First impressions
Door: Sanne Holtslag
16 December 2012 | Cambodja, Phnom-Penh
Dear all,
Thank you so much for all your well-wishes and support! It’s been heart-warming to read them, while I was leaving the Netherlands. I am in Phnom Penh now for just over a week, and have been received very well by the Country Office of VSO. Settling in fast, I’m very lucky I have found my own apartment that I moved into a couple of days ago. Every day brings new experiences and discoveries in this (amazingly green!) city full of smiling people. Each day I find something that makes me laugh and something that makes me want to cry. Below are a couple of snapshots of my first experiences, a bit elaborate, so feel free to skip :).
Kamikaze tuktuk
Together with Caroline, a VSO colleague who arrived in Cambodia a couple of days ago just as me, I step out onto the small street where our guesthouse is located. It’s 7am, but the sun is already hot, shining on the city that wakes up between 5am and 6am. It only takes a second before we hear the familiar words ‘tuktuk, you want tuktuk?’ This tiny carriage on wheels with two banks placed opposite of each other serves as a way of transport, a chill-out place on wheels, and often as a bedroom when the driver puts up his hammock between the pillars and takes a nap during the hottest time of the day. The driver looks at us expectantly with the serene smile that all Khmer (Cambodian) people bring out, no matter the situation. We agree on a price to take us to the VSO office, halfway across the city. He carefully waits until we’ve sat down and then fervently hits the gas. Approaching one of the main boulevards of the city with three, four or five lanes on each side (the traffic decides how many lanes are possible), the driver confidently steers the tuktuk into the flowing traffic… in exactly the opposite direction of the flow! I grab hold of the seat as I see a couple big SUV’s heading straight towards us without slowing down, half preparing to jump out of the tuktuk if necessary. Obviously this traffic is the habitat of our skilled driver as makes zigzagging maneuvers between the cars and multiple motorbikes, so within seconds we end up on the right side of the road, where the driver takes an impressive u-turn and picks up speed again. I take a deep breath and sit back. 20 minutes later arrive safely at the office. It was my introduction into the traffic of Phnom Penh. Now, a week later I’m very happy to have my own bicycle and am cycling everywhere that I need to go, finding the ‘starting off against the traffic-flow’ a very handy tool. At least you see what’s coming at you…
Monk business
Sunday morning and I am entering Wat Langka, one of the many Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh, to follow a Vipassana mediation session. As I’m a bit early I wander around the different gold-painted buildings with the signature ornamented pointy roofs. Two monks, dressed in orange drapery uniform, are sitting in the shadow of a small tree with purple flowers. I greet them, pressing my hand together, making a small bow, mumbling ‘suo sday’. I know I’m not allowed to touch them, shake hands, but I’m not sure whether I am allowed to talk with them or look them in the eye. As I stand there a bit hesitantly after my greeting one of the monks invites me in perfect English to come and sit next to him, asking me if I have any experience in mediation. He smiles while he looks into my eyes, immediately answering the questions that just went through my mind. We talk for a while in the tranquil surroundings of the Wat, which seems like a different world from the hustle in Phnom Penh, even though this hustle is only twenty meters away. When I ask about his motivation to become a monk he tells me he comes from a very poor family. When he was twelve, his grandfather told him that if you wanted to get an education, to study, then he should become a monk. After his monk study, he went to university and now works in the Ministry of Safety. He explains that only people from poor families chose to be monk, because it allows them to study and develop. Rich people, according to him, don’t become monks because they can’t live with the restrictions: no alcohol, no singing, no sex, not riding a motorbike. His Excellency has promised him a scholarship to do further studies. When I ask when he will start he replies that he has been waiting now for two months for the scholarship. But he is very confident that it will come soon. His Excellency has promised. So he will wait.
Market adventures
‘Do you go to school during the week?’ I ask a girl who is assisting her mother at their stall in the indoor market close to my apartment. She giggles and looks at me with a glimmer in her eyes, proud that she can display her English skills to the gathered market women who have come to see what the ‘Barang Madam’ (white woman) has come to buy. ‘No, I finish. I twenty-six.’ I feel ashamed, we are the same age and yet to me she looks like she is fourteen years old. Khmer people, both men and women, seem to age very slowly. For both men and women, their delicate bone-structure, feminine features, and smooth skin makes it hard to define their age. We both laugh about my question, which seems to be a good and acceptable solution for every awkward situation here. I then show her some of the small brown round marbles that one of the market woman threw into the bag of small mandarins that I just bought. ‘Can you show me how you eat those?’ She eagerly takes one of the marbles and breaks it open with her manicured nails, decorated with small flowers in three colors. She hands me back a white lychee-like fruit. I gesture to her that she can eat it. She looks at me in disbelieve, then smiling, ‘oh, thank you, thank you’. The gathered women laugh as she puts the fruit into her mouth. I thank her, gather my bags, try to smile at all the women surrounding us, saying ‘awkun’ (thank you) and make my way outside. I still have a lot to learn and explore….
More next time :).
Thank you so much for all your well-wishes and support! It’s been heart-warming to read them, while I was leaving the Netherlands. I am in Phnom Penh now for just over a week, and have been received very well by the Country Office of VSO. Settling in fast, I’m very lucky I have found my own apartment that I moved into a couple of days ago. Every day brings new experiences and discoveries in this (amazingly green!) city full of smiling people. Each day I find something that makes me laugh and something that makes me want to cry. Below are a couple of snapshots of my first experiences, a bit elaborate, so feel free to skip :).
Kamikaze tuktuk
Together with Caroline, a VSO colleague who arrived in Cambodia a couple of days ago just as me, I step out onto the small street where our guesthouse is located. It’s 7am, but the sun is already hot, shining on the city that wakes up between 5am and 6am. It only takes a second before we hear the familiar words ‘tuktuk, you want tuktuk?’ This tiny carriage on wheels with two banks placed opposite of each other serves as a way of transport, a chill-out place on wheels, and often as a bedroom when the driver puts up his hammock between the pillars and takes a nap during the hottest time of the day. The driver looks at us expectantly with the serene smile that all Khmer (Cambodian) people bring out, no matter the situation. We agree on a price to take us to the VSO office, halfway across the city. He carefully waits until we’ve sat down and then fervently hits the gas. Approaching one of the main boulevards of the city with three, four or five lanes on each side (the traffic decides how many lanes are possible), the driver confidently steers the tuktuk into the flowing traffic… in exactly the opposite direction of the flow! I grab hold of the seat as I see a couple big SUV’s heading straight towards us without slowing down, half preparing to jump out of the tuktuk if necessary. Obviously this traffic is the habitat of our skilled driver as makes zigzagging maneuvers between the cars and multiple motorbikes, so within seconds we end up on the right side of the road, where the driver takes an impressive u-turn and picks up speed again. I take a deep breath and sit back. 20 minutes later arrive safely at the office. It was my introduction into the traffic of Phnom Penh. Now, a week later I’m very happy to have my own bicycle and am cycling everywhere that I need to go, finding the ‘starting off against the traffic-flow’ a very handy tool. At least you see what’s coming at you…
Monk business
Sunday morning and I am entering Wat Langka, one of the many Buddhist temples in Phnom Penh, to follow a Vipassana mediation session. As I’m a bit early I wander around the different gold-painted buildings with the signature ornamented pointy roofs. Two monks, dressed in orange drapery uniform, are sitting in the shadow of a small tree with purple flowers. I greet them, pressing my hand together, making a small bow, mumbling ‘suo sday’. I know I’m not allowed to touch them, shake hands, but I’m not sure whether I am allowed to talk with them or look them in the eye. As I stand there a bit hesitantly after my greeting one of the monks invites me in perfect English to come and sit next to him, asking me if I have any experience in mediation. He smiles while he looks into my eyes, immediately answering the questions that just went through my mind. We talk for a while in the tranquil surroundings of the Wat, which seems like a different world from the hustle in Phnom Penh, even though this hustle is only twenty meters away. When I ask about his motivation to become a monk he tells me he comes from a very poor family. When he was twelve, his grandfather told him that if you wanted to get an education, to study, then he should become a monk. After his monk study, he went to university and now works in the Ministry of Safety. He explains that only people from poor families chose to be monk, because it allows them to study and develop. Rich people, according to him, don’t become monks because they can’t live with the restrictions: no alcohol, no singing, no sex, not riding a motorbike. His Excellency has promised him a scholarship to do further studies. When I ask when he will start he replies that he has been waiting now for two months for the scholarship. But he is very confident that it will come soon. His Excellency has promised. So he will wait.
Market adventures
‘Do you go to school during the week?’ I ask a girl who is assisting her mother at their stall in the indoor market close to my apartment. She giggles and looks at me with a glimmer in her eyes, proud that she can display her English skills to the gathered market women who have come to see what the ‘Barang Madam’ (white woman) has come to buy. ‘No, I finish. I twenty-six.’ I feel ashamed, we are the same age and yet to me she looks like she is fourteen years old. Khmer people, both men and women, seem to age very slowly. For both men and women, their delicate bone-structure, feminine features, and smooth skin makes it hard to define their age. We both laugh about my question, which seems to be a good and acceptable solution for every awkward situation here. I then show her some of the small brown round marbles that one of the market woman threw into the bag of small mandarins that I just bought. ‘Can you show me how you eat those?’ She eagerly takes one of the marbles and breaks it open with her manicured nails, decorated with small flowers in three colors. She hands me back a white lychee-like fruit. I gesture to her that she can eat it. She looks at me in disbelieve, then smiling, ‘oh, thank you, thank you’. The gathered women laugh as she puts the fruit into her mouth. I thank her, gather my bags, try to smile at all the women surrounding us, saying ‘awkun’ (thank you) and make my way outside. I still have a lot to learn and explore….
More next time :).
-
16 December 2012 - 11:02
Joni:
Prachtig Sanne! :) So happy to hear from you... Geniet ervan, en keep writing!!! -
16 December 2012 - 11:15
Ton:
Sanne, wat een leuke sfeervolle beschrijvingen van de dingen die je mee maakt. Ik zie het zo voor me gebeuren, hoe je op de markt naar de vrouwen lacht. Knap van je hoe je in diverse omstandigheden er het mooiste er van maakt. Veel plezier en veel leuke ervaringen nog in Cambodja. Groeten van je vader. -
16 December 2012 - 12:32
Jose:
Hey Sanne,
mooie vignetten! Fijn dat de mensen zo vriendelijk zijn, en dat sommigen ook engels praten. Erg mooi beschreven, ik zie je zo lachend op de markt staan. Maareh, dat verkeer lijkt me toch iets minder... -
16 December 2012 - 13:42
Ranjana:
Leuk verslag! -
16 December 2012 - 20:46
Ankie:
Hi there Sanne!
Dat is smullen van jouw verhalen, echt heel mooi be- en geschreven, dank je. Ik herken het gevoel van de afwisseling tussen lachen- huilen en liefde- afkeer! Maar zoals ik begrijp lukt het je allemaal goed en heel tof dat je al je eigen woonplek hebt gevonden.
Hier hebben we al een stukje van Koning Winter mogen proeven, maar nu zitten we in miezerig en fris weer. Overal brandt de kerstverlichting en los van alle overdaad rondom deze tijd, vind ik dat het er wel gezellig uit zien.
Lieve Sanne, take care,
big hugs, ook van Paul,
XX
Ankie -
17 December 2012 - 14:27
Thomas Van Den Berg:
Hi Sanne,
mooi verhaal! Heel kenmerkend voor jou om zo daar een nieuw leven op te bouwen.
Het gaat je goed daar,
Thomas -
18 December 2012 - 10:47
Sandra De Boer:
Hee Sanne,
Wat goed om te horen dat je een eigen appartementje hebt, en ook iemand hebt waarmee je opschiet.
Dat is toch fijner dan dat je alles helemaal zelf moet doen. En een fiets: beter! ;)
Hoe gaat het met werk> wat heb je opgestart/gedaan??
Hier gaat het goed, Sara is helemaal gesettled en we hebben de kerstverlichting gevonden en wat ballen opgehangen xD Qua werk heb ik weer een halfjaar contract gekregen dus dat zit nog even goed gelukkig.
Mooi dat er zo'n markt dichtbij je zit, was het fruit wel lekker> en hoe handle je het weer?
Heel veel plezier maar ook succes, trots op je!
xoxo Sandra -
20 December 2012 - 16:24
Beatriz:
Sunshine:
I am so happy to read you with your graceful way to describe and capture moments.
I sent you a big and cannot wait to see u again.
Hugs from rainy yogyakarta. -
23 December 2012 - 19:58
Lies:
Ha die Sanne,
Wat goed beschreven en mooi om te lezen...Tuk Tuk In de details van de dagelijkse ervaring leer je het land het beste kennen en wij ook. . dank je wel.
We zitten hier bij de kachel onder de kerstboom te relaxen, al is het buiten weliswaar 10 graden boven nul, we doen net of er een pak sneeuw ligt.
Groeten ook van Johan, fijne tijd en tot horens Liefs van Lies -
30 December 2012 - 13:00
Hank :
Ha Sanne
Ik wordt weer blij als ik lees over de enthousiste inzet van jonge mensen, om de wereld een beetje mooier te maken. Kerst 2012 zal je niet gauw vergeten. Ik wens je een goed begin in 2013 met veel lichtpuntjes .
Liefs Hank -
10 Februari 2013 - 18:58
Truus Kortenhorst:
Hoi Sanne,
Misschien interessant voor jou. Ik ben lid van een netwerk van grote bedrijven die zich bezig houden met talent ontwikkeling. Op de laatste bijeenkomst hield iemand van Achmea (een zorg- en verzekeringsmaatschappij) een verhaal hierover. Hij had 2 trainees meegenomen die een project in Cambodja doen. Het project ging over verzekeringen voor mensen met een micro krediet, zodat je risic's vermindert in geval van een calamiteit. Ik vertelde hen wat jij in Cobodja doet. Als je het leuk en zinvol vindt om contact met hen op te nemen, dan kan dat altijd.
Ze heten Sophie Hulshof en is Raymond Fafie. De gegevens van Raymond kun je vinden op linkedIn. Hij werkt bij Achmea als trainee.
Hartelijke groeten,
Truus
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