'A day in the life'

That was the name of the trip I went on yesterday. I came about it by chance and I am so pleased I did.
The company was set up by couple of Australians and the aim of the project is for the visitor to see every day life in a typical Cambodian village and the villagers to benefit from the visit. Our village was Kam Phem.
So, some of the fee goes towards helping them and their every day lives, it could be a donation of chickens or pigs as an ongoing food supply, a well or at least a water purifying system so they at least get clean water (many of them didn't have either). Or materials to rebuild their home, the coconut tree leaves need to be bought, often a member of the family is able to weave them, if not it is done by the 'visitors' on the day trip. Last week that's exactly what they did, help a family rebuild their home, how rewarding.
We started the day visiting an extended family having breakfast, they had bananas that they were squashing between 2 pieces of wood and dipping them into a batter like substance made from coconut milk and then into hot oil to fry.
children were so pleased to see us and forever said hello and goodbye waving like fury even when we were still there.
We then had a trip around the village on an ox and cart, that was fun.

Each month the organisers have a meeting with the village chief and decide who needs the most help. There are 200 residents in total, the 21st century has not yet reached them..
Our job was to assist a lady with harvesting her rice crop as her husband died leaving her with 5 children to raise and the rice needs harvesting in a certain time frame. So, there I was along with the 5 other members of the tour, sythe in hand and harvesting rice for hour and half in the morning sun.  All around was lush countryside, coconut and banana trees, ox, buffalo, chickens, and children. It was simply beautiful and hard to believe it was for real.
We made a good dent in the field  and were very pleased with ourselves-if a bit hot. After wards we had to extract the rice that had been harvested a couple of days earlier and left to dry. I thought we would do so like the lady in my video, but no, we did it with our feet literally rolling the bunches between our bare feet, off came the rice,and a lot of dead skin I have no doubt. Thankfully it does get washed later in the process.
I do have a new found respect for rice and the people who work so tirelessly to produce it.

Time for lunch, we were to learn a traditional village Khemer dish, this is where I came in as he (the guide) asked for a volunteer to help chop.
So this is the scene, the lady that we were helping had a pile of organic herbs, chillies, vegetables looking a bit like cabbage, a ginger like root and other things to chop up, a small dish of fermented fish and red ants-I kid you not.  They were in a bowl shallow water many still alive.
So on the given chopping board with the given clever I began to chop, all was going well and half of it was added to the water that was boiling in the pan on the tiny fire.
Then the protein was added to my board and I was expected to carry on chopping including this foul smelling fermented fish and half drowned ants, it makes me laugh now, but I just passed the chopper onto one of the guys in the group and said it was a mans job.

So he dutifully chopped until it resembled a paste with small skinny red legs sticking out of it.
It was then wrapped into a banana leaf and steamed over the pot. We were invited to sit under the shade of the tree and lunch was served.
A bowl of rice, cabbage soup with bits of wood like pieces in it and steamed fermented fish and red ant pulp served with slices of  green banana, this was to be used as you might a dorito with some hummus, I wish.. And I though I liked to try new food, to be fair we were only meant to be trying it, and a couple of them tried it all, I did try the rice.
An education though to see how food is prepared from the land no more than a few feet away.
A posse of villagers arrived and  tucked into the traditional food while we ate some sarnies and fresh fruit ha!

When I asked where the loo was I was asked if I wanted to do a 1 or 2, it was explained that a no.1 can be done any where and a 2  we could use one of the richer families loos near by.
I didn't need a 2 nor did I fancy squatting in a red ants nest so I cheated and went to the real loo instead.
The day was wonderful and one of the 3 highlights so far along with the elephants and Angkor Wat. These people really have nothing, the children didn't have a single toy between them, they slept on woven mats on bamboo floors, sometimes 10 to a room, most living from one meal to the next, but they were the happiest  people I have ever seen.
The last part of the day was to visit a school in the village, it had been paid for by a charity and had walls and roof unlike the old one that was a few pieces of corrugated iron. The children can only go 4 hours a day as there is not enough teachers, so the younger ones go from 7-11 and the older ones 12-4pm. It is the same teacher all day (the average teachers wage is just $30 a month) A tuk tuk driver working for a hotel gets $50-$60

They were so well behaved and quietly doing their work despite us sticking our heads through the open windows taking photos. When we questioned why they were so well behaved it was explained that if they are naughty they get punished, firstly 2 hours in the classroom corner and then have to say sorry to the class, a 2nd time, run or walk around the school for 2 hours and if that 'work stand out in the playground and don't move for the entire 4 hours. The latter very rarely happens.

Well, that was the day in the life of a villager and me on my travels, it was very humbling.

This  girl has to look after her brother all day while parents work in the rice fields

A lovely way to begin the day

A dab hand at rice harvesting

The lady we were helping, she is just 45yrs old, behind, her living space and hammock

This was the stove at our lady's home, a banana leaf as an oven glove, very resourceful

The lady's niece

So green all around

This is the home and bedroom of  9 children, the parents sleep on a bamboo bed nearby, contraception has been introduced to the Parents by a charity, better late than never

This was their kitchen, a small stove, and a couple of plates