suesday chnam tmey!

Sorry, I was very lazy. So I've just copied from my boyfriends travel-blog. Very handy... So this is what he said. The pictures I took though... :

please note the rice for drying on the roof

This is the most important week of the year in Cambodia - the start of the khmer new year. So Happy New Year! Good luck for you!

Being Cambodia, this occasion calls for a few days holiday. Preceded of course by some time to prepare. And followed by at least a week to recover.

Just in case you don’t take the hint, next week there are also official holidays for Labour Day and then Royal Ploughing Day. The point, I take it, is that the country pretty much shuts down this month - April is for festival, not work.

Unable to beat them, I decided to stay in my village and join in the celebrations.

Whilst I tried to go into the whole thing with an open mind, I feared it wouldn’t be long before the dreaded super-woofer speakers appeared. What I didn’t bargain on was that the party would be directly under my room – or that it would go on for two days solid. Fortunately (for me, maybe not her) Katja came to spend the week and was on hand to soothe my frayed nerves. And in fairness there was much to enjoy.

we just like Karaoke so much...

On New Year’s Eve we had a lovely wander around Thmar Pouk village.

after them I had a go...

buffaloes on their way home

A lie-in on New Year’s Day was out of the question – the thumping beats put paid to that, as did our neighbour’s decision to slaughter their pig (too cruel anytime, but the terrified pig’s cries were horribly human-sounding). So we decided to brave the heat and follow the line of tractors down to the village pagoda.

the local wat was used for powdering and playing

Thmar Pouk rocks!

looking for some mangoes!

A notice at the front of the wat instructed revellers to refrain from drinking, gambling or throwing power or water. Just behind the notice was a row of beer stands, and beside was an area reserved for playing dice. Children as well as adults were active in the gaming, though many also ran up to the main wat building to chuck talc at each other. For those who actually wanted to do something within the rules there was praying for the pious and music (to a slow, swaying dance) for the masses.

The kids were having a great time, hurling water-bombs at each other and smearing talcum powder on faces, whilst the older ones drank beer and gently gyrated. When your most important festival is in temperatures of over forty degrees, focusing activities on cooling water / powder or iced beer / minimum activity dancing actually makes a lot of sense.

I also suspect that, as with festivals everywhere, the celebrations were an opportunity to break out of the usual social restrictions – throwing water was a good excuse for boys to chase after their squealing beauty of choice, powder was liberally rubbed onto faces in a country where such contact is usually taboo, and girls were allowed to get drunk when normally this would be seriously frowned upon.

Thmar Pouk village life

To get some peace and quiet, we decided the next day to visit the pre-Ankorian temples of Banteay Chmar and Banteay Top,

like Ankor Thom...

Banteay Chmar was great, though it turned out not to be such an inspired getaway spot – usually practically deserted, it was the centre of local festivities and a hotbed of powder smearing – but we took it in good spirits, and the kids were delighted to be able to daub the barraing westerners whilst having a good grope of our funny white skin.

don't need after-shave now...

The smaller temple site at nearby Banteay Top

Bantey Toep

John, what flower is this?

Before Oli and me went to his place at the end of the world, we've been in PP and clubbed through PP's night life. There is a bar, called "Blue Chilli", which is actually for gays. But somehow we've been several times now because it's really cool there. At around midnight, the drag queens come out and perform on the bar.

The queen of the "Blue Chilli"

Pokerface.

Unbreak my heart!

It's raining men!

it's their night!

near the Independence monument in PP

view onto Wat Langka

Wat Langka

Street in PP

Unfortunately, my lovely friend Holli has finished her placement in Stung Treng as a Livelyhood volunteer but fortunately she stays for anther few
months in PP.

don't go!!!

Hollis last breakfast in Stung Treng

Eating ice-cream in stung trengggg

at the market, breakfast time

Whilst in Thmar Pouk, Oli also showed me around his hospital, he is the Management Advisor of.

Die Deutschen sind auch ueberall!

you can still see the nails on the wall, from hammocks for patients

it's good to know!

infront of the hospital

Thmar Pouk

This photo won the 'best photo' competion! (Lotus flower)

the road along the lake lead us to B. Toep

Oli's postcards

Kelsy and me also took the time over Khmei New Year to practise our advanced Yoga positions.

for more fun, try to touch with your big toe the tip of your nose!

the "flexible schoulder wrap"

Welcome to a session of extremly advanced yoga!

this is the "pelvis-bender"

cheer!

Sunset in Sisaphon

Guck mal, ich bin eine Henne!

Now I will go and copy Oli's blog entry about the trip to Laos, which we also did together, just a few days ago.
You can be exited to hear about Laos soon!
But at the moment, I have 3 Workshops to prepare... So I am also working, not only sight seeing...

Hope all is well! The rainy season slowly but surly starts. That means less mangoes but a little cooler hopefully.

Lots of love from your Katja!

written by  katja-horsch on April 24, 2010 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: Happy Khmei New year!
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07.04.2010

Unbelievable but true, but today, am here for 11 months already. It feels very strange, and also like I am going home soon. Delia left, Holli left Stung Treng this morning, Evic and Helen leave next month and then it will be me next, next year though.

say: Cheese

The urge to go home to visit my family and friends is still there, although it gets slightly less. I also made the decision (as I initially thought), not to go home during my time here, although another opportunity came up in July this year, but I’ll be involved in the annual Health Sector Workshop.

Sunset over the Sekong, taken from the Sekong Bridge, Stung Treng

Some volunteers do go home though and then have no other holiday left. I hope to see much more of Cambodia and South-East-Asia in general and maybe go for Christmas to South Africa to see my sister, brother in law and nieces.

my giant bathroom spider, can you see it?

I can see now that I am going to be more and more busy over the next year. Lots of other important meetings and workshops coming up and of course the project, I am working with, will finish by the end of 2011, so lots of activities have to be done until then and a study tour.

3 midwife students, year 2

TB ward in ST

a nurse with her child

Rubbish dump infront of the ST RH, childrens ward

Mami, Deine Yogorette war der Hit!

My highlights this month were eg. the MEDICAM (Membership Organization for NGOs Active in Cambodia’s Health Sector, which vision is improved health status in Cambodia by building bridges between civil society organizations and the Royal Government of Cambodia through enhancing evidence-based policy development and program design) meeting in PP, where at the end of the meeting I was able to point out the urgency of needed support for all Nursing schools in Cambodia, so that it was added to the list of priorities; and Linda.

Linda and me in her new school

That's the one!

the kindergarten next to the primary school

visiting the different classrooms

Hello there!

Chum reap sur Misses Linda!

children from Stung Trengs Primary school

We also interviewed 8 candidates to work as her translator and found a very good young Cambodian woman, who is perfect for the job of being Linda’s Volunteer Assistant in future. I am glad it’s a female, because so far male VA’s dominate VSO.

that's how it works!

We also had a welcoming party for Linda, where everyone prepared some food and brought it to Helen's place. We call it here: "Pot-luck". It was nice!

our group of ST volunteers, missing Loi and Holli

who wants to be in the picture?

and now, try to stay straight...

Well, we had lots of fun that night

Ferdi, what are you doing?

Fortunately Linda liked my house, that she decided to take over when I move. Yes, that’s right, I’ve decided to move house.

my new approved hat

I am going to move into Vandys house in May, the family were I teach English twice a week. I like them so much, we get on very well and I would like to support them with my monthly rent, because they are poor. My current landlord and landlady just built a new house and they have a car. I feel I would like to support Vandys family now. The place will be very basic though, no balcony, no fridge, holes in the roof and a shared bathroom for altogether 8 people with a squat toilet. But therefore 3 big doggies, a parrot, 4 cats and one kitten, a lovely warm family, lovely people who are fun, I can learn more Khmei from them, they benefit hopefully from my English. Food wouldn’t be a problem because Vandy sells noodles for breakfast and will be happy to cook all meals and I’ll eat with them most likely, like I do already in the evening when I am there. So I am really looking forward to that, also to downsize my possessions. My giant house made me buy things and put stuff because it felt so big and empty at the beginning. Now seeing volunteers leave makes me feel slightly panicky, what to do with all my stuff. I came here with only 20kg, now I nearly have another household! And so many clothes, shoes and random things.
So although I have another 1 and a half year to go, if I am able to extend my placement, I feel that I need to start to downsize now.

the river road in PP

view from the FCC

at the Royal Palace in PP

During the weekends, I travelled a lot to PP and once to Battambong to meet Oliver and each time, we had lots of fun.

tuk-tuk, ot chngai-pii!

the RTC in Battambong

Sue, Oli, Alan and Katja say: soka-peap laor!

a Karaoke house in Battambong

Gekko cafe in Battambong, very nice

Street in Battambong

One night in PP, a quiet ‘last drink before bed’ developed into a mega- party!

it got later and cosier

Africa, USA, Germany, Cambodia and Korea in the "Green Mango"

just met a few hours ago...

yes, he had to be in EACH picture

picture?

Sarah and Jen like to dance

Sarah giggles, about what?

Rolands bar became the dancefloor

Another very productive thing to do was meeting up with DED (Deutscher Entwicklungs Dienst), who are doing exactly the same thing then me and Carol. They also developed a program to support the preceptors but they are based in the hospitals, not in the Nursing schools like we are, and not active in the North East of the country.
In the evening, me, Carol and Charlotte (who was sick in PP whith Dysentry), had a nice eveing together.

mmhh, whine with ice?

Charlotte(from VSO) and Natalie(from Australia)

thank you for standing there!

Carol and me liked the "Pop-cafe"

going out with Charlotte and Carol

I think the american flag on top made it so expensive...

although ill, who can say no to an ice-cream?

in PP infront of the Royal Palace

So everything seems to go into the right direction and I still love it being here.
The Mango season is about to start, lots of Mangos hanging from the trees, some are ripe already and so sweet and delicious, that all you want to eat is Mango.

too many green mangos keep you on the toilet for a long time!

And it is hot hot hot. Since I am here it feels like the hottest so far. I am sitting and dripping sweat at work. I am lying at night in my bed and can feel water running down my body. No fan helps, even my precious lipstick in my handbag finally melted.

Don't mess with me!

Yes, I am dangerous!

So this is it for now (need to blog to keep up showing you my pictures), and I hope you are all well and enjoy spring in Europe...

Daniels donated fans

Big kisses from your Katja!

ups, eyes closed!

unfortunately it was Sunday...

if I keep staring long enough, you might develp into a gekko...

Oli?

written by  katja-horsch on April 8, 2010 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: March/April 2010
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My marvellous Birthday-cake, made in Stung Treng

My first Birthday in Cambodia was very enjoyable and fun.

Helen, Jan, Carol, Maria, Oli and Channa

After preparing yummi veggi food for lunch,

little helper

Mmhh, fried Aubergines

Parim gave me blingy earrings

Maria and Evic

Chantra likes the punch

too much Coka maybe...

Channa entertains the guest with the game: o'puck-m'dai

my lovely friends Sareth, Srey-mom and Parim

I wish ......

In the evening, we were invited to go to Channas girlfriends brother's wedding.

Channa and his girlfriend

Jan and Carol

Maria

I like my new watch!

29 and blingy!

plenty of live music at the wedding

Kakadaa and me

Antji, I love your yellow silk scarf!

Because it was Oli's first visit to Stung Treng, I showed him around a little.

Oli at our office

Oli visits the RTC

showing Oli around at the RTC

footi at the RTC

Afterparty with Mino, Vandy and her girls and her sister on my balcony

in Stung Treng, Sun set over the Sekong

And thank you again for all your lovely birthday letters, e-mails and calls. It meant a lot to me and makes me still feel connected with the other side of the world! X x x K

outside my house

it was looking for lunch I think

On the last weekend of January ‘10, I went up to Ratanakiri to see my lovely dear friends Sareth and Srey-mom.

After a good old ‘pot-lunch’, we went to Sareth’s house, which she was very shy about, because it was old. For me it wasn’t bad at all, but Sareth wanted me to stay in a guest house instead. Initially, I wanted to stay with them in the hospital, where they stay during their placement. The hospital director allows the students to stay in an empty room on a ward during their placement. They cook, sleep and live in there. Very handy during nightshift, if help is needed. They are available at all times, every day. But to stay there, Sareth and Srey-mom didn’t allow me to do so. Apparently not good enough either.
So I persisted on not staying in a guest house but in the big empty house of Sareth’s.

at Sareth's house

Sareth with her family

After a nap, we wanted to go with the moto to the lake. But suddenly the moto broke down and so we walked.

on the way to the lake

Then we were dripping wet and walked back home. On the way, our clothes dried fairly quickly.

just finished bathing

Being there on my own with Sareth and Srey-mom, it was like a second home stay. It felt like the real Cambodia, like the real thing.

From food ( ate yellow noodle in black water and lots of Khmer and Thai sweets) to sanitation ( I had my first wash outside with water from a ton in a sarong), things like that I wouldn’t have done even in Stung Treng.

The other new thing, I discovered, is this. I know that the people here love to eat instant noodles, me too. But I’ve never eaten those raw, uncooked. We had it as a snack, and it is tasty actually. Just open the package and dig in. “I like”, as the Cambodians say.

On Sunday, before we went to the pagoda, we visited the hospital, were the girls have their placement. It was early afternoon, and the patient rooms were moderately filled. But all the staff rooms were looked and I couldn’t see any staff.
Apparently, there was only one nurse on duty for that afternoon. After all, it was Sunday and after lunch.

The visit to the pagoda was also different, because again, the girls showed how to do it properly.

It was so lovely to be with them. They are just so genuine and unspoilt, pure. And after I wanted to give them some money just for the rest of the placement to buy some nice food, they got really angry with me and said, they are not my friend because of money. That so much warmed my heart.

The real big event work wise was our Preceptor meeting, which was done twice for 2 different groups of Preceptors on 2 different occasions.

the second group of the Preceptors

hey, listen, not chat all the time!

the VSO team Hor, Channa, Carol and me

Then we had to go back to PP for our ICT2, which is the second In-country-Training Language Update course.

Ash, Maria, Butz and Dutz with VSO shirts

Mirco gives Dara our Goodbye present

our Dara, the best!

Carol is having a Singapore Sling in Raffles in Phnom Penh

The girls with a Famme Fatale

I also saw Oli again after a long time and with all the running experience we had previously, we thought, we also would take the chance and run the Valentines Race in PP.

Valentines run

the 5th couple!

a rose for Valentines day

we made it!

Stung Treng

A week later, I attended to my first Khmer funeral.

grandchildren in grief

the wood goes onto the coffin

the monks give their last prayer

Then I went to work for a couple of hours, until I got ready to go to the wedding where I was invited to by one of the Teachers of the RTC. His brother got married, I never ever met him in my life but I danced on his wedding.

my local Wat, Wat Loehr

The same weekend, I witnessed something else unusual.

in Thalla Borivat Pagoda

in Thalla Borivat Pagoda

during the ceremony

He is the leading monk of Thalla Borivat, his name is Thoom. My VSO colleague Ferdi works with him now with an NGO called NOPAHA. Together, they manage an orphanage at a Pagoda and teach those children, who are also affected by HIV and AIDS, and try to give them a better life. They need much more funding, but it is difficult to get it. So that’s why Thoom decided, he could achieve and help much more, if he wouldn’t be a monk anymore. After 19 years of monkhood, he got ‘de-robed’.

money put on both wrists for good luck

eating borbor at the wat

the next Prime minister

Parim, Srey-mom, knyom, Sareth

Ferdi and Jan

Parim and Sareth

Carol, Maria, Helen and Sareth on the boat

on the way back from Thalla to Stung Treng on the boat

Last weekend, I finally saw my Oli again. After a long trip from the Northeast to the Northwest of Cambodia, we met in Siem Riep and checked out our voucher, which we won at the Valentines Race. We had a fantastic time. Siem Riep is always the journey worth it. We’ve seen Angkor Wat from above

Stung Treng eving light

The four weeks of exiting visits and visitors has passed quickly and now I am sitting on my balcony in Stung Treng, watching the scenes on the street, next to the river, where the cows pass along, looking for food. There are 5 little boys, playing on the pavement with a big plastic bottle which is connected to a string. One of them is pulling it and the others run after it in order to catch the plastic with their feet.

Another boy has a plastic machine gun and holds it proud into the air and screams words, I don’t understand.
It is Sunday, but it seems like a normal working day. Somehow, Khmer people don’t have weekends, they never sleep in or laze around. They have always something to do. So I am trying at the moment to adapt to that. I can make a fuss about building work next to my house on the weekend, starting at 7 am every day actually. But I won’t change anything. I only embarrass myself, like so many other times. So I am also getting up around 6 and go to bed early. Every day. And I like it.

Last year, mid December, after I picked up Carmi from the airport in PP, we stayed in a rather quirky hotel with a pool.

The next day we travelled up to Stung Treng. Carmi met all my other volunteer friends and had the opportunity, to see a dentist for her broken tooth. Fortunately she got reassured about it that she could have treatment once she’s back in England. The dentist here was actually surprisingly professional.

The other thing I am very grateful to Carmi is, that she helped me, sorting out the library in the RTC.

Also we met the amazing Dolores, who is a VSO volunteer but based in China. She contacted Helen to spend some time here in Cambodia. Carmi and her went to see the silk-weaving -and Stung Treng Women’s Development centre: ‘Mekong-Blue’, while I was trying to catch up with the RTC. Lola is a volunteer with lots of experiences and also worked for MSF before. I had a very good chat to her and found out a lot more about the work at the front.

Then it was time to say goodbye again to Stung Treng, and the next day we took the mini van to go to Kampong Cham ( where we explored the Bamboo bridge, which is only there during the dry season),

I would have been possible, that the excitement and anticipation might have lost some glance, because I just had a super lovely time. But it didn’t.

We cried when we fell into each other arms and it was just so unbelievable, to suddenly have them here, in Cambodia, my mum! I was so proud of her that she made it. I would have never thought it.

After a few days, we went up to Quatschi (as my mum calls Kratie).

Here, we explored the area and also went one day over with the boat to Thalla Borivat. We had a look at the pagoda and seen the orphans, who an NGO, called NOPAHA looks after. The other special moment there was, that we were allowed to go into one of the meditation houses where elderly nuns were meditating. They were really quiet towards us, but then my mother looked at one and she said: I know her, and the nun then looked also friendlier. They met on the bus trip a day before. Then the ice was broken and my mum got her camera out, showing pictures of our family and the husbands. I don’t think, that the nuns would usually interfere with barangs.

Antji and Mami saw the ‘Mekong Blue’ while I was catching up with the RTC again. In the afternoon, we visited the Stung Treng Referral hospital. It was pretty shocking for them but I am glad they’ve seen it.

We’ve also met my lovely friends Sareth, Srey-mom and Parim, who persisted to cook some lunch for us. We also invited Helen and Carol and had a great time.

To break up the long trip to Siem Riep, I decided to stop on the way in Kampong Cham, where I had most of the language training. There I knew accommodation and Gideon, the tuk-tuk driver. He drove us in the afternoon to Wat Han Chay, a buddistic theme park on a hill, where there are fantastic river views from Chenla-era ruins and a modern temple.

The next day we arrived at lunchtime in Siem Riep and checked in into lovely Smileys Guesthouse.

I suppose my favourite temple is Ta Prohm.

Fortunately, we had a bit more time in Siem Riep, so we had a few days to relax. In order to do that, we looked up Massage places (because Siem Riep is not only well known for Angkor, but also for pleasure). We found in Antji’s guidebook a place called: Massage from the blind, and so we booked ourselves in. We were massaged by blind people, and the difference was so noticeable, that we went there the next day again.

On Friday, we went for an adventure. Together with my mate and volunteer friend Oli,

In the evening we even went out for a bob after sipping cocktails at the FCC, where ‘ladies night’ was.

The next day we had to head back to PP, sadly, the end of our amazing time was near.

On our last day, we explored the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda as well as the pool in the ‘Himawari’.

My dear friend Dr. Daniel very kindly donated money for the RTC. In the name of the director, the teachers and the students I want to say a big thank you to you.
Most likely we will either buy new fans, because all fans are broken in the student accommodation or we will use the money to buy a new toilet block.
It is really needed and with your kind donation, you make a very positve impact on peoples life here in Cambodia.So thank you a lot again.

written by  katja-horsch on February 2, 2010 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: VSO experience in Cambodia
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the Stung Trengers after the run

On the 5th of December, Holli, Delia, Helen and me made our way from Phnom Penh up to Siem Riep by bus. We stayed in the very familiar Smiley’s guesthouse and were looking forward with great anticipation to the next day of the Ankor Wat marathon.
Meanwhile, three of the new health volunteers travelled to their placement with all their belongings up to the far Banteay Meanchey in the North West of Cambodia after the last ICT day and just about made their way back about 7 pm for their registration.
At that time Helen from Stung Treng was enjoying the best Spaghetti Carbonara in the Temple bar together with a few drinks and fellow volunteers. That night, Holli did a magic recovery from her illness and at 5:30 the next morning on the 6th of December, the Tuk Tuks were waiting outside to bring us in the dark and a rather chilli breeze to Ankor Wat.

Ankor Wat in the sunrise

When we arrived, we saw the sun rising over the Temples.

Yes, we are ready to go

warming up for the 10k

Holli and the other runners

running with the elephants

beautiful szenerie during the run

Trisha, the proud winner of the 10 km Ankor Wat run

cooling down straight after the run

56min, Oli finished after Trisha, and winning 40 min

Our cheerers and photographers Paul, Perry, Emily, Tim, Leoni and Lucky gave us great support.

here comes Alison!

not only people run with us...

At around 10am it was all over.

streching and relaxing after the run

after the run, nothing could have been better

a full body massage, just what we needed

The next day, our travel started early again and 12 hours, a bus-, minivan- and taxi ride later, we made it back from Siem Riep to Stung Treng.

14 barangs in a van with luggage tied tight onto the back

after nearly 12 hours travelling from SR back to ST

For some of us it was the last time of being together in this formation. Tim has left the country by now after finishing his 2 year placement, so has Trisha. Delia will fly back on Friday. You are all greatly missed and it was an honour to know you all.

Marry marry Christmas and a happy New Year 2010! From Katja

Aricle for Nek-Smek-Jet newsletter

Apart from running and partying ( we had our new-volunteer-welcome-party in the name of VolCom on the last day of our ICT before we went to SR, and Oli and me did a bit of DJ-ing and animated the crowd to play musical chairs…), I kept an eye on funding agencies for the new student accommodation building in Stung Treng. The civil engineer from Stung Treng made a great building plan and we have now the sum of the overall cost. The proposal is written, everything is ready to go, but no money found yet…

Being back in Stung Treng after all that time (was away for 2 month) felt like a relief. It feels so familiar now and like home. My lovely house, my own bed, my own space. The girls waited for me at home and they had a big meal for me prepared. They had moved back into the RTC accommodation, but waited for me all day long. It was so lovely to see them again, and they are my good friends now and I miss them when I haven’t seen them for a while. Finally, they are in their 3rd year of nursing, they passed their second exam and are more motivated then ever.
They have now English lessons every morning from 6 to 7, then school. Also they asked me to show them how to type on the computer, they call it: play computer. So I have them around and let them type English texts into my laptop from a nursing book.

After the drinking, the dancing starts. But this time, the bride and groom started to dance first around the table which was loaded with fruit. It was so funny, because the music that played to that was Happy Birthday. Then they even had a cake they were cutting while posing to the photographers. The bride changed her dresses 4 times that evening. Around 9 pm, Channa gave me and Carol a lift back home. On the way, his back wheel went flat and we had to walk through the clear night with the sky full of stars…

It wasn’t the first time that weekend, that the tyre of a moto gave up. The day before, on Saturday, Maria, Ferdi, Carol and me decided to have a little moto trip around Stung Treng and also to O’Russey Kandall. Ferdi had Maria on his moto and I had Carol on Delia’s Moto.
We first went again to ‘Mekong Blue’, the Silk and Weaving Centre’ from Stung Treng. Makara gave us again a great tour and I was able to give them two of my stained clothes to dye. It was cotton, so they couldn’t use the silk dye. They only had black furniture dye, which was ok.
Then we drove to the old airport and on the way to the main road, the back wheel made: puff and went flat. We managed to get it repaired by a local, whom I picked up from the nearest ‘garage’. The tyre was completely burst.
Then we toured to O’Russey Kandal and had a nice picnic with the feet in the cool water. It is also a Butterfly sanctuary there. It was lovely.

Yesterday we had Delia’s Goodbye dinner at Mr.T’s. She left a lot of her things here and gave me also a few. It felt like my birthday. Oh I will miss her so much. Carol lives now in her house and Maria is taking over her position at work. We are all replaceable in a way.
I hope I stay in touch with her. We want to meet one day in Berlin. She did an awful lot for the nutrition programme and saved many lives because of that. Now she is going back and her ‘husband to be’ is waiting for her. Isn’t that lovely?

written by  katja-horsch on December 16, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: Nov/Dec 09
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I suppose the long silence also resulted of being in a completely new environment ( out of Stung Treng, and placed in Kampong Cham) with a whole bunch of new people around me.It is also called ICT- In country training.
It started on the 16th of October, that’s when I went from Stung Treng to PP.

Mo and me

After a few days of orientation in PP, the whole group moved to Kampong Cham, a nice province which is around 200 km away from PP.

view from the Leap Viraksar Hotel in Kampong Cham

eating Ban Chau for breakfast

my new friend Kunthea (in the raincoat)

group dinner at Jo's

new working colleagues

our boat at the front of the picture

in the Silk weaving village

Mosque in a Cham- village

We have language training from Monday to Saturday. There are two groups.

happy language class

I am in the afternoon group, it starts at 13:30 until 17:30. We have two breaks in between.

Johns Panama hat on a table in Cambodia

John gave two very good presentations about the history of Cambodia. The first one was about the reasons behind the political developments. The second was about the horrifying time during the Khmer Rouge Regime. He studied a lot about it in the past so he is very knowledgeable. I borrowed a book from him which is called: To the end of hell, written by Denise Affonso, and I can recommend everybody to read it.

At the end of October, I went to PP to attend to my first VolCom meeting ( Volunteer Committee), which was very interesting and useful. Some people followed from Kampong Cham (KC) a day afterwards because on the 1st of November, there was the amazing Dragon Boat race with the great After party at the roof of the Tamarind.

Yes, I am having fun!

PP impressions

01.11.09

Sue and Carol

yes, we are ready to win!!

We were 42 VSO participants in life jackets, the only boat with women on board!

our Captain

Hakki and me

the Stung Trenger- Helen, Delia, Holli and me

group picture with life jackets

When we had the initial race against our racing partner, we didn’t even manage to keep up with them for a minute.

VSO in green and orange

getting sorted

before the race started

The 'After party' was great fun

Oly

with Wendy at her local po-cha-nea tan mee

knyom

Dels

Ems

Holli darling

Evic and Helen

Then we had another week of Language and getting used to KC, until we went off to the placement visit week.

Impression on my way home from work

more sunset in ST

I travelled up to Stung Treng with lovely Carol, whom I will work closely together with, Ferdi, and Maria.

ST waiting house

Delia on peadiatric ward

at peadiatric ward in ST

in the market in ST, a beggar with a half dead

my orchid, first time it's blossoming

spritz the juice into your beverage,

On the last day in ST we had a party at my house.

Ferdi made Phillipino food, sticky yello rice

dry your hands with some tissue

and then ask for more ice, or a toothpick

Carol having a good time

In PP, I partyed hard I must admit, too much probably, going to the Heart of Darkness and all that... but it was also fun.

I also visited the "Killing Fields" with John of course, who gave me another lesson in history.

Carol

with colourful sarongs in the background

drink after saying: cheer-moi or soka-pe-ap la-or

Dara, our language teacher, is also a survivour of the Khmer Rouge regime, he did forced labour in the countryside and then stayed for 10 years in a Refugee camp. He told us his moving story. He is a great man.

Back in KC, more language every day, eating out, getting to know each other.
I got a nasty chest infection, treated myself with fresh ginger, lemon and honey tea. After a week, it got better.

pulling on a tail of a crocodile

Apsara performance

the coconut dance

we just about made it over

Troughout the two months of being away, I run in preparation for the 10 k marathon in Siem Riep, around Ankor wat. Now I feel more then exited about it. Can't wait in fact...

Oly is doing Carol's blog with a brushetta on his lap

This weekend ( 28/29.11.), we'll have a home stay planned. That means tomorrow, we will be picked up to stay with a local family in a rual village over night. Everything will be very basic and they can't speak any english or german. So we can practise our newly learned khmei plenty. We got instructions what to take with us and also for the family, so Carol and me got shopping at the market the other day and bought Sompots ( traditional long skirts, one for us, one for the mother), Kroma ( the traditional red and white checked scarf for the father), colouring books and kreyons for the children and fresh fruit for the whole family. I also got soap for them. We also have toothbrushes and toothpaste from the hotelroom that we will take with us. Everybody takes a moskito net also.
Looking forward to that.

After that weekend we have only 4 more days here in Kampong Cham language training and eating out....

Carol and Ashish

Dara njam bay

dinner in KC at Jo's

I'll return back to work for 2 weeks, until my dear friend Carmen arrives from the UK. We'll spend christmas together and New Year in the hot. And once she leaves, my sister and my mum will arrive. So I have so much to look forward to.

I hope you are all well. Saw the other day on a german programm in TV, called DW (Deutsche Welle), how the lights got started on the Ku'damm in Berlin and I saw the christmas markets and I felt very homesick then. It looked cold but cosy... Here, I wouldn't notice at all if it was christmas or not. They don't celebrate it.

Take care everyone! And I am open to any kind of donation you want to make.

inside the Fraginpany's

Lots of love,

Yours Katja

28./29.11.2009

“This night is never going to end” I thought, when I tried so hard to sleep last night.
It was the end of our 7th week of ICT and we were doing the “homestay”.
This time, most volunteers shared a family, because our group is big, with 21 education, livelihoods and health volunteers; we also needed to be paired off into vegetarian and non-vegetarians. Our landlady and mum for one day and one night picked us up after we all met with the local village chiefs. Maria and I shared, and we had plenty of time to practise our newly learned Khmei, with which we had been well equipped by our one and only Dara. In the morning we played with children from the neighbourhood and got to know our new home and had lunch. After having had a nap and getting a first taste of the bed, which didn’t have a mattress, we walked to the market, strolled around and met other friends. I was very thankful to get an insight of village life, especially wandering through paddy fields enjoying the typical rich aroma of the rice plants; I experienced the wonderful silence except from the occasional birds, singing from the palm trees, feeling the warm sun on my skin and seeing the lush green shades and blue sky together. It made me realise again, how much I love Cambodia.
After an early “meaty” dinner, we played with the children again. The colouring book with the crayons were especially appreciated.
The light went out at 8pm. In the room where our bed was, also mum and her two children slept on a mat on the floor. Before she went to bed, she gave us a potty to use during the night, in case we need to “wee”. The heavy steel doors were locked.
So the night started early, and I tried every position to make myself comfortable, but it didn’t help to make the bed any softer. Meanwhile I could hear mum snoring, rats running around and the scratching sound of cockroaches. Each time I dozed off a little bit, mum or one of her two children used the potty in the dark. Although we had a mosquito net, something horrible stung me on my arm through it and it made me really jump, because of course I thought at least it must have been a scorpion. To get over that shock, I tried to read to let time pass but then I didn’t want to wake Maria with the light. So finally when the roosters started to welcome the morning, I found a little bit of sleep. At 6 I was glad to smell the firelight and was looking forward to the “meaty” borbor (porridge) breakfast.

I heard that the majority of our group really enjoyed the experience. Some of us had mattresses, some didn’t. Some just couldn’t sleep together in one bed, as one particularly manly pairing started to get into the double bed to which they had been assigned, one of them cried out: “ I can’t do this! I am a man! And I only sleep with women!” After some small commotion, mats were laid on the floor and another mosquito net was rigged up, upon which both manly parties could sleep soundly without trepidation and an easy conscience; the house also proved resilient enough to withstand their snoring.

Another volunteer was called by nature in the night; venturing to the outside toilet with her headlamp, she discovered that her path to the WC was blocked by four cows, who looked particularly threatening in the dark. Not daring to disturb them and cause a stampede in the middle of the night, she retreated back into the dark common sleeping area where after some thought and using the profound ingenuity of the English, she improvised a urine recepticle the nature of which is unmentionable; only to say that it resulted in great mirth for the other onlooking nek-smek-chet. The volunteer in question was particularly fearful “in case her cup runneth over”!

The food was delicious and the host families very friendly and helpful everywhere. The children were always cute and smiling and curious about the strange foreigners in their midst. Somehow communication always worked despite our limited vocabulary. Some of us discovered that with the older generation of villagers, that a combination of “Khmei”, “Barang” and “sign language” worked very well. Some of us were even seen to be declining French verbs using fingers in the dust. Others proved themselves much more capable and fluent in Khmei alone (Thank you Dara!)
At 8:30 in the morning, we made our “bumpy” way back to the guest-and VSO house in Kampong Cham.

Thank you VSO, especially our great organizers Pisit and Soklaing.

Katja H
John P
Carol K

written by  katja-horsch on November 25, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: ICT- In Country Training
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Also I feel better to go into the hospital, because instead of teaching unwilling staff about how to do nursing documentation properly, I did an audit with the nurses about it. The outcome will be put into analysis and diagrams and Setyll can use it for his next meeting to encourage about the documentation. And that audit was really good. I also put Channa in charge, so that he gets experiences with that and can add that to his CV.
In a conversation with the director of the RTC I also found out, that students shouldn’t do certain activities like giving iv- drugs or im- injections on their own without observation. He told me to write an incident report about that. Which made me quite happy. That shows, that things like that shouldn’t actually happen and there can be something done about that. This incident form needs to be developed first though. So I suppose I get one from the UK and adapt from that.
Today in the hospital I met again very poor sick people, and then at the end we were in AandE and there was a very sick looking girl. Five people in white around her, fiddling and laughing. One of them fiddled with her hip and I just saw that he gave her an im- injection. Not to the right place. So I was furieous and asked, if there are nurses. No, all students. So I went into the staff room where 3 nurses where watching TV. I made a fuss, and this will be my first incident report. I think AandE hates me now. Channa told me later, that it was the same student nurse, who gave him the im-injection when he had malaria. After that injection, Channa couldn’t walk for 2 days. He also told me, that this student nurse is only in his first year, so they didn’t even have injections in school….

Delia’s mum was here for a week from Australia, which was really nice. She is also a very generous person and brought and bought so many presents for the people here. Unfortunately, she’s leaving again tomorrow.

When I had my English class at Vanny’s tonight, a little dark kitten fell down 10 steps of a staircase. It looked very very skinny and underweight. The hair is quite grown already but from the fragile walk and apathic look it looks like it’s nearly dead. It is also so tiny and light and very smelly. I just felt so sorry for it, and Vanny and her family have already 3 dogs and 4 cats, so they don’t mind at all what happens with it. The mother cat had 3 kittens and 2 are already dead. So she is the only one left and I think the mother cat stopped feeding her or something. Peach actually doesn’t like it and wished it was dead. I just couldn’t do anything else and decided, to take it home with me to try. Vanny looked at me and said: but it doesn’t eat rice! Apparently all other animals eat rice here.
So on my way home I bought some thick sweet ‘kondens’ milk and tried to feed it. It wouldn’t take from the bowl, so I put some on my finger and it licked a little bit off. I also went to Delia and borrowed some cat food. Will try that out tomorrow morning, because at the moment she seems very tired. I put her on a blanket on the floor and since then she stayed there. I used the parcel, I sent my books over with, to make a toilet for her, because right at the beginning she peed into the corner of my house. I just hope she gets better. She can’t really walk. Her belly is so bloated. Maybe tomorrow I give her a bath. She is very smelly.
She is very cute though. Although the face is so skinny and the eyes look very tired, she has an interesting pattern in her fur. I think I call her Bella.

06.09.09, Tuesday

Bella was very critical over the weekend and gave me sleepless nights. She passed long worms and had fever. I contacted Hor to see if there’s a vet in Stung Treng and he referred me to one. I thought this vet might have only the name but not the skills, but I was completely wrong with that assumption. When he came on Sunday morning, she had diarrohea. He gave her 2 Injections, Paracetamol and Vitamins, and prescribed Water borbor only for her. Borbor is a local dish, it’s rice with meat and salt cooked for a very long time and from that the water. He also left a syringe to feed her. He promised to come back on the same day in the afternoon. He seemed concerened about her. Unfortunately, maybe because of the drugs or I don’t know why, she jumped of the balcony down 1 and a half meters. Fortunately onto a plant, which was under the balcony. But I think she hurt herself and broke her right wrist.
On Monday, she was sleeping more or less all day. She had 5 ml of water borbor every 2 hours. The vet even called to ask if she is better.
And she is better actually. She looks slightly more perky, crawls around more and looks more interested in things. She looks more like a kitten now, not like a sick starving hook. Although she hates the feeding procedure. No more diarrhoea. The vet said if she hasn’t got a poo, he will even give her a supposotory. The funniest is, that he also prescribed tiger balm to rub onto her bloated belly. I’ve never heard of that. But I do it and hopefully it works.

The other thing that happened is, that Sareth moved in with me. Well, temporarly. She is with me since Saturday night, mainly to have piece to learn for her forthcoming exams. She sleeps in my spare room and it is nice to have company. She also helps me with Bella and feeds her, when I am at work. And she persists to cook. Which I enjoy actually. Yesterday we had noodle for breakfast, noodle for lunch and noodle for dinner. But I don’t mind anymore. She is lovely and we understand each other although her English is not brilliant. But it’s getting there and she learned already a few new words. Otherwise she would be in the student accommodation where everybody is panicking at the moment because the whole school has exams. So she enjoys it and has her own space and piece to learn. And we get to know each other.

I went for my first run on Monday morning with Delia for 30 min. It was lush at 6 am in the moring, the sunlight so gentle. I really enjoyed it and did better then I thought. Today I can feel it in my legs and Delia texted me already if I want to run again tomorrow morning. Well want, I actually want something else at the moment, but I do it. For the shape and condition. And afterwards I felt better.

07.10.09 Wednesday
We went for a run again this morning and the flooding fades slowly.
Then I went to work and refined my proposal. The students have exams at the moment and all teachers are very busy.
When I came home for my lunchbreak, Bella was dead. She was lying very stiff and cold on her blanket. I felt so sad.
I burried her under a coconut tree.

11.10.09 Sunday
Without Bella and Sareth, the house feels empty. Sareth went back home to see her family, after her exams had finished. She was so sad to leave, but I’ll see her and the other two girls next week, before I go to Phnom Penh. They will stay in my house during my In-Country-Training for 2 months.
Last night I gave a party. There are not enough partys going on in Stung Treng. So I invited everybody that was in my phone list and alltogether, 6 people showed up. First we ate, I made a curry and salads, then we played a game and then we danced a little bit.

Yesterday morning, Delia, Louisa and me went for a photo-shooting.

getting ready for the phot shoot

Louisa got great hair

post photo shoot, Delia in the dressing room

Happy Birthday Regina!!! Where are you? Keep in touch, want to know how you are!

14.10.09 Wednesday

I’ve just about recoverd from the inauguration party from the RTC. Gosh, I’ve never been to something like that. First of all, Delia and me had our run at 6 in the morning, and that day I felt really tired, was looking forward to my lunch break nap. The announcement was to have the party after lunch, so I was saving my dress for the afternoon.
At 10:30, we were suddently invited to come upstairs to the meeting room to join the party. That is typical Khmei, unpredicted and completely out of the blue. So we went upstairs and there was so much food, haven’t seen so much nice looking food for a long time.. I wanted to sit with the other teachers, but the director invited me to his table, together with the vize director, the director of the Provincial Health Departement, the Chief of this and the Chief of that. Important people. It was ok, but boring. The party was going on next to us on the big table. I saw that they were all drinking beer, well actually binging it. So once one had a glass filled, they were drinking to each others health and the new building and to the King and Queen and then everybody had to empty the glass. Usually Cambodians don’t drink or at least only very little. But this was like a booze-up. I was sticking to Fanta and Coke, because I just wanted to see what happens and not to embaress myself.
At 2 pm, everybody was drunk, including the director and all the important people. I asked Mr. Chann Vann, a teacher, if it’s time to go home now, because I felt so tired and just wanted to go to bed. But he said, this will go on now for a long time, and I also had the feeling that nobody was allowed to leave really. So the tables and the floor looked like a mess. Cambodians throw bones, tissues, everything onto the floor. They also spit out whenever they like onto the floor.
I changed my place and laughed so much about the drunk teachers. Also suddently there were so friendly to me and I had the longest and best conversation ever with Dr. Tat Sovann, who is the Director of the technical office and who is usually very tight lipped. That’s when I started drinking as well. I’ve learned ‘Bottom empty’ and I taught one teacher to say: would you like to dance? So the time passed and yes, we were drinking, messing around with food, at the end a little bit dancing and chatting away until it was 7 pm. Most of the teachers were completely wasted by then and so some 3rd year students were invited to finish off the beer and food. I got myself out of it after having huged and kissed the director, vize director and Mr. Tat Sovann. So funny…

For the next day I had arranged to have a meeting with Mr. Tat Sovann. He was there, and I think everybody had a very bad hangover. I went through my Annual Work Plan with him. I was very happy when the day had finished.

Today I feel much better, had a run again this morning and I saw fog over the river. It just looks so lush so early in the morning. And then I am very thankful to be here.

15.10.09 Thursday

Happy happy Birthday, David Pilz! Am thinking of you and hope you are well.

This Friday, I am going to Phnom Penh for my ICT. The new group of health volunteers will arrive today from all over the world. That will be finally MY batch, I was waiting for, for 5 months now. So I am looking forward to meet new people, spend some time together and most important, learn the language properly. We’ll have language training every day for 4 hours, including Saturdays. At some point we will move to Kampong Cham, where a guest house provides for us accommodation for nearly 2 months. The ICT will be finished on the 12th of december. I have no idea if they will have internet connection there but I hope they will.
During the placement visit week in mid November, I am planning to take some leave to go to Japan.

Will keep you all up to date. I hope you are all well. As I heard, you have autum now. Here, the rain has stopped more or less and it is hot again every day and the sun shines and I feel good. Take care everyone, you are always in my thoughts. Lots of kisses from your Katja!

written by  katja-horsch on October 13, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: VSO experience in Cambodia
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Today I wore a skirt, it wasn’t a long one but over my knees, and everybody was staring at me.

Nary, please notice the print on her t-shirt!

Nary and me, sometimes my only student

The last English class with the rather good speaking bunch of teachers was really fun.
I prepared a short amusing story for them where they had to guess the last line of the story and a game. Well, you know that game where you have to pick a famous person everybody knows and then you write that name down on a little note and stick it on each others forehead. Then the person has to ask questions and the others are only allowed to answer with yes and no. So we were 5 people altogether and the funny thing was at the end, that instead of having 5 different famous persons at the end, we had 3 Christiano Ronaldos and 2 Britney Spears. During the game I just couldn’t stop laughing.

another one in my collection for 'weird creatures in and around my house'

In preparation for our trip to PP, the girls sleep for one night at my place so that we can go together on Friday morning to the Bus station. Also they escape one more night in the crowded RTC student accommodation. So I had to get some more pillows from Delia and another bed sheet. She is also exited for us and gave me $10 to buy a meal for all of us once we are there. Bless her. She is so thoughtful and has such a big warm heart.

Apparently, hair loss is a common complaint of female volunteers, whether they are taking antimalarial drugs or not. Usually it is hard to identify a specific cause, and it may due to the change in environment, a new diet, general stress, lack of sleep and changes in the menstrual cycle. Some volunteers don’t get their period for months. For myself the only change I can think of is the new diet I am having. I am eating really only basic food, mainly rice and noodles, very little bread and if then it’s made out of coconut I think, I have no butter, no cheese, no chocolate, only a little bit of milk in the morning with my tea. Otherwise I have mainly fresh vegetables I fry and fresh fruit of course. Especially ripe papaya. Most of the European food is just not available in ST. But when I go to PP, I’ll buy me some cheese. I am craving for it, really.
If I think of what I ate in England, baked beans, fatty sausages, lots of cheese with buttered good brown Botley bread, chips and kebabs, frighed mars bars and stews and I drank much more alcohol then I do here. Sometimes I feel a craving coming up and then I buy for myself a box of Pringles. They are available here. Sometimes that is my dinner. Then I have to think of Doerti and our ‘Chips Abende vorm Fernseher’.

28.09.09
Oh, we had such an amazing time. So the girls and me got a moto dop to the bus station on Friday morning and took the bus to PP. Of course the bus broke down for 2 hours on the way, but finally after nearly 10 hours, we made it. On the way we were nibbling Cambodian sushi and I had my first fright beetles which weren’t so bad.
In PP, we went to the VSO Programme office and made ourselves comfortable. It was late already and we cooked something and then Sareth and Srey-mom wanted to hit the nightlife. Parim had a headache and wanted to stay in. So the rest of us visited two clubs fairly early (for nightlife), but I introduced them to Tequila ( they had a quarter, Cambodians usually don’t drink), and they were first time in proper, real night clubs. They were staring at those girls who did wear tight minidresses and high heels.

On Saturday morning, we went with the tuk-tuk for 2 hours outside PP to see Parim’s mum, who visited her sister. Because of the Phchum Ben season, we went to a pagoda.
( Bonn Dak Ben and Bonn Phchum Ben - It’s also called the Spirit Commemoration festival which is held for the spirit of the dead, Bonn Dak Ben- the offering of food to the Buddhist monks, lasts for 15 days. The full moon is called Bonn Phchum Ben, means the collection of the beans (offering). During the celebration, if the departed souls do not find their families making offering at a Wat ( Pagoda), it is believed that the souls are cursed and will bother the descendants through out the year.)
So I thought we would go into a Pagoda, but suddenly there was the most impressive stone temple, I’ve ever seen. A little bit like the Ankor wat temple, only in mini size. Inside was a Guru with long black hair and bright red lips, elevated on pillows, praying. In front of him a group of people, deeply praying. So we also sat down and I basically did what the others did. Folding my hands and from time to time touching the floor with my hands for three times. This temple inside, it wasn’t very big, but it was full of Buddha statues and giant pictures of himself in glorious costumes. I felt like being in a different world.
After half an hour or so, my legs just started to get numb, the group of people disappeared and the Guru gave me an inviting smile of black teeth and made me understand to come closer. So the girls and me sat in front of him, and while he was chewing his Beatle nuts and spitting them out occasionally, ‘Father’ gave us a blessing. Then he sprayed some perfume onto the palms of our hands and I followed the others, rubbing it into the hair. Then we gave a donation and went out.

Then we had a look around the temple, and they don’t only have a monkey, they also keep in a cellar a real big anaconda. It was amazing.

After lunch with Parims family, we were asked, if we want to have a water-blessing. It was 35.000 Riel, which is nearly $9. And that is a lot and was probably the only money they had with them. But they persisted to do it for religious reasons I suppose.
So we undressed naked under a piece of cloth in front of the temple and were waiting for father. Wrapped up, full anticipation and excitement, we waited for around 40 minutes for Father to bless us again. Parim was the first. She was sitting on stairs with the back to father, who purred a stone jug of water over her, while he blessed her. Then he smashed the jug onto the floor and it broke into thousand pieces. She then stood up and had a ‘flower shower’, thrown by a few monks. It’s a nice procedure. Afterwards we tried to get back into our clothes under a wet piece of cloth. During our final blessing back in the temple, I felt the petals itching in my underwear.
We got another spray and I got my first Cambodian little red piece of string, you were on your wrist. It was an amazing experience and on the way back to PP on the back of an open pick up I thought, life is good.

Back in PP we had dinner in a Khmei restaurant and I had my first Tom Yam and Parim liked it so much, that she wanted to go to that restaurant the following night as well.

Later we all went to hit the night life again. First we saw life Cambodian Karaoke on a stage, and then we went to my favourite club in PP. It’s called Pontoon and it is a ship, you dance on. Sareth and Srey-mom really like dancing, Parim I found out, is actually quite grown up already and very serious some times. She preferred to sit all night, while we had fun on the dance floor.

On Sunday morning, we cycled to the hospitals. The first one was amazing. They couldn’t believe how clean it looked and how well organized it was. It was a normal hospital, nothing special, but it was much better then everything I’ve seen so far in the north-east. So after we went to different wards and spoke to several people, we got the address and phone number, so that they can contact them maybe next year, when they finish their training, to apply for a job there. The other two hospitals were not very impressive and it was good I think, they realized the difference and what it can make.
After lunch at the PO, we went to see the National museum. They were also fascinated by it. In the evening, we walked along the River side and enjoyed the sunset at a big public park in front of a Casino. We went in and it was even breathtaking for me, to see all that glamour there.

On Monday morning, I brought them to the bus station to make sure, they are safe and waved them goodbye. They were very sad to leave, but me too. I had a wonderful time with them and I also felt, they improved their English speaking skills enormously. At the end they spoke so much more fluent then at the beginning. And I know them also better now. Each one has a different personality, which is very interesting. In reflection, they liked the hospital visits most and the nights out.

After having made a very spontaneous decision on Monday, I went to the beach. During some snorkelling there, I stung my foot on a spiky black sea star and fortunately it wasn’t poisonous. My big toe was numb for nearly 3 days. I met really nice people on the way. It could have been the perfect trip, if not my handbag got stolen.

Suddenly 3 boys on a moto turned out of nothing, grabbed my handbag and drove off. And people who know me, know that I have a lot of things in there. So my camera with all the precious pictures from the girls and me, is gone now, my phone, my purse with ID and credit card of course, my USB stick and most valued my diary. I never knew how somebody feels who just lost that, but it feels pretty shit, I know now. Without money for a few days, I managed to borrow some and went back to PP. There I got some ID from the PO and managed to block my account and ATM card and ordered a new credit card. VSO also gave me $100 in advance instead of next month, so that I got a new phone at least, a taxi ticket back home and I got my running shoes, training starts in 2 days…

That experience was a good eye opener for me actually. I was quite gullible and trusting so far, maybe I need to change that a little bit. I also felt betrayed by the Cambodians, I am here for. But at the end of the day, there were only material things.

To talk about something more cheerful, on Saturday morning, I had my first paddle practise for the dragon boat race in November and that was real fun. I met a few other volunteers and we went with a ferry to the other side of the Mekong and drove to a village, who provided the boat. They are tiny, those paddles, and it is exhausting. Around 40 people fit into that boat. We were only 20 then and paddled 6 times altogether up and down a maybe 2 kilometre length. Next paddle exercise is in 3 weeks I believe. Back in the PO I met Claire and Holli, who wanted to go out that night. Before I went with them, I met Delia with her mother for dinner and was embarrassed, that they had to invite me.
Claire, Holli and me went first into a really cool small club, where a Cambodian band played live western music, and they were really good. Then we went again to Pontoon and danced the night away until 3:30 when Helen called me, that the taxi is on the way to pick us up.

Back in ST, I have the feeling that I need to change a few things in my life. I really want to concentrate on volunteering and make most of the time, I am here. But somehow it feels suddenly quite overwhelming, all the things I want to do. And I also don’t have much time left, until I have my 2 month ICT- in country and language training, then I will have visitors.

Hor told me a sad story. His neighbours son who is 13, got ill. He got tested for Malaria and treated with antibiotics for it. But they didn’t help. He got tested again and it is not Malaria he’s got, but Dengue fever. Apparently he is so ill, day 5 today, he has dengue haemorrhagic fever, which can cause deathly bleeding. Apparently any transfer to another hospital or PP can kill him, because the ambulance can’t provide the material to keep him alive in case of an emergency. His stomach is very swollen and he is severely ill. But they can’t do anything for him, except praying. I feel so sorry for the family. And I can’t do anything.

30.09.09

About the little boy, they found out that he has now both. Malaria and Dengue. He is still critical in Stung Treng hospital and the praying for him continues.

Last night, me, Helen, Delia’s mum, Louisa and Sambath were invited to a wedding of a colleague from the PHD.
Before we went I had a phone call from VSO PO to inform me about the weather. I didn’t know that there we had a Typhoon. I was wondering why it was heavily raining all day and night with strong winds. So VSO advised volunteers from the province next to ST, to move from wooden houses into brick stone houses.
When I had a look at the weather forecast in TV, they said it’s coming from Vietnam, over Laos and will enter Cambodia, then it will move along the Mekong.
So today again, rain all day and last night there was a heavy storm keeping me awake. I felt slightly scared.

Louisa and Delia

Louisa, Delia and her mum

Helen and me after the shower from above

dancing around the table

the beautiful bride

the handsome groom

the boy behind me was very keen to dance with me

written by  katja-horsch on September 30, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: 16.09.-30.09.09
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Yesterday I started to give the teachers in the RTC lessons for the first time. I do that now every day from 16:30 – 17:30. We have two groups, one group for Baby-English, one for advanced English. So far so good. It’s really fun. I really like it very much. The groups are not big and that is nice, so it is very participatory.
I like to prepare the lessons and when I develop a photocopy, I put a picture of England or Germany on it.

On Thursdays and Fridays, I also teach my neighbours girls English from 18:30 –19:30. I really like that and I have the feeling, I give something to individuals who benefit from it hopefully at some point.

Otherwise my days are a little bit dull. Getting up early in the morning, sitting in the RTC from 7:30 – 11:30, then going home for lunch, shower, nap, back to work at 14:15 –17:30, then usually home, shower, dinner, DVD, shower, bed, reading, lights out at 22:00. Because I’m on my own it is just uneventful. I never thought it would be like that, but it is. Well, we have nearly September and in October, my ICT starts and I’ll meet more new volunteers and that will hopefully give me new energy.
I think, that live is so much more worth if I can share moments and experiences with somebody else.

On the other side it is good to spend so much time in the RTC. I have the feeling to be on top of things and also that I’m doing what I can at the moment.

09.09.2009
Well, generally I am over my low point now, I think.

On Saturday, I usually have my 3 student nurses at home around lunchtime. One weekend I cooked my very famous Thai curry and the other weekend, they said they will bring something around. So they did. And we had a feast of Khmei soup and we had a small party and invited Delia as well. It was fun. Then after lunch we usually watch a DVD on my laptop, of course action film, and then they have to go to study.

Srey-mom, Delia, Sareth and Parim

Sareth, Parim me and Srey-mom

On one Sunday I asked Chantra, to show me the place where you can spot Dolphins here in ST. So he took me at 8am in the morning to a place, in fact a school, where he taught in the past. It was a beautiful morning, lush green forest apparently with monkeys until a few years ago, and so we waited at that little beach at the Mekong river for them.

students at work

wooden art, it took around 10 days

Chantras farm

Chantras pond for growing fish

poor things

they smelled delicious

Otherwise the rainy season has fully started now. It rains nearly all day at the moment and that is inconvenient with white trousers, cycling to the RTC. Fortunately I got those ‘Crocks’ like shoes before I left and they are worth gold now. The water for washing clothes and flushing toilet I actually save in buckets at the moment. So less to pay water bill.

my favorite Cambodian animal, the waterbuffalo

a maybe pregnant Waterbuffalo

What else?
I spent a lot of money on a few shopping trips over the past weekends in Stung Treng market. I bought 4 blouses there

my new blouse

Balloons seller at ST market as well as a sugar cane seller behind it

on my balcony

With Delia I meet up usually on Saturday mornings for breakfast at the market and then we have our toenails painted at a special place where I get to know the people already slowly. I’d never thought of doing that in England, but here it is just something, people do. Women walk in their pyjamas in daylight on the markets and have their nails done. And it is a very good business. It’s supporting Cambodians and getting to know them and the other way around of course. Even very little children sit in the little stalls, have their toe and fingernails painted red.

Delia and me, having iced-coffee after the nails got painted

In the RTC I am doing ongoing supervision with the teachers and they seem to be ok with it now. Lately, I observed one of my favourite teachers, Mr. Sokhouen, in class, demonstrating a practical skill, ‘Indwelling Catheter insertion’. The problem was, that although the RTC has dummies, they don’t have enough material like catheters or sterile gloves. So they have to improvise and that is sometimes tricky. After his demonstration, some students take the used gloves out of the bin, re-powder them for the next demonstration. They re-use every single thing until it’s completely not useable any more. Then they start to practise.
Afterwards I gave Mr. Sokhouen feedback about his performance and also suggestions, how he could improve his teaching.

The English lessons for the teachers are a success and even if there are only a few people, I think it is still worth it to teach them. And the ones who come are very enthusiastic and keen and they actually learn something.

11.09.2009
8 years after the New York Ground Zero.
Yesterday I finally had my 3 month review.

the evening Daniel came, all volunteers ate out

me, Daniel, Hor and Channa at my 3 month meeting

13.09.09
Having had severe hair loss and maybe worms, I am still alive.
Talking about health, I would like to share some information with you:

The 2008 population of Cambodia is approx. 13.3 million, about 80% of whom live in rural areas. Although still very much a least developed country, economic growth over the 1994-2004 period averaged 7% per annum and the proportion of people living below the poverty line declined from 47% to 35%. As a result of a massive ‘baby boom’ from the 1980 through the mid 1990’s, the country has an extremely young demographic structure, with almost two thirds of the population under the age of 30. The first wave of ‘baby boomers’ are now in their early 20’s and generation a second, smaller ‘boom’ as they marry and start families. Consequently, despite a steadily decreasing total fertility rate, the crude birth rate is a high 25.6 per 1.000.

a empty house in Stung Treng

Although the level of education is low by international standards, it is significantly higher than in the recent past. 57.8% of 15-19 year olds have completed primary school, a more than 20%age point increase over the age group immediately ahead of them, and a huge difference when compared to less than 10 percent of persons aged 40 and over.
Equally important, this gain is basic education has been equitable and a formerly pronounced gender gap is rapidly closing. For the age group 20 to 24 years the female: male ratio for completion of primary school is 0.68, whereas for the age group 15-19years it has risen to .92. These trends seem certain to continue; the net attendance ratio for primary school is at an all-time high and the gender parity index for primary school attendance is now 1.02. Although males still outnumber females with respect to secondary schooling, that gap has significantly narrowed in recent years as well.

a department for ? in Stung Treng

Fertility and infant and child mortality decreased significantly in Cambodia between 2000 and 2005, along with a noticeable improvement in intermediate indicators as child immunization and contraceptive prevalence. However, at 84/ 1.000 live births, the under 5 death rate is still one of the highest in Southeast Asia, and maternal mortality has shown no improvement at a very high 472 deaths per 100.000 live births. Progress has been made in curtailing new transmission of HIV but the epidemic is far from over and transmission from mother to child remains a neglected area in terms of prevention.
Tuberculosis remains hyper-endemic, affecting approx. 225 per 100.000 of the population.
Dengue fever is endemic with major outbreaks occurring every 2-3 years.
Malaria is endemic in the more remote, forested parts of the country. The population remains vulnerable to unpredictable out-breaks of other infectious diseases such as SARS, avian influenza ( AI) and other respiratory infections.

Public Health System

The Ministry of Health (MOH) administers health services through 24 Provincial health Departments (PHD) and 76 Operational Districts ( OD). Within each OD is a network of Health Centres ( HCs) designed to provide primary preventive and curative health services known as the ‘Minimum Package of Activities’( MPA). Although the HC’s each cover a catchment area of only about 10-15.000 people, roads are poor and distances can be considerable. Consequently, immunization and other key preventive services are provided on an outreach basis, which is supposed to occur monthly. HC’s vary in how reliably they follow this schedule and tend to perform best in areas with technical/logistical support from NGO’s or other external agencies.

a patient in the hospital corridor, in front of A+E

Supporting the HC’s is a ‘Referral Hospital’ (RH) which provides inpatient care and an expanded set of services known as the ‘Complementary Package of Activities’ (CPA). Development of the RHs to their officially designated CPA status is still a work in progress; many RHs lack surgical and blood-banking capacities and, by extension, the ability to handle obstetrical emergencies.

Weaknesses in the public sector service delivery
system include:

- inadequate financing and erratic provision of essential drugs and equipment
- Health provider incentives do not reward quality service delivery and performance; the health systems suffers from overlapping, counterproductive payment and incentive schemes and low public sector salaries leas to simultaneous practice in the private sector..
- Inadequate (numbers and skill-level) human resources at the service delivery level and inappropriate allocation of available human resources, especially midwives
- A general lack of accountability and transparency, and an organizational culture which is not merit-based or performance-oriented
- De facto autonomy of multiple vertical national programs; while this has, in some cases, been helpful in ensuring rapid action in response to specific public health needs (eg the HIV epidemic), it creates a considerable obstacle for needs that cut across administrative program lines, eg PMTCT and diagnosis/ treatment of HIV/ TB cross infection

Overall Government Hospitals perform poorly, especially in rural areas. Both service statistics and the CDHS indicate very low levels of utilization. While the previously described limited range of services available in many of the hospitals, as well as poor quality of care ( both technical and interpersonal) undoubtedly plays a role, there is data to support the common belief that financial barriers are paramount. The median health expenditure for treatment in a government hospital is $26.63 for an illness of moderate to serious severity, slightly higher than the median expense found in private hospitals. Most importantly, all but the highest socio-economic quintile experience problems in meeting this expense, as indicated by the percentage who report having taken a loan or sol an asset to finance it.

-Cambodia, Secondary analysis of the 2005 CDHS, unpublished-

some very young monks doing cleaning work at a pagoda

I miss you all very much, take good care and keep in touch.

Yours Katja

written by  katja-horsch on September 13, 2009 from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
from the travel blog: end of August, beginning of September 09
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