A year in Sisophon.
on Mary In Cambodia (Cambodia), 18/Dec/2010 11:25, 34 days ago
 A year in Sisophon.  (These are the author's own opinions and do not reflect the policies of VSO)  I have just completed my first year of work in Sisophon, ( also known as Svie, Sereisophon, Svie- Sisophon, Banteay Meanchey). And I’m about to spend my second Christmas in Asia. So much has happened in the past year that I’ve already written about. The major events have all been noted, i.e., Western New Year, Chinese New Year, Cambodian New Year, major Buddhist Festivals. I’ve described the schools, traffic, town, floods, harvesting etc.As Christmas approaches, a new year beginning I find myself taking stock, not just of what I’ve done,( which I realize is merely a drop in the ocean of what needs to be done here),but of how this past year has affected me. The‘me’ that saw Sisophon a year ago and the‘me’ that sees it now, the people I have met, Volunteers and Cambodians and the effect they have had on my life.I arrived here 14 months ago, lonely, scared, missing my family and friends, thinking I must be insane to leave my comfortable home for this back- of -no-place, one horse town. I couldn’t even find a place to live, and was obliged to stay temporarily in a mediocre, could-be-cleaner guest-house. A‘seasoned’ volunteer Jan, kindly showed me the high lights of the town, rather‘low lights’ the market--I felt like throwing-up at the sight of meat stalls crawling with flies, fish still half alive in tin basins, smells of rotting food and sewage, rubbish piled up and filth everywhere. The final straw was when she introduced me to Coffee Man’s stall,'the best coffee in Sisophon'she said. He even gets a mention in‘Lonely Planet’. I smiled and thought‘Hell will freeze over before I ever sit and drink coffee in this filthy place.’ Walking through the market after 11AM, most stall owners were asleep in hammocks or curled up on the ground, so'they’re lazy too'I thought.Apart from Jan, who is just a few years younger than me, all the other volunteers were in their twenties or had partners with them, so it didn’t seem likely I would have much in common with them, another depressing factor. Only pride stopped me from packing up and going home.The first few months were difficult, problems presented themselves daily, somehow Jan usually had coped with similar situations. Gradually Coffee Man stall became a comfort zone, a chat and a delicious iced coffee lightened many loads.A year on, nothing much has changed in Sisophon, the market is still the same, no change at the coffee stall. A few mud roads have been concreted, a decent hair-dresser set up business, where we can have a cut, wash, blow-dry, head, shoulder and back massage all for $6--not bad!!. Warning---don't go for colour!! An excellent dentist has arrived, word is out, teeth cleaned and polished to western standards $7.I have learned many humbling lessons that I hope I will not lose when the time comes to go home. Here I quote from an e-mail I received this week. I hope the volunteer doesn’t mind me stealing‘her’ quotation.‘ Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it is the small voice at the end of the day saying‘I will try again tomorrow’ This for me sums up the people both volunteers and Cambodians who have played such an important part in my life in 2010. As the days go by I learn a little more and my admiration grows for the good humour, courage and sense of caring and sharing of the people I meet. Maybe it’s because of their history, but Cambodians seem to have learned to live in the present. They seem to be able to leave the past firmly in the past, and move on without any sense of revenge, grudge, anger or distrust. They just make the best of whatever happens. An example of this was the recent floods, the rice crop was ruined, but there was water, which meant fish, so they fished. Homes were washed away, so they had to move to dry land, usually the road sides, space was limited, couldn’t work in the fields, so they celebrated being together, chatting, swimming and picnicking on freshly caught fish, and always sharing the little they had.When I go away for a weekend and bring my VA back a small bag of sweets, it’s always taken home to share with his mother and his good neighbours. Once I suggested they were for him, his answer‘ but Mary we can’t do that in Cambodia’Those‘lazy’ people at the market. They begin their day at 4am. picking the produce fresh, to sell, or sadly killing the poor pig whose meat is on sale. I guess a nap is well earned!I was discussing the budget in Ireland with a colleague last week, and casually mentioned my pension would be reduced by about 10%. Joe, My Cambodian assistant, very seriously said’ Mary, please don’t worry, you can come and live with us’Our Volunteer Assistants are probably the most important people in our lives here. We all agree we couldn’t function without them. Apart from translating, chauffeuring those of us too cowardly to drive our motorbikes, advising us on cultural issues, demonstrating good teaching methods, keeping us in touch with events in the area, they befriend us, run errands, cheer us up, keep the office clean. This week I lost my phone for the --th. Time. In an hour Joe had sorted out my sim card, bought the cheapest phone available, and had me back in touch with the world. In the process he discovered I use my phone as an alarm clock. This morning he arrived at my door with a‘Merry Christmas’ present, a beautiful little blue alarm clock. This gift I will bring home as a reminder of the generosity, thoughtfulness, caring and spirit of sharing of, not just Joe, but the Cambodian people. My Khmer has improved a bit, not as much as I hoped, but enough to chat with the stall owners, they know me and wave or say a few words even when I’m not buying, One lady knows I like mangoes, and she points to them when she has them, and picks out the best ones for me.I’m still in the guest-house. It has grown on me. Why did I think it was shabby?, it’s practically luxurious. I can even sleep through the wedding music and the chanting monks. They used to wake me at 5 in the morning, I wonder if they still start that early!I still miss my family, friends and neighbours. SKYPE is good but technology hasn’t learned to pass on a hug yet.To my VSO colleagues, Jen, who went home in August, (miss you loads),Parveen (also gone home), Paul and Alison, Oly, and Pathma, (who arrived with me), Wim, (Here since April), Hannah, (Just arrived), Dominique, Sue and Carol in Battam Bang, and my Ex-volunteer friends Helen and Jan, the many Peace Corp and Aus-Aid volunteers, and our new Chinese Friends who have enriched my life here in the‘Third’ city of Cambodia this year, I wish you all a Happy Christmas, thank you and look forward with confidence to an even better year in 2011. To Joe and Vomith, Supermen, we would be lost without ye.My good wishes to all who support us, VSO staff, and volunteers everywhere,To all who read this of whatever persuasion, I wish you peace, love and joy in this festive season, and may your God bless and take care of you in the comng year.