Saying goodbye

Siem Reap was amazing. I didn’t really experience the travel vibe there, but it was surtenly nice to stick around somewhere for three weeks. Getting a decent room (good price when you stay a bit longer), unpack, knowing where to go if you want to have good food, relax, swim, … The Cambodian people are very nice, but even more if they find out that you are volunteering, and not just another tourist.It was also good to have some structure again. In the beginning I went to the orphanage around two am, and then at night I presented the dance show or went to give out flyers with the children. After a couple of days I realised that it would be better if I went in the morning because their was only one volunteer at that time and she wasn’t doing that much.
So presenting the show was actually a lot of fun. I do have some stage fright, so I didn’t want to do it in the beginning. But then I thought it would be a good practice and Kim (the organiser) really needed help because his English is not that good and the guests didn’t understand him. So I had to welcome the guests, talk a bit about cofco, give information about the dances, and thank the guests in the end.
It was good that it was showtime again during my last night at the orphanage. It gave us some distraction, and it was actually my best presentation so far. I felt really at ease. In the middle ‘mom’ suddenly got on stage with a certificate for me. That was really nice, but it meant I had to speech on the spot… That made me very nervous, because I never go on stage unprepared.. But I guess what I had to say came directly from the hart, so it was fine. Afterwards the emotions gave me a complete black out when I had to give information about the apsara dance. Luckily the guests that night were very nice and all the children started to sheer ‘sarah sarah sarah’. So the words came back after a while :-)

Then it was time to say goodbye… I expected I would cry, but I was so busy comforting 30children that I didn’t. 30 children, boys and girls, ages between 4 and 17, were crying. Kinda means I did a good job, but that doesn’t made it easier. So off course I promised I’ll come back. What else can you say? And you never know, I might do.
So as you know Nele and me still had 1000euro left from our barbecue, I used my share for the following things:
-150euro Mama Siska, Sulawesi, to rebuild her guesthouse that burned down.
-130euro COFCO transport + Buffet dinner for all the children, mom and volunteers
-20euro COFCO Transport and guide Silk museum
-156euro COFCO Matrasses, Blankets and mosquitonets for all the children
-5euro COFCO Earrings for all the girls (they wear these big heavy earrings for the show, but they didn’t have normal earrings. So they were putting these pieces of toothpick in their ears to make sure they didn’t close…)
-20euro COFCO Pizza meal for Happyman and Susy
-5*5euro boxes of baby milk, several cheap meals for street children, dollar here, dollar there, ….

And I know you better spend you’re money for projects instead of giving it to people on the street, but like I said before that is easier said then done. Just believe me If I say my entire budget is spended :-)