first week on the job

I’ve just spent my first week working in my new job. The first couple of days doing the things that happen to most people – feeling a bit awkward with new surroundings, including learning Khmer names that don’t have an easy rhythm for a Westerner.

On Wednesday I headed to the field with my two Cambodian colleagues from the Programme Office, Piseth and Yanat. We went about three hours away to Pursat, one of 24 provinces in Cambodia, situated on Tonle Sap Lake, which is the heart of Cambodia in many ways. Geographically it sits centrally, backfilled by the Mekong River during the rainy season, and also at the heart of Cambodia’s economy because of its abundant fish and natural resources.

We visited a mushroom farming project waaaaayyyyyy out in the country. I mean way out. This is where people stared at me in friendly wonderment because very likely many of them had never seen a western white man before.

The mushroom project was started by one of our volunteers, Biro from India, who is supporting very poor rice farmers to supplement their incomes by growing a second crop out of rice season. 20 families have now learned how to increase their incomes by about 50,000 Riel, or about $12 for one month’s work. This translates to about a 5% increase in ANNUAL income for these people. Hard to get your head around that one, isn’t it?

The second day we visited Kampong Chhnang which is known for its clay pots. I’ve uploaded a photo of a woman who was taught to make these simple but amazing water jugs by hand. She makes them entirely by hand, as has been handed down by her elders. You can see the unfinished one on the ground while she completes the one in her lap. She gets 3,000 Riel ($0.75) per pot.

Last night VSO had a welcome party for us new volunteers. Nearly every volunteer from around the country attended, some traveling 10 or more hours to get here. A “snapshot” moment I remember was simply seeing the crowd of 100 heads or so and feeling such immense gratitude to join forces with people who are committed to make such a difference here.