Retrospective from Cambodia

A few people were asking me about my volunteering in Cambodia, the farm, the project, the people. Well, it was so long ago that I hardly remember and since I've stopped writing anything anywhere it will take  some brain work to recall what was all that about...

Well, apart from the fact that I was super lazy and for most of the time was thinking about getting into a hammock (what I have been often doing) it took some hard work, including swinging a hoe and such. It was very different from what I expected, starting with the fact that nobody had a clue what we want to do and where we want to start. So unless you are a very organized person, always make sure that there actually is some kind of a program, otherwise it can be boring or at times even irritating. Anyway, we've spent half of the time in town based house, trying to organize ourselves, training a lot of yoga, eating healthy food and discussing environment and deteriorating state of human spirit in general. Very hippie style, anarchistic, angry people who would like to change the world so the go to poor Asia to do that. 

No mom, I didn't save the world, nor did I attempt to do that. I haven't learned how to do that either. But I've made a few drawings, a little bit of landscaping and I probably prevented a few people from killing each other (saving the world missions rise murderous tensions, you see). 

When on the farm site, there was a lot of physical work, mostly in full heat, sleeping on the floor in very very basic, village houses and one of the best night skies ever. 

Being in such a remote area of such a poor country makes one realize what actually is poverty and what it takes to get out of it. How resigned must be people who do not care how their surroundings look like, if their children run around dirty and naked together with a herd of same looking pigs. I've never seen anything like that before or after, even India, although often terribly dirty and poor in cities, in villages presented some degree of aesthetics and cleanliness. 

All in all it was a great experience and it timed me up perfectly to meet an amazing group of people a few days later in Laos:)