Hannah’s Weblog

So I am at the end of one journey and about to embark on another….I have kind of been dreading leaving SE Asia. I truly love love being out here and am really sad to leave.

Cambodia was such an incredible part of my trip, and I am currently looking to find a job there so i can go back and continue volunteering at the orphanage for a longer, more substantial amount of time.

I am now in Bangkok. I have been here so many times on my trip, and I really like it. I have a nice place where I always stay, know some great places to eat, so will also be sad to leave here! I fly to Sydney this afternoon. I have 24 hours there so plan on doing a little sight seeing around the Opera House, should be great! then Thursday I arrive in Auckland, New Zealand. I am unsure about how I feel about going there. Obviously I am excited! But it will be the first English speaking country I have ever traveled around, and I am sure quite a contrast from the last 5 months in SE Asia.

It’s a strange feeling leaving bangkok, but I just got a phone call from my friend Sugar, and she has come to bKK to meet me!!!!!!!!SSOOOO EXCITED! she is going to meet me at the airport! ohh mann, I havent seen here in 2 months, so thats Awesome!

Anyways, my blogging has become a little sporadic and un-organised, but hopefully when I get to NZ I will get back on it, and have some stories to tell! I better go, I need  to send off my C.V  to some potential Language schools in Siem Reap and  have to get some lunch before my taxi to the airport. See you in NEW ZEALAND!!!!!!!

So now I am back in Siem Reap, my home…. I have been here about 4 weeks now, and as I left for the weekend I have another month on my visa. It really does feel like home, I have my friends and work, and a real sense of purpose. I wander if I will ever be able to travel again without volunteering. In fact on that note, I am considering canceling my trip to New Zealand and staying in Cambodia….It’s still just an idea, but one I am considering, as ODA could really do with a little more time and help from me. After my weekend on the beach, I was keen to get back, and stuck into our projects. Traveling is fantastic of course, but when I can help so much here, sometimes it seems pointless and unproductive just traveling and doing nothing helpful everyday….The past 3 weeks have gone so quickly and we still have so much to do!

Today Shirley, Leng, me and 3 people from Acodo  orphanage went to visit Green Gekho Orphanage.  It is an amazingly established place, run with excellent love and care, and an inspiration to any NGO in Cambodia! I was blown away with the way it runs, and the facilities they have. ODA is far away from a place like this, but we will make things happen. Even if they are small steps, they are steps in the right direction. Tanya, the lady that runs it with her Khmer husband is an incredible women, and we took in all her advise and insight into developing an orphanage. It reminded that there really are some amazing, kind, generous people out there, and I feel as if her strength seeped into all of us. Volunteering, and NGO work is a tough slog, and so seeing a place that is thriving like this place is gives us all hope

I am learning so much whilst I am here, not only about Cambodia but also the world of NGOs. Sometimes it’s emotional and hard work, but seeing the smiling faces of the children everyday seriously keeps me going. At the moment I can see myself wanting to stay and help forever!

”’Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, in deed, that’s all who ever have.” Margaret Mead. Concert NGO.

So Andy was due to leave Cambodia at the weekend. Shirley and I didn’t want him to leave, not only as he has been so much help but because he’s fabulous company, and we had both grown fairly attached to him….I tried persuading him to stay, but it didn’t work, he had to go and meet his cousin in Bangkok. Late Wednesday night, I decided to go with him. It was a last minute decision, but one I couldn’t pass up. I checked out, leaving my back pack in the guesthouse office, went and spoke to Shirley (who though the break  would be good for me) and we left Thursday morning.

Arriving in Bangkok thursday night, we caught a bus down south. A ferry ride via Kho Tao and a beautiful sunrise and we were on Kho Pangyan by Friday morning….I love this about traveling, how you can get anywhere with such ease, and at a low cost! We stayed somewhere that had been recommended by Andy’s cousins friend, and it was amazing. A small beach called hat Yuan, only reachable by  boat, so was beautifully quiet and untouched. We spent two nights here in a stilted bungalow only a stones throw from the gorgeous beach. It was soooo nice to be away from everything, and I spent the two days in my bikini and sarrong….paradise!

Sunday morning we left for Kho Samui, as I had decided to fly from there to Bangkok to save some time.  The resort we stayed on Kho Samui was a world away from where we had been. Lots of people, shops, bars, busy busy! But this was a nice change. We made the most of our pool, the ocean and stayed in a lovely lovely bungalow with a/c and a HUGE bathroom!! I was truly spoilt as the people I was with, well, their budget and travel style was very different from mine…but I let myself be indulged……

We didn’t have long on Kho samui, but it was great!We spent the evening on the beach, watching fireworks that were being sold to tourists, and fire lanterns going off up into the unknown. ….

Monday morning we left early and caught our flight back to bangkok. I was hoping on catching a bus the same day to Siam Reap, but unfortunately there is only one that leaves once a day at 7.30 am, and I had missed it

Not soo bad, but I was eager to get back. I have been to bangkok a lot the past few months, so was adamant on doing something knew. Andy and I decided to chill out, then spent the evening up Baiyuke Tower. Thailand’s highest building, and it was magical. Amazing views out over the city and seeing the sun fade, and the crazy lights appear was one of those great experineces….

It was a wonderful weekend, and I did so much in such a short time! It was sad saying goodbye to Andy, but I was excited to get back to Siem Reap.

Today I just had the urge to write…I mean I write everyday in my journal, but today I just wanted to get some of my thoughts on line to share with those of you who read my blog.

I had a pretty hectic morning..I woke early as I was planning on chatting via Skype with my mum, got to the internet cafe down the street by 8.20 and was all ready to start my day with a lovely chat…Unfortunately though, mum’s computer was playing up, so we barely even got to chat via gmail chat It was a shame, but now I have a Cambodian sim card, so hopefully will be able to talk with her soon….. On the up side of my morning, I managed to find a carpenter!! This was great news, as Shirley and I had put up posters around town hoping to get some help from someone with experience. Why do we need a Carpenter? Well we are going to re-build the orphanages gallery. Currently the ‘gallery’ is no more than a shack, with a leaking roof, and barely four walls. As the children’s painting are the main source of income this gallery is going to be vital for displaying their art. So after my unsuccessful internet trip I had to try and work out which room Richard (the carpenter) is staying in….yeah unsuccessful….luckily however I managed to bump into Andy, a guy I met last night who visited the orphanage yesterday, bought some paintings and really wants to donate some money and perhaps help build the gallery. He helped me find Richard, and so things started falling into place.

Leng and Shirley then arrived at the guesthouse around 12. Luckily I had managed to squeeze in some breakfast at Yan’s restaurant before they arrived, as these days his delicious coffee really helps me out! I introduced Richard and Andy with Leng and Shirley, who were thrilled that I had managed to find some with some expertise, and we headed off to the orphanage. In the car we discussed our plans for the week, and Shirley told me more about how things work in Cambodia. Like I said before she works in a center in Sihanouk ville, where they run a kind of day care to get the children off the streets and away from crime. These children would otherwise have no choice but to beg on the beaches, or fall into the horrible trap of drug abuse and crime. Instead they are free to come to the center where they are fed, given art lessons (which they love) and school uniforms so that they can attend school. It’s an amazing center, and Cambodia could do with more like this. School uniforms are essential. Children are not allowed to attend school without one, so each child need at least two sets, costing around $4-$6 for the smaller ones, and about $7 for the older children.  Even though most of these schools are government run, they are not free. This is another reason many children in Cambodia don’t stand a chance at getting an education. Mr Leng pays over $100 a month in tuition fees, and when the average wage here is $50 you can see why many do not have a chance….Secondary school is even more rare. A pathetic 9% of children in Cambodia attend secondary school! Due to tuition fees, the cost of uniforms and getting there and back, sending their children to work seems much more worthwhile. The other day 6 new children arrived at the orphanage from various locations. Four girls and two boys…Yesterday we had to go and buy them school uniforms and another table with chairs so that they have somewhere to eat. The cost of living at this family run home is constantly on the increase….

Once we arrived at the orphanage, some people had stopped in to say hello. The children love this, so were all excited and playing around Shirley got Richard and Andy to work straight away, sorting out measurements and creating a list of materials we have to buy. I chatted to the young American girl who had dropped in. I felt like I was almost a sales women. Telling her all about the orphanage, and our plans. I showed her around, and showed her some of the children’s art. Cheat (pronounce Chi at) had produced some wonderful paintings over the weekend, and I went through them with him. He really is so extremely talented, as are a lot of the boys there, and I love seeing everyday new things they come up with. I spent the afternoon casually, as there was a lot of excitement and chaos with all the visitors,  teaching them some new ideas. Cheat is keen to learn about abstract art, he has some wonderful ideas that I am hopefully going to help him realise. But here is where I face a problem. On the one hand I have a fresh young artists with great ideas of what he wants to produce, and on the other I have an orphan who has to sell his work in order to survive. Being creative and expressing himself against producing something that someone will want to take home and hang on their wall. A tough one.

We had the materials delivered in the late afternoon, and so hopefully work can get started on that straight away I have found myself a talented graphic designer ( Thanks Joshua) who has so very kindly offered to help us put our new brochure together, now we need to get the collection boxes sorted and put into some hotels, we need to produce a new sign so that tourists coming back from the Temples can see where the orphanage is, and hopefully stop by. We need to build some bunk beds, and buy some mattresses and sheets for them. OOhhh my, how the list goes on. It’s going to be a busy month, but I know we can do it!!

First task is to stop writing this, get off Facebook, and get tomorrow lesson planned. Hopefully the bar upstairs in the guesthouse won’t distract me either..hahahha…. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day, and I can’t wait!!!!

So I have missed nearly 5 weeks from my blog ….a little bit annoyed with myself, but I hope the photos on Flickr, and the ones i have just uploaded kind of speak for themselves…joey and I had an AMAZING TIME!!!!

Adam left last Monday, and today is Sunday….wow so it’s been a whole week! I loved loved loved having him here with me, but must admit there is something nice about being alone. I say alone is a very loose term however. I have my own room, but the guesthouse where I am staying is like a family commune, so i am rarely alone even now!! Will is also here, who is a great friend of mine, I also have my khmer friends, and all the staff here.

So, whilst Adam, Will and I were visting the Temples last week, I got talking to a local artist. I always like to see what people are painting, and we got chatting and I showed him some of my paintings and sketchbook. He said, ” arrhhh you are an artist?” well….”not quite”, I said, ”but I do love to draw and paint, especially in watercolour”  he smiled at me, and said..”do you have any free time?” ”Yes!” I smiled back, ”would you like to come and volunteer at my orphanage, the students would love an art teacher!!!?” Well, for those who know me well, this is kind of my dream job, so I instantly excepted and told him I would call him later…..

That was a week ago now, and I have been everyday. It is wonderful, and I am sooo happy to have found somewhere where I can really help. The orphanage is a small family run place, set deep inside the grounds of the famous Angkor Temples. This is itself is amazing for me, as I get to drive around the Temples everyday to and from the orphanage. There are currently 16 children here, ages 4-21 and the children are lovely. Mr Leng, a trained artists runs it with his wife Srey On. So it really is like one big family. The timing of my arrival couldn’t have been more perfect too, as on my first day shirley arrived. Shirley is from Melbourne, Austrialia but lives down south in Sihanoukville at an orphanage there. She is up in Siam Reap for this month helping Mr. Leng manage his orphanage. Maybe manage isn’t the right word, she is here to help him realise some of his dreams for improving the orphanage itself, develope better awarenness of the orphanage and in sure a steady income. ODA is completly reliant o the sales of their paintings and donations form generous tourists. It is a day to day job trying to get food on the table, so we are working at trying to get some sponsorship.

In the morning, everyday I go to Yan’s restaurant with Will for breakfast. Yan is a good friend of Will’s and we chat with him, watch some t.v and enjoy some great Khmen rice noodle soup! Yan’s coffee’s are also the best in town, strong and sweet, they set me up for my busy days. Around 11am I  meet with Shirley and Mr Leng, and we spend the morning organizing supplies for the new gallery we intend to build, designing the new brochure and coming up with ideas for an Apsara show we hope to be able to put on twice a week. About 3 pm, we head to the orphanage and I teach art for about 3 hours. It is incredible how talented these children are. And considering I have only been there a week, with just a few ideas, and styles from me, they are creating wonderful paintings! It couldn’t be a more perfect situation as I have the whole of October free……

In the evenings I usually go up to the roof bar at my lovely guesthouse and chill out, drinking beer with my friends there. There is quite a group of us staying a while, various volunteer programmes, so the conversation is always great. Sometimes Will and I go out with our cambodian friends, like last night we all went out for dinner, about 12 of us! Such fun…

Today is Sunday and I have a day off. Must admit that I really feel as if I need is, so didn’t wake up until around midday! The town is still pretty flooded (from the typhoon that hit the Philipines) so I think I will just chill out at the guesthouse today. I really feel at home here, and therfore am going to stay the whole month. It feels fantastic being part of something so worthwhile, and I hope that Shirley and I can really make all these plans into a reality. The orphanage is so deserving and really really needs help! I feel it has opened my eyes also to the world of volunteering and charity work, espescially when it can be connected so strongly with art, something I love to do.

Anyways, I haven’t written this much in ages, and don’t like to daunt people with too much to read, so i am going to get some lunch.

I had a lovely emaill from Amy today and she sent me a poem, so I am going to end this post with a line from that….

“…With all its sham, drudgery an broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”

I haven’t written in a while, but have some time now in Pai so thought I better write a little.  So I left Surin last Friday, and it was so so sad. I had had such an amazing 3 months there that it was difficult to close that chapter of my life….Luckily when it came to saying goodbye, the office was hectice as Karen had just heard her boyfriend’s flight fron the UK to BKK had been cancelled so it made it easier to kind of slip away. Suger walked Adam and I to the station and she was so sad to see me go. It was so sad as I had spent the last 2 months with Sugar, teaching together at school. taking naps together in theafternoon, eating dinner together, and chatting online wit friends together! I miss her so much, but plan to meet her in BKK for her birthday at the end of the month…

14 hours later (and the journey was pretty good) Adam and I arrived in Chiang Mai. We found a guesthouse, which had been recommended and decided to just enjoy the sunny day exploring the walled city. Chiang Mai has over 300 temples, and we were keen to meanedr around taking in it’s great history. I am not someone who will ever tire of temples,  find their beauty and religious significance fascinating, and it’s great that Joey feels the same. We took our time, stopping to paint and sketch when we felt the erge…it was a lovely day. There were lots of monks around as one of the larger temple complexes has a school nearby. Something I will never forget, while I was sat in the shade painting a group of young monks stood and watched me. It was a priceless moment, as usually we are the ones wanted to watch them in their glorious orange robe, and here they were watching me! It was lovely. We also went to ‘Monk Chat’ it’s set up to allow monks to practice their English (or other languages) and also for people to learn about Thailand, it’s religion and culture. It was such a rare treat. We only stayed in Chaing Mai one night then left about 2 the next day. before we left though we went out up the hillside that overlooks the valley. There is a huge (very religious, judging by the amount of Thai people paying their respect and making offerings) temple that has amazing views. It was nice to be up high, although Chaing Mai is a very clean well organised city, it was to feel the cool air that only mountains can provide.

The drive to Pai was unbelievably beautiful! Maybe so because I wasn’t expecting anything like it! I napped the first hour, and was so glad that I woke when I did. I opened my eyes, to be surrounded by gorgeous lushious green jungle. I didn’t expect that we would have to climb so high over thick dense uninhahbited mountains to get to Pai. It wa sone of those journeys where I jsut sit back, and watch the beautiful world go by… Pai is nestled in a bsin that sits in the foothills of the mountainous North of Thailand. We have been here two days now, and I am tempted to knock on the local school to see if they need an English teacher! It reminds me of India. with it’s hippy laid back vibe, chic little cafes and worldy travellers. Its a little piece of paradise for sure, and would make for a lovely romantic honeymoon….We hired bikes yesterday, which was great fun. Winding up the mountains with the fresh cool breeze and amazing views. Being able to stop whenever we wanted to take photos of sketch….On the way back we decided to stop for a coffee at a cute little cafe with a vast view over the paddyfields. Joey wasn’t feeling great so I offered to ride us back..oh my this was a mistake! I had had a try earlier and it was fine. But as I drove off the gravely path onto the main road I gave to much throttle instead of releasing it! We skidded to a hault! It was so scary! Bascially I crashed and was soooo mad at myself ( as I have met so many people that have crashed bikes, and I vowed not to be one of them) well now I am! My first though as I lay on the road with the bike ontop of me was “Joey!! Are you ok!!” he was (THANK HEAVENS!) I picked the bike up and we assesed our injuries. I had grim grazes on both arms and my left hand, and also on my leg and knee (event though I was wearing jeans) The shock prevented me feeling anything at first! Joey rode us back…I couldn’t stop thinking what could have happened, had it been worse! When we got back, I said to joey “I feel sick!” then I nearly passed out! hahah I have never come close to fainting before, so that was also a first (along with my first road accident) Luckily I made it onto Joey’s bed, and lay there laughing! Dam ot culd have been so worse! Luckily also wa that Joey’s injuries weren’t as bad as mine (which kind of felt fair) he has some cuts on his foot. I can probably say I won’t be riding any form of moped ever again!!!!

Today we just chilled out. Pai is so sleepy and laid back this time of year….We played a few games of pool, drank some beer, went for a walk and took a nap. Tomorrow morning we are heading to laos. Our room is basic but comfortable. Live music plays next door which is lovely. If we can’t be bothered to drink, then we can just listen in the comfort of our room! That’s the life hey!?