Cambodia Trip - Tuesday, Day 9

I have just spent an hour with Sam*. And with this hour I have come full circle. It was the story of Sam that first opened up my heart to the possibility of coming to Cambodia. Late one night, I had sat, horrified, tears pouring down my cheeks as I watched the video clip XP released of the rescue of this severely abused and traumatised  child. And short months later I was in the conference in Devon when Patricia King spoke about what she had seen and experienced in Poipet, Cambodia. When she asked who would like to help. I was one of those who stood to my feet, and later I went to ask her about coming on an outreach week with Operation Justice – which I ended up doing just months later. But I did not meet Sam. I did not expect to meet him, knowing that he was in need of special care and that he was under the protection of social workers and XP.

Last night I mentioned in passing how it is that one event can trigger a response and a whole new direction. Andrea then said she would enquire as to whether I could have a bit of time to meet this child whose story had determined so much of what my year has been about. And so this morning, while she had a meeting to discuss some of his future care arrangements, I got to play Lego with Sam. He must have wondered why this funny English woman had such a huge and perpetual grin on her face! He spent quite a bit of time trying to rub a freckle off my arm; he seemed pretty sure that it was a dirty mark! I built a house out of Lego for him, but he was much more interested in building towers. I made some stairs for his tower, and that idea met with his approval. And he especially appreciated the small container of bubbles I gave him – but he wouldn’t blow them, or let me or anyone else blow them either! And when he had had enough of my company, he pushed me away and hid under the table. I spent time with some of the other children, and every time I looked in his direction, he smiled but motioned me away. Later the school children came over and asked if I was his teacher. I said that I was Sam’s friend. Which I am.

I then went along to have cake in honour of XP staff member Betty who was leaving today. Five of us went along on the trip to take Betty to Siem Reap airport – me, Andrea, Zoe, Gunther and Brenda. It was good to have time to relax and to experience ‘normal’ life. It has also been good to meet other NGO volunteers involved with different projects. There are some amazing people here.

The drive to Siem Reap takes about 2 ½ hours and there is a lot to see along the way. Right now Cambodia is a rich green, after the rainy season and with the rice ready for harvest. All along the way there were tarpaulins spread out and rice drying in the sun. Rice was also being harvested and there was a lot of activity in the fields. Cattle and water buffalo were everywhere, as were the dogs. At one point we even saw a large snake wiggling across the road. Surprisingly, one seldom sees animals killed by cars. In this society where only the strong survive, do they just have more road sense than our Western animals?

The countryside is very beautiful at this time of year. I enjoy drawing in all the scenery, the way the houses blend into and enhance their environment – beautifully shaped red roofs are particularly lovely. I found myself hoping that one of these days, there would be opportunity to explore Cambodia more. I realise again that Poipet is part of Cambodia, but that there is so much more than what I know right now. I would like to see Phnom Penh, and Sihanoukville, and the Tonle Sap and the mountains and, and, and... I would enjoy to have time and opportunity to take some really good photographs to add to the hasty, ‘on the run’ snapshots I have of this beautiful country and these beautiful people.

In Siem Reap we had supper (I had rice and chicken cooked in coconut and Khmer spices – delicious!) Brenda had definite ideas about our activities for the evening, so we called her ‘Agenda Brenda’ and obediently went along with her plans. These included ice cream, and a foot massage, and shopping at the night market. We had fun! Later we took Betty to the airport and then set off on the long drive back to Poipet. We were grateful for Gunther’s driving skills; he got us safely back to the hotel by midnight.  

* Name changed to protect privacy