my new house and other desasters

Hello everyone.

Nearly two weeks, I finally managed to empty my old house and moved a few houses down the road, to my new home.

From a big giant wooden 2 bedroom house on stilts with River view, I've downsized to 2 rooms in a house, where I now live with a Khmer family together.

Vandy cooks mushrooms

I made the decision a few months ago, when Linda came to Stung Treng, looking for a house. Because I got friendly with this family long time ago and I visited them regularly to teach 3 daughters English two times a week, I asked them if they would know a good house for Linda. That's when Vandy (the mother) suggested for the first time her house. But then it was still in a real state. I thought, Linda probably wouldn't like it, but then I started thinking about it, how it would be for me, living with them. And the main thought of doing this was, that I could support them every month with good money by paying them regular rent.

studying English in my living room

Generally they are very poor people. Vandy and her husband have survived the Khmer Rouge war, just about. They were both in camps around Phnom Penh and had to work very hard, had only very little to eat and nearly died of starvation. They have seen the killings, Vandy lost both her parents. She was only 12 years old when the war started.

She wasn't poor all her life. Before the war she and her family was rich. Her father was an engeneer for airoplanes and spoke 5 different languages and her mother was in the juwerly buisness and they lived in a big house in Phnom Penh.
But after the war everything was destroyed and gone. She met her husband fairly early and moved to Stung Treng, although she promised herself to leave the country forever. I suppose she felt kind of save being close to a border (Laos).
But her sister, who managed to escape to Amerika, helped her, to buy the house 22 years ago in Stung Treng. Since then they live there. 20 years ago she gave birth to her 2 twin daughters Tom and Touch (means in english Big and Small). She gave birth at home with help of a neighbour. She said that she can't remember how it all happened. I think she can be very happy to be still alive after that.
She also has a 17 years old daughter called: Rek-smey and a 15 year old daughter: Thida. Both born at home.

Their living standart is kind of normal for Cambodia I would say, for poor people. But they try to make a difference and she taught her daughters good manners. But Carol made a suitable comment, it feels like being on home-stay. Only that it lasts for the rest of the time being here.

doing the washing up

There is no fridge. Oli just bought himself one because he finds it so important. So far I am ok without it. In fact, it's no problem at all.
Then the bathroom. A squatting toilet, no toilet paper, it would block the pipes. Shower only with a little bowl with water from a big open water tank in the middle of the room. It felt strange at first, I also felt that everyone is looking through the gaps in the wood from the bathroom, but Vandy reassured me, that that is not the case. Usually, the women have a bath with a sarong on (a big piece of cloth to cover all the parts), they leave it on while they get wet and soap themselves.

having siesta during lunchtime

Food preparation and cooking was done so far in the back garden under another house. There they have clay-pots and cook on the open fire.

the kitchen

I also had a go already. It's ok.
They still find it strange that I don't eat meat and appear still so strong. But now I kind of convinced them, that it is healthier not to eat meat and now they want to eat the same food as me. Exept Pa-pa, he is very Cambodian and needs his meat every day.

njam bay...

Now Rek-smey, who looks a little bit after me in that way, that she cleans my room ( I can't stop her) and pushes my bicycle in front of the house before I go to work, now she started cooking in my "living-room" with a gas cooker, because she thinks it's too dirty outside and "too much bad smell".

this is my little new room

Vandy is an increadable woman. I like her very much. She is so friendly, always laughs and trys to communicate with me. Her English is very good I would say and when we speak, she speaks half Khmer, half English. She taught herself with books and with help of an English woman, who was here several years ago. But her urge to learn more about it and to pass it on to her children is increadable.

inside my new living room, I've got the posters from PP

She also likes very much to give. There is a man from Japan, Mino, who somehow came to their house one day and since then, he stays there for free for months, gets fed and can use everything. He is 67 years old but lovely. He has gone back to Japan now after a month staying in the "bedroom"of Vandy and Pa-pa.

my new view

And what I probably most like about her, is that she is so friendly to the animals. They have 3 dogs ( Zida, Deng and Heng), 4 cats (Gem, Cha-Sok who is a kitten from Srey-Ni-em, who is the pregnant cat and Quann, who is for 4 years already krippeled after a dog fight and can't move anymore, but Vandy looks after him), then there is the parrot ( I forgot the name, but he doesnt like me), and the silly chicken (A-pi-ep, he is very sweet, likes to be stroked and when you say his name, he reacts and comes and kikerikees).

he likes me now

A-piep died the other day. He drowned in a pond...

I tried to teach him to say: Germany beat England, but he won't say it!

this little one is Srey-Niems son

little Srey- Niem

Unfortunately her daughters are not as motivated as their mother. They pick up not so quickly. But I hope by the time I live there a bit longer, their English will have improved a little bit. Well, it has already I suppose.