4th Year Leaving Party
We had a leaving party on Sunday for the fourth years. They are leaving the dorm in two weeks to start proper jobs!
One of the problems with having 46 girls in one room is that when one of them starts to cry it sets them all off. Must have been crying for about 2 hours by the time everyone was too tired to carry on and had to go to bed.
I hadn't appreciated what it means to be really scared when you first arrive from the quiet countryside and thrown into a busy city with difficult studies and lots of chores (like cooking rice, cleaning), particularly when you miss your family. The other girls in the dorm become your family and help you through everything. It's a special bond, so much more than just being room mates at university.
Half the Sky Movie at the Cambodia Korea Coorperation Centre
We saw this recently. Very inspiring. Not your average bore about women in education, I promise. Lots of celebrity endorsement with George Clooney and Hilary Clinton.
Satya was working with the Youth Ambassadors Council to organise the event. Well done her!
Highlight of the week
Lou Lou came to stay from Hong Kong!!
The girls loved her of course. It also meant I got to do all the things I like doing in Phnom Penh.
We went for eggs benedict at the Foreign Correspondents Club, shopping for underwear and gifts at Tuol Tom Pong Market, ate slippery noodles on the street, watched Khmer boxing at CTN studios and had a manicure at Daughters NGO. Love!!
I've also found an awesome vintage shop. So far I have Raybans and a beautiful shirt which I used for my court visits with LAC (see below).
DC Cam - A River Changes Course
This Saturday we had The Documentation Centre of Cambodia come to Harpswell to show their latest movie about three families' struggles in the countryside.
There is a difficulty educating children, not only from a practical perspective (sometimes there isn't a school or a boat to get you to school) but also a a financial one. If children study they cannot help their parents to earn money for the family.
Lots of land is being sold off to companies for development, there is no running water or electricity. One girl leaves her mother to work in a garment factory in Phnom Penh where the minimum monthly wage is $62. The money helps support her family but it is hard work and her mother doesn't cope with all the farming on her own out her daughter. The daughter ends up coming back to the countryside.
Legal Aid Cambodia
Doing incredible work to try to give people a fair trial.
I saw a Supreme Court case today. There are 9 judges in the final stage of the appeal. The man had been in prison for 13 years and was only today hearing the outcome of his appeal to the Supreme Court. His lawyer was on a mobile phone during trial.
Children are tried in adult courts, often without a guardian or legal representation. They are kept in adult prisons. LAC is doing amazing work with Every Child to secure rights for children in Cambodia.
With 600 practicing lawyers in Cambodia, only 200 go to court and only 75 provide legal aid. Not many lawyers for a population of 14 million. They desperately need support.
Cycling in the countryside
We had lots of fun cycling through the dusty dirt roads in the heat of the day! 13 of us set off for an hour. They enjoyed the fresh air and cool breeze as we passed by little farms and houses on stilts.
Beautiful mulitcoloured butterflies kept crossing our path and we stopped every so often to buy coloured liquid in little plastic bags with straws from the roadside sellers.
Jobs and stuff
Having spent two grueling hours with Nat going over interview questions and techniques she got an amazing job at an electronics company called Minebea. She is one of 10 senior management team looking after 1000 employees. Amazing.
Mala has prepared an excellent CV for a part time job at Acleda Bank PLC and Reaksmey is going for a nursing job at Rattanak Hospital. It's exciting watching their lives take new directions.
Here's a breakdown of what I did with some of the other girls in the last week. Didn't realise how much I did until I wrote it all down!!!
It's almost over
I can't believe it, the time has gone by so quick. Two more weeks and so many things packed in for the next few days. I am going to miss these girls so so so much. It's definitely not over. At the very least I'm planning to come back and bring Jon for a couple of weeks next summer...and Juliet (the other leadership resident at BT dorm might do the same!)
Rach
With 600 practicing lawyers in Cambodia, only 200 go to court and only 75 provide legal aid. Not many lawyers for a population of 14 million. They desperately need support.
Cycling in the countryside
We had lots of fun cycling through the dusty dirt roads in the heat of the day! 13 of us set off for an hour. They enjoyed the fresh air and cool breeze as we passed by little farms and houses on stilts.
Beautiful mulitcoloured butterflies kept crossing our path and we stopped every so often to buy coloured liquid in little plastic bags with straws from the roadside sellers.
Jobs and stuff
Having spent two grueling hours with Nat going over interview questions and techniques she got an amazing job at an electronics company called Minebea. She is one of 10 senior management team looking after 1000 employees. Amazing.
Mala has prepared an excellent CV for a part time job at Acleda Bank PLC and Reaksmey is going for a nursing job at Rattanak Hospital. It's exciting watching their lives take new directions.
Here's a breakdown of what I did with some of the other girls in the last week. Didn't realise how much I did until I wrote it all down!!!
Sohim - 1 hour looking for jobs with her on the internet
Sopheap - 1 hour reviewing her 4 page paper submission to DK Kim (for a scholarship)
Siekmouy - 1 hour mentoring about internship opportunities
Kimleang Eng - 1 hour reviewing her application to DK Kim
Panha - 1 hour - mentoring re her position at her school and future goals
Panha - 2 hours - attending her work place at an international school to watch and support her teach and meet her colleagues
Reaksmey - 1 hour mentoring re nursing jobs
Choronay - Attending church with her and talking afterwards
Sokeang - Her dissertation, direction, possible subjects
Mala - 1 hour on her CV and cover letter to Acleda Bank PLc
Nat - 1 hour pre second interview preparation
Vouchthou - 1 hour pre interview preparation at a softline testing company
Vatey - 2 hours attending meeting of CCHR to discuss election and media strategy
Dinna - 1 hour dilemma re exam overlapping with Burma trip. Talking through alternative options
Rachana - 1 hour dilemma about one poor result in exams and application for DK Kim
Sampours - 3 hours of grammar exercises
Vechou - 2 hours of grammar exercises
It's almost over
I can't believe it, the time has gone by so quick. Two more weeks and so many things packed in for the next few days. I am going to miss these girls so so so much. It's definitely not over. At the very least I'm planning to come back and bring Jon for a couple of weeks next summer...and Juliet (the other leadership resident at BT dorm might do the same!)
Rach
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