Keeping safe and well in Phnom Penh

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Some of the traffic dangers!!

As I have a little post Christmas lull at work I thought that I would tell you dear bloggers a little bit about every day life in PP and the lengths I have to go to to remain safe and healthy [hope this is not tempting providence in any way fingers crossed]!
Firstly road safety a contradiction in terms here there is NO ROAD SAFETY it is a nightmare out there no one obeys any rules and where there has been an attempt to bring order like installing traffic lights they just seem to add to the chaos as some people adhere to them others don't so for the poor pedestrian like me you are left wondering what the heck to do and which way to go and if heaven for fend there is a policeman trying to direct traffic then forget it the chaos is tripled go home to bed is my advice.So my strategy for surviving PP traffic is
1. get yourself a trusty motto driver I have and he is wonderful and navigates these streets with skill we have had some near misses though
2.get yourself a local tuk tuk driver I have 2 they are great and get to know your regular haunts so getting lost is not such a regular habit no cabbies street tests here!!!!
3.When out walking never step on a manhole cover two of my pals have come a cropper doing that one ended up on crutches
4.Don't get distracted by what you see on the road and what is being carried on a motto my record sighting is 6 monks and yesterday I saw one motto carrying a double bed and two chairs but not to be outdone my friend said that she once saw a house being carried on a motto [me thinks she had one too many cocktails that day!]
5 I still cannot get over seeing babies and toddlers being held in one hand whilst their mums drive with the other with vehicles of all types including the Lexus menace coming at them from all angles it is amazing that there are not more accidents but not surprising that deaths from RTA's are rising here
6 By and large when crossing the road its a case of "He who dares wins" once committed then you have to keep going a hesitation confuses the Cambodians that's when disaster strikes as they tend to miss a moving target but stop suddenly and it can be curtains!!!
Next avoiding getting ill in particular getting bitten by the old mossies  There is no Malaria in PP so I have stopped taking anti Malarials they are now just taken when visiting out in  the Provinces but Dengue Fever is prevalent and to be avoided it is a nasty illness and spread by the day mossies I have pals who have had this illness and it is not nice at all so as they say prevention is better than cure every morning and any other time I am going out the old deet insect repellent has to go on this is now a part of my ablutions as washing my face not as pleasant though no perfume either as I don't want to attract the little blighters so all in all perfume less deodorant and constantly smelling of deet mossies are not the only thing being repelled!!!It also leaves an altogether very unflattering sheen on the skin not a good look in the mature woman.
I have had one or two nasty bites but of late they have not been too bad but just wait till the hot season......
Tummy bugs avoiding these is more tricky my hands are raw from washing and constant application of hand gel I have almost turned vegetarian too and only eat meat/fish in trusted places some of the best places to eat are veggie and cheap too we are advised to take worming pills every 3 months not done that yet so must sort that out!I never eat from street vendors although the food looks and smells good in the evenings here pavements come alive as street vendors just set out plastic chairs and tables and start cooking its amazing to see really.
At home it is a constant battle of wits between me and the ants they are cunning little devils and just appear from no where at the first splash of orange juice or grain of sugar I made the fatal mistake of not closing the lid of my muesli box the day I was going off to Mondulkiri for 4 days when I came back my shelves with all the dry good boxes were awash with black ants they were having a field day it was like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon as when I started throwing things away they formed an orderly line and marched up the wall and disappeared through the ceiling amazing.
A trip to the market for fresh fruit/veg is a task and a half as on return I wash and scrub every thing first with tap water then dry it and wrap and store in the fridge every thing that is except bananas they are kept on the shelf and the ants don't seem to bother them somehow [Why is that?] when I come to use the fruit and veg they get washed again in fresh/filtered water so it is quite a performance but at least I have running water and electricity[ most of the time].
I have pals who don't have these amenities these are the real heroes but they do have fresh air something that is in short supply in PP so can't wait to get out and see more of the countryside.
Kath

Meeting Midwives and a Mouse in My Mop!!!

As I have been talking about midwives quite a lot in this blog I thought that I would include this image from Angkor Watt of a woman giving birth

The last two weeks or so have been quite busy for me at work which made a great change as on the 16th and 17th of December it was CMA's annual conference for branch leaders and at least one member from each of the 24 Provinces plus some midwives working in NGO's and the training centres.
Before that though on the 15th I experienced my first executive team meeting. As the President had been in Brazil on a 3 week study tour I had asked her before she left if I should prepare the agenda for her which after a little thought she agreed to.
The meeting was scheduled for the whole day which I thought perhaps a little excessive however not so in the event it finished at almost 6pm having started at 8 which puts some of the SHA executive meetings in the shade!!The executive team are new they like the President were appointed in May and have only met once before.This I took into consideration whilst preparing the agenda which I did in English it was then  translated into K'mai very ably by my VA there were 4 accompanying papers all of which were colour coded to the items on the agenda and each member was given a pack as I knew that I would not have time to go through every thing with the President beforehand.
The only problem was no one followed the agenda despite lasting for 9 hours only half the items were covered. I learned a very valuable lesson that day and also got some great material for my future capacity building.
The executive team of 8 midwives though were very warm and friendly women who despite the language barrier did their best to make me feel welcome most were about my vintage several had quite good English and wanted to practice on me whilst I tried valiantly but not very successfully to speak in K'mai but as my VA tells me if I don't practice I will never get better
Despite only completing the conference agenda at 6pm on the night before the conference itself went really well and I got to meet midwives from all over Cambodia my presentation on why CMA is so important for Cambodia seemed to go down well and I did a little interactive session at the end of day one to help prepare them for the workshop on day two when we wanted their views ideas and opinions on what CMA can do to become stronger.
I had been warned that there could be some reticence in coming forward with ideas and views not so for Cambodia's midwives they came up with some excellent suggestions most I have to say accord with my own which made me feel a whole lot better and we now have a clear mandate in order to move forward.
Now all of this has to be translated for me and put into some kind of future plan which is great. at last I felt that I had been useful.
The President seemed very pleased with how things went as it was her first formal event it was important that it was a success she and her team did a great job in my view but it was a bit close to the wire for me but again perhaps I can help with that in future.
Since then I have been putting together CMA's annual report/Newsletter the first for some time and also I have been trying my best to network having visited colleagues in WHO/UNICEF/ UNFPA and NMMP whose advice has been very helpful.
So what else has happened well I was mugged (not literally) by a one legged monk! yes that's right I was in my street when I was approached by an elderly one legged monk who asked me for money in exchange for a bracelet made from wooden beads what does a well brought up girl do but pay up!! not convinced he was a bonefide monk though so will keep an eye out for him in future
The other big excitement was I have had a mouse take up residence in my mop which is a very fluffy affair and I dare say a big attraction to rodents mind you it got more of a shock than I did when it got tipped out onto my floor and was then chased by this mad woman all around the apartment until I had the wit to open the balcony door through which it fled for dear life straight over the balcony. I haven't seen it since!!!!!
So its all go in PP Christmas was much better than I thought it would be I really enjoyed the simplicity of it all just being with friends exchanging small gifts having a meal together (although no turkey)was enough the only sadness was not being with Sal and David but we did see each other on Christmas Day albeit through a grainy skpe screen.
On Friday I hope to be going to Kampong Speu with one of the midwives to do a training session on either "Free movement in labour" or "Family Planning" not quite sure which so will report back soon
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Kath

Happy Khmer Christmas

How could I let this time of year go past without wishing all my blogging buddies a very happy Khmer Christmas I will try not to gloat as I apply the sun [and mossie cream so no where is perfect]and .
As Christmas Day is on a Saturday my fellow volunteers  and I do not have to use any annual leave to enjoy a Khmer Christmas.
Plans for the day so far:-
At about 8 with my pal Chris and a bucks fizz or two
12 00 Lunch at Khmer Surin with 12 or so other volunteers
1600 A river boat trip up the Mekong [Tonley Sap] to watch sunset
2100 SYKPE David and Sally celebrate with a drink or too
Hope my liver is up to all this!!
Thanks to every one who has sent me cards real and electronic and pressies particularly my old buddies at Y&H SHA who have pulled out all the stops to send me some Christmas cheer and I have to say they are the only parcels to make it through so far so at least I will have some thing from Father Christmas to open on Christmas morning Bless you especially Kim who organised it all and in the midst of yet another NHS reorganisation will we never learn!!!.
Special love and good wishes to Kath and Heather I am thinking of you both
Thank you to every one who is being so kind to David and Sal in my absence they are both still so supportive even though it is hard for them and I am really looking forward to seeing them in February.
I really hope that you all have a very Happy Christmas and New Year
See you in 2011 keep tuning in
Kath  

A Khmer Wedding

This is a picture of the modern part of the wedding which took place in the evening complete with banquet music and dancing [ALL PICTURES PUBLISHED ARE WITH KIND PERMISSION OF THE BRIDE AND GROOM] 





Traditional Khmer wedding attire made from beautiful Cambodian silk

Hello to all my blogging friends
I will just update you on the weather forecast here in Cambodia it is 32oC and the sun is burning t'thack off as we say in Yorkshire or some such thing as I go about my daily chores I still have sweat dripping off my nose [not a good look I grant you] but I have to say infinitely preferable to being thigh deep in snow and ice so my commiserations to all of you who have to brave the M1 and M62 and every other road by the sounds of things to get to work and other such pleasures. They say timing is every thing and I have to say my timing in taking my gap year so far has been brilliant.
A couple of weeks ago I got my first invitation to a Khmer wedding it is wedding season at the moment in Cambodia and they are taking place all over the city As is customary in our country there is a formal part to Khmer weddings and less formal parts with dancing taking a prominent role.

This is Pros and Sochivy accepting their blessings

The wedding was of a work colleague Pros and his very beautiful bride Sochivy they had a combined traditional and modern wedding. The weddings in Cambodia are very colourful and joyous affairs in the traditional part which usually takes place in the morning the two families meet up and gifts are brought and this is the time that wedding rings are exchanged and specific songs are sung. After that monks offer blessings to the couple after which a hair cutting ceremony takes place. This is only symbolic nowadays but it represents the couple preparing to make a fresh start in a life together family and friends all take part in this bit of the ceremony and again songs are sung afterwards. This is followed by a pairing ceremony where the bride and groom have their right and left wrists respectively tied with blessing strings and they receive praises from their well wishers for happiness good health and success followed once again by 4 songs this time.
After the traditional part of the wedding is over a party is held and my case I was treated to a veritable feast ne banquet at least 7 course I stopped counting after 5! it was fantastic
I was sat at a round table of 10 people all of whom were friendly and kind and I tried out my faltering K'mai to my delight and relief I found that I was sitting next to a lady who had studied accounting in the UK in the 1990's for a year so her English was very good and she explained every thing to me.
During the banquet people kept arriving throughout the evening and just got fed as they arrived during which time the bride and groom and parents welcomed new arrivals
During the entire evening they must have changed their clothes 4/5 times and for one of her out fits the bride wore a very beautiful white gown. Indeed all her clothes were stunning but my favourites were the Cambodian silk traditional dresses just amazing.

My new wedding outfit which will come in very handy for all other formal occasions

Of course getting this invitation gave me a dilemma one familiar to my husband 'I don't have a thing to where!' So to remedy this I hot footed it to the Russian market and ordered a very nice made to measure traditional Khmer number pure silk I hope that you like it here I am just before I set off for the wedding.