Siem Reap

Siem Reap has been really nice. The markets have so much atmosphere, despite the awful fish smells and peculiar foods hanging from hooks. The night market especially is lovely to walk around, all lit up by fairy lights. It is also really nice to stay in the same place as the other volunteers, as we all go out together for dinner every evening, and spend the weekends either visiting temples, or the villages and lazing by the pool. On my first night, after a long few days traveling from NZ to OZ through to Singapore, then finally Siem Reap I was met by Jillian straight away, and was out on my way to dinner within minute of dropping my bag off. It was so strange being back in an Asian country again, but I was so glad to be there. We ate, drank and danced till the early hours, in the famous Angkor What? bar, before returning to the guesthouse. I was so relieved to have my own room after being in 70 different hostels, and sharing bunk beds with drunk, noisy people. I slept so well that night!

The first week was a bit of a shell-shock as I heard so many stories about the children at school, and because of the intense heat and large responsibility of teaching on my own with only a Khmer teacher there to translate. However, I soon felt at ease and began to enjoy every minute of it. The children were great and so were the other volunteers- being mostly Australian, English, Dutch and American. I also mentioned to Dave the education coordinator that I wanted to learn much more about the charity Globalteer, and get involved in some fundraising. So, after being in Cambodia for only a matter of days I organised 'Pimp my Tuk Tuk' to help raise money to start a football team for the local NGO's. The night was a success, as we managed to raise $276 after expenses. We decorated 4 tuk tuks representing the USA, UK, Australia and Cambodia, and we all dressed up and marched around central Siem Reap for what seemed like hours. It was so much fun, and it was really nice to see everyone coming together. I even managed to get us in the national newspaper the Phnom Penh Post, which was quite exciting!

The next weekend, I went with Cathy and T'mara, two Australian girls, to see the landmine museum, which was definitely an eye-opening experience. Although it is such a tiny place out in the countryside there was so much information on the history of Cambodia. We learnt that there are 15-20,000 casualties to landmines each year, which equates to 40 per day, 2 per hour. They were invented especially to maim their victims, not kill them in order to slow the enemy down, and they date back to the American civil war. Despite the worldwide campaigning, and the devastation caused by landmines, over a dozen countries still produce them, America and Russia, being two of the countries refusing to sign the treaty. I was amazed, and horrified! It is such a huge problem in Cambodia, many of the children walk around with crutches, and there are so many adults with missing arms, legs, there are even adults attached to carts because half of their body was lost to landmines and they cannot move around without the carts. They are also not lucky enough to have wheelchairs. Although calling someone in a wheel chair hardly epitomises a lucky person. It is a tragic, yet daily problem in Cambodia.

I also visited the Friends Without Border Children's Hospital, which was established by a Japanese photographer a few years ago, but it an amazing success story. They treat 350 patients per day, helping support children with HIV, TB, Malaria, and various other life threatening illnesses. There are queues outside the hospital everyday, as people sit and wait for hours to be seen. We were not allowed inside the hospital out of respect of the children's privacy, however just seeing the short documentary on how the hospital began and reading the facts posted on the wall was enough. I learnt that 60,000 children die every year in Cambodia, before they reach the age of 5, mainly due to Malnutrition, Pneumonia, and Malaria. When I saw these figures and though about the children I taught, it really brought a tear to my eye.

I also got up at 5am to see the sunrise at the Temples. They were beautiful, and extra extraordinary if you were lucky enough to see the Buddhist Monks going to worship, which we were. I saw Angkor Wat, the most famous, Bayon, which is the one with all the faces, and the one with the trees out of Tomb Raider. The latter one was my favourite as it had far more character than all the others and seemed much older, as you saw how nature had taken hold of the temple with, as trees were growing through walls an out of stone, it was unbelievable, and very peaceful.

I also visited the floating villages, known as Chong Kneas. This was a complete exploitation of the villager's poverty, however, it was extremely interesting to see how these people lived. Mainly Vietnamese people, the lake was lines with house boats, and shacks made out of leftover wood and grass. I don't know how they survived during monsoon season. These people were so poor, yet the money we paid to go on the boat, went straight into the pocket of the rich men lining the harbor. It sickened me to see how Cambodia people exploit their own people- something which has been a common occurrence while I have been here. If you have money in Cambodia you can rule the world it seems, and those who do don't seem to care about the rest of the people who have nothing, to the extent that landowners will not allow people to grow their own vegetables on the land, and provide for themselves, because they say the land is sacred. Therefore they would rather their own people would die before touching the sacred land. It is astonishing, especially seeing it with your own eyes, yet there is nothing anyone can do, despite westerners trying for years to alleviate the problem.

I also took time out to visit some orphanages, which have taken in children off the street. One was called Green Gecko and the other House of Peace, both established by westerners, and both working to provide children with support, food, education and a safe home. Like many of the other NGO's these places were amazing and have made such a difference to the lives of over 100 children. I was privileged to be able to see such amazing organizations, and also to be a part of one whilst being in Cambodia.

Siem Reap has been a rewarding, difficult, interesting, challenging and equally enjoyable experience I a sad to leave behind, however I am sure I will be back in the near future.