Educating myself
I have spent the last few days learning a lot about Cambodia and about Srae Thmei, the community that I am going to visit.
One of the reasons I feel even more committed now to trying to keep this blog is that a lot of my information has come from reading through another girl's blog (https://katiedavies2000.wixsite.com/vsocambodia/my-blog). I have also been messaging her to find out what supplies I still need to get, and tips about life in community. Its mostly first aid supplies that I still need, which you'll see if you take a quick glance over her experience! She has been so helpful, and I'd like this blog to be helpful for other future volunteers.
I'm also doing my best to see family and friends before I go away, so Asher and I went to visit Grandad in England on Saturday, and this weekend I'm going to pay a visit to my Swansea loves. Haf was down this weekend as well so it was great to catch up.
I'm doing my best to learn some Khmer before I get out there. So far...
Suosdei - hello
Khnom chea satrei - I am a woman
Boros - man
Khnom mean ayou 23 chnam - I am 23 years old
Neang chea khmeng srei - she is a girl
... which is of varying use to me, but this is what the app has taught me so far.
I'm also really starting to realise how different its going to be. Heat, time zone, language, cultural norms, currency, food and its relative safety (or appeal - insects are eaten widely in Cambodia). There's going to be a lot to adjust to. But I'm excited.
I'm also trying to learn more about the Khmer Rouge and the regime of Pol Pot. I had a sort of background knowledge of these things - I knew that a lot of educated people had been killed and a lot of terrible things had happened - but I have watched a few videos and done some more reading which has been very sobering. The video I have linked here is a short one which summarises it pretty well.
https://youtu.be/xUIpobO9XlQ
Reading about this kind of thing really explains the state of the country in comparison to its neighbours, the more well known Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia is less developed because essentially its economy was crippled when Pol Pot killed millions of educated people and forced others to become mindless manual labourers or soldiers - he was seeking to run a communist society of uneducated atheist farmers, believing this would help make Cambodia great. The stories of what was done to people are pretty wrenching, as when this plan failed, Pol Pot executed many people for treason.
Around a quarter of the population were killed in the mid to late 70s. Some died of starvation due to the failure of his plan. Others were killed because they were religious or part of ethnic minorities. The regime was overthrown by Vietnam, partly because Vietnamese people in Cambodia were one of the ethnic minorities under attack. Pol Pot fled in 1985, and died in 1998 - the cause of death is uncertain.
The country is on the rise now. It has beautiful temples and sights, and lots of history to tell. VSO projects are taking place there to help Khmer people stay in their communities and find employment, to boost the local economy. I'll know more about this once I get stuck into my placement. We got our email today saying that we are flying out in the evening on the 26th of January - which is great as it means I can go to church that morning and mum can drop me off at the airport. 12 days to go.
Lea hi for now.
One of the reasons I feel even more committed now to trying to keep this blog is that a lot of my information has come from reading through another girl's blog (https://katiedavies2000.wixsite.com/vsocambodia/my-blog). I have also been messaging her to find out what supplies I still need to get, and tips about life in community. Its mostly first aid supplies that I still need, which you'll see if you take a quick glance over her experience! She has been so helpful, and I'd like this blog to be helpful for other future volunteers.
I'm also doing my best to see family and friends before I go away, so Asher and I went to visit Grandad in England on Saturday, and this weekend I'm going to pay a visit to my Swansea loves. Haf was down this weekend as well so it was great to catch up.
I'm doing my best to learn some Khmer before I get out there. So far...
Suosdei - hello
Khnom chea satrei - I am a woman
Boros - man
Khnom mean ayou 23 chnam - I am 23 years old
Neang chea khmeng srei - she is a girl
... which is of varying use to me, but this is what the app has taught me so far.
I'm also really starting to realise how different its going to be. Heat, time zone, language, cultural norms, currency, food and its relative safety (or appeal - insects are eaten widely in Cambodia). There's going to be a lot to adjust to. But I'm excited.
I'm also trying to learn more about the Khmer Rouge and the regime of Pol Pot. I had a sort of background knowledge of these things - I knew that a lot of educated people had been killed and a lot of terrible things had happened - but I have watched a few videos and done some more reading which has been very sobering. The video I have linked here is a short one which summarises it pretty well.
https://youtu.be/xUIpobO9XlQ
Reading about this kind of thing really explains the state of the country in comparison to its neighbours, the more well known Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia is less developed because essentially its economy was crippled when Pol Pot killed millions of educated people and forced others to become mindless manual labourers or soldiers - he was seeking to run a communist society of uneducated atheist farmers, believing this would help make Cambodia great. The stories of what was done to people are pretty wrenching, as when this plan failed, Pol Pot executed many people for treason.
The country is on the rise now. It has beautiful temples and sights, and lots of history to tell. VSO projects are taking place there to help Khmer people stay in their communities and find employment, to boost the local economy. I'll know more about this once I get stuck into my placement. We got our email today saying that we are flying out in the evening on the 26th of January - which is great as it means I can go to church that morning and mum can drop me off at the airport. 12 days to go.
Lea hi for now.
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