CAMBODIA.....finally!

I have been in Cambodia for a little over 2.5 weeks now and so far so good! I'm spending 2 months volunteering at an water and sanitation NGO called RDI, that is based in a village just 3o minutes outside Phnom Penh (the capital city of Cambodia).

I'll give more details on my work etc. but just to cover basics - ill share some pictures of where I'm staying and some sights from Phnom Penh!

A good friend (aka Alex) asked me - what are the biggest differences between Cambodia and Indonesia...its a very good question and one I am constantly answering myself!

Observations so far,

1. The thing that struck me as the biggest difference initially was scale. Phnom Penh is a much more manageable size of 2 million people, and Cambodia has a population of 15 million people. The greater Jakarta area alone is well over 20 million people...with the country having a population around 120 million. Wow! Indonesia is huge...it is afterall the 4th most populous country in the world, but the difference really was apparent as soon as I got to Cambodia. I'm sure a lot of people who haven't been to Jakarta would think I'm crazy to say this, but Phonm Penh just seems so calm and manageable (in comparison only of course!)

2. The other striking difference is the landscape itself. Aside from some Hanlong Bay like hills/mountains in the countryside, the majority of Cambodia is very, very flat and flooded! There is water everywhere! No volcanoes here.

3. Religion is very different here too - Buddhism versus Islam, predominantly. There are heaps of beautiful pagodas around and many orange robbed monks afoot. No more ethereal mosques and veiled women and prayer calls.

4. There is also something different in the undertones of Indonesia versus Cambodia. Indonesia is an nation of islands...united relatively recently, and for the most part, not under constant threat of border disputes (save of course the example of east timor). Indonesia for the most part has a thriving economy and though it still struggles to pin down a national identity, there is a sense of autonomy. Cambodia on the other hand has the feeling of a dying empire, clinging to some past glory, struggling under the weight of tragic circumstances of recent history - colonialism, the Khmer Rouge, civil war - and pushing with all its might to not crumble under the weight of its powerful and arguably more successful neighbours - Thailand and Vietnam. Trying to restore the former glory of the Angkor empire....which was so long ago. This sounds very sad. But that's the feeling I get, that Cambodia is on a slow decline and has been for a long time, even though people still have faith that they will rebound. I hope that humanity and decency prevail over power struggles and clinging to long past times and that Cambodia is able to stand on its own two feet and its people be prosperous. We'll see how my view changes of Cambodia over time - its all relative to previous experiences and comparisons with different countries, its hard to judge it in without bias.

Those are some pretty weighty statements - they are all totally based on my own feelings and what I have learned in a short time, so feel free to comment and start a discussion if I have offended you! Offense is never my intention!

5. And obviously the language is different...and its much more difficult here! And the food is less spicy.

Other than those things, there are still cute kids running around, effing roosters cockadoodling, and tropical plants, and rains and mud! and lots of sweet and friendly people.

So, enough of generalities lets get specific!

Home and Work

First things first - where am I living and working day to day?

Since I've been here, I have been in a different house than I am now staying in...this is not an important detail, but I just thought I should represent the fact that had I been writing this real time, aka, 2 weeks ago - I would be in this old place still.

The old place was great! Cute, new little house that I shared with Deborah who is doing some of her Masters research here. Deb decided to move into Phnom Penh and as luck would have it the house next door, also new and lovely, housing two other volunteers like myself (Baily and Ash) just had an opening! Its just down the road from RDI and even though it has ant infestations galore, I am coming (coming, not saying I do yet) to accept this as the norm and unavoidable. Resistance is futile. The living conditions are incredible in stark comparison to what I was expecting! So no real complaints on my end!

The first place was immaculate, but no furnishing = sitting on a hard tile floor.
The second place has a few homey touches from a previous volunteer, score!
My room, a mess. Sorry. Just trying to represent its natural state.
Kitchen, and bathroom off to the right
The road to RDI immediately outside the house
The little house to the left was my first house, and this big and beautiful imposing beast on the right is my new home!
This is the big pig. She lives on RDI property...I really like her. She is massive, but is very sweet and chatty every time I visit her. She has very wise elephant eyes...I decided not to eat pork here because of her and I feed her every chance I get. I'm not usually one to get too soft over animals, but she just seems so intelligent her circumstances make me sad.
Gate entering one end of RDI property
One of the rooms of RDI, part of the lab - one of the best labs in the whole country!This meeting room is where I work! Its cooler than outside, and there are a few other volunteers who work in here...but its no open-concept dreamland garden paradise like I had teaching in Indonesia! Not even a window:(
The village

They sky is incredible here - perhaps because its the rainy season, but the clouds and sunsets are phenomenal. The following pictures are from a walk around town...enjoy!
This is the town wat/pagoda that is literally around the corner from RDI. They are all over the place, its crazy!











Phnom Penh

The next couple shots are from Phnom Penh, just to help give a more balanced view of Cambodia and my experience here...mostly rural with city life not to far away.

Phew, that was a long one...I'll try and keep the next one more concise!