04 Three bongs for Vroni (EN)
The padlock just won't open. We've been working on the crappy part for half an hour now. First we tried it with the small key that was given to me for the scooter, but it still doesn't fit. Then one of my in distress newly found bongs started to work the thing with a stone, using another stone as a base. No, bongs in this context are not devices for smoking pot, but a bong in Cambodia is simply someone you see eye-to-eye with hierarchically. So for example, pretty much my entire team at KAS are my bongs, except for my boss. Whereas he also behaves quite bong-like despite being the boss, but that's another story. Well, back to the initial situation. Why the heck are me and my three bongs so eager to open this padlock? Well, because this thing is holding an iron chain together, and this iron chain I have wrapped around the back tire of my rental scooter. And with this rental scooter I'm standing on the parking lot of a national park somewhere in the pampas, 40 km away from Kampot, the next town, and logically, thanks to the iron chain, I can't move from the spot. The padlock won't open, although I checked it extra again before securing the scooter with it. Key in, turn, the lock snaps open. Good, then I can lock the vehicle with a clear conscience. No sooner said than done. It's just stupid that the key and the lock changed their minds while I was walking around some waterfall in the rainforest, and now they somehow don't fit together anymore. As it is sometimes in real life, be it with the partners, the circle of friends, or the old Spotify Heartbreak Best Of Taylor Swift playlist from 2012. In this sense: Welcome to one of those moments I didn't have a clue about anything during my trip through Asia!
The setting is still the same: One of my bongs bangs the stone on the padlock lying on the floor, meanwhile a new stone is already ready as a base. The first one is already broken. Marble, stone, and iron break, but not this crappy lock. The rest of the staff and I stand around and watch him. My Google search history is full of keywords like "How to open a lock without a key" and tutorials on how to open padlocks with all kinds of tools. A dream. But no reality here yet, because our only tool is a stone. Until 10 minutes ago I wasn't so zen-meditative-deeply relaxed, and was rather freaking out. I called the scooter rental guy and lamented my plight, who in turn mansplained to me at his finest. That didn't make it better, feminist rage level 3000. Then I whined to other backpackers in the parking lot, I hyperventilated, the whole circus, but at some point I make peace with myself again in such situations. When you're a Vroni, you kind of get used to being in those situations on a regular basis. Well, and then the three fellows here took pity on me and are now sacrificing a part of their Saturday afternoon to help such a sunburned heap of humanity like me. I stare at the stone that keeps flying towards the lock and think to myself "Boah, I'm fucked", when the padlock flies apart and finally releases my ride. Free beer for the bongs, right? No, they don't want it. Then Cambodian iced tea? Nah, not either. Okay, they just want me to take off now. That's fine, I can understand that. I swing myself on the scooter and roar over a road riddled with potholes back to Kampot.
So, small anecdote from the weekend to start. I wanted to tell this briefly, because it annoys me when travel always looks so elegant and well organized and relaxed or it is also told so. You always see and hear about the unforgettable diving trips, party nights in some hostels, impressive temples, fascinating cultures and stark landscapes. And of course people like to tell that, I am no exception. But you often leave out those little side stories, where backpacks are dragged from A to B, you get screwed by TukTuk drivers, you get accosted by some sexist assholes at 3am in front of the disco, you have three leeches hanging from your shins, or you have daily near-death experiences as a pedestrian in Phnom Penh's traffic. All things I've experienced over the past few weeks, and there are many more. And yes, since I boarded the plane to Kathmandu 6 weeks ago and arrived in Phnom Penh almost 4 weeks ago, I am still doing incredibly well. So good that it's scary sometimes. Anyway, these feelings of happiness don't come from the fact that everything is running smoothly non-stop and I'm living the Insta-Traveler-Digital-Nomad dream 24/7. This permanent happiness I've been feeling since I left for Asia has to do with the fact that for the past six weeks, bit by bit, I've been getting closer again to my inner independence and self-determination, which I missed so much during the pandemic. That I'm learning again to appreciate simple things, to let go and to live in the moment (and that despite my very full Google calendar, which is waiting for me in the office from Monday to Friday). Sounds like esoteric yogi drivel, but it is.
Yes, I am actually here to work
And of course one of the reasons for my current permanent happiness is the fact that my internship at KAS Cambodia is a real stroke of luck. And what does KAS actually do now? In short, KAS is both an NGO and a policy think tank, i.e. at the interface between academia and practice. In concrete terms, this means that KAS tries to generate knowledge on certain topics that are relevant for Cambodia's development, to communicate this knowledge to organizations in politics and business, and to build bridges between educational institutions, civil society, and politics. Topics include sustainability, digitalization, international relations, rule of law, media freedom and youth participation. In order to gain knowledge on these topics, the KAS issues publications in cooperation with experts and scientists from these fields, invites to discussions at conferences, organizes training programs and workshops on political education for pupils and students, and awards scholarships. As you can see, the whole thing follows a rather top-down approach. I'm more of a bottom-up/grassroots person when it comes to development cooperation, top-down is a bit too elitist and not inclusive enough for me. But that is a realization that I can well take with me into my future professional life. Nevertheless, I can see very clearly that the KAS approach is making a difference, especially for young people. If you manage to get even a few young people, especially in rural areas, to participate in politics, and if you teach them media skills (which is really important, especially in Cambodia, where media freedom is rather poor), it can have a real snowball effect. Since Cambodia is very young in terms of age structure, you can say that the work of the KAS really makes a lot of sense. And once something makes sense to me, I'm on fire. I've been on the team for four weeks now, and I'm constantly overwhelmed by the perspectives and topics I get to explore, the inspiring people I meet, and the immense learning curve I've realized in the last few weeks alone. From day one, I have been actively involved in the projects at KAS, and I am being challenged intellectually, but also encouraged - and am also allowed to implement my own projects with quite a bit of leeway. I've also already found a project where I can let off some steam journalistically and at the same time deal with female empowerment, more details will hopefully follow soon. ;)
Doesn't the KAS somehow do something with the CDU?
What always overwhelms me are the conferences. Since I've been on board, I've been attending at least one of them every week, on all kinds of topics. Two days ago, for example, I was at the National Media Development Conference, last week at the International Relations Policy Forum organized by KAS. I'm starting to know some names and faces of all these embassy staff, NGO people, intellectuals and so on. I often feel a bit small, awkward, uneducated and mousey at such events, because I'm just not used to being out and about like this. That I feel most comfortable in my hippie hipster attire and either sneakers or hiking boots is well known. Well, back in the office after such events, I always swap my pumps for my Lidletten, which have already achieved a certain cult status with the KAS team, which brings me to the next topic, because the team is awesome. Apart from me and our boss, everyone in the office is Cambodian, and hardly anyone is older than 30, and everyone is always in a good mood, very integrative and just lovely. I felt in good hands right from the start. By the way, you don't notice anything from the CDU at KAS Cambodia, politically KAS Cambodia is definitely more left-wing. And no, the funding does not come from the CDU, but from the BMZ. In the run-up, I was a bit worried that I, as a left-wing feminist, would constantly be involved in controversial political discussions with my boss or colleagues. Of course, no one in the office has the same political opinion 1:1, and that's important. But the basic attitude fits: Be reflective, think outside the box, don't be an ignorant, oblivious dumbass, know your priviledge and identify and fight structural discrimination. There you go.
Phnom Penh - one chaos to go, please
Phnom Penh is a very intense city, and so is my life here. There are days when I walk home from work and want to close the city like a book and just have silence around me. The traffic is noisy and chaotic, sidewalks exist in theory, but they are mostly occupied by parked cars and street vendors. Mopeds, cars, TukTuks, they all take so absolutely no consideration for people who have no desire for traffic jams and reckless traffic maneuvers and walk instead. Well, I walk to work every day because I don't see the point of ordering a TukTuk for a 15-minute walk. First money, second fitness and everyday exercise. In the meantime, I've gotten used to the fact that I have no right to exist as a pedestrian in this city, and at the same time I'm becoming a pro at pushing my way safely and efficiently. Some days I'm totally happy when I don't have to go out again, on other days the traffic doesn't bother me at all. In terms of urban planning, Phnom Penh still has some catching up to do. Apart from that, I love it here. I have lots of energy and desire to try new things at the moment, which is why I'm always quite active after work during the week. Since I've been in Phnom Penh, I've started playing volleyball (national sport in Cambodia), tried Kundalini and Aerial Yoga, changed my diet to almost vegan, and now I've also found a location that offers free Bachata dance classes. So my passion for sports and exercise is not neglected here. Thanks to the help of my colleague Soumy, I've already met quite a few people here and have also explored the nightlife extensively - and the party life here is quite something ;). But because I don't want to spend every weekend between drag queen bars, clubs and hangover mood on the couch, I balance the whole thing with short trips to the countryside, like for example last weekend in Kampot. And honestly, I need that too. Although Phnom Penh energizes me so much and I always feel good in cities, I also need to get out into nature regularly, take a breath, experience silence, enjoy the view. But exactly this mixture of my fancy expat lifestyle in Phnom Penh and my simple and beautiful trips as a backpacker makes it for me in the end. There are so many more small and big stories to tell from my first four weeks, but this post is already long enough anyway, and besides, I came home from partying at half past four today, so I'm a bit of a degenerate mammal right now. In this sense, bacioni.
Vronal
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