Kratie was a time dedicated to research for volunteer placements. It was not as obvious as someone would think in a developing country. I have to say I was being quite picky as to who I would volunteer for. So many NGO's in Cambodia are only after money or do not do anything truly productive or sustainable in their projects. Corruption is widespread in this place, Westerners included. So in the meantime, I got a job at a University teaching English courses…don't worry, I was not teaching grammar or spelling, just reading and comprehension. The only thing I can teach when it comes to languages. Unfortunately that did not work out, for many reasons. The best thing that came out of the experience was being able to live in the country side Cambodian style and getting an up close and personal understanding of the school system… My house was old a traditional wooden house on stilts with a wraparound balcony down a dirt road. You sleep on a bamboo mat on the floor, share the toilet with 15 other people, take bucket showers and eat together in a circle all sharing a few dishes in the center. I was very busy but I did take the time to explore the country side, start putting true effort into learning the Khmer language, eating too much Krolan and meditating by the mighty Mekong.

Of course I cannot forget the flood... the country is affected by floods during the rainy season on a yearly basis, some provinces more than others. These floods ruin crops (the only income for most families in the country side), ruin houses and take lives. Unfortunately, the government is yet to invest in proper infrastructure to downsize the damage. Luckily Cambodians are used to this type of neglect and help each other in every way they can. It was truly amazing to watch from an outsider's perspective. Villages adopted other villages. Some aid agencies like Oxfam did pull through and give food rations to families who were most affected, some aid agencies came a little later like the Cambodia Red Cross. The floods happened during a festive time where people celebrate and bring gifts for their dead loved ones to the pagodas. Many members of the Red Cross decided it would be best to only assist the flood victims once the celebrations have ended...priorities I guess. The market moved a little day by day to the river front, the kids swam in the streets, every day you would feel more mysterious clumps on the ground as you treaded through the water to dry land. They never stopped smiling. Even during the political ripots that started that month, smiles and peace, this is what the people are about.

Finally I got lucky, as always and stumbled on a small NGO website, Village health community development. This NGO is small, humble and active in rural areas, developing the health care sector in many ways. It took a few weeks and I settled in my new position as a nurse mentor and educator for the next six months. This job would involve living in the capital, which I wasn't so fond of at first, but also to travel to different provinces and do hands on teaching and treating local people, a dream come true.