Angelique in Cambodia

Albeit Angelique did not study at EHL, she spent a couple of weeks in the PSE Vocational Training Institute in 2004. 

We worked 5.5 days. During the time I was there, there were many public holidays, hence my extension. The Water Festival, the King's birthday, the King's abdication, and the enthronement of the new King.

I couldn't describe a typical day to you; what I remember was a balancing act: I had to include and convince the Cambodians, while imposing, but not overly so, a strict approach to achieve the required objectives. There were several areas I needed to improve: preventing the loss of school uniforms, ensuring proper tracking (some students "lost" them, i.e., reselling them). New washing machines and dryers had been purchased and shipped from Thailand, a significant expense for the school. I had to ensure they were used properly to ensure their longevity, including using the correct amount of cleaning product. With the old machines, the laundry room attendants filled the drawer to the brim. In the laundry room, there was Madame Ren, who spoke Khmer and French, Madame Heng, who spoke Khmer and was illiterate, and a third attendant who came to work from time to time and spoke Khmer and English. I had to find a way to create clear instructions for these attendants, as well as for the housekeeping students who had practical classes in the laundry room.

The example that seems to me to be the most telling of the difference in professional rhythm between Switzerland and Cambodia is the anecdote of the plastic sleeves for the binders. Following abuses, there was only one employee who was allowed to go to the bursar's office (located in a building adjoining the school) to get materials. Fairly soon after my arrival, I asked him for some plastic sleeves. We had forms to fill out in the laundry room, and, as is often the case, people help themselves and it's when there are no more that we say to ourselves that we should have photocopied the last sheet, but it's too late. We didn't have systematic access to computers, so searching for the famous documents to print could be laborious. To avoid this, I wanted to put a copy of each in a sleeve and tape the opening. Several times a week I asked for the bags, in response I got "today I'm not going" "I went yesterday, I forgot" "my brother no longer has a car, I'm on my way to take him somewhere and don't come to PSE", etc.... I received the bags, two weeks after finishing my mission at PSE, loaded with my luggage, came to say goodbye to them because I was going back to Switzerland. He didn't want me to leave angry with him in Switzerland! In third gear I ran for some tape, opened the binders and did what had been waiting to be done for two months.

The visit to the dump, which no longer exists, was a memorable experience. The stench was indescribable, seeing the children trudging through these filthy pits barefoot... (most received rubber boots from NGOs, but some resold them). One student wanted to show me where she lived, divided into families: one room, four walls, a roof, and one mat. On one side, you enter; on the other, there's a ditch for water. Parallel to the ditch, two rows of one-room/family houses face each other. No doors, no privacy.

Before leaving for Cambodia, I didn't have time to ask myself what I was going to find there, nor to have any expectations, and this undoubtedly helped me because without any preconceptions I took things as they came with the desire to do my best with what I had in my possession. Getting out of one's comfort zone allows us to learn more about ourselves, and if in addition we allow others to better cope in their lives, there are only benefits, it is an experience of life and for life. I did not have the opportunity to return there, unfortunately, I am aware that the Cambodia I knew in 2004 is no more, and it is to see what this country has become and also PSE, that I would like to return there.