Celebrations, frustrations and tragedy

You know how we like to live life on the edge, inveterate risk takers that we are. Well, here's something: since our funds are now over £700 (and that doesn't include the money raised by our two recently recruited cohorts - Tony and Clare) we have decided to put the target up to £1000.  I am sure that with everyone's help, on a downhill slope with the wind behind us we'll get there in the end.

In the meantime, an update on our training. Yes, we finally made it to Limerick. But No, we did not get an almighty drenching. In fact the sun shone all weekend. Much to the delight of our host Bridget, who threatened to kidnap us if it meant the weather would continue to be so glorious. Let's face it, they need something to cheer them up in Ireland right now.

No, not a drop of rain fell from the sky during our brief sojourn, which made for very pleasant sightseeing indeed.



Cliffs of Moher, bathed in sunshine. You couldn't make it up 

In fact we covered over 300km on saturday (in the car that is, what do you take us for, serious athletes?) and although we didn't get much opportunity to hike, we did manage a bit of dangerous thrill-seeking by walking a slippery, unfenced 300m high cliff path and succeeded in putting in some serious fitness training - several hours of dancing with reckless abandon  at Bridget's **th birthday party, which did lead to multiple muscle strains the morning after.

It was EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, cos it says so

It was probably the first time we've danced like that since the infamous Abba and Gloria Gaynor-studded episode at a Cambodian Karaoke bar during our last trip. Which, incidentally was where we met one Bridget Dillon, from Limerick, who was on her second volunteering stint at Grace House when we tipped up last December.

Cambodian Karaoke: Doing our bit for Anglo-Khmer relations

Which brings me neatly back to why we're doing this "half marathon" in the first place...
Apologies for those of you who were expecting something light hearted and, dare I say it, witty from our blog this week, but it would be wrong to gibber on in my customarily frivolous fashion when Cambodia has been the scene of yet another human tragedy this week. 

It seems even more tragic when you know that most of the people attending the water festival where the stampede occurred and almost 400 died were country folk on their once a year visit to the big city to give thanks for the passing of the monsoon and to pray for a good harvest. They don't have many reasons to celebrate in Cambodia so it seems all the more unfair that a normally joyful festival should have ended with such needless loss of life.

Thankfully no one we know was injured, although a former member of Globalteer staff, now living in Phnom Penh had gone out to join the celebrations but luckily was put off by the huge crowds and went home before the tragedy began to unfold.

I wonder if the police are tacitly admitting that they were in some way to blame given the speed with which compensation has been offered to the victims. I'm sure we'll never know what happened for certain but it puts poor Cambodians' lives into sharp perspective when the goverment offer of compensation for a life lost this way is just $1200 or £800.

It only serves to underline that when we say just a few pounds can make a difference to many lives in Cambodia, we really mean it. So if you would like to help out, please go to www.justgiving.com/simonandcolin2 and sponsor us on our half marathon hike - which looks like it may be happening in the snow too...

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Thankfully life for Grace House and those that work there goes on as normal - well as close to normal as it can be.  They continue to set up their vocational training centre but life is not without its challenges. Bridget Cordory sends us this short post this week.

"Alan – Vocational Training Director - has just had possibly the most frustrating week ever!

We have been donated 10 wood turning lathes and scroll saws by a kind Australian man, Issy, who will teach some of the village fathers how to use them to make wooden gifts and souvenirs. The idea is they will then be able to sell them to make a living. These men are unable to undertake heavy manual work due to poor health but have no other skills to rely on to earn a living.  Mums, of course, are welcome to join the classes too!

Vocational training: increasing villagers' chances of earning a living

First shipment of machinery arrived safely and after we paid the duty they arrived at Grace House. But the second shipment is causing problems. Issy had been given 10 computers and apparently it is illegal to import second hand computers. But customs MAY let us have them, as we are a NGO (Non Government Organisation).

Alan and Piseth (one of our teachers) spent 3 days filling in all the forms to prove our status, and duly mailed them off to Phnom Penh only to be told that since the letter to customs was written in the “female” form of Khmer, Dani, our female director, would need to sign the paperwork. So poor Dani had to catch the night bus for a 5 hour trip to Phnom Penh to sign it.

We are still waiting for the top man to say Yes or No as there have been 2 days of public holidays due to the Water Festival. So we’ll have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday before we find out if we can have our computers.

You’ve probably already heard that the Water Festival ended in tragedy, with more than 350 people killed in a crush on a bridge. It puts my moaning about computers into perspective."

If you would like to help Grace House continue building a future for their villagers, please sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/simonandcolin2