I was up at 6am and did an hour walking. After that I finished packing my bag and having breakfast. I wasn't sure when I'd get my next meal so I had scrambled eggs and finished off the leftover bread. I went over to Cina Travel and, when I was asked where I was going I told them about the trip and that I'd be back on Sunday afternoon.
I went with Vuth to Larryita Bus Company to get the bus we'd hired to Siem Reap. About 10 people joined us from various universities and we set off. In other countries, the word 'express' with regard to travel just means the train or bus doesn't stop so many times. In Cambodia it means travelling at twice the speed of sound, to honk the horn continuously and to break many of the highway rules. At one point our driver braked sharply and I started to slide gracefully from my seat; there are only seat belts for the front seat people. I grabbed onto a handle and managed to stay on my seat.
I'm always amazed by how much people pack into and onto these vans. One van had two enormous tractor tires tied to the back, along with two motorbikes. Fortunately, the van was full of people otherwise I'm sure the front end would have lifted off the ground.
I'd been told we'd be staying in dormitories so I packed a towel, soap and other things I didn't think they'd provide. I was very surprised when we pulled into a very pleasant centre run by the Jesuits. I have my own room and it's got everything in it. There's a lovely balcony with all the things needed to make a cup of tea or coffee. I even saw beer, rum and some Cadbury's chocolate in the fridge which I think were left by previous guests.
In the late afternoon we met the group from Thailand who'd come to join us for the 3rd Cambodia-Thailand exchange programme. It's mainly to learn about each other and our countries, their situations etc., and to develop positive relationships. There are often conflicts between the countries in the region so it's nice to play our part by building friendships amongst the younger people.
Dony moved into a room on my floor as she said some of the Thais wanted to share a room. I thought it was a bit strange as they'd come to build relationships with people from another country. I asked Vuth and he said four Thais were "neither boy nor girl". It got me a bit befuddled but then I realised he meant they were trans whatever they call it - transgender, transsexual.
The programme was well organised and run by the coordinators from both countries. There were ice breaker games, time to write down their expectations, reviewing the programme for the coming days. Visal said he wasn't staying until the end of the programme as he had to go to work on Monday. I was a bit confused as I thought it ended on Sunday; actually it ends on Tuesday after lunch. I panicked a bit as I'm leaving Phnom Penh for Vietnam on the 1st March.
I found myself with a group of Cambodians at dinner time and so naturally the conversation was entirely in Khmer. Tomorrow I'm going to have to find a table that's got both countries represented and then the conversation will be in English.
We have been divided into family groups and we'll meet regularly each day to get to know each other better and to be able to speak more confidentially and in confidence that what we say won't go any further than our group. We had to choose a card which had a picture on it and a quotation and then, in our group we had to say why we chose the card. It was easy for me as I was the last person taking a card so there wasn't much to choose from.
Throughout our time together I was wondering who the four transgender people were. I couldn't tell! In our circle one young man showed us the card he'd chosen; on it was drawn a road approaching a T junction. He said, "I chose this card because I don't know who I am; am I a boy or am I a girl." He looked quite a strapping young man to me. He was very matter of fact about his thoughts and I was impressed with his attitude. When I heard we had this specific group of people with us I wondered what impact it would have on the group dynamics but so far they are simply participants, just like everyone else.
Now it's my bedtime but some have opted to go to the night market so heaven only knows when they'll get back.
