Immediately as I walk out of the internet place after my last entry I meet a Cambodian girl, Kanha. Kanha is a 19 year old orphan girl who now helps teach English at this little orphanage in Takeo. She asks me if I would like to visit the orphanage she lives at. Of course I jump at the chance. It's a small distance away and Kanha has her bicycle with her and suggests I ride with her - so I jump on the back and ride side saddle like the Khmer do until we get to the guesthouse I'm staying at and I pick up my own bike.
I meet all the kids at the orphanage - they are currently aged 11-18 years old. There is currently about 30 orphans but at times there are more like 100. I introduce myself and they are impressed at all of the distances I have been riding!
The big focus is on learning English so that these kids will have a chance at getting a decent job. They also get taught about maintaining good eye contact at all times. They all do their own laundry, and they have a cooking roster, so each day 3 kids will work together and cook dinner for everyone. There is a small two story building, and the boys sleep downstairs, and the girls upstairs. They have a communal wardrobe (boys and girls separate). Mattresses and a mosquito net go up at night time, and during the day they get packed away to create more space.
They have 3 separate classrooms, but the roof really needs repairing as there's lot's of holes and I imagine it would disrupt learning in the wet!
I meet Big Al who is a Phillipino guy who runs the place basically by himself. He says he could do with a hand and is on the lookout for volunteers and I promise to spread the word and apologise that I have to leave Takeo the following morning. I honestly would have loved to spend a few days there helping out but I needed to get to Phnom Penh to catch a plane!
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