12 - spit-grilled bananas - or frogs whatever you fancy! I went for bananas,4-6 on a stick.
11- cans of condensed milk - only good in iced coffee. I heard it described as "liquid crack".
10 - cans of Angkor beer -or Cheers - whatever you fancy as there is no other choice here
9 - foetus eggs - yes, you read that right, hatching out of the shell and onto your spoon as you eat, yum yum!
8 - kilos of rice - enough to feed 2 people per week. Dave and I haven't managed that in 8 weeks.
7 - Deer - I think that is all that is left here in this town -have the rest been eaten?
6 - o'clock in the evening- its dark and most people have eaten by now.
5 - my favourite fruits so far-mangosteen, rambutan, mango, longan and you are never more than 10m from a banana here.
4- the only places in town which serve "western food" in one way or another.
3 - SUPER markets in town - but not as we know them but one does have a chiller cabinet.
2 - hobs only on my gas cooker - boil rice and stir fry your veg.
1 - KFC in town!! Well, it serves sticky rice and fried chicken and its sooooooooooo good! And all for £1.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Where does the time go?
December.
At last I begin to feel like I know what we are meant to be doing here. I have organised and run my first workshop. We have settled into our new home and made a wide variety of cosmopolitan friends and David has found work. Now I shall have to begin some housework as he has been brilliant until now and done it all. We have also had our first house guest- my sister Cynthia has been to stay for two weeks. So come on all friends, book those tickets and come and visit – its brilliant here!
We have begun to explore the area and there are some super waterfalls, Yak Loam(look up the lake on google) is wonderful and the swimming is just heavenly at lunchtime when the temp in the office gets to 32 +. David has borrowed a bicycle and been out far more than me at present.
Work for David began in earnest this week. He has 2 full days in Borkeo (about 35k on the road to Vietnam) teaching sport in a boarding school for indigenous children who have to live in school as they are bright but live too far away to walk every day. The dropout rate for these children is exceptionally high. The boarding house is funded by another NGO called CARE. He has a class of 30+ in the morning but 80+ in the afternoon.
The school has never taught sport before and has no equipment at all. He has introduced extreme frisbee and badminton and football. But we only have the one frisbee we bought with us. So if anyone could possibly send him some equipment which is cheap to post –please do so. He needs some very light softballs, shuttlecocks, frisbeees, table tennis bats and balls and anything really…..
Our address is Janet /David Catchpole. VSO Programme Office. PO BOX 912
Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Once the post gets to PP a member of the VSO office collects it and puts it on a mini bus to here and the driver calls us to collect it to the VSO office here in Ban Lung. I have not heard of any going missing!!
This week he has also been in touch with a Korean nurse working in a school here in the town who would like to introduce sport – so 2 more afternoons are happening soon.
We were very excited to see my sister who arrive for 2 weeks at the end of November. We took her to visit the lake, of course, the lava field, the market is a tremendous experience and we have to go every day. She and David went off on cycle tours and she surprised me by hopping on the back of David’s moto very quickly. We left Ban Lung with her to go to Kampong Cham for 3 nights together and David was thrilled to realise the Bamboo Bridge was being built and was almost ready. This is apparently the last year as there will be a bridge built next year. When the water in the river is high locals rely on the ferry to cross to the islands in the Mekong. Now they have dropped and a bamboo bridge is built by hand every year. We were told cars can go across!! We left her there to visit PP for 2 nights and we came north again to home.
This week I held my first workshop for School Directors and 3 District Directors of Education. It was very daunting but I was prepared and they were all there at 7.30am. However, working through a translator is not that easy and they were so shy! Teachers in England never stop talking! Here, I could not get them to start, they were so anxious about saying the wrong answer; they would not answer at all. Eventually, I watered the programme down and we got through the day with some good results. I shall be very busy for the next 3 weeks as I promised to follow up with a visit to every school with a chat about their requirements for leadership and management skills. Not terribly high on their list as want they would really like is to be paid each month and on time.
This is Narin my VA-Volunteer assisstant. He is brilliant and literally a Mr Fixit. He has at least 4 different enterprises that I know as well as full time work with VSO. Dont be surprised by the females present. These are the only 2 School Directors I have met so far so I made sure they were both invited to attend.
Everybody here has at least 2 jobs, the second is usually their home farm. This has to supplement their salary. Corruption levels are also very high here, not quite the stories to broadcast here on my blog but I heard that many teachers had not been paid because someone else had received the money and used it to speculate on the soya bean harvest.
I am also supposed to work with the inspection team here in the province. This has not been possible so far as since September they have not received any budget – therefore no school inspections!
We have made many new friends here – Lucy also VSO in Education from the Philippines and her husband Yasir from Pakistan, Erin:VSO Secure Livelihoods –from Canada, Christina from Canada Education -but another NGO and her husband Boris from Uzbekistan. Ema from Spain(with dreadlocks down to her waist) working in Secure Livelihoods and Tania from Suffolk ( on the border with Essex) would you believe! Another VSO girl who is working in secure livelihoods and trying to keep the lake in the hands of the Tampoun people. The indigenous tribe who own the sacred land. There are also 2 more really nice Phillipino girls called April and Ginny who work for an NGO called Health Unlimited. They are all of course much younger than us but they do not seem to mind –perhaps they see us as surrogate parents!
On Saturday we went to dinner at Lucy and Yasirs with Erin and her partner Jamie over from Australia but works in a gold mine in Eritrea. I had tried to make dessert for us all. I prepared some dragon fruit and made coconut ice-cream. However, it did not want to set and was sweet coconut sauce I think. There are no milk products here at all but all the locals eat a lot of condensed milk ( not sure what in except exceptionally sweet coffee). So I bought fresh coconut milk from the market and freshly grated coconut and mixed it with the sweet milk and put it in the ice box to freeze. 5 hours later and no change.
Yesterday I organised a VSO+friends picnic and swim by the lake which was brilliant, except I chose the coldest day of the year and temp was only mid 20s!
Christmas here is non-existent but I came home last night after work to find David had erected a Christmas Tree with twinkly lights which we bought in PP in October and Cynthia had bought us some tinsel. The family below us were very amused! We have been invited for the weekend to Stung Treng a small town about 145k away on a dirt road which is busy as it leads to PP. However, I need to work on the 24th so we are planning to go on our motos after lunch on the 24th and return on the 26th. We shall stay with a Dutch couple Jan and Teah we met whilst doing our language training. It will be quite a challenge for me to drive that far in the red dirt and dust and to traverse the 36 bridges ( well, planks of wood). It has stopped raining only for a couple of weeks but already the dust swirls constantly and if there is a vehicle in front you cannot see for ages. We will be so dirty when we arrive.
Last night was very cold – the temperature dropped to below 20 for the first time and we were chilly in bed. Houses here are just made of wood planks with gaps, etc. so quite draughty. I wore pyjamas for the first time and felt like a local at last. Have I told you that many women wear pyjamas as day wear here. Here is a picture of a woman harvesting rice in her pyjamas.
Enough of us but before I sigh off if anyone is nice enough to send David some equipment please fill the gaps with some cotton wool balls, cheese sauce mix, ind cappuccino sachets or hot choc mixes and j cloths. I cannot find anything like j cloths to clean the house or wash dishes with. Anything easy to post would be a real treat.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
At last I begin to feel like I know what we are meant to be doing here. I have organised and run my first workshop. We have settled into our new home and made a wide variety of cosmopolitan friends and David has found work. Now I shall have to begin some housework as he has been brilliant until now and done it all. We have also had our first house guest- my sister Cynthia has been to stay for two weeks. So come on all friends, book those tickets and come and visit – its brilliant here!
 |
| Standing on the newly built bammboo bridge |
We have begun to explore the area and there are some super waterfalls, Yak Loam(look up the lake on google) is wonderful and the swimming is just heavenly at lunchtime when the temp in the office gets to 32 +. David has borrowed a bicycle and been out far more than me at present.
Work for David began in earnest this week. He has 2 full days in Borkeo (about 35k on the road to Vietnam) teaching sport in a boarding school for indigenous children who have to live in school as they are bright but live too far away to walk every day. The dropout rate for these children is exceptionally high. The boarding house is funded by another NGO called CARE. He has a class of 30+ in the morning but 80+ in the afternoon.
The school has never taught sport before and has no equipment at all. He has introduced extreme frisbee and badminton and football. But we only have the one frisbee we bought with us. So if anyone could possibly send him some equipment which is cheap to post –please do so. He needs some very light softballs, shuttlecocks, frisbeees, table tennis bats and balls and anything really…..
Our address is Janet /David Catchpole. VSO Programme Office. PO BOX 912
Phnom Penh Cambodia.
Once the post gets to PP a member of the VSO office collects it and puts it on a mini bus to here and the driver calls us to collect it to the VSO office here in Ban Lung. I have not heard of any going missing!!
This week he has also been in touch with a Korean nurse working in a school here in the town who would like to introduce sport – so 2 more afternoons are happening soon.
We were very excited to see my sister who arrive for 2 weeks at the end of November. We took her to visit the lake, of course, the lava field, the market is a tremendous experience and we have to go every day. She and David went off on cycle tours and she surprised me by hopping on the back of David’s moto very quickly. We left Ban Lung with her to go to Kampong Cham for 3 nights together and David was thrilled to realise the Bamboo Bridge was being built and was almost ready. This is apparently the last year as there will be a bridge built next year. When the water in the river is high locals rely on the ferry to cross to the islands in the Mekong. Now they have dropped and a bamboo bridge is built by hand every year. We were told cars can go across!! We left her there to visit PP for 2 nights and we came north again to home.
This week I held my first workshop for School Directors and 3 District Directors of Education. It was very daunting but I was prepared and they were all there at 7.30am. However, working through a translator is not that easy and they were so shy! Teachers in England never stop talking! Here, I could not get them to start, they were so anxious about saying the wrong answer; they would not answer at all. Eventually, I watered the programme down and we got through the day with some good results. I shall be very busy for the next 3 weeks as I promised to follow up with a visit to every school with a chat about their requirements for leadership and management skills. Not terribly high on their list as want they would really like is to be paid each month and on time.
This is Narin my VA-Volunteer assisstant. He is brilliant and literally a Mr Fixit. He has at least 4 different enterprises that I know as well as full time work with VSO. Dont be surprised by the females present. These are the only 2 School Directors I have met so far so I made sure they were both invited to attend.
Everybody here has at least 2 jobs, the second is usually their home farm. This has to supplement their salary. Corruption levels are also very high here, not quite the stories to broadcast here on my blog but I heard that many teachers had not been paid because someone else had received the money and used it to speculate on the soya bean harvest.
I am also supposed to work with the inspection team here in the province. This has not been possible so far as since September they have not received any budget – therefore no school inspections!
We have made many new friends here – Lucy also VSO in Education from the Philippines and her husband Yasir from Pakistan, Erin:VSO Secure Livelihoods –from Canada, Christina from Canada Education -but another NGO and her husband Boris from Uzbekistan. Ema from Spain(with dreadlocks down to her waist) working in Secure Livelihoods and Tania from Suffolk ( on the border with Essex) would you believe! Another VSO girl who is working in secure livelihoods and trying to keep the lake in the hands of the Tampoun people. The indigenous tribe who own the sacred land. There are also 2 more really nice Phillipino girls called April and Ginny who work for an NGO called Health Unlimited. They are all of course much younger than us but they do not seem to mind –perhaps they see us as surrogate parents!
On Saturday we went to dinner at Lucy and Yasirs with Erin and her partner Jamie over from Australia but works in a gold mine in Eritrea. I had tried to make dessert for us all. I prepared some dragon fruit and made coconut ice-cream. However, it did not want to set and was sweet coconut sauce I think. There are no milk products here at all but all the locals eat a lot of condensed milk ( not sure what in except exceptionally sweet coffee). So I bought fresh coconut milk from the market and freshly grated coconut and mixed it with the sweet milk and put it in the ice box to freeze. 5 hours later and no change.
Yesterday I organised a VSO+friends picnic and swim by the lake which was brilliant, except I chose the coldest day of the year and temp was only mid 20s!
Christmas here is non-existent but I came home last night after work to find David had erected a Christmas Tree with twinkly lights which we bought in PP in October and Cynthia had bought us some tinsel. The family below us were very amused! We have been invited for the weekend to Stung Treng a small town about 145k away on a dirt road which is busy as it leads to PP. However, I need to work on the 24th so we are planning to go on our motos after lunch on the 24th and return on the 26th. We shall stay with a Dutch couple Jan and Teah we met whilst doing our language training. It will be quite a challenge for me to drive that far in the red dirt and dust and to traverse the 36 bridges ( well, planks of wood). It has stopped raining only for a couple of weeks but already the dust swirls constantly and if there is a vehicle in front you cannot see for ages. We will be so dirty when we arrive.
Last night was very cold – the temperature dropped to below 20 for the first time and we were chilly in bed. Houses here are just made of wood planks with gaps, etc. so quite draughty. I wore pyjamas for the first time and felt like a local at last. Have I told you that many women wear pyjamas as day wear here. Here is a picture of a woman harvesting rice in her pyjamas.
Enough of us but before I sigh off if anyone is nice enough to send David some equipment please fill the gaps with some cotton wool balls, cheese sauce mix, ind cappuccino sachets or hot choc mixes and j cloths. I cannot find anything like j cloths to clean the house or wash dishes with. Anything easy to post would be a real treat.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Life settling into normality
Well, after 3 months we feel at last that we are settling down. I am getting to grips with the education system and have made my 3 month plan and am presently organising a workshop for Dec 16 for school leaders and Directors of Education in 3 provinces here. From the results I hope to be able to formulate my long term plan.
I have also agreed to go on a study tour in January to Siem Reap (it is really a tough call- but someone has to go)! This is to meet an Australian NGO team to see if they are prepared to help with training teachers back here in Ratanakiri. It is 3 days but will take 2 days travel each way as there is limited roads east to west. I have to travel south until I can cross the Mekong river which is 350k almost to Phnom Penh, then go west.
David is making inroads into working and is off again tomorrow to visit a boarding house for indigenous children who are bright but live too far from the high school to travel so one NGO is funding this project. He is planning to have at least 2 days work with teaching them sport and gardening. So fingers crossed it all goes to plan. Things just happen so slowly here.........
At the moment we have my sister Cynthia staying, she managed 3 flights and an 11 hour trip north on the mini-bus. So all of you reading this start saving those pennies.
There is NOTHING about Christmas here at all! Hurray! I am not missing all the hype and lead up to the big day, the only thing I shall miss of course is the excitement of seeing the family all together.
I have also agreed to go on a study tour in January to Siem Reap (it is really a tough call- but someone has to go)! This is to meet an Australian NGO team to see if they are prepared to help with training teachers back here in Ratanakiri. It is 3 days but will take 2 days travel each way as there is limited roads east to west. I have to travel south until I can cross the Mekong river which is 350k almost to Phnom Penh, then go west.
David is making inroads into working and is off again tomorrow to visit a boarding house for indigenous children who are bright but live too far from the high school to travel so one NGO is funding this project. He is planning to have at least 2 days work with teaching them sport and gardening. So fingers crossed it all goes to plan. Things just happen so slowly here.........
At the moment we have my sister Cynthia staying, she managed 3 flights and an 11 hour trip north on the mini-bus. So all of you reading this start saving those pennies.
There is NOTHING about Christmas here at all! Hurray! I am not missing all the hype and lead up to the big day, the only thing I shall miss of course is the excitement of seeing the family all together.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Work
I have 3 objectives to meet -
1. Provide training for child frriendly schools
2. Work with the Inspection team here in the province and provide training
3. Support the School directors with management training
So after 3 weeks what have I managed?
1.CFS training and such issues are unheard of here as you can see from this picture. This was a celebration for World Teacher Day. What a good idea-why does'nt the UK celebrate this?
However, there was nothing friendly about the 3 1/2 hours these pupils stood in the sun and 30+ temps while the speeches were made.
Yesterday I met a school director who told me that in Sept he had 80 grade 1 (aged 6 ) children start school with 1 teacher and 60% could not speak Khymer. There are 7 hill tribes here!
2 .I have not yet managed to meet with the inspection department as their office in the Ministry where I work is always locked. I have been told that the yearly budget for inspections which began in Sept has already been spent so they cannot do any more! Everyone here is also very busy with the soya bean harvest, another reason to stay at home.
3.There are 3 districts I shall be working in and it has taken me this long to meet the District Education Officers - many schools I visit are shut and the teachers have gone home. They get little pay and never on time and no-one keeps a check on absenteeism.
I want to do a workshop with them to find out what they perceive as the problems - but they will not come without being paid. VSO believe in sharing skills not paying for staff to attend training - if anyone pays it should be the Ministry. So an interesting challenge in the next few months.Although we are trying to get some funding from an Italian NGO which may make my work a little easier.
1. Provide training for child frriendly schools
2. Work with the Inspection team here in the province and provide training
3. Support the School directors with management training
So after 3 weeks what have I managed?
1.CFS training and such issues are unheard of here as you can see from this picture. This was a celebration for World Teacher Day. What a good idea-why does'nt the UK celebrate this?
Yesterday I met a school director who told me that in Sept he had 80 grade 1 (aged 6 ) children start school with 1 teacher and 60% could not speak Khymer. There are 7 hill tribes here!
2 .I have not yet managed to meet with the inspection department as their office in the Ministry where I work is always locked. I have been told that the yearly budget for inspections which began in Sept has already been spent so they cannot do any more! Everyone here is also very busy with the soya bean harvest, another reason to stay at home.
3.There are 3 districts I shall be working in and it has taken me this long to meet the District Education Officers - many schools I visit are shut and the teachers have gone home. They get little pay and never on time and no-one keeps a check on absenteeism.
I want to do a workshop with them to find out what they perceive as the problems - but they will not come without being paid. VSO believe in sharing skills not paying for staff to attend training - if anyone pays it should be the Ministry. So an interesting challenge in the next few months.Although we are trying to get some funding from an Italian NGO which may make my work a little easier.
This is a school I visited at 10am in the morning, about 200 children from grade 1-4 and no teachers in sight. Lots of pigs, dogs, etc, and the children were very happy playing and chatting. Eventually, I found 2 teachers asleep (which people do a lot of here - a combination of the heat and mal-nutrition) on a row of desks each inside one of the classrooms. When they woke they were not at all embarrassed. Just seemed pleased to see visitors.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
First Khymer Wedding
Well after only two weeks in Cambodia we were invited to our first wedding. We had been informed about the importance of weddings here and the etiquette so here goes.
Firstly the wedding season runs from November to March- during the cooler months! Ha Ha
Secondly, you cannot refuse - its very rude and you still have to pay!
Thirdly, the women really go to town on the outfits and make up here.
Fourthly, they start early from 4am with loudspeakers to announce and awful music.
And they drink a lot of alcohol which you cannot refuse either!
So this was our experience -
the very flashy invitation in red and gold was from my boss, the Director of Education in Ratanakiri. We rarely see her so we knew how important it was when she came to deliver it personally. Quite a challenge for me with my limited skills. There is no need to reply as apart from illness everyone goes.
Firstly I had to have a new outfit, the clothes I had bought from the UK were not flashy enough.
So the wife of the Dutchman I work with and I met in the market to have outfits made. she went all out glittery but with true British reserve I went for the most simple and plain fabric I could find which was not easy. We were measured and discussed in full view of the market of course and agreed to go back in one week.I paid $10 deposit which was half the cost.
On the Saturday at 8.30am after an electricity cut for 2 days for final trying and paying. We communicated via a few words of Khymer from me and hand signals from her. I agreed I would press it at home when the elect. came back.
That afternoon Dave and I went to the airfield here (still complete with windsock and terminal buildings and even a fire engine) sadly no planes for over one year. anyway we practised me riding side saddle for my entry to the wedding and then me driving and Dave as the passenger so he could drink more.
The next day the three VSO females went with one of the female translators to the beauty parlour. This was Sunday afternoon at 3pm. The beauty parlour turned out to be a shack tacked on the end of the market. Why was I not surprised! There is only the market to go here. The place was really busy and I could write a book about my experience that afternoon. So here is the edited version, I had planned to have nails painted and possibly makeup. I was given small bowls to soak my toes and hands in. But they were soon forgotten and I was called to the makeup chair. I pleaded with Sereyden to have only natural makeup - but the next thing was the young girl got a razor blade and proceeded to eliminate my eyebrows and then my whole face was shaved!!!
the next stage was thick makeup, false eyelashes, heavy painted eyebrows and the whole works. this happens in the open shop and everyone is watching the barang in the chair.
So late home and dark with no helmet on my glittery hair I just have time to change and off we go.
The wedding was different! You have to arrive late and you have to pay - $20 for us which is a lot here. You wait until a table of 10 is complete then you are seated and the food is served. We had 7 courses including BBQ duck which seemed raw, pickled vegetables, fish soup and stewed chicken plus lots of rice. There was lots of drinking and only whisky and beer to choose from. After the meal everyone has to either dance or drink toasts. We chose to dance but really only the men dance, the women seemed very unconcerned about dancing. You dance around a table covered in fruit and the moves look easy but of course are not!! When it got too complicated we stopped but then everyone wanted to drink with us so we had to start dancing again!!
We weaved our way home at 11pm watched by the police who are not at all bothered about drink driving just who was there - it was a very important wedding so almost 1000 people there and the police were all dressed in their best costumes.
Firstly the wedding season runs from November to March- during the cooler months! Ha Ha
Secondly, you cannot refuse - its very rude and you still have to pay!
Thirdly, the women really go to town on the outfits and make up here.
Fourthly, they start early from 4am with loudspeakers to announce and awful music.
And they drink a lot of alcohol which you cannot refuse either!
So this was our experience -
the very flashy invitation in red and gold was from my boss, the Director of Education in Ratanakiri. We rarely see her so we knew how important it was when she came to deliver it personally. Quite a challenge for me with my limited skills. There is no need to reply as apart from illness everyone goes.
Firstly I had to have a new outfit, the clothes I had bought from the UK were not flashy enough.
So the wife of the Dutchman I work with and I met in the market to have outfits made. she went all out glittery but with true British reserve I went for the most simple and plain fabric I could find which was not easy. We were measured and discussed in full view of the market of course and agreed to go back in one week.I paid $10 deposit which was half the cost.
On the Saturday at 8.30am after an electricity cut for 2 days for final trying and paying. We communicated via a few words of Khymer from me and hand signals from her. I agreed I would press it at home when the elect. came back.
That afternoon Dave and I went to the airfield here (still complete with windsock and terminal buildings and even a fire engine) sadly no planes for over one year. anyway we practised me riding side saddle for my entry to the wedding and then me driving and Dave as the passenger so he could drink more.
The next day the three VSO females went with one of the female translators to the beauty parlour. This was Sunday afternoon at 3pm. The beauty parlour turned out to be a shack tacked on the end of the market. Why was I not surprised! There is only the market to go here. The place was really busy and I could write a book about my experience that afternoon. So here is the edited version, I had planned to have nails painted and possibly makeup. I was given small bowls to soak my toes and hands in. But they were soon forgotten and I was called to the makeup chair. I pleaded with Sereyden to have only natural makeup - but the next thing was the young girl got a razor blade and proceeded to eliminate my eyebrows and then my whole face was shaved!!!
the next stage was thick makeup, false eyelashes, heavy painted eyebrows and the whole works. this happens in the open shop and everyone is watching the barang in the chair.
So late home and dark with no helmet on my glittery hair I just have time to change and off we go.
The wedding was different! You have to arrive late and you have to pay - $20 for us which is a lot here. You wait until a table of 10 is complete then you are seated and the food is served. We had 7 courses including BBQ duck which seemed raw, pickled vegetables, fish soup and stewed chicken plus lots of rice. There was lots of drinking and only whisky and beer to choose from. After the meal everyone has to either dance or drink toasts. We chose to dance but really only the men dance, the women seemed very unconcerned about dancing. You dance around a table covered in fruit and the moves look easy but of course are not!! When it got too complicated we stopped but then everyone wanted to drink with us so we had to start dancing again!!
 |
| The VSO team |
 |
| The heavy make-up |
 |
| Waiting for 10 people so we can go in |
 |
| Wedding outfits |
 |
| The bride and groom plus myself, Lucy from the Phillipines and her husband Yasser from Pakistan |
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Week one - only103 to go
Our first week in Ratanakiri (this means gem mountain in Khymer)
Our new home- well just the upstairs.
After an exhausting journey and stressful arrival we woke at 6am to find what I can only describe as a squatter hut attached to the fence one meter from our house and the family are cooking on charcoal pots outside and chattering loudly.
View from bedroom window
.JPG)
So up we get and after a minimal breakfast we go off to the market on the moto – more about that later too!
Trying to find cleaning materials was difficult but we managed and got fruit and bread.
Dave scrubbed the bathroom with bleach and I cleaned the kitchen, swept floors with a soft bristle broom; oh for a vacuum cleaner here as it’s so dusty. In the pm a couple of other NGOs arrived one with a huge bag of longans. I like them, Dave not too keen, he says he does not like smelly fruit.
In the afternoon we went for a ride on the moto around the lake in town and explored a little and then got a text inviting us to sunset snacks not far from us ( well nowhere is far from here the town is about twice the size of Framlingham.
My moto in the garden downstairs plus the awful no gears VSO bike!
.JPG)
First day…
Up with the family and the cockerels at 5.45am so at least I could not oversleep for work today. Nervous about riding the moto to work on my own but I memorised the way and it was fine. I met Myrko the Dutchman and another VSO working in Education and Narin the translator that we share, then I hopped – well straggled my leg over to ride pillion with him to a school about 35k away towards Vietnam. A small school only 2 classrooms and teaches grade 1 – 4 however, the children are indigenous and do not speak Khymer and here if you do not pass each grade or start school late you stay down. So there were about 4 boys who looked about 13/14 still in with the grade 1 and this is not unusual and yet there is no curriculum suited to their needs so most drop out as soon as they can and rarely stay to go to the next school at grade 5 level. You can be a teacher at a school like this as long as you have a grade 9 certificate to say you passed that level.
I was asked if I wanted to make my own way back on the moto and being the only female I had to say yes. It was fine until 34.5k later and I could not find my way to the office whichever way I tried. Eventually I gave up and had to ring Narin. I was 300yards from the office, they were in the coffee shop ( I use this term loosely as it was a bamboo shack) and they had seen me driving round and thought I was doing more practising. On the way home I got stopped by the police. He made me stop my bike, get off and then told me to go another road as this was blocked. Then proceed to laugh with his mates about my inadequacies of handling a moto. All before lunch so luckily I had a quiet afternoon in the office.
Riding pillion.
The women here all ride side-saddle and never hold on to anything.
Cambodian men riding pillion can hold onto any part of their male drivers.
Women cannot touch any part of their male driver whilst riding pillion even if it is their husband.
Only the driver is supposed to wear a helmet – but only the westerners wear them really.
You can have at least 6/7 on a moto. As soon as children can sit up they are on motos.
Signalling left does not mean you are going left.
Even though you are meant to drive on the right you can and do use any part of the road you want to.
So you can see that first thing on Monday morning riding that distance pillion with a male translator was an experience. However, the scenery was magnificent and this really is a beautiful place.
My work hours are 7.30-11.30am and 2-5pm.
Tuesday I spent getting to know my way round the hot, dusty, dirty office in the department for the Ministry of Education. When I am not quite so new it will get a tidy and a clean-up.
Wednesday was another school visit and I played hookey in the pm and went to the bank to get my ATM card –it took over an hour and a half.
Thursday back to the school we visited on Monday for a World Teacher Day ceremony which was very nice and simple and then we played a game with the children.
In the afternoon I had my first language lesson and I learnt that she had not prepared anything but wanted to know what I wanted to learn!! So I leant to ask the mother below us if I could use the washing machine – which worked! Also how to ask for things in the market – which was not so easy! I have problems understanding the cost of items as 100 is mapon and 1000 is maroy which in local dialect sounds the same to me.
Friday was a holiday to celebrate Kings Coronation. We were invited by the family to have a picnic by the lake but we declined and went to the market to buy food and more storage containers as everything has to be kept sealed. We also need coat hangers and all sorts of necessary basic stuff.
In the evening which is after 5pm in Khymer time we went to one of the 3 relative western restaurants where all the NGOs meet up each week. There are about 15 in total of all nationalities but English is the language in use luckily. We ordered drinks, dave a beer and me a lime juice when an Aussie arrived and announced he had just got engaged to a local girl and without asking ordered a round of tequila shots with salt and lemon and that was it we had to drink up. Yuk!! Then get on the moto in the dark ( dark by 5.30pm here and weave our way home – late by standards here as it was 8pm. Then we ate on the balcony still but it was so cold, the temp dropped to below 25 for the first time and we shivered and had to put on warmer long sleeved clothes.
Our new home- well just the upstairs.
After an exhausting journey and stressful arrival we woke at 6am to find what I can only describe as a squatter hut attached to the fence one meter from our house and the family are cooking on charcoal pots outside and chattering loudly.
View from bedroom window
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So up we get and after a minimal breakfast we go off to the market on the moto – more about that later too!
Trying to find cleaning materials was difficult but we managed and got fruit and bread.
Dave scrubbed the bathroom with bleach and I cleaned the kitchen, swept floors with a soft bristle broom; oh for a vacuum cleaner here as it’s so dusty. In the pm a couple of other NGOs arrived one with a huge bag of longans. I like them, Dave not too keen, he says he does not like smelly fruit.
In the afternoon we went for a ride on the moto around the lake in town and explored a little and then got a text inviting us to sunset snacks not far from us ( well nowhere is far from here the town is about twice the size of Framlingham.
My moto in the garden downstairs plus the awful no gears VSO bike!
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First day…
Up with the family and the cockerels at 5.45am so at least I could not oversleep for work today. Nervous about riding the moto to work on my own but I memorised the way and it was fine. I met Myrko the Dutchman and another VSO working in Education and Narin the translator that we share, then I hopped – well straggled my leg over to ride pillion with him to a school about 35k away towards Vietnam. A small school only 2 classrooms and teaches grade 1 – 4 however, the children are indigenous and do not speak Khymer and here if you do not pass each grade or start school late you stay down. So there were about 4 boys who looked about 13/14 still in with the grade 1 and this is not unusual and yet there is no curriculum suited to their needs so most drop out as soon as they can and rarely stay to go to the next school at grade 5 level. You can be a teacher at a school like this as long as you have a grade 9 certificate to say you passed that level.
I was asked if I wanted to make my own way back on the moto and being the only female I had to say yes. It was fine until 34.5k later and I could not find my way to the office whichever way I tried. Eventually I gave up and had to ring Narin. I was 300yards from the office, they were in the coffee shop ( I use this term loosely as it was a bamboo shack) and they had seen me driving round and thought I was doing more practising. On the way home I got stopped by the police. He made me stop my bike, get off and then told me to go another road as this was blocked. Then proceed to laugh with his mates about my inadequacies of handling a moto. All before lunch so luckily I had a quiet afternoon in the office.
Riding pillion.
The women here all ride side-saddle and never hold on to anything.
Cambodian men riding pillion can hold onto any part of their male drivers.
Women cannot touch any part of their male driver whilst riding pillion even if it is their husband.
Only the driver is supposed to wear a helmet – but only the westerners wear them really.
You can have at least 6/7 on a moto. As soon as children can sit up they are on motos.
Signalling left does not mean you are going left.
Even though you are meant to drive on the right you can and do use any part of the road you want to.
So you can see that first thing on Monday morning riding that distance pillion with a male translator was an experience. However, the scenery was magnificent and this really is a beautiful place.
Tuesday I spent getting to know my way round the hot, dusty, dirty office in the department for the Ministry of Education. When I am not quite so new it will get a tidy and a clean-up.
Wednesday was another school visit and I played hookey in the pm and went to the bank to get my ATM card –it took over an hour and a half.
Thursday back to the school we visited on Monday for a World Teacher Day ceremony which was very nice and simple and then we played a game with the children.
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| Playng the circle game |
In the afternoon I had my first language lesson and I learnt that she had not prepared anything but wanted to know what I wanted to learn!! So I leant to ask the mother below us if I could use the washing machine – which worked! Also how to ask for things in the market – which was not so easy! I have problems understanding the cost of items as 100 is mapon and 1000 is maroy which in local dialect sounds the same to me.
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| Being on the top table |
Friday was a holiday to celebrate Kings Coronation. We were invited by the family to have a picnic by the lake but we declined and went to the market to buy food and more storage containers as everything has to be kept sealed. We also need coat hangers and all sorts of necessary basic stuff.
In the evening which is after 5pm in Khymer time we went to one of the 3 relative western restaurants where all the NGOs meet up each week. There are about 15 in total of all nationalities but English is the language in use luckily. We ordered drinks, dave a beer and me a lime juice when an Aussie arrived and announced he had just got engaged to a local girl and without asking ordered a round of tequila shots with salt and lemon and that was it we had to drink up. Yuk!! Then get on the moto in the dark ( dark by 5.30pm here and weave our way home – late by standards here as it was 8pm. Then we ate on the balcony still but it was so cold, the temp dropped to below 25 for the first time and we shivered and had to put on warmer long sleeved clothes.
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| Dave reading on the balcony. |
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Last training week.
Our last week of training was very hectic. I had an upset tummy and David had to go to the village for homestay on his own. We were prepared for the worst-sleeping above the cows, sharing a bed and potty with the family, indescribable food. All of which were stories we heard from other volunteers. In the end it was not that bad and he had a bed to himself although the father slept on the floor in the same room. There were two children one of which was 17 and could speak English and the little girl(8) wanted to hold his hand all the time……….Something even I cannot do here as Cambodians do not like shows of physical contact at all. He said it was a lonely 24 hours though.
Then it was straight into the moto training which lasted a day and was tough going with a “gippy” tummy.
Rules of the road I am trying to come to terms with –
• Concentrate only on what is in front of you.
• You can use any part of the road even going on the wrong side.
• Give way to traffic coming on the roundabout.
• Any vehicle bigger than you has right of way.
• It is illegal to drive with lights during the day.
• It is not illegal to drive at night without lights.
• Use your horn a lot, once to warn and continuous to keep going.
• Drive on the right. Or on the left or in the middle.
• When you want to turn onto another road go across the road when you see a space and drive on the wrong side of the road until you turn.
• Always beware of cows and dogs who wander in the road at any time.
Then we were packed up and on the bus to Phnom Penh where I had 3 hectic days of meetings and a visit to the doctor for some anti-biotics. The up side of this is I am losing weight fast. David had to visit the dentist which he also said was really good. He also had to shop and haggle in the market for sheets, towels, pillows, kitchenware and a few luxuries such as a toaster, 3 cans of baked beans and some pasta.
On Saturday we were collected from the guesthouse at 5.30am. We went by mini-bus and had many stops, breakfast and lunch where therebwere toilets. A puncture stop ( see picture below) and once for nearly an hour to load an indigenous family of 14 plus all their belongings including a puppy in a sack tied with string. As tere were only 6 seats id did not matter they just piled in and it took the time to string all their stuff outside. We arrived in Ban Lung at 5pm. Hot, tired and the last stretch of dirt road is quite slow and tough going.
Our new home.
We were dropped off at our new home only to find the landlord was still working in the bathroom fixing the shower in and there was no electricity! To make matters worse the son-in-law wanted to talk to us and practice his English………… we were so tired that night but the next day was much better. We went on the moto to the market and bought cleaning products and some food. After siesta we went for a ride on the moto round the lake and to watch the sun set and were just about to cook a meal when we got a call and were invited out for sunset snacks. It turns out to be the home of another VSO volunteer who works with the ethnic miniority on trying to keep their beautiful volcanic crater lake sustainable. She comes from East Bergholt and is a keen mountain biker! She was thrilled to hear Dave could mend bikes and we have her bike in the spare room at the moment as he is fixing the gears.
Our last week of training was very hectic. I had an upset tummy and David had to go to the village for homestay on his own. We were prepared for the worst-sleeping above the cows, sharing a bed and potty with the family, indescribable food. All of which were stories we heard from other volunteers. In the end it was not that bad and he had a bed to himself although the father slept on the floor in the same room. There were two children one of which was 17 and could speak English and the little girl(8) wanted to hold his hand all the time……….Something even I cannot do here as Cambodians do not like shows of physical contact at all. He said it was a lonely 24 hours though.
Then it was straight into the moto training which lasted a day and was tough going with a “gippy” tummy.
Rules of the road I am trying to come to terms with –
• Concentrate only on what is in front of you.
• You can use any part of the road even going on the wrong side.
• Give way to traffic coming on the roundabout.
• Any vehicle bigger than you has right of way.
• It is illegal to drive with lights during the day.
• It is not illegal to drive at night without lights.
• Use your horn a lot, once to warn and continuous to keep going.
• Drive on the right. Or on the left or in the middle.
• When you want to turn onto another road go across the road when you see a space and drive on the wrong side of the road until you turn.
• Always beware of cows and dogs who wander in the road at any time.
Then we were packed up and on the bus to Phnom Penh where I had 3 hectic days of meetings and a visit to the doctor for some anti-biotics. The up side of this is I am losing weight fast. David had to visit the dentist which he also said was really good. He also had to shop and haggle in the market for sheets, towels, pillows, kitchenware and a few luxuries such as a toaster, 3 cans of baked beans and some pasta.
On Saturday we were collected from the guesthouse at 5.30am. We went by mini-bus and had many stops, breakfast and lunch where therebwere toilets. A puncture stop ( see picture below) and once for nearly an hour to load an indigenous family of 14 plus all their belongings including a puppy in a sack tied with string. As tere were only 6 seats id did not matter they just piled in and it took the time to string all their stuff outside. We arrived in Ban Lung at 5pm. Hot, tired and the last stretch of dirt road is quite slow and tough going.
Our new home.
We were dropped off at our new home only to find the landlord was still working in the bathroom fixing the shower in and there was no electricity! To make matters worse the son-in-law wanted to talk to us and practice his English………… we were so tired that night but the next day was much better. We went on the moto to the market and bought cleaning products and some food. After siesta we went for a ride on the moto round the lake and to watch the sun set and were just about to cook a meal when we got a call and were invited out for sunset snacks. It turns out to be the home of another VSO volunteer who works with the ethnic miniority on trying to keep their beautiful volcanic crater lake sustainable. She comes from East Bergholt and is a keen mountain biker! She was thrilled to hear Dave could mend bikes and we have her bike in the spare room at the moment as he is fixing the gears.
Monday, 11 October 2010
Week 3 of language training
The chief monk served us himself and made sure we had water. it was all rather difficult for us as the food had been given by the people and after us the poor and then the beggars were allowed to eat. However we were assured that the Wat was honoured that us "Barangs" had chosen to visit them on such an auspicious day. Some of the food was good - as you can imagine I was very selective!
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| Sitting on the roof of the boat. |
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| Village from the shore |
The children then showed us round the village and the Chief Elder came to talk to us. It is a very low-lying island and if the water rises too high in the wet season the government will move them to higher ground but this year there has not been enough rain.
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| Village school aka cartshed |
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| A typical village home |
This is the village school and school is supposed to have started already so I get the feeling that thesechildren do not have school at all. There were about 20 children on the island of school age.
After the island it was back on the boat for another 2 hours to lunch-stop. it was described as a resort it turned out to be a temple complex with very old stupas (graves) and some petrified monks.
Lunch was funny as the locals could not get close enough to us in order to see what we were eating and thought it was very funny that we were making sandwiches from bread, bananas, crisps and cucumbers. The Dutch had even managed to bring some cheese.
Aside. Not as funny though as when I went to the market on Saturday to buy some new sandals- the women just laughed when I asked for size 38!
After lunch we had a wonder round and I steeled myself to walk down the 201 steep steps I struggled up only to find the younger ones had gone off to take a short cut down and Kath ( a midwife from Yorkshire) and I had to find our own way out!! What gentlemen we had with us!
Back on the boat and I sat on the edge and paddled my hot feet in the Mekong whilst others slept!
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Photo's from placement week in BanLung - our new home
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The large living space leading to the verandah |
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| This is the eco-lodge we stayed in- open to the elements and wildlife! |
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| View from verandah over the garden |
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Placement visit week.
We were told the mini bus would pick us up at the hotel at 9.30am. At 8.15 the bus turned up!The only time I have known Cambodians to be early. We travelled very fast and soon left the traffic behind as we went north. The only obstacles being cows which wander freely and dogs. After several bush stops it was soon noon and we stopped at a local transport stop before meeting the dirt track.
The first stage of the track was good and after that........... say no more.
We arrived in Ban Lung about 3.30 and first impressions were good. We were dropped off at the eco lodge we were staying at and at 5 the local western NGOs working there came to meet us and have dinner which was good and they all seemed very friendly.
The eco lodge was interesting - very dark and full of wildlife which I did not want to think about. We could have moved but the food was good and the people running it were lovely. There was also a lot of people on the back-packing route which were interesting to meet in the evenings. One of the best things about this place is the tepm drops in the evenings by at least 5 or more degrees.
We were to visit a local primary school on Monday and were ready to be collected at 7.30am. What we didn't realise that we had to take water, fruit, biscuits, books and pens for 40 people as well as 4 people on 2 motos! It was just as well I didn't know. I managed to ride pillion with the books stuffed between me and the driver and we had a huge tin of biscuits on the floor between the drivers legs and water in the front. After about 2 kms we were on dirt tracks........phew!!
After that nothing was as bad until Friday when I attended school enrollment day at the local high school - nothing child friendly about that. Children sat in the sun, we were under shade at least but we were there for the start at 7.15am and we left at 11am after listening to non-stop speeches and no involvement from the children. The Provincial Governors speech lasted over 1 1/2 hours non-stop. Remember the temps are over 30C.
I have a large office to work in and a brilliant translator called Narin who I share with another volunteer - a Dutchman called Myrko. We work from the Ministry of Education who were not there as there is a big festival on the 6,7 and 8 October so they had not gone into work. Apparently it wasn't worth it for 2 days as school should begin on 1 Oct. It seems extra holidays in this province so remote from the capital are quite normal. school holidays in the summer are July and August- but they finished in June and not back yet. Part of this is because the area is so poor everyone has two jobs, most second jobs are in agriculture. Rubber and cashew nuts are the main crops.
We also spent ages house hunting which was really interesting. All the houses are large as all families live together. Eventually we settled for a house close to the office with a beautiful view towards Laos.
The house is owned by the Chief of Police and he lives below so we shall be safe. There is a beautiful garden and we have the top floor which has 3 bedrooms, a huge sitting/dining area, basic bathroom and even more basic kitchen but a huge verandah with dining table which clinched the deal.
We are now back to Kampong Cham for 2 more weeks language training and we need to buy bedding for the house and a few other things which we can get on the bus.
The first stage of the track was good and after that........... say no more.
We arrived in Ban Lung about 3.30 and first impressions were good. We were dropped off at the eco lodge we were staying at and at 5 the local western NGOs working there came to meet us and have dinner which was good and they all seemed very friendly.
The eco lodge was interesting - very dark and full of wildlife which I did not want to think about. We could have moved but the food was good and the people running it were lovely. There was also a lot of people on the back-packing route which were interesting to meet in the evenings. One of the best things about this place is the tepm drops in the evenings by at least 5 or more degrees.
We were to visit a local primary school on Monday and were ready to be collected at 7.30am. What we didn't realise that we had to take water, fruit, biscuits, books and pens for 40 people as well as 4 people on 2 motos! It was just as well I didn't know. I managed to ride pillion with the books stuffed between me and the driver and we had a huge tin of biscuits on the floor between the drivers legs and water in the front. After about 2 kms we were on dirt tracks........phew!!
After that nothing was as bad until Friday when I attended school enrollment day at the local high school - nothing child friendly about that. Children sat in the sun, we were under shade at least but we were there for the start at 7.15am and we left at 11am after listening to non-stop speeches and no involvement from the children. The Provincial Governors speech lasted over 1 1/2 hours non-stop. Remember the temps are over 30C.
I have a large office to work in and a brilliant translator called Narin who I share with another volunteer - a Dutchman called Myrko. We work from the Ministry of Education who were not there as there is a big festival on the 6,7 and 8 October so they had not gone into work. Apparently it wasn't worth it for 2 days as school should begin on 1 Oct. It seems extra holidays in this province so remote from the capital are quite normal. school holidays in the summer are July and August- but they finished in June and not back yet. Part of this is because the area is so poor everyone has two jobs, most second jobs are in agriculture. Rubber and cashew nuts are the main crops.
We also spent ages house hunting which was really interesting. All the houses are large as all families live together. Eventually we settled for a house close to the office with a beautiful view towards Laos.
The house is owned by the Chief of Police and he lives below so we shall be safe. There is a beautiful garden and we have the top floor which has 3 bedrooms, a huge sitting/dining area, basic bathroom and even more basic kitchen but a huge verandah with dining table which clinched the deal.
We are now back to Kampong Cham for 2 more weeks language training and we need to buy bedding for the house and a few other things which we can get on the bus.
Friday, 24 September 2010
End of first language session
Well, two weeks of language training have come to an end and I have enjoyed it in a strange way. We have learnt over 200 words and can put them into basic sentences. I can order and buy items in shops and am surprised how much I have learnt!
Last night we all went out for a meal at a local restaurant which is run as a charity for children on the streets. It was quite expensive $10 for us both, but really good food. I had vegetarian Tom Yum Soup which comes with rice and fresh lime juice with soda to drink.
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| Janet cycling along the Mekong on the way to school |
This morning we woke to cloud and rain and although the temp was still in the 30s we decided to go for a bike ride to the local pagoda " Wat Nokor". Negotiating the traffic is still very hairy but am getting used to it - this morning we came across several motorbikes carrying loads of rattan furniture, 3 horse and carts in a row with bamboo stacked high and the usual bikes and cycles coming straight at you ready to turn at any minute. One of the women in our group has not been on a bike for 40 years and hates every minute.
Last night we all went out for a meal at a local restaurant which is run as a charity for children on the streets. It was quite expensive $10 for us both, but really good food. I had vegetarian Tom Yum Soup which comes with rice and fresh lime juice with soda to drink.
Tomorrow we are off on the mini bus on our long trek north to Rattanakiri 8-10 hours depending on the state of the road! Hope it hasn't rained too much up there. I have a time table for the week which includes several visits to schools which I am looking forward to. At least i can now introduce myself in Khmer. But best of all will be the house hunting as living out of a suitcase for the last month has not been easy. But most of all I would love a fridge as drinking water at 30C is not pleasant any more.
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| Party time |
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| Wat Nokor |
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Dave taking a break from school |
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| Cows with no one in charge going round the roundabout by school. An amusing distraction! |
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Kampong Cham
This is the third biggest town in Cambodia but we are surprised how small it really is and how sleepy. It used to be very busy but 10 years ago with the help of japanese money a huge bridge was built over the Mekong. this means that all the traffic which had to enter the town and wait for ferries now goes straight over the bridge.
Ferry across Mekong
We have eaten in a\ different place every night and tonight felt brave enough to sample the strret food. Each day we get up about 7am and have a simple breakfast in a nearby cafe then go to the market or do some washing. At 9.30 we get together to do our language homework ( there are 8 of us ). We each do our own thing for lunch and today we had bread and bannanas by the river but had to retire inside as a monkey was threatening to grab our lunch!
Dave snacking after school
At 1pm we cycle slowly to school - yes, it really is a school! A very poor one too.tNot one item of work on the walls and no books or teaching aids at all. We have language school from 1-5pm and it is very tough going. By 5pm my brain is in pieces. On the way home we stop and watch the town coming to life as the temp. is cooling by a couple of degrees and peopleof all ages meet to exercise. The teenagers bring huge speakers and set up on the pavement by the river front joint exercise classes for all ages to join in when you fancy the music or the steps. Everthing stops at 9pm as the Cambodians go to bed from early and rise early. There are frequent power cuts and tonight we are watching the lightning from our bed as the whole town is in darkness, This is the rainy season but as yet we haven't seen too much or for too long.
The view from school
If you have been reading my blog please sigh up as a follower as it would be good to know people are interested in our adventure.
Ferry across Mekong
Dave snacking after school
At 1pm we cycle slowly to school - yes, it really is a school! A very poor one too.tNot one item of work on the walls and no books or teaching aids at all. We have language school from 1-5pm and it is very tough going. By 5pm my brain is in pieces. On the way home we stop and watch the town coming to life as the temp. is cooling by a couple of degrees and peopleof all ages meet to exercise. The teenagers bring huge speakers and set up on the pavement by the river front joint exercise classes for all ages to join in when you fancy the music or the steps. Everthing stops at 9pm as the Cambodians go to bed from early and rise early. There are frequent power cuts and tonight we are watching the lightning from our bed as the whole town is in darkness, This is the rainy season but as yet we haven't seen too much or for too long.
The view from school
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Leaving PPenh
Last night we went down to the waterfront for a meal and the whole city seemed to be out too. The place was packed and families were promanading or exercising or line dancing to music. It was so busy, people trying to sell you things or some begging or wanting to take you for a ride on a moto or tuk tuk. But we found a really nice bar with excellent vegetarian food. Dave decided he had gone off meat after seeing how it is sold in these temps!
This pm we travel by bus to Kompong Chan a small town about 120 miles north wheer no-one speaks English and we have to begin the process of living on our own. A half way step to placement. We are given bicycles (and a bucket to do our washing) and have to begin 4 hours of language training a day. However, the guest house is on the Mekong River and we are looking forward to not being in a city any more.
Lea haeay.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Arrival
We arrived on Thursday after a 20 hour flight to the heat and humidity we have never experienced before! VSO have accomodation above the office for 10 people but as there are 15 of us we are staying in a guesthouse 5 mins away by tuk-tuk.
Friday we attended the start of an induction course in the office. Sat. we went on a rickshaw tour of the city Phnom Penh - PP. So hot and sweaty all the time it is hard take it all in but Emily; we saw our first elephant in the temple. Last night we walked to the Independence Momument and watched all the teenagers dancing in the main square from 6-8pm and then went to our first eating experience on our own! The first place we tried had 3 pages of the menu devoted to various types of frog so we went to another! I think I shall be living on fried rice with either egg or vegetables.
Today is our rest day and we slept until late - even though the temp in our room has not dropped below 30C day or night and we have no a/c. We sauntered across the road to breakfast at the Asian Star and now I am writing a blog. I feel like a back-packer, but wish I was 30 years younger too.
Friday we attended the start of an induction course in the office. Sat. we went on a rickshaw tour of the city Phnom Penh - PP. So hot and sweaty all the time it is hard take it all in but Emily; we saw our first elephant in the temple. Last night we walked to the Independence Momument and watched all the teenagers dancing in the main square from 6-8pm and then went to our first eating experience on our own! The first place we tried had 3 pages of the menu devoted to various types of frog so we went to another! I think I shall be living on fried rice with either egg or vegetables.
Today is our rest day and we slept until late - even though the temp in our room has not dropped below 30C day or night and we have no a/c. We sauntered across the road to breakfast at the Asian Star and now I am writing a blog. I feel like a back-packer, but wish I was 30 years younger too.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Getting started
The first test was the motorcycle test which I had to pass - 3 days on a 125cc geared bike was quite tough for me. Luckily David already had his certificate from years ago. The only damage was the squashed and black thumb nail I have from slamming my thumb in the car door at the end of the third day-I was so tired!
House up for let, arms feeling like pin -cushions, boxes everywhere and so much paperwork!
House up for let, arms feeling like pin -cushions, boxes everywhere and so much paperwork!
Maleria tablets organised and farewells being said.
The only problem is trying to learn Khymer - I will say no more on this. Except as soon as we arrive in Phomn Penh we have 2 weeks extensive tuition. Neither of us are looking forward to this. more on the subject later.
The only problem is trying to learn Khymer - I will say no more on this. Except as soon as we arrive in Phomn Penh we have 2 weeks extensive tuition. Neither of us are looking forward to this. more on the subject later.
Janet and David's Adventure: 3 weeks to go.............
Janet and David's Adventure: 3 weeks to go.............: "Well, we've had our leaving party and said our goodbyes to many friends and family. The weather was good and the day just went sooooooooo fast.."
We chatted to long lost friends and caught up with family news and tried to eat and drink ourselves out of house and home. Not very successfully and we may have to have another to use up the what was left!
Now we can set about moving out the furniture into storage.
We chatted to long lost friends and caught up with family news and tried to eat and drink ourselves out of house and home. Not very successfully and we may have to have another to use up the what was left!
Now we can set about moving out the furniture into storage.
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