Poipet has been a little harsh in every aspect, so of course I’ve had some highs and lows here, but the end draws near now and it almost seems as if it’s coming up too fast. My stomach hasn’t been quite the same since arriving and I’ve been constantly in and out of being sick with “traveler’s problems,” ( a nice way of putting it) as well as persistent colds. While I’ll be arriving back to Thailand physically a bit weaker, I’m so much more spiritually and mentally alive! Poipet has been an incredible experience, scary at times, but well worth the opportunity and time I was able to spend here.
The MMF Home is truly an oasis in the middle of chaos. There are five houses total, one for the big boys, big girls, little boys, little girls, and the main house, which has the common room downstairs and another main sleeping area upstairs. The upstairs is where I’ve been living for the past couple months along with the administrator over the home whose from the U.S. and been here for a little over two years now. There’s 40 kids living at the home and they range from ages 3-17 years old. They’re pretty much at maximum capacity, but depending on the circumstance new children still trickle in because sometimes you just can’t say no. These kids are absolutely wonderful and you would never be able to tell the horrific backgrounds that they have endured.
The toughest thing about Poipet has been adjusting to the Khmer culture. I’ve struggled to make sense of why they do things the way they do, but there is literally no rhyme or reason to pretty much anything. Life is up front in your face and everything is operated with an animal-like mindset AKA everyone is out for them selves. It’s take, take, take and often just seems unnecessarily violent. It’s also been a complete turn around from Thai culture in the sense that Khmer people lack respect for one another. Just all the little things add up, like there is no concept of waiting in line. It seems silly enough to even mention this, but it’s just an example of how funny it is when you try to buy something and people just keep cutting in front of you. They just don’t understand the idea of waiting and you see how something as little as this could start to become very chaotic. I couldn’t even begin to explain the driving situation, but lets just say it’s mayhem and often pretty frightening. There’s really no explanation I can find to fully enlighten you about this culture, but it is one that is in need of much help and assistance to get it’s feet back on the ground.
A typical week in my shoes and main responsibilities included working at the preschool built in the slums and working at a clinic with an American doctor one day a week. The slum in Poipet is called Kbal Spean and the preschool, which was built about 5 or 6 years ago is one of Mercy Ministries’ projects. I worked at the preschool four days a week to oversee as the eyes and ears of the school and ensure that things were running properly. The main administrator over the school was taking some time off and visiting his home back in Canada so they needed a little extra help at the preschool to make sure things ran as usual. Two months was a good enough chunk of time that allowed me to observe the true living conditions and life that is a reality for these kids and others living in the slum. The children usually had very few teeth and the ones that did have teeth usually smiled through black and rotting ones. School started at 7:30 every morning and the kids would trickle in with all sorts of candy as their breakfast. The budget used to provide each of the kids with soymilk and a banana, but with recent building improvements made to the preschool there just wasn’t enough money to provide “breakfast” this year. And mind you that the preschool is only made out of bamboo and rubber so the preschool already runs on a pretty low budget.
There are about 180 kids total that attend; 90 during the morning session and 90 during the afternoon session. There are two classrooms and that puts around 45 kids in each classroom with two teachers. The desks have a bench seat and might uncomfortably fit two kids, but three were squished into one desk. Imagine how well it didn’t work to have three kids, now high off of sugar, elbow to elbow in a classroom. It was pretty much craziness all the time and you just couldn’t get the kids to stop hitting and or fighting what felt like every second. It was a frustrating situation because I knew how much easier it would be for the kids to focus if situated with a bit more space, but there is just nothing that can be done.
I really wish that I could have done more or contributed more to the preschool because a large majority of my time was spent in the back of the classroom just sitting and observing. That has also been one of the most challenging parts about volunteering because there’s always an uncertainty whether you had any impact, if you even helped, made more work, or if you made a difference at all. You don’t always get to see immediate effects and it some times leaves you feeling helpless. However, I’ve come to realize that all I can control and know is that my actions and attitude reflect my desire and love to help in any way possible. I was able to teach the kids numbers 1-10 and read from a collection of books that were in English and had a Khmer translation for the teacher. While it usually feels just plain silly to be reading a story in English that they can’t understand one bit of, I have to imagine that it at least helps in some way to hear the pronunciation and fluid English sentences. Because the language barrier was a bit difficult with the teachers I mainly helped with arts, crafts and played with the kids during breaks. I was extremely proud to teach the kids how to play, “Duck Duck Goose.” It surprisingly took a lot of effort, but it was really neat to see the kids playing a game that is so second nature to us all back home.
Don’t let the word “preschool” fool you into thinking it was anything like an American preschool. A preschool in America usually has toddler-aged children, which I think of being around the ages of 3-5 years. A preschool in a third-world country however has children from the age of 4-8 years old. It’s just all over the board and yet they’re all put into the same classroom. The skill level, attention span, etc. between a four year-old and eight year-old is huge! You can begin to understand the frustrating scenario of this setting and doing what you can to work with what’s already implemented. While it seems like there are obvious ways to improve the environment for learning, there’s just too many external factors that hinder advancements. A Western mind sees separating the kids by ages or even skill level, adding more desks, and more teachers as the most apparent solutions. Sadly, these options are limited and usually not feasible with the resources available. The preschool and management looking after the preschool has conditioned it to run exactly as it is in order to be the most ideal situation for the kids. It has been a constant heartache striving to reach out to as many kids as possible without denying them the education that they really need. You want to provide as many opportunities as possible, but at the same time you don’t want to have zero effect because there’s an overwhelming student to teacher ratio. The preschool resides right in the middle of the slums and is enclosed by a bamboo wall. It just breaks your heart because every morning and afternoon when the kids enter and leave we have to lock the gate behind because other kids try to get in. They sit on the other side of the gate and just watch. I don’t think I can ever forget how awful it feels to lock that gate shut. It’s like how do you choose, which kids to take and not take…
The clinic I had the opportunity to work at was led by Dr. Kent, who worked with CMA (Christian Missionary Alliance). Dr. Kent and his family are from the States, but have been in Cambodia for about 11 years. This family of seven is also the one to invite me over for my first Thanksgiving dinner spent away from home. The clinic was set up in the second story of a house and we had access to three rooms. There was one room setup as the office where he saw patients, one for extra equipment/supplies, and the third used as the lab. It was truly incredible to see all of the medicine, machines, supplies, that he had collected and brought to Cambodia over the years. While he had an amazing amount of resources, he still was very limited with supplies and proper tools to treat so many patients. It was astounding to see diseases, symptoms, you name it, that come from living in a third-world country and all that Dr. Kent was still able to treat. I have never SEEN so much in my life; numerous tropical diseases, fungi, nervous system disorders, thyroid disorders, and all this in such a short period of time. I was able to run labs, blood work and get some hands-on work with the patients. It was such an awesome experience to see so much, and complicated cases at that, all the while juggling limited supplies and performing all the work your self. I loved every minute of it and my interest for the medical field has only intensified! Everything I saw and participated in is unlike anything I would have ever had the opportunity to do in the U.S.
All in all, I spent about two full months in Poipet and am finishing this entry from where I currently am, Thailand. As I reflect back on my experience and time there my perspective has changed a bit. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences in my entire time so far in Asia. It was a third-world country and indeed felt very much like a third-world country. It stretched me to the end both physically and mentally, but I know I have grown immensely in perspective and at my innermost being from my time in Cambodia. While the trip isn’t over yet, Thailand does seem a bit on the fluffier side in comparison. The reality of life and harsh conditions for a Khmer individual was a radical shock as I emerged out of all I knew, my little sunny and bright California bubble. I am so much happier for the time I had in Poipet and feel like I have been so blessed by what I was able to be apart of and witness. I dearly miss the kids from the Poipet Happy Home and they point blank- changed me forever. The most challenging situation I found myself in has so far brought me the most rewarding experience and memories as I recall the journey in Poipet, Cambodia.
