A Day in the Life of a Volunteer

Loud music from the village starts playing early, maybe 5 or 6. There is no worry or thought here for disturbing the neighbours and people like to crank up the volume at any time of day or night but you get used to this as a background soundtrack. I poke my nose out of our mosquito net, the essential fans blasting our room. The other volunteers, spread out on their mattresses on the floor outside, are stirring.  Since we are the ‘older’ ones, we have been given the only room but this still means a pretty uncomfortable mattress on the floor.  I have a quick cold bucket shower (which I am starting to really love) and then I go and get a very unhealthy tin of cold Nescafé from the shop next door - so sweet but it’s the best option. Then it’s off to the market (2 mins walk) to try and find something tasty.  Either coconut waffles, or deep fried bean cakes, a drink of either cold green tea or sugar cane juice. They sound fancy as if part of a delicious NYC brunch menu but they aren't! They love to put sugar in everything here.  We always get a pineapple, which the lady cuts up prettily and efficiently into edible sections. I have to avert my eyes from the meat stall, which is next door and the swinging smelly red slabs which the women serving squeezes between her hands at same time as taking the money and feeding her baby. I get nervous that she will lend her knife to cut up our pineapple. The flies happily jump between stalls.  But fingers crossed we haven’t been ill yet! 

We start work at 8.  It’s good to start early as heat starts kicking in at 9 and then that’s it until 4 in the morning when do sometimes find myself pulling a thin sheet over me.  Thea our host gives us our instructions.  Most are working on the moving the bricks, laying the bricks, making cement and generally doing very manly stuff. I have been chosen to paint and sand the toilets. There are 4 cubicles so I spend most of the day first sanding then painting a pretty sea green (very Farrow and Ball) and then I help with the flower mural which has been designed by Hannah, Juan’s talented girlfriend. I’m finding it satisfying and like it when Thea gives me the thumbs up that he’s pleased.   I’m also enjoying the team work.  Kelty and Taran take a daily class and this week are teaching the kids different colours and clothes. It’s great to hear their voices from the classroom and peels of laughter from the kids.  They have also helped with the brick carrying and cement stirring.  Taran also has signed all the donors names on the bricks.

The other volunteers also run different classes throughout the day. I’m impressed how competent they all are.  They prep their lessons in detail and have some great ideas.  They all speak a few different languages and are all very good company too and have accepted us as a part of the group even though we are old enough to be their parents.  Kelty and I enjoy talking to them about their travels, reminiscing about when we did the same.  I told them that they shouldn’t smoke which didn’t go down very well!

Thea’s wife Veasna cooks rice and various simple Khmer dishes at lunch and supper every day in an outdoor kitchen comprising of three wood fires and a large wooden platform bed as her work station.  The rice gets a little repetitive but its still tasty enough but we will appreciate a break from it next week.

A few games of Exploding Kittens or Hearts, another cold bucket shower and then it is bedtime for us but the younger crew drink beer and play their drums into the night…