Not long now until the real journey begins. I'm currently in Thailand ready to leave for Cambodia on Sunday, already feeling apprehensive of what lies ahead. Excited to learn about a new culture, and honoured to be welcomed into a world which is a far cry from anything I have experienced. Until then I will take in the surrounding country and all it has to offer with joy and harmony.

See you Soon Cambodia and Thank you for welcoming me! 

It’s coming again on 26^th April 2011 - the time for sporting event – playing soccer together with volunteers and staff of Projects Abroad in Cambodia. There were around 20 volunteers and many staff played together. 

After getting back from work, they rushed to change their clothes for playing soccer. Ten minute by tuk tuk, we reached the soccer ground and starting by dividing big group into two teams, team A consisted of volunteers from Apartment 1 and 2, team B was the group of volunteers from apartment 3 and 4. Besides that, the volunteers from apartment 5 and staff can choose to join either team A or team B. Then, we start from 5:45pm to 6:40pm. You will never laugh with them unless you see the real action. It was full of enjoyable.

That is the fourth Dirty Weekend of Projects Abroad Cambodia in 2011. Our target is at SCCDO which is our new placement that need support. To understand that this placement should be decorated in order to motivate kids to live and learn in good surrounding; therefore, on 23th April 2011, SCCDO was decorated, painted and drew by  a big group of volunteers of Projects Abroad who eagerly helped to do this. By starting from 8am to 3pm, everything was done as we planned.

Thank you so much to all participants, without you it is virtually impossible to do it.:-)

“I loved Cambodia, it felt like I was in an adventure movie. I found the people friendly and relaxed. Also Cambodia as a country is stunning, Angkor Wat temples are like something out of The Jungle Book. I felt that Cambodia offers a wealth of things to see and do. Cambodia is an exciting place filled with contrast. it is a beautiful country with a tragic history, and newborn energy. It is, honestly, one of the coolest place on Earth. - Otgonbayar Togtuun”

Projects Abroad Cambodia team really appreciate for his visiting and wish him all the best:-).

Working on Koh Rong Samloem, in the fishing village of M’Pai Bai, pretty much rocks my life. I feel that Projects Abroad Diving and Marine Conservation Projects, in partnership with Marine Conservation Cambodia, makes real and substantial improvements in marine protection and village livelihood on the island, and it has been a pleasure to be one of the cogs in the wheel of such a visionary and impressively effective organisation.

            When I arrived in the small village of M’Pai Bai, my first impression was of a fairly isolated place. Two hours away from the rubbish-filled port of Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Samloem’s clean, clear water and untouched greenery seemed safely hidden from the forces behind environmental misuse and unsustainable development. I learned how wrong I was the next day, when a Projects Abroad staff member gave me my official welcome and introduction to the project. I was told that developers had actually bought the island, and had tried first to push out the M’Pai Bei villagers, and then to limit their space for expansion. I also learned that unsustainable fishing methods like trawling and dynamite had seriously depleted fish stocks over the first eight years since the village’s founding, leaving the villagers hungry and poor, and badly damaging reef and seahorse habitats. To respond to these challenges, MCC expanded from the kind of mono-focused conservation organisation I expected, into a community-integrated fishery and marine ecosystem management and government advocacy project. Needless to say, I was thrilled. I had never before encountered a conservation project that actually changed local fishing practices, successfully limited developers, grabbed the attention and support of government officials, and won reef and other marine areas for conservation.

            The first month of my stay was devoted to becoming an Open Water Diver, learning the fish, invertebrate, and coral components of the local ecosystem, and training to conduct surveys of the above. By the end of the month, I had studied and practiced enough to join a real reef survey team, and I committed to helping develop and hone a new seahorse survey methodology with two long-term MCC interns. The most important lesson of that first month was about engagement. With a functioning research and conservation project like this, a volunteer is responsible for her/his own development; there is no substitute for hard work when it comes to mastering a new body of knowledge. I spent a good deal of time testing my identification skills with fish flash cards, snorkeling, and educational dives. The more I asked for help and training, the quicker I learned, and I was delighted to get the opportunity to begin actual research work before the month was out.

Engagement with the local village of M’Pai Bei was the second main focus of my first month. This project offers an opportunity to live in a rural Cambodian village that is neither jaded nor afraid of Westerners. Spending a couple of months here, you can become as friendly with local people as you decide to be. I’ve never had a chance to surmount cultural barriers to this extent before. English classes are held for local children every weeknight, and the more volunteers are involved, the better. Because we have no set curriculum, it’s up to volunteers to think of inventive and fun ways to teach useful English phrases and language structure. In the same way, your own personal projects are only as successful as you make them. Volunteers are encouraged to take the initiative if they want to organise something; during my stay a jungle path was cleared for walking, and we began a pilot compost system that can hopefully be expanded in the future. Impromptu contributions to the village and Projects Abroad also shouldn’t be underestimated. A walk through the village can morph into English lessons, Khmer lessons, fishing for shells, playing football or volleyball, and more. A sense of fun and willingness to improvise are useful and makes things more enjoyable for everyone involved.

            If you can throw yourself into village life and the Projects Abroad Cambodia Marine Conservation activities within the first month, my experience is that you’ll feel fairly grounded from then on. You’ll have all the skills necessary to contribute to the marine survey work, and even to expand that work and other community projects that do not always have people available or able to undertake them. Staying for only one month can be incredible, but it isn’t enough time to contribute to survey work meaningfully if you’re not already an Open Water diver when you arrive. Relaxation, however, is something that comes naturally on the island. Between hammocks, card games, and the island’s four or so small coffee shops, it’s easy to find time to have conversations, make friends, and get a taste for a life very different from most of the places volunteers call home.

Jacquline Dob

Diving and Marine Conservation

From United States

As Khmer New Year is closely coming on 14-16 April 2011, so Projects Abroad in Cambodia had celebrated a traditional event in the office. In Khmer language we call ‘’PITI SOTMON’’ or Monk Blessing on 08^th April 2011. It took around an hour to finish all everything, all staff, volunteers, cook, guides were invited but unfortunately, some staff and volunteers were unable to come because some were busy and some volunteers travelled to some part of the country.

In Cambodia, monk blessing is classified as a traditional event especially before Khmer New Year. We believe that by doing so we will have a good fortune, luck.

Det var aften d. 2. marts 2011 og flyet var faa sekunder fra at lande i landet, Cambodja. Jeg havde forladt enden paa den peruvianske regntid 3 dage tidligere, for at viderefoere min rejse som frivillig og rygsaeksrejsende – naeste stop var Cambodja. Efter to maaneder som frivillig i Andes bjergene, var forventninger om et liv i Cambodja allerede store, men udmattelsen efter 3 dages rejsen, undertrykte dog staerkt min store begejstring om en besidelse af et fantastisk privilegie.

        Jeg traeder ud af flyet og bliver med det samme overvaeldet af en ekstrem, tung og overvaeldende varme, der ved foerstehaandsindtryk naesten er kvalmende. Jeg kan for alvor maerke det nye, anderledes og spaendende klima – jeg maerker Asien. Jeg er langt vaek hjemmefra.

        Jeg begiver mig roligt over i koeen til koeb a visum og fortsaetter efter et kortere ophold mod udgangen.

        Jeg bliver med det samme modtaget af en ung Khmer-gut der med stolthed og stor imoedekommenhed fremviser et skilt, hvorpaa der staar Projects Abroad. Kort efter ankommer en ung fyr, Andy fra Australien, der skal vaere min partner i mit foerste projekt - Khmer-projektet.

        Efter en kortere tur i taxa ankommer vi til lejligheden og bliver hurtigt vist hen til vores vaerelse. Dagen efter gaar det loes – Khmer-projektet skal begynde og vi har begge hoeje forventninger, men bekraefter dog vores usikkerhed omkring, hvad der skal foregaa.

Kl. 14.30 dagen efter, bliver vi moedt i vores lejlighed af Sophan – vores midlertidige guide, der skal introducere os til historien og livet i hovedstaden Phnom Penh.

       Med ture til det kongelige palads, lokale templer, markeder og museer, for vi hurtigt en ide om den store kulturarv der er forbundet til Cambodja og vi foeler os for alvor klar til at springe ud i en maaned fyldt med udfordringer og oplevelser.

Mandag morgen gaar det for alvor loes. Sophan er blevet erstattet af Sython, organisatoren af Khmer-projektet og vores rejser til omkringliggende samfund kan begynde.

       Vi Rejser til en verden af doed og oedelaeggelse – S-21 faengslet og de barbariske Killing Fields, der voldsomt og livligt beskriver forfaerdeligheden ved Pol Pot og de Roede Khmers masseoedelaeggelse op igennem 1970’erne. Paa trods af en i forvejen interesse og viden omkring disse forfaerdelige haendelser, moeder vi dog oplevelserne med stor forbloeffelse. En forbloelse og en undren om den totale overseelse hos de danske medier og ellers omfattende historietimer op igennem min skolegang. Jeg foeler en vrede overfor den oedelaeggelse og det had et menneske kan kraeere. Et samtaleemne der holder munden beskaeftiget gennem vores tur rundt i omraaderne.

Men fra den depression og melankoli, som den visuelle laeren om Khmer Rouge ved lethed kan skabe, begiver vi os videre i projektet, med laeren om landbrug og traditionel kunst.

Uger med cykling langs marker og floder, pottemageri og samliv med lokale landbrugsfolk, maerker vi begge hurtigt en tilfredshed med valget af vores projekt. Efter en maaned med udfordringer og rejsen igennem landet Cambodja er vores toerst for mere kun blevet store.

Jeg er klar til at drage videre. Med en viden og forstaaelse om samfundet i baggagen er klar paa at drage videre ud i ny udforskning af nye, spaendende og anderledes samfund og kulturer i Cambodja.

Simon Nielsen

20 aar

Danmark

Frivillig for Projects Abroad i Cambodja, marts – maj 2011.

On 26^th March 2011 was the Dirty Weekend day which was the exciting day in Projects Abroad Cambodia. There were 20 participants who were eagerly waiting to join and help doing this event. We all met at Apartment 1, accommodation for volunteers in Cambodia, and left to Vocational Development Training Organization (VDTO) which is one of the partners of Projects Abroad in Cambodia. The main objective of the placement is to provide education to the kids; no doubt, it is classified as a teaching placement (School). Talking about teaching, both classroom and library’s environment are important. Therefore, the Dirty Weekend was mainly to paint and drawing the wall of the library space.

Everybody, I thank you so much for your active participation from your heart. The great cartoon pictures on the wall will perfectly encourage student to learn and self-study in the Library :-).

Volunteering in Cambodia, all volunteers are required to stay at the apartment not to stay at the host family.

Currently, we have 6 apartments which 5 of them are in the same zone except one which located at the other address. Each apartment have 4 or 5 rooms and each room have 2 or 3 beds, which means there are two or three volunteers will stay in the same room.

Most of the volunteers feel that is their second home. Normally, they have 3 meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner with all together at each apartment. For lunch time, it starts at 12 and dinner at 7:00pm; we have our 4 cook and 4 cleaner who are very funny and friendly so the volunteers love them so much :-). After having meal, especially, after dinner time, volunteers will come to roof and talk or discuss this and that.

Please have a look the picture, all are smile and enjoy having lunch.

On 26^th March 2011 was the Dirty Weekend day which was the exciting day in Projects Abroad Cambodia. There were 20 participants who were eagerly waiting to join and help doing this event. We all met at Apartment 1, accommodation for volunteers in Cambodia, and left to Vocational Development Training Organization (VDTO) which is one of the partners of Projects Abroad in Cambodia. The main objective of the placement is to provide education to the kids; no doubt, it is classified as a teaching placement (School). Talking about teaching, both classroom and library’s environment are important. Therefore, the Dirty Weekend was mainly to paint and drawing the wall of the library space.

Everybody, I thank you so much for your active participation from your heart. The great cartoon pictures on the wall will perfectly encourage student to learn and self-study in the Library :-).