Farewell WFP

Well

it’s unbelievable but yesterday was my last day at WFP! It doesn't seem real yet, I feel like I am just on a holiday.

But the good news is that I have scheduled a little time to travel around Cambodia to see a few things I haven’t seen yet so I still have time to spend with my friends here.

I have had a set of rolling farewells from the different provinces I have been working in (Kampong Chhnang, Takeo, Kampot) which in effect were just excuses for piss ups.

Last weekend I spent cleaning up my house and attempting to condense all the crap I have into one space before my replacement, Cara, came on Monday. But then my friend and colleague, Ratha, rang me to invite me to the grand opening of a restaurant he had set up in Phnom Penh (he had taken me there a few times to proudly show off the construction). So I said bugger packing and shot off to Phnom Penh. It was a really awesome night, most of the sub-office staff and their families were there so it was a great atmosphere and quite a classy place.

After drinking again way too much, and Ramy going into overdrive trying to get me married to Ratha's sister-in-law, the next day I stayed on in Phnom Penh to have my VIDA exit interview. My other ulterior motive was to buy a cd wallet for all my dvds, but even the giant one I bought wasn't enough!

So I then accompanied Cara (my replacement) and another new staff member (Chenda) to the office. We arrived and the office was a flurry of activity, guards were grilling chicken, field monitors grinding spices and program assistants up to their ears in wires for the sound system. For that day was the farewell to Kampong Speu party for me, and welcome to Kampong Speu for Cara and Chenda. Honestly I have never seen the office put on so much stuff! They even found a karaoke system for the night!

The party was just the most fun I have ever had, great food, kooky Khmer dancing (which I continue to kick ass at), karaoke and drinking! Everyone just had a ball.

I also made the office a collage of pictures I had taken over the two years and presented it and everyone was stoked and took photos posing with it : )

I also had to make a drunken speech : )

The rest of the week was an induction for Cara, including my last visit to breathtaking Kampot and a dinner of prawns, crab and fish : )

On my last day it didn’t seem real and just another day. The last nights at my house and in Kampong Speu again didn’t feel like I was leaving it. I had a last walk around the building and goodbye to my office.

Anyway, there was not enough time to dwell as last night was my real farewell party in Phnom Penh. This also was an awesome night.

Mony was driving me there and in the process told me about what my farewell present was (hmm I always thought presents were meant to be surprises). They got me a wooden carving of an ox cart (which I am apparently not allowed to open because it’s packed for travelling. Mony also got me the infamous Angkor Wat plate – everyone who leaves Cambodia is pretty much given one of these and it’s a joke among expats how unattractive the place is. I thought I had gotten away from it but I have it now! Chanthoeun also have me a present but I forgot to open it but I am sure it’s very nice.

Our office cleaner also came (and I am a bad bad man for not remembering her name) because she had never been to Phnom Penh. I think her mind was pretty much blown by the party : )

There was also this really funny moment where on the dancefloor the ‘we will rock you song’ they all started chanting ‘we will we will miss you’ which was very sweet but I don’t think they realised that that chant goes on like fifteen times so it was a bit awkward after the third or fourth time but they kept on chanting it. Luckily I was drunk.

So today I had brekkie with Vannak and Ratha and am a little worse for wear. But I scoot off to Singapore tonight, so I have no time for reflection cos I is on holidays!