Dusty Face and Sore Cheeks

A typical day at work -

Darin + I arrive at Maxima's office and collect our print-outs for the microloan clients we'll be visiting that day, hop on the back of a moto with our loan officer/driver/translator and away we go! After almost a year in Southeast Asia, weaving our way through traffic like one in a school of fish feels natural. The busy Highway 6 leading North of Phnom Penh is dusty and clogged with traffic. Large trucks and buses blare their horns in a "Get out of way way!" message to the other vehicles, which are mostly motos, as they blaze past with minimal room to spare. We arrive at a ferry crossing and stop, waiting with the line of loaded-down motos carrying bags of goods back to the island until the next boat arrives. Fortunately, it's not long, and we're soon on our way to Koh Dach, the largest of the three Mekong islands, and home to a large community of silk weavers. (Photo: Ferry Crossing)


Koh Dach is a quiet, tree-shaded, elongated spit of land that feels a world away from the bustle of Phnom Penh. It's the tail end of monsoon season, but there hasn't been much rain this year so the dirt roads are only marginally muddy and difficult to navigate. Usually, we're told, it's necessary to walk, pushing the moto through the reddish muck, which is what the loan officers have to do in order to visit their clients. Darin and I split up, aiming in different directions to split our client list for the day. All visits are unscheduled, as many people do not have phones, but I'm hopeful that we'll find most at home.

I strike out on my first stop - The woman has gone into Phnom Penh for the day to buy her raw silk. My accompanying loan officer asks around of passersby to find our next client, as there are no addresses, and she points us in the right direction. Fortunately, this woman is at home. Eksavy, age 48, has been weaving since she was a teenager and is now teaching her daughter the craft after school hours. She invites us to sit, Khmer-style (barefoot + cross-legged on a woven mat), while we explain why we're here. We show her her image printed from the internet, and she looks shy and embarrassed. We ask her several questions about her life and the impact the loan has had on it, which she answers, smiling broadly the whole time. She smiles so openly that I can't help but return it in kind. She allows me to take photos and there are bows all around as we thank her and take our leave. Our next couple stops are similar, and the people (usually women) always cheerful and willing to answer personal questions about income and future hopes. The homes we visit are built in the traditional style - Very modest and constructed of wood and/or corrugated steel set up high on concrete stilts with an open-air living space underneath, where most of the days activities take place. Here is the kitchen, the loom or other piece of equipment and the informal living room where guests are received (and afternoon naps are taken). Everything is done in the open and the need for privacy is minimal compared to what we are accustomed to in the west. (Photo: Maxima loan officers and happy clients)


We break for lunch at one of the loan officer's homes (many of them come from rural villages that we visit) and meet up with Darin and his loan officer. We've shared three different guys so far - All in their twenties with business/finance backgrounds and varying levels of English proficiency. They've been so helpful in answers cultural questions and teaching us bits of Khmer language. We're really learning alot!

After lunch, we head to our next client who treats us with fresh coconuts to drink during the interview. This woman, Rany, is also super-friendly and smiles constantly, seemingly tickled by my presence. I return her smiles - My cheeks are hurting now from all this smiling :) Our last stop of the day is at the home of a family applying for a new loan, and I wait nearby as they go through the necessary paperwork with the loan officer. Several children are running around - One boy leans against his Grandmother and she pats him affectionately; A few boys are playing soccer barefoot; Two beautiful, little girls stand shirtless in colorful sarongs, timidly smiling at me; A round-eyed babe is wobbling around pantless, playing with a piece of broken mirror! Such relaxed parenting in a place where you've got to be tough to survive. (Photo: Grandmother + Grandson)


We arrive back at the office, dusty and tired, and with sore cheeks. I wonder who we'll meet tomorrow...


Check the links for more detailed posts as they appear on the Kiva site -

Channa Ven, Minimart
Pov Pouch, Fisherman
Yean Chey, Weaver