SO SIEM REAP

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Keeping a blog is harder than I thought. Now that my days are filled with teaching, by the time I get home I don't have the mental capacity to accurately describe all that I've experienced in just three weeks while in this beautiful country. For starters the most unique thing I've experienced in Siem Reap was visiting the floating village, Kompong Pluk. Being amongst villagers whose lives are tailored around the high tide season was like travelling through time back to when people used whatever is at their disposal to survive and live a decent life. I really can't even find the words to describe how unique and amazing the experience was. These people who have built their homes on stilts to survive the wet season, scrap by with the basics but still have the heart to invite you into their home. They were so inviting as we walked around their wooden and bamboo made home taking pictures and looking around. And then of course nothing has yet compared to going swimming in the flooded forest and trying to pick snails off tree trunks with our feet. However all that is not to diminish the fun I've had walking around the night market on my own, going out dancing with the Globalteer gang at Angkor What?, volunteering for the Think Twice campaign (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkTwiceCampaign#!/thinktwicecambodia) to chilling at a tropical a swimming pool/bar called Aqua and of course just spending time with the children of Anjali. However things I have discovered I don't exactly enjoy: the random sound of bells and drums clanging really loud every morning, I'm assuming this is coming from some temple nearby; I also don't enjoy riding my bike along shattered roads while having to dodge dogs and other motorists, I don't mind dodging traffic along a smooth road; And then there's the annoyance of swatting away flies that swirl around our table as we try to eat our simple lunch of rice and whatever concoction of a Khmer dish the cooks have prepared that day. But said all this, I still love it here:)
















Our lovely hosts


The gang


Eating the snails we picked!

TWO WEEKS IN SIEM REAP

I was woken up by the blaring sounds of Khmer music playing next door to Globalteer's building. There's a wedding going on and so unless I get ear plugs I'm told I won't be sleeping much this weekend. I don't mind this though because I'd love to experience a wedding in Cambodia. From my third floor window I've got a view of the top of colourful tents and can see a few ladies cooking away. Of course when I went to grab coffee downstairs this morning I had to go walk over to have a peak. The scene had the feeling of excitement and joy as preparations were still going on. I think the actually wedding ceremony will happen sometime this evening. There were two large pictures of the bride and groom placed out front of the 'main' tent. The couple looked pleased but not exactly happy in the pictures. Clearly the shots were taken soley for the purpose of placing them at the front entrance. There's no such thing as engagement pictures here and who knows if this couple is even in love or not. Arranged marriages are common here.
So today I'll be chilling around the house until I have to head over to Peace Cafe for my second Khmer lesson. Khmer has got to be the hardest language to learn. They have like a 40 vowels and about 50 consonants. Hearing Khmer being spoken is like listening to strange sound affects. But the more I hear it, the more I can pick out actual words being spoken.

Anjali takes part of a photography exhibition that takes place in Siem Reap over a week. Work from professional photographers are displayed around the town on different days. The kids of Anjali displayed their work last Wednesday. They are taught about photography by professional photographers who come in from different countries for a couple of weeks to teach the kids how to take a good shot and to create a slide show of the best work. Not all the kids get to participate. It's mainly designated for the older kids however all the children get to come out on the day Anjali displays its work. It was a great night out and it was so nice to see the pride amongst all the Anjali kids as they cheered and laughed at the images displayed during the slide show.



One of the pictures taken by a student during the slideshow


The kids were given free balloons and were having a blast with them


The adorable kindergartens- I've got a soft spot for these kids


The younger Anjali kids arrive at the exhibition



It's been just over two weeks that I've been here and I've done some cool things. Me and a few other volunteers did a Khmer cooking class at a restaurant on Pub street called Le Tiger de Papier which we all just call the paper tiger. I learnt how to cook fish Amok which is the national dish. It's a fish curry made with a blend of spices, lemongrass and coconut milk. I really should have written down how we made it because I've already forgotten how but to be honest it was more about the experience of making a Khmer dish on my own than becoming an expert at amok. I also made papaya salad as my starter and we all decided on sticky mango rice as our desert. 3 hours on our feet chopping and mixing and stirring, we were all starving. We then sat down and ate our own meals. It was so satisfying. I even got a certificate to prove I learnt how to cook!

VOLUNTEERING AT ANJALI

It’s been just over a week since I arrived and when I’m riding my bicycle down the unpaved, red dusty roads in one of Siem Reap’s villages, I still can’t believe I’m here. It’s everything I imagined and more. Much more. I’ve seen poverty up close and I’m right in the middle of it every day when I trek out to the Anjali project educating kids who otherwise would have been selling knick knacks to foreigners like me. These children are so adorable and very friendly. On my first day at Anjali I was greeted warmly with beautiful smiles, hellos and even high fives. These kids know that volunteers like me are here to help them and for that they are grateful and show their appreciation. Unlike the other volunteers who focus on teaching the kids different topics per week, I’ve started drama workshops with all the classes. It’s been a challenge the last two days because I don’t always have a Khmer teacher to translate what I’m explaining to the kids and sometimes the older kids lose interest quickly in activities I’ve planned which suit the younger kids so every day, actually every hour, is a challenge. But the most satisfying reward is when you see the kids enjoying themselves and hearing the little ones giggle in amusement. It’s definitely not a walk in the park and I wasn’t sure what to expect while volunteering here but everyday I’m faced with a different challenge, whether it be how to get the kids focused for more than 20 minutes to trying to explain to one of the Khmer teachers what I’d like the students to do. I’m slowly getting used to the fact that I can’t directly express what I’m thinking to the students but I’m learning new ways of communicating which is exhausting at times. I’ve gone from being a ‘talking with my hands’ person to a ‘talking with every limb possible’ person. But as I get to know the kids more it’s so interesting to watch them learn and react to the volunteers. Usually the reaction you get from a Cambodian kid is not one you would get from a western kid. You really get to learn more about the culture here as you watch these kids react to one another and especially when you throw different scenarios at them. Their responses are so unpredictable and when I make it home in one piece after dodging cows, dogs and other motorists, I know why I am here. If I only get through to one kid or make his or her experience at Anjali just a bit better, that’s enough; However from the feedback I’ve been getting from the kids as well as the Khmer teachers, I know I’m helping more than just one kid and this makes me very happy. It makes all the challenges all the more worth it.







Kids getting ready to head home


All the kids love playing football or volleyball


Anjali House




Art covers the walls inside

TEMPLES OF ANGKOR

On Sunday I went out of town into Angkor to see some of the famed temples that have been around since about 967 AD. We first went to see Banteay Srei which is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. I loved the intricate details at this temple. It was so neat to walk through a temple that had been around for thousands of years. So surreal. We then went to the Landmine Museum and Relief Centre. I seriously don't think I've ever been more proud than when I found out it was a Canadian NGO. I mean to be on the other side of the world in a place no one really talks about, Canada is making a difference. Very cool. The founder, Aki Ra, is an ex-child soldier and learning about his past was so interesting and heartbreaking at the same time.
We took a break for some food and then went on to see Angkor Thom AKA the Tomb Raider temple. It's where Angelina shot the movie and when she fell in love with Cambodia. I now understand why.
Once we got back I rested for a bit and then I was off to a Photo Exhibition which is an annual thing here and it's quite well known among Khmers and foreigners. The exhibition was at a ritzy hotel and it was an interesting contrast to the village side. It funny how there aren't too many foreigners that live around here so you tend to bump into the same ones around the city.
The night ended with a tasty and very cheap meal at Angkor Famous.

BANTEAY SREI











ANGKOR THOM
















Riding to the temples in a tuk tuk with Julie (volunteer at the same school as me)



Photo exhibition

NIGHT ON THE TOWN

Went to Red Piano for a couple of volunteers farewell. Red Piano is apparently where Anjelina Jolie ate while she was in town for the filming of Tomb Raider. I of course had to try the signature drink. We then went dancing at two bars which was fun but had to cut the night short cause two of us had to be up early to go check out temples the next day.

Drink named after Angelina Jolie



Enjoying the Tomb Raider



The group at the Red Piano



Drag Show!



She's more woman than I am that's for sure!

HIGHTLIGHT OF DAY 2

Okay so my new friend Meas (Globalteer security guard) took me for a moto ride (basic motorcycle) this evening to a place called 60 street which is a night market and carnival. I felt like a local riding on the back of a moto except for the fact that I had both my hands gripping the back bar and was wearing a helmet unlike Cambodians who pack families on one moto and the passengers don't wear head gear. It was so freeing to be travelling around Siem Reap this way. I really felt like I experienced the 'real' city. Where we ventured off to there were no tourists. Meas told me the carnival is his favourite place so I suggested we play one of the games. For one U.S. dollar we got 5 tries to pop ballons with our darts. We hit 4 ballons and that one us 2 cans of beer and a wine cooler. So fun! Off to a restaurant/bar for a farewell party for fellow volunteers, one of whom I have yet to meet. Pics of the moto ride to come.
Here they are:

This is what I road on the back of



Me pretending to ride the moto which I would NEVER do in Cambodia - I'd like to live



Playing darts at the carnival



We won booze! 2 Beers for Meas, a cooler for me. Carnival's in Siem Reap rock!