Work at last.
on Mary In Cambodia (Cambodia), 14/Dec/2009 12:21, 34 days ago
Packed and ready to go!Saturday 5th December has finally arrived. The basic language course finished, training done, and shopping for necessary living equipment also done, we’re ready to set off from Phnom Penh for the Provinces. There are 4 of us heading for Sisophon, so VSO have arranged for a truck to take us and our luggage. We were up and waiting at 5.30 A.m. The vehicle arrived and the loading began. Motorbikes, bicycles, cases, furniture, water purifiers etc. were loaded and tied on. The young helper made a‘nest’ for himself. Then we discovered our seating arrangement. There was one passenger seat and a driver’s seat which were moved forward as far as they could go. A handyman had built a bench seat about 10 inches deep in the space behind. Three of us had to sit there with our knees in our mouths for the 8 hour journey. We agreed to take turns having the comfortable passenger seat. We did mention to the VSO rep. that arrangements were not to our liking, but he assured us that this was the Cambodian way. By 6.30 we were on the road. Within ten minutes we were stopped by the police, for the first of many times. The driver just put his hand in his pocket and handed over 1000 riel (about 25 cent). Police man put it in his pocket and waved us on. We were breaking many rules but I’m not sure which one we were fined for. It could have been for not having indicators, wipers, side windows, too high a load, a kid hanging on for dear life, no safety belts. Who Knows? I counted 10 times we were stopped and fined 7 times. The 3 times he mentioned‘borangs’ which is the Cambodian word for foreigners. Guess we were blamed and the police man was not prepared to tangle with us as we’re told we should always ask for a receipt when we hand over money, or just maybe 3 out of 10 policemen don’t take a bribe! Other stops were to fill up the radiator,-4 times, pour in a few bottles of petrol - 3 times, have a pee, stop at a‘service station‘and lie in a hammock for a 20 min rest. By 2.30 we were here, tired, stiff but still in one piece.Service Station, refreshments or a snooze in a hammock anyone?A pleasant surprise awaited me, the hotel I was booked into is clean. The bedroom is nicely decorated, clean and welcoming. The bathroom is tiled and clean with a toilet that flushes and a shower that works. I haven’t experienced such luxury since I left home. All this for $6 a night, I’m tempted to stay and forget about looking for a house for a while.Monday 7th. December.Today was my first day working in Cambodia. My hours are 7 30 to 11 am, and 2 to 5 pm. People are so poorly paid here that it’s very hard to motivate them. That includes my V.A. as soon as I turn my back he vanishes. He wasn’t feeling well today and cleared his throat often to let me know it was sore. This is rice harvesting time, so I won’t be surprised if he’s unwell tomorrow. In the whole day he made 3 phone calls to arrange meetings for me, translated and typed a 10 line paragraph . Went across the road to order business cards and when I asked at 4 o’clock if he could go back and collect them he got on his motorbike and asked if he could then go straight home. Though frustrating, I enjoyed the day. Jan called and asked me to join her for coffee. We had a chat and she showed me around the teacher training college. The students living accommodation was indescribable. There were 20 girls crammed into a dormitory suitable for four. The boys’ conditions were even worse they slept on mats placed side by side. Again there were 20 to a room. Jan’s foot went through the floor as we walked along a corridor. The kitchen where the young people cooked for themselves was so filthy I asked why the college doesn’t teach a basic hygiene programme. She said they do but there is no money to buy cleaning materials. There is only cold water and even that is scarce, especially in the dry season. The students sit on the ground to eat and study. They endure these conditions for 2 years, and then they teach for a year without pay. After that they earn about $30 a month. Is it any wonder people aren’t motivated?Tuesday 8th. December.Feels like today should be a holiday. It always was so at home and I thought of it as the beginning of the Christmas season. Here it is just another day, warm and sunny, with not a sign of Christmas anyplace. I was at the office by 7 30 am ready for my meeting with the Director of the District Office of Education. My ability to speak Khmer has improved a little and I think I impressed him. In some ways that was a big mistake, he talked freely to me and I hadn’t a clue what he was saying. Next week he will take me to see one of 4 schools in his district of Mongkol Borey that has reached the required standard. Then he will introduce me to one of the 16 schools he wants me to work with. I told him I can only take on one school now and maybe another one later on in the year if I feel I have made enough progress. They are desperate to get their schools to improve. I think there may be a financial bonus in it for them, only a guess but they are all so poor that money is the only incentive. The afternoon was spent cleaning and sorting out the office. This is another thing that feels strange. I’ve never had an office. Humble as it is I even have business cards with my name in English on one side and Khmer on the back. Last night I met up with some of the volunteer crowd for dinner. We had a banquet at one of the best restaurants in town. Drinks included it cost us $5 each.Wednesday 9th. December.Today was like yesterday. I had a meeting with my second area Director, who has similar problems and wants help with all his schools. He would like me to visit the good ones to keep the pressure on them, and the others to get them going. I need to be Batman and superwoman all in one! On our return to the office we were very lucky to notice that my line manager was in his office. It seems he’s a very difficult man to track down. He agreed to meet me and so we chatted for an hour and a half. He has a little English, which helped. I got lots of information. He’s the regional schools inspector. He liked my initial plan, but said his biggest problem is that there are 44 untrained teachers in remote areas teaching multi-grade classes of 50 children. We discussed this for some time. They could send young trained teachers out to these places, but at the end of the first year they would leave. The people they have employed are mostly local married women who have no option but to stay. Their only qualification is that they can read. If I had my Irish team here we’d get this problem sorted. Lots to think about.