2. A very special quarantine

My first weeks in Cambodia, two weeks drowned in shame, despair and the temptation to return to New Caledonia.

"After the storm comes the good times"

« I can tell you that I never understood this expression as much as at this point in my life »

After having had all these hardships since I left France, when I arrived in Cambodia, my mind was totally empty. I was scared, alone and clearly lost. However, I would like to thank the people who helped me and without whom, I do not know what would have happened to me. Without these people, I would have been sent back to Singapore without knowing how to return to Cambodia or even worse, without knowing how I was supposed to return to France.

My good samaritans

A person in Cambodia, member of the NGO Choice Cambodia Organization, was kind enough to take charge of my deposit, while waiting for me to resolve my problem with my bank. This allowed me to resolve my problem with the Cambodian authorities, and therefore to stay in their territory.

My family has been an important moral support during this difficult time. One person more precisely did everything to resolve my visa card problem, with my bank in France. However, you can imagine that I have not traveled the world without having the means. So the fact of being in this kind of situation made me lose face, I have never been so ashamed in my life.

When my problems were resolved, I refunded my generous and good Samaritans. I am so grateful for the help they gave me.

"The Cambodiana hotel"

« A little comfort in this disaster »

I particularly enjoyed my stay at the Cambodiana hotel, the food was delicious and generous. The dishes, particularly reminded me of the Asian dishes that can be found in Nouméa's Chinatown. The hotel staff were very welcoming, professional and helpful. The WI-FI was very slow and my TV was not working. At first I was very disturbed by this. But I quickly realized that at this moment, I badly needed calm to recharge my batteries, and regain confidence. After so many hardships, the Cambodiana hotel was an excellent refuge for me.

The solution to refund my Samaritans was "simple". I had to send the sum of money from my deposit, to a member of my family in France, by bank transfer. She had to send me the cash by western union, or by post. I was confined for two weeks without really being sure I could use my visa card. So this solution was the only one that came to mind.

When I got out of quarantine

I was finally able to get out of quarantine after two weeks at the Cambodiana hotel. Next step, go to a western union to refund my Samaritans for their generosity. And you know what, not one western union, post or bank agreed to give me the money. My aunt only inserted one of my first names in the file, and not my three first names. She was therefore asked to go again to the post office in France, and put my three first names there (Iris Tevahine Hitirere). Living in this country has definitely been like a roller-coaster experience so far.