Sorry once again we haven't been able to write very often due to the long days at the orphanage!
The other two volunteers who were staying with us left last Thursday leaving us as the only volunteers at the centre. On the Thursday there was no school due to it being human rights day so we took advantage of this and took 5 of the older kids into the city to visit the markets and have lunch! We came across a big shopping mall and decided to have a look and have lunch there and take advantage of the air con! It was about 5 or so stories high and on the top had a cool look out over the city and a rollerskating area and gaming area. Most of our kids had never been inside the mall, and it is quite entertaining just to watch the local people trying to suss out how the escalators work and the scared look on their face as they get on! We ended up having pizza for lunch which was a real treat for the kids and just had a really good day out which they really appreciated being able to join us!
On Friday we started teaching classes on our own! Two classes run at the same time in the morning and the afternoon so Summer takes the level ones, learning ABC etc and my class has just started level four. Its quite hard to teach as both classes are taught under the same roof and its hard to keep the kids attention on what you are teaching and not what the other class is doing!
On Saturday night we once again headed into the city to spend the night. It was not an enjoyable time for us this time and we will probably not do it again!
We are very tired and would have to say this is the hardest work we have ever done! It is also the most rewarding but it is extremely tiring and draining not just physically but mentally and emotionally and all done in the extreme heat!
Summer was very tired this Saturday night and as we sat and ate our Dinner we were constantly approached by beggers, mainly children and limbless men selling books and flowers or just asking for money. We were expecting this and had already seen alot of it but when you are as exhusted as we felt on Saturday night it can become a little to much to handle! The sad thing is that you see a streetkid selling roses but they do not even get to keep the money themselves, there will be a man somewhere near by watching them who they give the money to! these when drive them around the city using the children to make money for themselves and they can still be seen in the early hours of the morning.
As we were eating we witnessed this happen as a couple bought a rose at the table next to us and the little boy took the money to a man lying in a nearby tuktuk. This was a breaking point for Summer who burst into tears and left the table. We ended up leaving the restaurant half way through our meal and returning to the guesthouse. Even though we knew of these scams its a totally different story when you see them with your own eyes! The city of Phnom Penh is so full of poverty, scams and corruption that it is impossible to relax!
Its incredibly sad to see and so emotionally challenging but we remind ourselves of why we are here and the amazing people we are helping. We much prefer the poor village we live in and the great people here!
The next day Summer was feeling better after a good rest and we spent a few hours in the markets looking for xmas presents for the kids! We also bought a small fake xmas tree for the kids to decorate as they usually just draw a tree on some paper! We are having a huge xmas party this Sunday for the whole village and we are all looking forward to it!
We have had some new volunteers arrive, two young girls form Norway who are going to Columbia for 5 months to work in an orphanage. I call them the mutes as they hardly say a word to anyone, not even the kids and you barely see a smile on their face ever!
They arrived on Monday and basically do not help at all in the class rooms, they just sit in the back of class and are basically a waste of space! I would love to see how they are going to survive in Columbia lol
We have an awesome french couple who come every afternoon to help and they really brighten up our day always making us laugh. Over Christmas when we leave to have a break they are going to take over the classes for us!
An Australian couple Have also been coming out everyday and are great too! They help alot in class and play with the kids as well as buying things the centre may need etc
We are looking at going to an island in Thailand after xmas for new years and a well needed break! We dream of just lying on the beach reading a book while getting a massage haha It will definitely be a good chance to recharge the batteries before we attack another month at the centre!
We also had snails this week for dinner which were actually pretty good once you got over the idea of it being a snail! We are yet to find the spiders, cockroaches etc to try in the markets!
Not sure if i mentioned it here but summer had really badly swollen feet which were quite painful and had been like that since the flight! We ended up going to the hospital which was very frustrating as they did not speak english! they sent her for xrays and blood tests and the next day we went back for the results which apparently said she had gout! We find this a little hard to believe and I think it was related to the flight! They prescribed 5 different medications which have brought the swelling down thankfully especially since the visit cost over $100 US dollars!
that is all for now but will write after the weekend about the Xmas party! MAke sure to check the photos out and i will upload more soon!
Hope everyone is well and love to you all!!
Amy and Summer xxxx
