After my graduation from Stanford University, I was soul searching and looking for ways to return to the mother land. Finally after many rigorous interviews, I had two job offers with a tobacco company and also as volunteer for the USAID program.
Finally, I decided to take up the post with USAID program as a volunteer, a US funding agency in Cambodia’s reconstruction efforts. By mid September 2002, preparations were made for the home coming. My parents were very reluctant in approving the idea of working in the mother land. They feel neither safe nor they feel that the place for stable enough for their young son to be in. It was after all, my second time to the mother land after three years. Soon after my arrival and induction, I was attached to the Ministry of Environment as a special liason in charge of proposal writing and training in the department of planning. My experience with the Ministry of Planning was short lived.
I was extremely enthusiastic about working in the Ministry of Environment. The first day of work, I got up at three o'clock in the morning planning and rehearsing what I should say and do when I got to the office. As a rookie, I did not know what to expect. There were many things that were going through my mind. I was feeling overjoyed and excited just for the mere fact that I was offered an opportunity to work for a Cambodian government and will be surrounded by own kind.
I got to the office at seven o'clock in the morning and was introduced by my coordinator to a gentleman by the name of Dr. Vutha, planning department chief of staff. Dr. Vutha was to be my immediate supervisor. A sense of friendship was established soon after the 15 minutes of personal introduction. My initial reaction was that Dr. Vutha was a man of respect.
The first week gone by like a gentle wind and I continued to feel a sense of enthusiasm, pride and a sense of belonging. For me, it was a chance of a life time and a dream come true. I had never thought that I would be able to come back and actually work in Cambodia. Feeling of joy filled my heart with simple opportunities like teaching basic conversational English to my co-workers or assist others with translations. In my heart, I am finally home working for a good cause for the mother land.
During my second week, I thought about making some changes in the department. The number one priority on my agenda was to get the bathroom cleansed. In my department, there were 42 people to one bathroom.
The deplorable smell of the dirty bathroom generated by the humidity and an extreme heat got to me after the second day in the office. Unfortunately, the frustration forced me to take keen interest in getting the office cleansed.
Rats and roaches were dominating the bathroom scene with toilet paper cluttered all over the place. Feces lying everywhere and piles of trash scattered beyond imagination. I was more than determined to clean and sanitize it. It was a decision that I did hesitate to make because I was not able to come to terms of why people feel comfortable with such an unhealthy environment.
Running water was no where to be found. With limited budget in the Ministry, I had to use my own money to buy cleaning materials and detergents for the project in which I considered very dear and a test of my courage.
The total cost of the cleaning project was just a bit over two hundred dollars. I did some budgeting before embarking on the project, but did not factor in the unknown variables. As it turned out, I was cheated by more than half of the total amount by project supervisor that I entrusted to buy much of the materials.
My first experience and a reality check when asking somebody else to handle your money. The project outcome was satisfactory but most importantly, the bathroom was clean and useable.
We collectively agreed to take turn in cleaning the toilet. The project failed after two months. I was under the impression that people will take pride in their new bathroom, but as it turned out nobody value the importance of a good toilet.
I grew tired of using my own money and a part time janitor to try and change a deep rooted behaviors which were difficult to change in a short period of time. I did not regret from making the decision to not fund the project because after awhile I knew that the people involved were not grateful of having a clean bathroom. I found out later that most of the staff would leave office after their daily check in. They did not have to use the bathroom in the building because most of the staff would go home and help with family chores such as working as a motor taxi driver or other second job. To them, livelihood was more important than any thing else. I also found out later that an average worker received no more than twenty dollars per month.
There are much to be said about toiletry. For us, we take thing for granted in America, but for our friends in the motherland, other things had priority. It was a lesson learned that working overseas requires much patience and a broad understanding of the cultural, economic, and political context. Things that are seen simple may require a thorough understanding of its complexities before we can attempt to solve them. To have lasting impact and change are to require much commitment and education.
The toilet experience is a classic example of how many of us come to question the apparent easiness of how things ought to be done. We are used to seeing Western systems and a working psychology that have been molded by many centuries of trials and errors. Efficient and effective systems require time and many trials and errors.
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