The Road to Character

Posted on June 4, 2017 by amy freya wilson

So we’ve been in this town for 4 months now. It can feel longer like with any immersion experience, but also no time at all. And from asking others ‘how long did it take for you to feel settled, like a local?’ the answers vary but the ball park is around 2 years.

The routine of school and work seams our lives. The kids are settled into classes and soccer teams. We are starting to recognise faces on the street and frequent the local gig scene that supports artists from Maleny and down the Coast. The Upfront Club was an institution for local acts and really rocked a Monday night but closed last year after 22 years due to financial difficulties. But luckily a local cafe took over the premises has now started live music twice a week. We bustled 3 minutes down the road after dinner, had a drink and a chat, Tim got coerced into a song for his friend’s birthday and then recited The Man From Ironbark for a lark. And we were back home by 8pm. Good wholey fun for a Monday night.

The school had a Cafe night awhile back and did a call out to families keen to perform together. It didn’t take long before Beau and Tim were on the list. Here is a video of the song they performed. Beau’s favourite, one he learnt at his old preschool.

Sorry, cut short hit some technical difficulties… Beau has taken up piano and is writing songs. This week he wrote ‘Sad Song For Pat’ about our dog who we are all missing a lot. My mum is minding him because our rental has no fences.

But not for long, because our grand news is that we have purchased a property here. So we are staying to get our hands dirty in the soil and watch the misty skies pass over head. I’m in awe that my childhood dream of green rolling hills will be our reality. The block is 34.5 acres, partly cleared with paddocks and the bottom end of the property has a waterfall with a hefty drop and a rainforest that is quite impenetrable at present. Quinn and I have visions of getting into it with machetes. Walking trails is what we want to create. The neighbours have told me an Aboriginal stone axe was found in 1950s as the tribes used the creek on their way to ceremonial grounds at Lake Baroon dam, 10 km north east in pre colonial times.

Life has a way of working its magic. We hope to have a cabin built soon-ish for folks to stay. The neighbouring property is named ‘The Space Between’, a name I really dig. And it got me thinking about that place we often find ourselves in- between jobs, holidays, projects, life stages….And our tendency to mentally jump on to the next thing before the current thing has actually finished. Or even if the current thing has ended, the desire to latch on to something else immediately to calm our anxiety or quieten our busy mind, instead of waiting in that fertile space of uncomfortable unknowing until the next thing rises gently out of the ether.

We move in August so this is a space I’m wading in, looking at the sharp greens of the foliage and fog breath mornings here in the treehouse. It’s prettier than the ticking watch.

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Ode To A Soft Man

Posted on March 23, 2017 by amy freya wilson

Inspired by a podcast this morning where Missy Higgins spoke about being a strong woman and being a soft man is a hope she holds for her young son.

And my thoughts rest on my own soft man.

A man who shows to be soft is to be strong

A man unafraid to feel emotional rainbows, their full range of colours

Some times the dark comes but with patience we can find our way back to the light

A man who holds the hands of elders in his work

A man who feels others pain

Some times we bark and snap but can apologise

A man who rubs his kids’ backs when they cry

A man who says it’s ok to cry

A man who can be firm and clear, and hold the world up for his kids to see

A man who changes wet beds and treats his kids’ knits

A man who isn’t in to makeup sex

A man who can bake sourdough and fix a fence

A man who can build a castle and create a home

Here is an ode to all the soft men out there. Thankful that we live in a time where beautifully supple men are hands on raising soft bamboo children.

Modern masculinity has evolved into a bridge between the masculine and the feminine. To be articulate emotionally and nurturing are not sissy traits but right up there on women’s detective lists when looking for a partner. To be a slob or refuse to engage in child rearing is not acceptable. As women work outside the home and garner new skills, menfolk evolve within it. We are bombing away at the foundations of past gender roles.

This is the ultimate partnership, not his or her, but our and us. That in the end we are all human, both the yin and the yang.

Finding Pl-space

Posted on January 24, 2017 by amy freya wilson

Welcome to Maleny- video by Beau…

We’ve arrived in paradise. The house is cradled by a massive native fig and when seeds fall on the roof they sound like a shot gun. Quinn’s in heaven dashing around on an acre of rainforest and who lives right next door but a retired…weapons expert.

view from our deck

We’ve got a daily ritual so far out at Gardener’s Falls. Quinn jumps off 10 m drop, and I’ve managed to work on my fear of deep water by jumping off the baby 3 m one with Beau. Quinn is training on smaller rope swings (there’s 3 in total) Beau tried but couldn’t reach the handle yet. Quinn’s desperate to try this big one…maybe next year.

Gardener’s Falls, local waterhole

looking yes/no

First day of school went ok. We had a morning circle of singing and meditation, parents invited. Lots of songs about love and compassion. Then Tim saw a picture of what looked like a swastika encompassed inside the Star of David. We giggled and thought they have all bases covered. The River School is on 100 acres of land along a creek just outside the town. It has been going for 23 years set up by the Ananda Marga community. Below is a view of the garden from the original farmhouse that’s attached to one of the classrooms.

The River School garden

Poly pipe instrument outside Quinn’s classroom

The local IGA has musicians playing right outside every time I’ve been there- from jazz piano to acoustic guitar. We even saw a teenage girl playing the harp in honour of Leonard Cohen when we came up on our reccie in November.

banjotim2016 So needlessly to say, we are feeling quite at home. Early days but bright futures. Here’s to slowing down and opening up to place and space.

Hope this finds you feeling your space too. xx

We all learn differently

Posted on June 15, 2016 by amy freya wilson

I sent my first son off to school in the hope that he’d find water like a duck does. He seemed to enjoy himself and especially loved the bike ride to school.

It wasn’t until we fast forward a few years, I can see how much they have/not learnt, and how differently every individual is in their learning experience. Quinn didn’t miraculously start reading. Far from it. And it’s been quite a road to get his confidence and fluency up. And when your kid isn’t a reader, they basically don’t read by choice. So whilst his peers are eating Harry Potter and coincidentally flexing their reading muscles, my child is doing everything to avoid reading for ten measly minutes a night. So we basically do every second night at gun point. And you can imagine how happy our household is at these times.

I’ve blabbed at many school gates and sought comfort in other parent’s stories. And without any formal testing, we don’t even know if Quinn has some definable label. We can only presume and have got him explicit help that is making a difference. This is no small topic and a very personal, potentially triggering place to find yourself in as a parent. Do we worry too early or leave it too late? Should we ‘wait and see’ and let it ‘work itself out’ or get help early and make a difference but also potentially influence your child psychologically and emotionally in ways you can’t expect. Ah the decisions we face as parents. But positively Quinn is slowly improving with tutoring, remedial assistance and age, it’s a slow burn.

Nothing is straightforward in life so why do we assume learning to be. It’s very interesting to see how diverse we are in our learning styles and strengths. With the rather homogenised learning approach that mainstream schooling uses, it is no wonder some kids fall through the cracks or lose confidence. And that’s not a blanket criticism, it’s just that it suits and inspires some more than others.

On a positive note, I wanted to share Quinn’s creativity when asked to do a recent assignment on a rainforest animal. He didn’t show much engagement at first and recoiled at the idea of standing up there with palm cards he can’t easily read…not to mention sweaty palms. So he wrote a song and played it to his class whilst he jazzed along. I couldn’t help but share. (Be warned: proud mum alert). It does help when your dad is a music producer and backing vocals by your younger brother.

We all have different gifts and it’s about finding them. This was Quinn’s chance to shine in his arena.

Click here to listen to his song, Spider Monkey:

Back in action

Posted on May 17, 2016 by amy freya wilson

This quiet, lonely piece of cyber space hasn’t been used much for funnily enough about a year. Life has been somewhat quieter, both literally and metaphorically since returning from Cambodia. Their wedding season is not missed. We’ve settled back into routine life with school drop offs, footy boots, work and carving out adult weekend time that doesn’t involve AFL matches or kids parties. A messy juggle with a good dose of moronic clown laughter..to keep us sane and possibly reinforce our unhinged selves.

This past year has been about sifting through rugged relationship terrain and doing primary research- falling hopelessly at times to ultimately find myself again. Tim and I separated after returning from Cambodia. Is this an advertisement for jumping into family sabbaticals in developing countries? Probably not. But again, it probably wasn’t just Cambodia. Even though our boss at the NGO did have a saying about ” being Cambodified”- the place has a way of working on people to face their stuff and it does change people. I can definitely testify to this. So Tim and I had 13 months apart, a valuable time to work on ourselves and we were able to still navigate the slippery separated co-parenting roles without dirt flinging. Our boys were the true soldiers here- they banded together and built a friendship fort that is unbreakable. Probably out of necessity, they’ve shown an empathy and maturity beyond their years. And also learnt that life isn’t always tied up with pretty bows.

We were one of the lucky ones. We weathered the storm. But we continue to be mindful of how easily resentment can pile up between lovers until you can no longer see each other’s face. And that eerie place of disengagement- that slick gremlin that can go unnoticed while love silently walks out the door.

It takes some conscious presence this relationship thang.

Beau made these ‘love sculptures’ out of cable ties on the weekend

If any of you are keen to follow my new writing project- I’m over at Less Stuff More Meaning, a wedding blog soon to be ethical gift registry, talking about…you may have guessed it…relationships.

Here is a link to my latest post: Let’s raise our glasses

I appreciated your support on our Cambodian adventure and even though it’s ended, this blog is likely to morph into something new. I’ll keep you updated. Hope you are all rollicking along happily, some times falling cos that’s how it is but even then there is always a view of the stars.

Big love, Amy

Cambodian Spirit

Posted on January 15, 2015 by amy freya wilson

So the blog’s had some time simmering whilst other fish been fried. But here we are again. Happy New Year Everyone. May it be a rip roaring affair.

We had Tim’s folks and bro came to town for the holidays. They said Battambang grew on them after 2 weeks, which is a considerably longer time than the usual 2-3 days tourist trail stopover. They came to get an insight into our life and catch up on half a year of grandsons’ cuddles.

One of the best days was full of biking, paddy fields and food. We set off from Kinyei Cafe (great lattes, a precious commodity in a sea of instant flakes) on well heeled mountain bikes. A fit, tall guide expertly needled the traffic. We, a long line of fleshy bicyclists weaved through motos and SUVs following our fluro clad beacon. Soon we were meandering along the river, first stop a local rice paper maker.

Matriarch Sreyvin , a spinster who works 7 days a week even at 62 years old. After surviving the Khmer Refugee Thai Border Camps through those dark years (1975-1979), she returned with her brother to her homeland in Battambang. Her family had some paddy fields that they were lucky enough to reclaim. Something that many families were unable to do and were left to start over. But as fate had it, she had to sell the rice fields a short time later to pay for her sister’s breast cancer operation. Medicine is heinously expensive and without any government safety nets, people have to make their own way.

Sreyvin in position over the hot skillet

A large bag of rice husks rests upside down on a precarious angle but purposefully arranged to drip feed the fire. These hard coatings have many lives. Also used as fertililiser, building and installation materials. Rice grains are made into a paste much like pancake batter. Sreyvin deftly drops some on a smoking skillet and flips it with one hand, whilst removing a cooked one with the other hand. Not wasting a drop she churns out 2000 beauties a day. Her brother works in unison, taking the sealed paper and placing it out matted boards to dry off in the sun.

The hours pass like this and they make a total of US$5 per day. This may not seem a lot but it is enough to educate the children in the extended family. By going to school they can choose another life. The average income for a Cambodian family is $950 per year. So relatively these guys are doing ok.

Next stop, fish factory. Some sensitive flowers on the tour (mostly men) declined this stop. But Tim’s spirited Ma (darling GG), a Scottish lass and I forged ahead.

About 13 ton of fish

First sight at the dock was about 13 ton of mud fish getting rolled into large wicket baskets. Fresh catch from the Sangke River, it’s hard to believe there are any fish left. Khmers love fish paste- a crushed, salted and fermented fishy mix known as prahok. It’s added to every meal and given as gifts at festival times.

Roasted Rat anyone?

These sacrifices were drying in the sun. Tim, Beau and I tried some of these sweet babies just the other day. We must be turning Khmer- none of us flinching as we gnawed into some crunchy rodents.

All in all, a ripper of a day on the Sokasbike Tour, highly recommended day out. Even Quinn at 7 managed the 30km round trip. Beau on the other hand rode in style with his grandparents.

Tough work being chauffeured around in tuk tuk

From my colleagues at work, I see an incredible Cambodian resilience. A positivity in the face of hardships past, and a people rising Phoenixesque grabbing opportunities given to them with long fingernails.

Some of the local NGO staff work 5- 6 days a week, up to 10 hours day. And moonlight in evenings studying English. Chantha, my dear Khmer counterpart survives on 4-5 hours sleep per night. Up at 4am to revise her English university studies before putting in a full 10+ hour day (working with kids!) then goes to classes til 9pm and studies close to midnight. Like most 23 year olds, she can survive on less sleep but not because she’s out partying. The Cambodian Work Ethic is a force to witness.

Survival instincts have never waned here. Unlike in the West where years of material comfort and government’s generous hand holding have eased our path, people here rely on their wits and ability to turn trash into treasure. Recycling works out of necessity not out of principle. From the dude emptying and cleaning out PET bottles to sell, to the guy who’s cycling around town all day on his food cart spriuking his potato cakes and fried banana. Morsels he’s made in his earthen floor hut the night before.

In words that don’t suffice, these people’s smile and spirit has touched my heart.

Indomitiable Chantha

What’s Your Story?

Posted on December 9, 2014 by amy freya wilson

On the weekend after another trip to the hospital, nothing serious this time Beau split his toe open when a heavy wooden chair left backwards on to it. The kindly security guard with good English always has a joke about life philosophy. Beau slept through the dressing and rectal suppository. Not requiring stitches, we’re ushered home again.

An old shed from the outside but what a find..

Quinn and I took off for Mother and Son time whilst the other two were shacked up at home. We discovered a swish, indoor skatepark minus the skates. A concrete maze of curved waves, jumps and pillars. Bikes and rollerblades were the choice. Quinn took his bike for a spin and even tried his hand at blading. Not a bad first effort, especially considering his guts weren’t great.

I’ve barely made it through the door when the owner, a middle aged Khmer with a pleasant round face asks me the obligatory question;

‘Where are you from?’

His eyes lit up as he shares his story:

My father live in Melbourne. I call him 5 years ago except he say he’s not my father.

What kind of curlie is this?

I search for him on internet. He has same name and from photo he looks like my father. And people I know who knew him in Cambodia believe it is him as well. I haven’t seen him for 35 years.

Geez this guy has such a sweet face. He keeps talking.

He escape during Pol pot regime because Pol Pot was going to kill him.

We’re all versed in the horrors. But hearing it firsthand and seeing the fallout all these years later really brings it home.

What about your mother? Does she know if it’s him? I ask

She doesn’t like talking about it much. He left her.

He’s on a roll now:

So I call my (not) father, I speak to him and ask him if I am his son. He says no. He has new wife and family in Australia now. His new wife doesn’t want him talking to me.

Why don’t you write him a letter? I suggest.

He shrugs not believing the letter will reach its rightful owner without interception

‘I don’t want money. I just want to know‘.

He has 3 school age children and a shiny black Lexus parked out the front. Even though he has obvious pain around this large question mark, he looks peaceful. He can discuss this with a contagious calm. Maybe he gives him some solace disclosing it, or maybe he’s an expert poker face. The conversation turns to DNA tests and possibly another phone call. I get this uneasy vision of the father who is over 70 now confessing on his deathbed in a ramble of delirium.

But what’s the truth? Maybe it will never be known.

Leong Bo’s story reminds me of meeting my own brother when I was 26 for the first time. The joy around finding a long known but not discussed piece of a puzzle. I knew I had a brother who lived on Norfolk Island. He had a name but I hadn’t seen his face.

As the hedonistic, self absorbed university chapter closed, I remembered the baby photograph sent by his mother in 1987 of a chubby, blue eyed babe in what looks like a Christening gown.

Unsure where to start, I call the telephone operator on Norfolk. I ask what PJ Wilson’s number is?

A bonny madam replies ‘Auy, PJ! You can call him on Pelly and Dinty’s number, 6475839.’

I’m scrawling down this gold on a tightly held paper. Within minutes I’m yards closer and I can’t quite believe how easy and quickly this is all happening.

The oil still spitting in the pan, I dial the number.

A spritely, strong female voice answers. Hello. I introduce myself.

A bit of a pause, and then ‘Oh Amy. Hello! I’m PJ’s mum Dinty’.

An easy conversation follows. I find out PJ now lives on the mainland. His proud mum tells me he got a scholarship to uni. I get his direct line.

Dinty and I taken at PJ’s wedding

It takes me another week to digest it all. When I’ve worked up the courage, I’m sitting on a park bench in Glebe, the grass lush from summer rain. He answers, I’m up on my feet pacing circles under the trees.

I remember hearing the warmth and excitement in his voice that first time. His Ma had given him a heads up. But what struck me so clearly…was the ease of it all. We must have spoken for half an hour. Filling in our stories. Talking about his uni, friends, life at college. Our shared love of horses.

We arrange to meet, a necessary step to complete the journey. With Easter bunnies jeering from supermarket shelves, Tim and I fly north. We stay at a friend’s place in New Farm, a treehouse built high on a hill, its deck amongst the banana palms. Art books line the shelves, a dishevelled, lived in feel. The smell of coffee grains, peeling paint on the kitchen table.

PJ and I plan to meet at Queen Street Mall outside Hungry Jacks. What a romantic place! Ha. When in doubt find a fast food landmark. I remember responding to a foot model advertisement once with an ‘interview’ at McDonalds involving a dubious character salivating over my sandals. I digress…

The day arrives, I can’t walk slowly instead I stride out with nerves leaving Tim in my wake. He is sensitive enough to leave me to it. I spot the glaring red/yellow sign and I can feel the spike of tears forming. By the time I reach the spot I see a tall dude with jet black hair and a beaming smile. I already know who it is. I’m crying and we give each other a huge hug. I’m home in my brother’s arms.

Family resemblance?

We spend the rest of the day cruising the Brisbane River on a ferry. Non stop talking as we catch up on a lifetime of news. We have similar crinkles around the eyes, snub noses and flashing whites. We disclose our dreams, his to improve Norfolk’s environmental practices still stuck in the 70s where rubbish is burnt or worse ends up in the sea . I speak of my love of art and artists. He meets Tim. I hear about his homeland: 35 square kilometres of rock in the Pacific Ocean nearly 1500 miles from my birthplace. Only 2300 ‘odd’ people live there- a courageous, heavy drinking, outspoken lot with resilience in their veins. PJ talks with love for his clan not by blood, but forged through childhood, birthdays, bruises, work and acceptance.

‘Odd’ lot

Our friendship has grown. PJ has stayed at my house several times, meeting both my sons after their births. I’ve seen his Norfolk and met ‘Pothole’ (named because everyone wishes to avoid him) and his childhood bestie. We went to his wedding last year in Sri Lanka. I have a beautiful sister in law Ashley. Life is richer and reflecting on having made the step to meet him, I’m thankful to have answers and for those answers to be easily found.

Work Life

Posted on November 26, 2014 by amy freya wilson

This blog has been focused on sharing stories about Cambodian life from a personal perspective. But I get asked a lot about what work we are doing here. Tim and I work as unpaid volunteers for a local NGO, established about 8 years ago by a young Australian woman, a mover and shaker. The NGO provides much needed social support to Battambang’s poorest families. It was once an orphanage but quickly decided to move away from the model due to the perils of institutionalisation and the knowledge that children are better off with family members. Relatives such as aunties or grandmothers have been tracked down and in most cases, they are happy to relocate to Battambang where they get support to care for the kids. For those children who are legitimate orphans without family, they are cared for by devoted foster aunties and uncles who have been working with the organisation for a long time and understand the life long commitment of raising children. In two words: remarkable humans. What has impressed us most about the NGO is their child protection policy is bullet proof and international best practice, the benchmark (and the reason I can’t plaster the kids’ gorgeous mugs here).

Me in work mode

There is a saying ‘Cambodian Time’. A phrase that refers to being patient as things take time, plans change and do complete somersaults only to land back at the beginning. This has definitely been true of the culture shock and adjustment for our family. You can basically double the figure you think it will take and add some. And this is primarily why I’m so glad we didn’t come for a short time (we are fortunate to have no set return date) because you are always working to that date and as it draws closer you begin to mentally withdraw from the place you’re in. In the past, I’ve always travelled to a deadline (like most of us do!) but more than that, it was like I had to cram all these things in (tick it off the list) which is so different from letting life and the journey unfold naturally.

I have been teaching English over the past month as we eagerly await the opening of the School in the Cloud classroom. It’s been a great foundation to get to know all the kids (all 80 of them). First I taught yoga over the summer break and now we sing songs, incorporate yoga and practice English. These kids have had no formal English lessons. The local public schools are fraught with problems. So the level of education is dubious. As is so often the case across the globe, teachers are poorly paid so they often moonlight in other jobs and their attendance rates are low! Often they don’t show up and the class sizes are large, they feel pretty overworked and under appreciated, I’m sure. Again the cycle of clever graduates who could help improve the quality of education choose to work in banking or for foreign corporations where they get more dosh.

The School in the Cloud classroom – it now has walls

The space was previously a cabana where I taught yoga and a much needed shady place for sweaty football players mid afternoon. The design is quite simple and uses easily sourced materials like concrete. But since the School in the Cloud program is about encouraging creative thinking and inspired by Earthship Cambodia the top part of the walls will be recycled bottles letting fractured light decant the space.

We want to put vertical gardens around the exterior walls. The computer stations will have curved edges much like surfboards.

What is The School in the Cloud?

School in the Cloud is the brainchild of an Indian bloke Sugata Mitra who is one inquisitive guy posing lots of big questions about how children can learn for themselves through the use of technology. Let’s face it we are in a period of unprecedented change and the education system needs a face lift. He has his critics (mainly from the academic fraternity who want to see proof) but I’m willing to get involved in the experiment and see what happens. Part of my job is to document observations throughout the SOLE (Self Organised Learning Environment) sessions and funnel this data back to India.

We’ve begun testing the kids’ English levels this week to get a baseline from which to chart their progress over the course of the program. Some of them are so hungry for knowledge. Painstakingly trying to identify letters even though they’ve only learnt the alphabet via the ABC Song and can barely recognise individual letters. It will be very interesting to see where their knowledge goes from here. Another part of the testing is to gain qualitative data relating to their aspirations. All in Khmer, I work with an awesome Khmer counterpart, Chantha who is so perceptive and caring and gets the nature of the work, allowing the kids space to explore. She asks them the perennial question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. The answers range from ‘”cook rice” to a painter (it “makes me happy”) to the usual suspects of doctor, nurse and teacher. The point of this exercise is to see if their dreams change as a result of access to the internet and School in the Cloud philosophy, and in what ways they transform.

The Mighty ‘Buffalo’ at work

Tim is working on the building helping Buff who is his Khmer counterpart. These two, as thick as thieves, both with a killer sense of humour and matching Buddha bellies (Tim’s is fast shrinking though). For first two months before Tim got his own bike, these two were spotted cruising around on the one moto sourcing potential materials and sites. Tim is also infiltrating the local arts scene working at the NGO’s gallery and undertaking an artist residency (another post).

As you can see we are busy and there is loads we can do.

For any education nerds, you may find this video interesting. A light bulb moment for Tim and I- sparking us to embark on this journey and giving us confidence in our own kid’s education.

Happy Wednesday x

Whacking Technique

Posted on November 25, 2014 by amy freya wilson

Sangke River- complete with local fisherman

Sangke River – spot the local fisherman?

Here in Battambang it’s been an unusually dry, rainy season. There is sometimes a pitter patter at night but not guaranteed. The heavens often frown with a shade of grey/brown only to tease us with sunshine once more.

When it rains, Quinn makes the most of it ! Street outside our house

When it rains, Quinn makes the most of it! This is our street.

The town’s water levels are low causing the water supply to be quite erratic. Last week, we had no water for 3 days. It coincided with an outstanding water bill that was going brown in our mailbox since August unbeknownst to us. A grumpy government official turned up at our house whilst we were at work. The nanny who comes to watch the kids for a few hours every day, tried to work her charm but he would not be deterred. Water mains switched off.

And as life sometimes has it….the Gods have a giggle…Murphy came a knockin……Tim went down with dysentery the next day. Copious diarrhoea and no running water is not a winning combination. We had the bucket and scoop technique down, using bought drinking water (you can’t drink the tap water throughout Cambodia) to flush away most of the damage. Soon sage incense was burning in every toilet in the house.

But as Tim worsened ending in a trip to the hospital (we didn’t get lost this time All in a Day) where they mainlined his veins with rehydration and antibiotics, I decided that we better address this water situation asap. In the midst of calling our boss who is far enough up the fishing pole to make a difference, ie. if he lodges a call at the water department, they listen; our resourceful nanny Sreypheak armed with two pieces of bamboo tried the good ol’ whacking technique. BiNgO. Nothing like a good smack to set things straight. The pipes chugged to life.

Beau has the ‘whack attack’ technique down pat

This technique is used liberally to fix just about anything here. When a motorbike is being temperamental, a hard slap on its engine is the first port. I never cease to be amazed how resourceful the Cambodian people are. The reuse, recycle, restart, retie, retry, reinvent method is everywhere you look.

Kite made by the neighbours- plastic bags, skewers and cotton reel.

Kite made by the neighbours- plastic bags, skewers, rubber bands and cotton reel.

Coming from the modern disposable culture, this is refreshing to see. It is not that they don’t have disposable products here- they are as ubiquitous as air, but the disposable part isn’t understood by people who have learnt to survive on nothing but their wits. Understood by a look at their history, being cut off from the world during Khmer Rouge days and the legacy that left, literally beginning at Ground Zero with memories of starvation fresh in their minds.

Tim stayed in a cot bed for 2 days sandwiched between two families nursing their palliative parents. I was warned by the nurse not to bring our boys into visit as Beau had the trots the week before, and who knows what germs he could catch in there. This knowledge was appreciated but didn’t put my mind to rest. Tim had many long hours in fetal position as the neighbouring Cambodians kept asking where his family was. Even though this is the best hospital in Battambang, patients’ families do most of the legwork from emptying catheters, showering, changing linen, cooking food to even administering medication. Loved ones camp out around the clock keeping a constant vigil at their bedside. Nurses are present but often on their mobile phones. It was a case of googling what drugs Tim was having to get any information. The Khmer doctor was approachable but very difficult to understand.

It makes you realise how far Cambodia has come from the KR days where all the medical knowledge was lost with the desecration of qualified doctors. Western influences shunned including the supply of medicine used for prevented diseases such as malaria. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! 21% of the total population from 1975-1979 were wiped out mainly due to starvation as everyone were herded from cities and expected to toil in the soil. The idealists in power believed that agricultural reform and total self sufficiency would help return Cambodia to its former glory days of Angkor Kingdom. Yet another historical example of extreme ideology defying logic. And possibly shows how countries need to trade and be interdependent, just like no one person can operate as an island. This fanaticism was spawned out of hardship- Cambodia had years of foreign occupation (Thailand and France had a go) and the brutal disregard for the Khmer people who had more US bombs dropped on their homeland throughout the Vietnam War years (1965-1973) than any other country.

These rascals have so much fun being….rascals

I’m pleased to say Tim is back home with us. A thinner and more subdued version but thankfully cramp free. He reckons he got an insight into child birth! He found a weighted keyboard in a junk shop covered in dust. He’s been teaching himself. Enjoy!

Hope you’re health full where ever this finds you x

All in a day

Posted on October 21, 2014 by amy freya wilson

So we’ve been enjoying the food in Cambodia. Meat, meat, meat is what the Khmer love. Rusty, dissected petrol drums at roadside stalls with the sweet aroma of burning flesh… are a common sight. Chicken and pork being the most popular and easily accessible meat.

We inherited one of these beauties with our new house and I love nothing more than going to the local market early on Saturday morning to buy fresh pork ribs; marinating them all afternoon and throwing them on for a Saturday night barbie.

Our number 2 son, Beau loves his food.

Beau having his fourth bowl of chicken soup on a school excursion to a nearby village

His teacher was so delighted by Beau’s appetite, he took many photos to prove it

Another famous Khmer dish is Fish Amok- everyone has a family recipe for this steamed fish curry, served traditionally in a banana leaf. The curry is a heady mixture of ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli, lemongrass and galangal cooked with coconut milk.

The local Sangke River (the life force that Battambang town girdles) is home to small, tasty but bony suckers, the common fish used in the dish. On my bike ride to work every morning people often flank her banks with extra long bamboo poles trying their luck.

On Friday night we sat down at home to this delicacy. Saliva pumps started as we all took out first mouthful. Beau immediately gets a bone that he proudly pulls out of his mouth to inspect. Dad is doing the commentary to go with the show:

We don’t eat bones so put it on the side of your plate

On cue when our nearly four year old hears the word don’t , he does.

He pops the bone back in his mouth to see what will happen, he swallows. Gulp. Ahhhhhhhhh

It lodges itself in the back of his throat. Faaarrrkkkkk!

Already on my feet after the initial bone sighting, annoyed that it had slipped through the security check. I’m hugging a slobbering mess- he’s dribbling and crying (a good sign) at least he’s not turning blue and gasping. I watch as Tim and Quinn continue to keep eating. It was delicious mind you. But my stomach is in knots and I’m amazed they can do it.

Tim calls our local Aussie nurse friend who asks how big? Oh 3 cm.. but it looked thin…

We need to find a hospital and get it taken out.

I’m running around, Beau in my arms bits of fishy goop on my chest, vague thoughts of medical insurance and passports in my brain. I grab the passports but can’t find the medical insurance papers.

We all pile on the family moto. Quinn up the front between Dad’s legs. Beau and I backseat trying to console each other. He’s managing to still talk (another good sign!):

I’m gonna tell that fish bone to go away Mum.

Ok beautiful. Then he’s crying again in pain.

Not so Baby Beau

Google earth isn’t working and finding places in daylight amongst the scribbly Khmer language is a tough task. Now, with all our stress levels elevated, Tim sets off in the opposite direction. We head out along Highway 5, all madly trying to keep our wits.

I start bumble bee breath (known as ‘Omming’ and humming) just as much to calm my racing thoughts of unsterile gadgets going down Beau’s throat or contagious diseases he may never recover from. Every time I start to think I hum louder. I used this in child birth, maybe it was this memory or the moto engine but soon Beau is asleep! We are still looking in the dark for the only reputable medical centre. The others aren’t worth the risk – we stopped outside one and all the anti-hepatitis signs scared us off. Whenever the bike stops, Beau is disturbed and crying spasms start again.

So more humming later, Tim speeding and playing chicken with some trucks until I start barking at him to slow down. We finally find the right medical centre. On cue Beau MIRACULOUSLY comes to, looking refreshed from the snooze, with a

‘I’m alright Mum’

I can’t believe it so I ask him three times. I didn’t believe in God until now. I was sending some windy prayers to my dead grandfather (who I never got the pleasure to met) since it was his birthday, I thought he might be up having a party.

We enter the medical centre to get him checked out only to be sent out 5 minutes later with a

‘We don’t do throats only bones and fractures’

This centre really is exclusive! And empty, it has that sterile, pristine, rich smelling sheen, only used by foreigners or obscenely rich Cambodians. Even if it is a classist establishment, they won’t check out his gob sending us to a private ENT clinic in town. With shady directions we find the clinic closed, but the Western ice cream shop next door open.

Assessing our options, Beau still perky telling me

‘The bone’s broken Mum and gone into my foot’

Feeling somewhat put at ease by his 3.5 year old prognosis, we decide food therapy may work. We all drop into an American-esque diner booth and enjoy a sundae.

Brothers in arms

Dodging bullets is hungry work.

Bang On About

Category Archives: Family