My first week in Cambodia

I had been in Cambodia in January this year, so  was fortunate that I had made a good connection with a tuk-tuk driver, Sok Neang, who met me at Phnom Penh airport on Saturday, and whisked me off to my guest house in the city centre.

 

To my surprise, Sok Neang asked if he could take me to his village the following day, to meet his wife, baby son and (very) extended family. We set off at 7 on Sunday morning for the 25k trip to the village, which took over 2 hours, including a stop to buy food and beer (which he allowed me to buy). The village is very rural, and although I knew they were poor, I was staggered at just how poor. Their home is just a shack really, sand floor, no electricity, sewage, running water, very little furniture, and the table doubles as a bed.  Sok Neang and his wife live with her parents (he doesn’t like his mother-in-law!), and sleep on a table in the “kitchen”, where they cook on old pots on a pile of bricks.

 

I was introduced to numerous family members – parents, in-laws, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and all the neighbours. They were all so delightfully friendly and welcoming. Old ladies who could barely walk came to greet me, and also have a good stare. Some of them commented on my hairy arms!

 

Lunch was produced at 11am, and was a sort of feast in my honour. I wasn’t quite sure about some of the food , but it tasted good and  I washed it down with plenty of beer.  After lunch they insisted I should lie down on the table for a sleep!

 

Later in the afternoon I was taken on a tour of the nearby paddy fields by Sok Neang, then a walk around the village, and we eventually got back to Phnom Penh at about 6.30 in the evening. A wonderful day, which served to emphasise yet again just how much we all take for granted in our affluent world.

 

I started work at the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights a couple of days later. It’s in the city, and Sok Neang collects me each day to take me to their office, and then again in the evening. The Centre is quite large, with about 25 employees and 6 volunteers, plus me. The other volunteers are mostly young  legal graduates from the UK, who are there with VSO or similar organisations. Work is intense, the office is very busy, and my brief so far has mainly been to look at the various financial policies, with a view to updating and amending them.