The end of Kandal…..

After 8 long days of surveying throughout Kandal province we finally finished the last of our 15 villages on Thursday morning. I think we are all a bit surprised that after completing 150 surveys we have managed to remain perfectly on schedule for the rest of the project; none of us would have guessed that during our first week here. As well as the surveys have gone for us they are being slightly overshadowed by the monotony of Phnom Penh. Though we would probably be laughed at if we said we hadn’t enjoyed our time last weekend at the Royal Palace following an afternoon of $2 foot massages and pedicures, truth be told we have done all there is to do in the city. 33 degree weather and endless calls from Tuk Tuk drivers have taken their toll, and sadly even the life threatening cross walks have begun to present an unlikely banality I never thought would have existed. Fortunately the boredom found in the city was helped by what was quite a unique week of work.

Matt and Amanda were out performing the questionnaire early Monday morning, surveying villages located on an island in either the Tonle Sap or Mekong Rivers. Though the ferry ride was short, it was still a harrowing adventure trying to guide a large van onto a small boat without a loading dock to work with. Coupled with a snack of fried crickets, the day offered welcoming variety to what is normally monotonous work.

On Tuesday it was time for me and Gill to get some ferry experience. The first of our four ferry rides that day was quite long and allowed us to glimpse the entire Phnom Penh waterfront, from Wat Phnom in the north to the Royal Palace in the afternoon. We were all quite worried that the ferries would cause unwanted disruption to our quite inflexible schedule, because if we do not manage to get all 10 houses in a village surveyed before the 3 hour lunch break there is a good chance we will not finish the second village in the afternoon. However we were quite fortunate that day to never have to wait more than 5 minutes for a ferry. Unfortunately the day did not run entirely to plan as we were virtually accosted in the second village by the local silk merchants. Not even in high school was I as intimidated by teenaged girls as I was of these young female villagers pressuring me in to buying their products. In the end I was 3 silk scarves richer but had lost $12 and most of my dignity in the process.

Up until Wednesday we had not had to deal with any anomalies in the villages we were surveying. Though some were slightly poorer or more rural than others, we certainly had not surveyed vastly different areas of wealth, geography, or culture. However when Matt and Amanda surveyed their second village on Wednesday they discovered it to be almost entirely Muslim. I have actually been surprised by the size of the Muslim communities in Phnom Penh, a city where Buddhist wats and monks dominate the landscape. Because the village surveyed was Muslim there were no dogs owned by the villagers. If we had not previously been working in Indonesia we probably would have been very surprised at this fact. What we learned there however is that dogs are generally thought of as unclean by most Muslims and thus are rarely kept. Other than providing some unique data for our study it also made for some quick surveying and a highly sought after shortened day.

And then it was Thursday: the end of Kandal. Gill and I set off for our last hurrah in the country. Though one would think it would be quite exciting the day was quite uneventful and our last village was finished before lunch. With the afternoon free, we decided it best to tackle the stack of questionnaires we had piled up and begin some translations. Though most of the questions we ask are multiple choice, there are roughly 6 areas which require short answers, usually written in Khmer. It doesn’t take long to translate fortunately, though we are finding that people have answered the exact same way in 99% of the surveys! After translating 85 surveys we were almost fluent in Khmer and decided it was safer to end for the day rather than drive ourselves crazy by reading yet another questionnaire.

Unfortunately it appears as though we may be wishing Kandal could have lasted another few days. Friday was the beginning of Phnom Penh and as Matt and Amanda were finding out, we weren’t in the country any longer. Things in the city are much more regulated and having permission to talk to certain areas of the city is a very strict process. Furthermore, we are no longer able to split up into 2 groups, thus making surveys take twice as long. It is not all bad though, being in the city definitely cuts down on commute time and we have surveying almost an hour earlier each morning compared to what we were able to muster in Kandal. Not surprisingly we also have a short trek home after work on most days. Sadly however, the worst part of switching to city life is that our co-workers often feel less ‘welcomed’ when they approach people. They appear quite worried that we are interrupting people at work when we ask to do a survey and that the whole questionnaire in general is less well received. Though I have not felt quite as unwelcomed, when you don’t speak the language you have to trust the feedback you’re getting from your co-workers.

With only 4 more days of surveying we are getting quite excited to see the light at the end of the Phnom Penh tunnel. There are a few more hurdles to cross but I think being so close to the end we have more than enough determination to make it to the end of the week without any trouble.

Signing out, Ryan, Matt, Amanda, and Gill

Authored by Ryan Aguanno