| |
September - December 2007
Within a few hours of arriving in Phnom Penh I found myself floating along the Mekong on
a Karoke Party Cruiser, "Jull Moying" every Khmer on the boat each time I moved
my bottomless can of Angkor beer... That is how life started and how it is now, sadly,
coming to an end; an endless trip of energy, excitement, friends and priceless moments.
I could never do justice to the last 4 months of my life, especially minus pictures, but
what I can do is impart a little bit of what I have learnt and seen, in the hope that it
aids you in your choice:
To coin the cliché: "I came here chasing a dream of making a difference and using the
skills I have to give something back". I chose the project as they sought someone with
a business background to help them coordinate their general business systems. It suited my
skills perfectly while indirectly helping in the fight against human trafficking.
I arrived at a confusing time as the project was in the process of recruiting an office
manager, two volunteers were in the final throws of their placements and there was little
direction or leadership. However in a way this quickly taught me my first valuable lesson
about Cambodian culture; no one tells you what they want you to do, which is the one thing
you want when you arrive, it's just not done. Once you grasp this cultural difference though
life becomes easier as you gain confidence in managing yourself, following little clues as
to what needs to be done, changed, arranged, constantly seeking reassurance as a form of
confirmation that you are roughly doing what is expected! It is a good lesson in problem
solving, communication skills and self management, and eventually you get there!
After a few weeks I had a number of different projects running and keeping me busy, from
instigating an electronic filing system, to building a contact data base and writing
organization policies and procedures to outlining proposal for changes regarding the systems
of staff meetings, the lack of a member of staff responsible for HR functions etc It has
been a fun and busy few months.
What can I say about my project; all the staff are highly qualified, intellectual
Cambodians. Most have a good grasp of English, but more importantly they are ALL amazing; I
have never felt so accepted. I have made some life long friends. Sothun, the Administration
Officer, has been one of my highlights of Cambodia. I have never bonded with a colleague so
fast, and be so entertained all day long. He has an amazing dry sense of humor and will
spend hours with your honing your pronunciations of sentences vital to life in the city. He
really is the centre of office life! Mary the Finance Officer is the quintessential
Cambodian women, so pretty, immaculate and polite, a great friend. Heng, Mr Phirum, Mr Em
Poul... all of them are incredible and I will miss them a lot. I can't imagine there are
many countries where friendship and support is such a key aspect of business
relationships. I guess the points I need to raise regarding the placement are ones that I
did not fully understand until I arrived: the organisation is a large organisation
responsible for policing the smaller organisations who work directly with the victims of
trafficking. It works to implement laws, agreements, policies and procedures to protect the
victims. It works with the smaller organisations training their staff and encouraging them
to implement standards and regulations.
The project does work directly with the victims on some of its projects, but this is only
a very small part of what takes place. A lot of its work is research, training, lobbying and
advocating for change. Volunteers are unlikely to have any direct contact with victims.
Although, one weekend I was lucky enough to assist on a workshop with girls from some of the
shelter, this was one of my favorite days.
As an organisation, it is similar to many medium sized companies in the UK. Each employee
has a PC, it has broad band, telephones, faxes, coffee, tea, air conditioning and is
situated in a lovely big complex, and its employees are graduates who partake in further
study every week day evening. It is not the underdeveloped organisation that might be
imagined when thinking of Cambodia.
Apart from those points, it is everything it says on the box. In my eyes volunteers are
essential to inject new ideas and energy into the organisation. Native English speakers are
essential in the writing and editing of reports, studies and proposals. It is an amazing
organisation which is a lot of fun to work for and there are a lot of opportunities to
partake in roles outside of your job profile, trying out different areas. However I think
for everyone to benefit it is essential that placements are for a minimum of 6 months. My
personal experience is that 4 months is far too short. I have barely got my teeth into my
different projects, and I am rushing to finish on time. If there is any wisdom I can pass on
it is to stay as long is possible. This is just as true for life in Cambodia as it is in
work, 4 months is just not long enough!
Life in Phnom Penh is always busy; every weekend is packed with events and parties. It is
an easy going city with a lot of life. The house is beautiful and quickly becomes home, and
I can honestly say that my fellow Outreach volunteers and housemates have been some of the
best people I have ever met. We have taken a number of trips as a group and spent many
weekends on various adventures stuck in knee high mud digging our mini bus out, to spotting
dolphins on the Mekong, or zooming through the countryside on motos. It has been a whirl
wind adventure that I am so grateful to have been a part of. The Outreach Coordinator in
Cambodia is perfect. They are really a comfort blanket which is there when you need it, but
barely visible when everything is running smoothly, giving you the space to build your own
Cambodian experience. They provide everything that is needed form vital information on the
best tailors to sorting out visas or arranging trips. They are a vast encyclopedia of
information on not just Cambodia but much of Asia. You couldn't ask for more.
My time here in Cambodia has been amazing, thanks to the people I have met, the
experiences I have been through and the places I have visited. There is but one thing I
would change and that would to be able to stay here longer. It is an amazing country filled
with amazing people. Of course you are surrounded by a lot of poverty, a lot of sickness, a
sex industry that sickens you to the core, but it is a country that is so easy to fall in
love with. The people are rarely negative and rarely nasty, and nearly always keen to get to
know you. The country as a whole needs to address a number of issues, not least the amount
of corruption that hinders every aspect of working life, from saving victims in the project
to land ownership displacing more and more families each day. But hopefully it is slowly
heading in the right direction. My only worry is that these amazingly happy and easy people
change as Western influence fastens its grip. I hope this is never the case.
Thank you Outreach for making this an easy and happy experience. Thank you for a
wonderful placement and thank you my amazing housemates for being yourselves!
|
|
