We've only got two teaching days left here in Cambodia and the mood of the team has shifted and seems to be shrouded in a thin veil of melancholy, as we face the inevitable. The children seem to be sensing it too and have become even more affectionate towards us and, dare I say, clingy. But that's ok... I no longer mind being clung to.
As a teacher I always maintain a bit of distance from my students, consciously avoiding being too tactile, beyond maybe a ruffling of the hair for a job well done. But here things are different, and the children are the ones to take your arms to put around themselves, or bury their heads on your shoulder. Our coordinator and friend here, Sophorn, is ready with an explanation that is obvious once it's pointed out to you: some of the children do not get much emotional support or affection at home. The entire team is now quite happy to for hugs and squeezes but this is going to make our departure harder for everyone. Sigh!
Right now, as I write this, I have no idea what the best course of action should be. Of course, our priority has got to be the children. Leaving is inevitable... so perhaps we ought to leave with a bang!
Each member of the DO Cambodia team has selected the child he / she will be sponsoring so today we thought it would be a good idea to visit their homes to understand in greater depth their individual family situations.
Paula and I returned with the rest of the gang, and I can tell you, being there a second time did not make the experience any less disturbing.
Once again we were welcomed into hovels and shacks that balance precariously on stilts by the edge of a filthy lake. Most of the women were working - either cooking or hanging clothes, though we did spot one with tweezers and a mirror: whether she was pulling out white hairs or head lice is debatable. Children are everywhere.
One of the only males we met was the scrawny alcoholic father of one of the girls we will be sponsoring, and her equally wasted brother. This girl is beautiful and bright... and she wants to study but without our support my guess is that her future will be bleak.
And this is the common element among all the kids we have chosen (or in many cases have chosen us!) There is a thirst for knowledge and education… and with help they will make it. And we can testify to this because many of the people we have encountered who are either employed or volunteer at VCDO (the NGO we have teamed up with here), LRDE and SFODA are people who were street children themselves – people in their twenties and thirties who are tourism studies graduates or bank and finance graduates.
Another example of this is Friends International, where the team took me for my birthday dinner last night. Within the chaos and confusion that make Phnom Penh what it is, you come across an occasional oasis that is simply brilliant in its scope, like this one. Friends International is a training restaurant for street youths to learn restaurant and hospitality skills and it gives them a step up into a career that will offer them the bright future they have always hoped for.
The food in the restaurant is nothing short of delicious: the choice an eclectic mix of Western and Asian, the service impeccable and the price is great. If anyone is considering a visit to Cambodia, this is one tip you shouldn't ignore, and remember that when you are visiting, you are also helping a very worthwhile cause.
Proof positive that a little bit can go a long way.
Choom Reap Lear
Alan