Action packed children's day... (Sunday)

On June 2006, approximately one thousand police and military police forces gathered in Sambok Chab village heavily armed with rifles, electric batons, tear gas and riot gear. They bagan to began evict more than 1,000 families to make way for a development project financed by a private company.

They threatened human rights monitors and local and international journalists, and then confiscated their cameras and prevented them from recording police actions. The Phnom Penh Municipality chose to use violent means against the poor people rather than using a non-violent, transparent. There were standoffs and turmoil before police stormed the village, dismantled homes and trucked reluctant squatters and their belongings to an undeveloped site some 25 kilometers outside city limits.

On the new land there were a few public latrines, no drainage, no sanitation, no electricity, no water supply, no shops, markets or schools and no opportunity for employment. Human rights groups blasted the removal as inhumane, and the new residences -- 4-by-12-meter plots with no structures or facilities - as unacceptable compensation.

This Friday the evicted people will have been there 2 years. They now have made what they can of the settlement area with make-shift houses and and NGOs have created an area/centre for people to meet. There is now the fear that as land prices have gone up again these people may be evicted from their new site. Land in the new area now fetches about $3000 per square metre. The villagers have not got the title to the land yet - as promised. This is something that LICHADO, a human rights/legal NGO is trying to obtain for them before the election which is due to take place in July. They are also still trying to get these people access to a constant water supply - At present they are still not connected and have only pumps with limited water.

Within the last couple of years there has been a striking increase in land disputes within Cambodia. The judicial system is misused to threaten communities with arrest and imprisonment, excessive force is used, including use of the military, during evictions. Thousands of landowners and occupiers are forcefully displaced, and often reduced to destitute living conditions without adequate food, water, shelter, and health, education and other services. Many of the people who were displaced from Sambok Chab could not stay in their new area - there was nothing. The returned to Phnom Penh to live on the streets. Many people still send one family memeber to Phnom Penh to work and live on the streets whilst the others stay behind in the settlement.

On Sunday, I helped LICHADO with a fun day at the centre for some of the children displaced by the eviction.

The day began at 7am with the ride out of Phnom Penh on trucks. I have seen many Cambodian's travelling on trucks but not "barangs" (foriegners) - We must have been a real sight to some people as we travelled across the city then out into the country area. The road soon became a bumpy, rocky, dirty road - we were clearly on the path to "no where". Paddy fields all around us soon turned into fields that were clearly being developed for housing etc. But, there were no facilities anywhere to be seen: school, shops, place of worship etc

We arrived about 1 hour later.

The children were on a parade and were just returning to begin the fun. First they were organised into groups and given bags of food that children like: crackers, dried meat, nuts etc and then there were a number of speeches in Khmer.

This was followed by large buckets of squash for the children. They then began the activities: painting; juggling; dancing; mask making; face painting, sack races.

Watching the juggling with amazement... and wanting a go.

This was followed by a long role play in Cambodian performed by people from outside the village, they fear they could be next so also assist in educating/raising the moral of the people here. I have no idea what the play was about but I think it was funny (people were laughing) and I think the violence was supposed to be slapstick - cambodian's love slapstick. The children also did a play about a child who goes to the city, lives on the streets, has unprotected sex, gets HIV and dies. Not too jolly but educational. This was followed by breakdancing!!

After the shows the acivities continued and after I took a picture of one of the children suddenly about 15 teenagers all wanted their picture taken over and over again. First, just by themselves, then with their best friend, then a group shot, then all over again with a friend who had just arrived. It was hilarious and I think they enjoy it because a) they probably don't get to mess around on camera much, I suspect the NGOs take the pictures they need of events etc but not personal photos and b) Khmers I believe just have a fondness for posing for the camera.

I then helped out with some of the activities and amused the younger children with countless photographs. It was a fantasic day. The children were having an amazing time and were friendly even though they did not really speak English my Khmer and non verbal communication skills improved a lot!


The end of the day was a dance .... then pack up to go home on the truck. By the end of the day, at 4pm I returned home exhaused and very, very, very dirty!

Me posing mid-dance with some of the children (its in B&W because I have a sun burnt nose ...and you do not need to see that)

International Children's Day/Weekend (Saturday)

This Sunday 1 June was International Children's Day. On Saturday I got up at 6.30am to travel to Stung Meanchy and the CCH orphanage to watch the students dance at a ceremony at their school. I had no idea what to expect and was just invited to go along.

I got to the orphanage at 7.30am and a student walked down the road to take me to the school. It became apparent this was a little more than the "school fete" I had in mind. I immediately wished I had worn something a little smarter - but at least I was culturally appropriate with shoulders and knees covered. I was invited to sit on top table! I was horrified when the speeches started and everyone at the table was introduced in Khmer to the crowd of children and stood to bow to the audience... luckily they had the decency to pass over the non Khmer non important people although when the people started doing speeches I was concerned again and started to think of something appropriate to say in case of emergency...! So there we were with the Mayor, the local chief monk and various other important "celebrities" at the school.

The national anthem was sung, the flag raised and CCH did their first of 3 dances. Traditional Khmer apsara dances. They were excellent and I felt very proud to be involved with these children's lives - All the dancers came from CCH. No other school children were involved with their dances and that emphasised to me again that that these children had come so very far from their days on the dump site.

After dance number 1. We had speeches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 etc etc - There were many of them and I understood nothing. Being on top table I had to look interested and smile. The children made no such effort and although remained standing/seated in the same place (generally) they talked amongst themselves during the speeches especially so through the Mayor's! (at least I think he ws the Mayor).

Dance number 2 woke the children up - in traditional costume. Then books were given out by the important people at the top table and then finally one more apsara dance by CCH. The formal ceremony was then over and CCH then began to perform live music for all of the other children to dance to.

After returning to CCH to congratulate the children I returned home with the intention of visiting them at the water park later in the day where they were going for a special treat. However, upon arriving at the park it appeared that the whole of Cambodia was taking their child to the water park for Children's Day. So much so that the road was absolute grid lock, children walking everywhere with motos on the same pavement...pollution, dust, heat. Children were scaling the outer fences of the water park to get in as they had shut the gates due to crowding.... It seemed only right to go home and then visit Phnom Penh's premier shopping mall to have an ice cream.

Top table! The audience (well some of them)

The CCH children did a fantastic job dancing for their fellow students and the important guests!

Hot dogs and pizza party

On Friday, after teaching at Lighthouse I went to a party at CCH. Brian (my TEFL course teacher friend) ad put on food for the children and so they were putting on music in return. Live singing and instrument playing. It was nice to go back after a week or so away. The children picked flowers from the garden for my hair (no pictures will be posted here - I look ridiculous) Here are some other pictures....

This is the girl who was carrying my bag in one of the earlier pictures - she has had her head shaved due to hacking off massive portions of her own hair and also having so many head lice. Poor thing.

New shoes

My hand made shoes... ahhhh how beautiful. I have placed another order!

Waterpark madness!

Yesterday I went with 75 kids from the Lighthouse Orphanage to Phnom Penh's water park. The water park is on the road to the airport and so I have driven past it many times - its hard to miss as its not exactly a traditional Cambodian looking place. Given that the entrance is $2 per person - more than the average Cambodian daily wage - its surprising the place is there at all...

The day started with my regular moto driver, Sokorn, picking mr up from the flat and taking me to the orphanage. All the kids were not in their usual clothing but had clearly dressed for the occassion wearing their best (probably only)shoes and clothes rather than the barefoot and grubby-ness I see on a daily basis. The boys had even gelled their hair! 3 buses transported us across town. The visit to the park was a result of Penny. Penny is an English woman who now lives in the States. She cam to Phnom Penh years ago and spent time at the orphanage but when she decided she wanted to come back for a holiday she hassled her finance firm in New York to give her some money and they came up with a substantial amount of cash. Nice. Penny had also bought the gel as part of a mass toiletries purchase!

Anyway, we set off. On the way Mr Long the director asked me for a dollar to get bags. He seemed to be telling me he wanted to get bags (sandwich type bags) to put drink in. This is not unusual as Cambodians do drink out of such bags so I handed over the dollar and he got the bags and some tiger balm (both absolutely crucial as I found out - more below!).

The children lined up very beautifully at the park - in age/height order. It appears they are trained to do this. Very "Sound of Music".

I got out my sun block and thought given that Khmers actually want to be pale skinned the kids may want some. Oh yes. I went up and down the line giving 5 squirts to each kid for their face. This was repeated at lunch!!

Then off they went - zooming on the slides and wave pool. The park was quite good by Cambodian standards. A real swimming pool, a kid's fountain pool x2, pool with 3 large slides (the main attraction), a set of about 6 slides (not as appealing but also good) and a separate wave pool (quite rough - I'm surprised no kids drowned). There is also a large stream running around the whole park which you float around.

So the kids ran riot for a couple of hours then Penny's food she had ordered for the kids arrived. The children were delighted with their treats, cola, water, rice with prawns (a rare treat), fried chicken, vegatables, cakes, crackers, bananas........ their eyes were popping out of their heads. Apparently, they tried a lot of food they had never had before.

After lunch I gave in and entered the pools (fully dressed of course this is Cambodia). The children kept shouting "teacher teacher one more one more" I went down the slides with one of them. After a few "goes" I worked out the correct weight to make the sliding almost deathly. Me plus one kid on lap on large inflatable ring pulling one child on inflatable ring behind. I am surprised I still have my left arm attached to my body as this combination of passengers would cause me the the kids half way down the slide to fly up the side of the slide, flip in the ring and crash in an very painful but adrenalin inducing way. If this did not happen the children loved how fast we could go- "teacher teacher one more one more" .... There were quite a few steps up to the slide and I must have done at least 100 slides so I am thinking I did exercise yesterday!

The wave pool was very funny. The siren would sound to indicate the waves were starting and then the children would run to the area to practically down themselves. Children were floating in rings on water 4 times their height!

My concern at about 2pm was that I realised that none of the children had been to the toilet - well I mean they had not "gone to the toilet block" - I am sure they had been. I made sure my mouth was very firmly shut when landing in the water. Ugh!

The children had more snacks and ice cream before more zooming, running and screaming. The disaster - one of the children who I teach hurt her finger. So much so it was floppy and she could not bend it. I was convinced it was broken and demanded that the director stop pulling it back into place (or trying to) as the child was clearly in agony. The Khmer's said there was a "hospital over there". Great I thought a hospital right by the water park how convenient! - So dripping wet we go towards the hospital. Ahhhh - Hospital??? They meant first aid room! The first aid man pulled the finger, rubbed tiger balm on it and hey presto she could bend it.... tiger balm - miracle cure. Her hand was put on a piece of card (split) and wrapped in a bandage.

At 4pm the kids dried off, ate burgers, cake, toasted sandwiches.... and then we put them on the funfair outside for half an hour of non stop rides. Suffice to say, there was a fair few children being sick (nice) and even a few so tired they were falling asleep on the rides! The director was handing out tiger balm left right and centre. It had been used earlier in the day as a remedy for headaches, sunblock.....

As the children were getting in the bus the director started to hand out the bags. "what are they for", "the children they be sick on bus" - oh yes.... and sure enough those that were not sleeping were puking. Khmers do not travel well anyway, never mind when they are full of ice cream, coke and been on a big wheel, toy train, roundabouts and an octapus/waltzer thing! We got 10 more pots of tiger balm on the way back............ and I saw a 3 legged rat.

Sadly my camera ran out of battery so you will have to wait for better photos that Penny took!

cambo signage

But I bought my AK47 to the bank. Now where shall I put it?

Thank goodness. The left weapons department.

No eating by the side of the road? - But I am hungreeeee!!!!!

Please keep everything by yourself.