20th Feb 2009
Just returned back to good old Sen Monorom after a double stint in Phnom Penh.
School’s out FOREVER, what a turn around. The photo shows me collecting ‘best in class’ award from Dara our Khmer teacher.
We have just completed our second stint consisting of two weeks of Khmer language training. As you may recall from an earlier blog missive, the first ‘dose’ comprising of two, two week blocks was a bit of a trial and took me well out of my comfort zone. The latest session was no problem and I sailed through it so easily that fellow classmates asked me for tutorial sessions and extra support in the evenings! If you believe this then you are in need of psychiatric counselling. The course was not as bad as the first and comprised mainly of revision. On several occasions it was particularly galling to find that the day’s ‘new’ vocabulary was already in my notes from the first session. We revisited
ways to ask a local Khmer useful old classics like, “I say old boy where can one buy ammunition for this Kalashnikov I brought at the Russian market this very morning?” or “morning old chap, it’s a trifle hot. Where can one acquire a refreshing Pimm’s at this hour” or “in my haste I’ve caught my appendage in my zip. Any good with pliers?” Another useful saying we learned was “I’m not a fan of bull’s penis so please remove it from my soup.” My ultimate favourite however was coined by a couple of our younger volunteers who wanted to elicit information whilst hitting the gyratory night spots and bars in PNH eg the infamous ‘Heart’ or is it ‘Edge’ Jan (???) and befriending a local …namely, ”are you hung like a bull elephant?”.
As you might imagine the time absolutely rocketed past with the days seemingly a blur. The weather in PNH was / is getting decidedly warm, humid and a tad uncomfortable. Goodness knows what it will be like in the ‘hot’ season! (unbearable we’re told).
Immediately after language training we were immersed in EST (Education Sector Training), basically a gathering of all personnel educational looking and discussing various issues. The session began with a local Khmer troupe of local children, 11-15yrs, playing traditional music and performing dance. This was really special as the musicians had several blind boys playing instruments and two blind girls singing - lump in the throat time.
Whilst in PHN I dragged Jan around otherwise unexplored, parts of the city in search of things for use in science experiments on our return back in the sticks. The medical supplies shop was great. Any manner of items available for purchase, not a prescription in sight nor any searching questions as to why you want an X-ray machine or a CAT scanner in the first place! It’s amazing what can be unearthed particularly using our new found Khmer language skills. What’s interesting is that former French colonial influence still surfaces with anything technical. So, great fun was to be had making things sound ‘frenchie’. I must have sounded like Clouseau on a science trip e.g. (try this in a franglais accent) “I was pissing your shoupe won eye saw a thermometerere. Dough ewe av an-ee?” Why I tried to speak the entire sentence in Franglais I’m still not sure! As you can imagine the astonished looks and even more so when I wandered about the shop dragging a local with me (who I thought worked in the shop but turns out didn’t!) only to find they spoke very creditable English (merde!). Still job done, twenty thermometers and six bottles of ethanol were purchased and off for the next adventure, the Orressay market!
This was extreme market shopping. As you approach, the traffic becomes more intense and crazed. Next sight is a loading area for the loony pick up trucks who redefine loading and overloading making it into a true art form. They have no possible way of seeing anything behind them and with seven people in the cab, not much in front either! Oh don’t’ forget the ‘as many people as can sit on top of the goods’ either. A few Reil enables safe passage past the ever vigilant police always placed at strategic exit points! Anyway, after chaining my trusty old VSO bike to crash barriers (as I couldn’t get into a bike park) I entered the abyss! Dark, a bit seedy and no other ‘Barangs’ in sight, I ventured forth. What an Aladdin’s cave (including the forty thieves!) all manner of things including: tubing, ping pong balls, spirit burners, crocodile clips, weighing scales, CuSO4, Na2CO3.10H2O, I2 crystals, S powder and garden chemicals that had been banned twenty years ago in the UK. I think I could have got anything, even Napalm, if my Khmer was good enough! (Appologies to fellow scientists this blog font does not recognise subscripts etc. Even more disappointing as I'd lovingly 'formulated' them all!)
Just returned back to good old Sen Monorom after a double stint in Phnom Penh.
School’s out FOREVER, what a turn around. The photo shows me collecting ‘best in class’ award from Dara our Khmer teacher.
We have just completed our second stint consisting of two weeks of Khmer language training. As you may recall from an earlier blog missive, the first ‘dose’ comprising of two, two week blocks was a bit of a trial and took me well out of my comfort zone. The latest session was no problem and I sailed through it so easily that fellow classmates asked me for tutorial sessions and extra support in the evenings! If you believe this then you are in need of psychiatric counselling. The course was not as bad as the first and comprised mainly of revision. On several occasions it was particularly galling to find that the day’s ‘new’ vocabulary was already in my notes from the first session. We revisited
ways to ask a local Khmer useful old classics like, “I say old boy where can one buy ammunition for this Kalashnikov I brought at the Russian market this very morning?” or “morning old chap, it’s a trifle hot. Where can one acquire a refreshing Pimm’s at this hour” or “in my haste I’ve caught my appendage in my zip. Any good with pliers?” Another useful saying we learned was “I’m not a fan of bull’s penis so please remove it from my soup.” My ultimate favourite however was coined by a couple of our younger volunteers who wanted to elicit information whilst hitting the gyratory night spots and bars in PNH eg the infamous ‘Heart’ or is it ‘Edge’ Jan (???) and befriending a local …namely, ”are you hung like a bull elephant?”.As you might imagine the time absolutely rocketed past with the days seemingly a blur. The weather in PNH was / is getting decidedly warm, humid and a tad uncomfortable. Goodness knows what it will be like in the ‘hot’ season! (unbearable we’re told).
Immediately after language training we were immersed in EST (Education Sector Training), basically a gathering of all personnel educational looking and discussing various issues. The session began with a local Khmer troupe of local children, 11-15yrs, playing traditional music and performing dance. This was really special as the musicians had several blind boys playing instruments and two blind girls singing - lump in the throat time.
Whilst in PHN I dragged Jan around otherwise unexplored, parts of the city in search of things for use in science experiments on our return back in the sticks. The medical supplies shop was great. Any manner of items available for purchase, not a prescription in sight nor any searching questions as to why you want an X-ray machine or a CAT scanner in the first place! It’s amazing what can be unearthed particularly using our new found Khmer language skills. What’s interesting is that former French colonial influence still surfaces with anything technical. So, great fun was to be had making things sound ‘frenchie’. I must have sounded like Clouseau on a science trip e.g. (try this in a franglais accent) “I was pissing your shoupe won eye saw a thermometerere. Dough ewe av an-ee?” Why I tried to speak the entire sentence in Franglais I’m still not sure! As you can imagine the astonished looks and even more so when I wandered about the shop dragging a local with me (who I thought worked in the shop but turns out didn’t!) only to find they spoke very creditable English (merde!). Still job done, twenty thermometers and six bottles of ethanol were purchased and off for the next adventure, the Orressay market!
This was extreme market shopping. As you approach, the traffic becomes more intense and crazed. Next sight is a loading area for the loony pick up trucks who redefine loading and overloading making it into a true art form. They have no possible way of seeing anything behind them and with seven people in the cab, not much in front either! Oh don’t’ forget the ‘as many people as can sit on top of the goods’ either. A few Reil enables safe passage past the ever vigilant police always placed at strategic exit points! Anyway, after chaining my trusty old VSO bike to crash barriers (as I couldn’t get into a bike park) I entered the abyss! Dark, a bit seedy and no other ‘Barangs’ in sight, I ventured forth. What an Aladdin’s cave (including the forty thieves!) all manner of things including: tubing, ping pong balls, spirit burners, crocodile clips, weighing scales, CuSO4, Na2CO3.10H2O, I2 crystals, S powder and garden chemicals that had been banned twenty years ago in the UK. I think I could have got anything, even Napalm, if my Khmer was good enough! (Appologies to fellow scientists this blog font does not recognise subscripts etc. Even more disappointing as I'd lovingly 'formulated' them all!)
Also, as you can see from the photo I’ve tracked down Ken Dodd’s elusive tickling stick supplier!
On my return back to barracks I even found concentrated Sulfuric Acid at a battery seller, the much loved Marble Chips (not too old I hope!) from a hardware shop and citric acid from a food additives shop. To my delight I also discovered that one of the floor cleaners sold in the supermarket is mainly Hydrochloric Acid – what joy!!! In all I’ve managed to source enough gear to demonstrate that practical science can be a reality in Cambodia. All we hear is can’t do it because we don’t have…….. Well piffle and balderdash, I say. With assembled goodies, empty beer and bean cans, cardboard boxes we can deliver most of the science curriculum – not to mention the ubiquitous plastic bottle! (Jan sadly wouldn’t allow me to bring back 6 large flat sided bottles from PNH – I tried to stress their usefulness, but she wasn’t having any…)
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