Koh Krobei

Journey to the Koh Krobei (pronounce: ko-crock-bay) Village was definitely an unsmooth one. what a start! the road condition was challenging for vehicle of all sorts, and worse for bigger ones! also nightmare for drivers (and also passengers) if the vehicle were to be stucked in mud. it could just take from phnom penh to koh krobei, but it took more than an hour.

i feel that such condition makes it hazardous to travel at night, and also the breeding of mozzies (especially aedes mosquitoes) or any sorts of insects. I feel sorry that the villagers are highly susceptible to such risks, and this is one downside of the quality of life here. old people were seldom seen in the village and this says a lot. I would presume that mortality rates are high, according to the high no. of deaths in the kids' families. even in such a peaceful, stressless village, Death is always lurking around, ready to pounce.

halfway through the village, a few old men gathered collecting donations for road repairing. Thearith donated. community spirit is evident, (more true in the next few days) but how come the synergy does not bring much development? development in the sense of improving life, having proper housing for all, cheaper education etc. there are a lot more to be done, have they identified these issues? Amanda brought up the development might not necessary be good, i'm not very sure whether to agree. but the mission here is to bring development of some sorts. will development bring about dissatisfaction?

anyway, arrival at the house (one of the best houses in the village, we are indeed privileged), and the children arrive very soon. first two are nikun and ngwen nhong, the duo could speak really good english in comparison to many villagers. i knew nikun would be the pride and future of the village, and i hope he succeeds.

the building structure of the library was already up and work gonna start on the next day.
meanwhile, other than entertaining the kids, daidee and bridge clubs were formed. some photos on first few days.



Top (L-R): cute lil gal and bro who seldom appear | teeka, my favourite naughty boy | chantaria and his baby sister | nikun and chantria

Center (L-R): the village boys | shy boys | the gang

Bottom (L-R) : the high school | library skeleton | banana lady at russian market

-kelvin