Welcome to MVU

On Monday 30 January I met up with some other volunteers (Ross, Nathan, Jen, Gillda & family, Willem) and caught a bus out to the country-side. I’ve now been out at MVU for over a week, but have just ducked back to Phnom Penh today for a few days to sort a few things out. I head back to MVU on Monday 13 February.

I haven’t started my teaching yet – that has been delayed until 20 February. No drama.

MVU is in an amazing corner of the world and I am very happy to be out here in real rural Cambodia. This place is very much off the travelers trail. It would be nearly impossible for a tourist to end up out here. There is nowhere to stay, and no way to find out about this place. So I can actually see how Khmers really live and what they are really like. Everybody smiles. Everybody seems happy. There is no barang (white person) prices, no scams. The students are always happy to talk with the foreigners, or join in a game of basketball or soccer.

The uni is walking distance to a small one street village called Cho. It’s a pleasant, happy, sleepy village with kids, chickens, cows and pigs slowly strolling the streets. There are a few shops there were you can buy paper, beer and volleyballs. There is a local market open each morning where you can buy pajamas, toothpaste and fish. I don’t go shopping much.

I have been going running some mornings with Nathan and Gillda – both of whom are good runners, so they inevitably leave me behind at some point. Still, it’s good to get a start on my training to run a half-marathon some time this year. All the locals stop and stare, and many shout out “hello”. Running has been a great way for me to explore the country-side and see real rural life up close.

I’m helping to set up a student magazine called “sua s’day kampuchia” (hello cambodia). The magazine committee includes Sokchea (magazine CEO, who wants to marry me) and Meath (Student Union President) and a handful of other 4th year students. It’s a good way for me to get to meet a few students, and also help develop the university a bit. The first edition is due for valentines day and will include articles on environment day, women’s day, competitions, jokes, English lessons and advice for new students. Total production costs are estimated at about US$20-30.

The accommodation here is fine. I get my own room, with a good bed and two desks. The communal room is comfortable and has a TV & DVD player… and occasionally a few cows when the come in looking for bananas. The only real problem is the on-and-off electricity and the thousand and one insects that attack every evening.

I’ve been experimenting with sleeping less. I have always been jealous of people who can live life comfortably on only a few hours sleep and I’m trying to see if I can condition myself to get used to 6 hours sleep instead of my usual 8 or 9.

Nathan, Jen and I have been taking TM classes for the past few days. The introduction is a four day course where you learn how to meditate properly and receive your own mantra and discuss how it works for you. This course costs about $4000 normally, but we’re getting it free. It’s been interesting.

Before I came I was worried that this would be a religious university because of the TM element. However, the university administration and students have effectively no interest in TM and it plays a very marginal role at the university. It turns out that MVU actually has a relatively good reputation in Cambodia and is successfully taking kids from poor backgrounds and giving them real opportunities in life. This is what aid should be about.

I’ve also been reading, watching DVDs, learning some Chinese and Khmer (k’nyom ot je pisar khmai = I don’t know khmer), doing some of my PhD, preparing another investment syndicate, copying & listening to MP3s, playing chess, playing street-fighter II with Willem & Keasar and teaching the Khmers how to play poker. I’m going to set up a small competition soon, no-limit hold’em with a 50c buy-in.