on their lines. We may move the date back one week which means I'll get to stay in Siem Reap one more week!

A day at school



Taking a break during rehearsals





Okay so Gemma and I had a fabulous night at Aqua this past Sunday. We've gotten to know the owner, John, quite well and so we got an invite to his BBQ. The usual crowd was there including Gemma's crush and my, well let's just say he's not my anything but I had one date with him and I've learnt he's a bit of a butterfly. Let me explain. So Gemma and I were sipping on cocktails one night at Aqua and we got chatty with the bartender Dalin who began spilling on the guys at Aqua. She said all men are the same and described them as 'butterflies' which basically means that they like to flutter around to many girls at the same time. In the western world we call these men cheaters. I like butterfly instead;) So yeah Bertrand, that's the frenchy's name, I've learnt is a butterfly and apparently a big one at that. Ugh, story of my life! So anyway at this BBQ we all chatted and mingled and of course frenchy shows up and tries to start a conversation with me. Bertrand was sitting on the other side of the bar, which I was grateful for. At one point he tried to move over and start a conversation when Gemma had gotten up for a moment but then it was too late as Gemma got back and provided the wall between us. Frenchy didn't seem pleased and then expressed his annoyance by calling Dalin, me, Gemma and the girl we had just met, witches. In his french brain I know he didn't mean it in a bitchy way but to express that he wasn't happy about the gossiping that had gone on a few nights before when I found out he had a girlfriend. Anyway after frenchy left, Gemma and I had a really good conversation with Jess and after a few cocktails, Jess and John agreed to name a drink after me. It's a lime drink with a bit of sugar and a shot of vodka. The Puja is the most delicious drink I've had! After sipping MY drink, I promised John I would take him to the gym would me and we'd get him back in his old military form once again. Manning a bar in a tropical island is not kind to the belly. Working out with John begins tomorrow! Have I mentioned I love this place and never want to leave?