Another few months to update all at once. It’s 5 months since I got here – and 5 months to go. I’m exactly half way.THIS PAST MONTH (well, 3 of them):
-The discovery of
-Night riding through
-Frida
-Question… Is democracy the objective or the tool?
-My answer: “we seem to be spending a lot of time promoting one tool? So much energy on perfecting the tool and its correct use, that maybe we forget the objective?
-Quakers (“Beliefs are not just safe ledges in an uncertain reality, but rather handholds from which further heights can be reached”).
-Corruption, or just inefficiency?
-Nau te rorou, Naaku te rourou, Ka ora ai te iwi
-wild life = wild peace
-“A drawing is a conversation with yourself”
-Green hammock, balcony, mango tree, books, tomato seedlings, a cup of red bush tea with soy milk, and me.
-Nazim Hikemet
-Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
-Things fall apart (Chinua Achebe, 1958)
-Paul Farmer
-the importance of friends
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-The Be Good Tanyas
-there is a ‘cool’ young guard down the street, and when I pass him in either the morning or the evening (depending on his shift) he says with a cheeky smile; ‘Good evening pleasant looking woman’… I think it’s the ‘Khmenglish’ for ‘Hey good looking’. Makes me smile! I always say hello back, very politely, but make sure to call him ‘younger’ brother, (“Hi bro, how’s your day been kid?” – in Khmer) so he doesn’t get the wrong idea.
-There is a ginger dog that is always sitting on a stone seat when I’m coming back from work. It’s funny because there are beggars sitting on the ground leaning up against the wall just further down the road. It’s an odd roll reversal between animal and human.
-I burst out laughing in delight in the street the other day – as two shiny Lexus trucks (this city is full of them) were stuck behind an ox and cart close to my neighbourhood – I love it, that here in Phnom Penh the rich drive a Lexus, and the poor farmer comes in to sell his pottery, leading two ox pulling a cart… and they all use the same street (and the ox poops, and the Lexus toots, and everyone gets on very merrily).
-I’ve planted three Rhambutan plants, and three tomato seeds from an old rotting tomato – which have sprouted and look reasonably healthy. And I have a big bucket of compost too, soil production is an amazing process which everyone should be involved with (What happens to your organic wastes? Start composting today!).
-I’ve finished (pretty much) the workshop on communication – it’s 3 days and we will give it to union leaders to help them negotiate and communicate with their employers about better working conditions, pay, and other issues they are concerned about. Now I’m beginning a funding database project.
-My house is a ‘circus’ (Oyston, 2007). I’ve got a flatmate from
-I had to confiscate a polystyrene box from the chickens last week – they were pecking away at it and eating the little white flakes. I was worried that their tummies would be full of plastic, but they seem to be happy as ever today… one was sitting on a branch while the others ate the leaves, they had to jump up to get the leaves and would pull it down each time until some of the leaf broke off – and the one sitting on it would get bounced around, a bit like a swing or something!
-I went out for dinner with a friend tonight, and on the way home we passed a big pile of rubbish, and a cheeky, chirpy and dirty little childs head popped out from amongst it and called out hello and waved as we passed.
-I like bike riding through the city at night – everything seems ‘smooth’ (and you’ll just have to come here and try it to understand what I mean).
A few weeks ago a friend from the states, who I met studying Anthropology in
KEP:
Last weekend the ‘labour team’ had a weekend retreat down to Kep (the sea-side). They are such a fun group of people, so it was nice to spend a social weekend with them, out of the office. We (they) ate 8kg of crabs in two sittings, we swam between a couple of bays (and got a bit sunburnt), lazed on the beach, got abandoned by the boat which dropped us off at Rabbit Island, stayed in a beautiful resort with a stunning view of the waters edge, and had a mad mad mad mini bus driver – which just added to the whole experience. There have been some cool American Law interns here for the last few months, but they are all beginning to head home now – I will miss having them around.
EVENINGS AND WEEKEND EVENINGS:
Evening which aren’t spent in deep conversation with Rach, in the kitchen making rice milk, ice cream, lentils and couscous, have been spent out in bars and restaurants around
There was also a birthday party last weekend, which was good fun – it was for an Algerian friend, who is a young Dr working in Tekao and Kampot, so we all dressed up according to the theme (Arabs), and munched on his lovely Algerian birthday kai (think little pastries boiled in honey, rose water treats, pistachio cakes that sort of thing – he had done some wonderful cooking, and his mama had send across some delicacies from Algeria for us all to saviour! Made a change from rice and morning glory – although I’m loving the Cambodian food!). More photos from the party can be seen here (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41917&l=26c49&id=720375081)
TROPICAL DISEASE:
On the not so cheery side, there is a bit of dengue epidemic here (carried by urban daytime mosquitoes with stripy legs, potentially deadly, no vaccination or cure, 90% more cases so far this year compared with last year) – and two VSAers have already been evacuated to Bangkok – I’m being ultra careful because I’ve already had dengue, so if I get it again it’s more dangerous. Unfortunately for my body that means deet…
I’ve been lucky to only have minor tummy upsets (the worse has been about a week long). I think my D-diving training since 2003 has paid off in more ways than one, and I now have a cast iron stomach (touch wood).
NEXT UP…
so I can’t believe 5 months has already been and gone – but when I think of all that has happened, and think that I have the same amount of time to go, I realise there is a lot yet to take place before I leave here. I’m sure home-time will come too fast – time seems to move exponentially. The next wee while brings –
More exploring of
A bunch more language learning
Possibly a trip to Ratinakiri to participate in groundwork for a land alienation case
The arrival of Don Pedro in
Another trip to
The regular attendance of ‘cultural evenings’ and concerts with Rach
Several more inches of growth on my tomato plants
Reading a large quantity of good books
Much much more mopping up of water (my roof leaks when we get heavy rain, once a day at the moment)
More fruit smoothies
Em
Lao explorations
A trip to Svay Rieng to see Fiona
Discovering more cool parts of this amazing city
(another) Trip to the temples – this time with cool reflections and a lot of water lilies
Some more proposal writing
My parents arriving
Giving a workshop
Some crazy bike trips to the provinces
Drinking of coconuts (endless)
My little brother
Nazim Higmits poetry (more of it)
Transplanting my plants into bigger pots – and finding a new home for them when I go.
Dreams of a red mini and a trip to
A very cool month cycling through
And that will do for now!
Love you all very much
Kisses and hugs
Xxox
Anna