Well, another week, another country. I will be in Phnom Penh in Cambodia for the next 5 months, interning at the ECCC - the UN supported court set up to hear cases relating to the Khmer Rouge leadership.
I am working in the Public Relations department, monitoring media coverage of the court, document and media creation, social media, and assisting in the outreach programmes which see people from the provinces bussed into the court to witness what is being done in their names. It is this attempt to really involve the populations most affected by the violence committed against them, that sets this court apart from previous ones, which have operated (or seemed to) behind closed doors.
I look forward to all the things i will see and help with over the next 5 months.
Arriving, pretty much directly from West Africa (3 days in England doesn't really count), the shock of Phnom Penh is great. It is amazing that a city in a developing country (living costs here seem similar to that of Dakar or Freetown), can be so clean, orderly and pleasant! Yes, the traffic is pretty manic, and there is lots of construction going on, but it really is very far from the cities I have left behind. It is a really nice place to live! It is difficult to explain really, but it has a positive energy and drive that is fun to be around. Everyone is moving quickly, with a purpose, and there is fantastic street food on every corner.
Only 5 days here, and i had already escaped the city for a weekend with 13 other interns, at the coastal town of Kampot. Famous for its pepper (corns, not chilli) it was a lovely relaxing experience, with our guesthouse facing onto a river, and forested hills. The food was fantastic, with plenty of fresh (green, and much milder than when dried) pepper in everything.
Visited a 7th century shrine hidden in a cave, which was amazing to see. The cave protected it from the weather, and presumably the Khmer Rouge.
Driving back into Phnom Penh, in the pouring rain the endless clothing factories that line the highway - H&M, M&S, Gap, Nike...the brand list is rather long.
(My local Buddhist Temple)
I am working in the Public Relations department, monitoring media coverage of the court, document and media creation, social media, and assisting in the outreach programmes which see people from the provinces bussed into the court to witness what is being done in their names. It is this attempt to really involve the populations most affected by the violence committed against them, that sets this court apart from previous ones, which have operated (or seemed to) behind closed doors.
(A quiet spot in the country)
I look forward to all the things i will see and help with over the next 5 months.
Arriving, pretty much directly from West Africa (3 days in England doesn't really count), the shock of Phnom Penh is great. It is amazing that a city in a developing country (living costs here seem similar to that of Dakar or Freetown), can be so clean, orderly and pleasant! Yes, the traffic is pretty manic, and there is lots of construction going on, but it really is very far from the cities I have left behind. It is a really nice place to live! It is difficult to explain really, but it has a positive energy and drive that is fun to be around. Everyone is moving quickly, with a purpose, and there is fantastic street food on every corner.
(Lush farmland- Thanks rainy season!)
Only 5 days here, and i had already escaped the city for a weekend with 13 other interns, at the coastal town of Kampot. Famous for its pepper (corns, not chilli) it was a lovely relaxing experience, with our guesthouse facing onto a river, and forested hills. The food was fantastic, with plenty of fresh (green, and much milder than when dried) pepper in everything.
Visited a 7th century shrine hidden in a cave, which was amazing to see. The cave protected it from the weather, and presumably the Khmer Rouge.
Driving back into Phnom Penh, in the pouring rain the endless clothing factories that line the highway - H&M, M&S, Gap, Nike...the brand list is rather long.
No comments:
Post a Comment