Hello, I hope that you are all well... Just a quick email to let you know that I have set up a new blog address, and if you want to receive my blogs when I update them you can go to the site and click on the specific area... If not, then that is okay (no offence taken :) )... The address is: http://kjincambodia.blogspot.com I won't be sending any more blogs through this site... Talk to you soon!! Kirsten xx [View Full Entry]

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Hello again Long time no blogging... I have been busy getting back into Aussie living - not that hard to do! Actually it surprised me how easy it was to come back 'home' and go back to work, church, see family and friends again... It has been an answer to prayer. But just maybe my 're-entry' has been easy because I am planning to return to Cambodia for two years at the end of this year - which makes it easier to be here when my heart is there :) I have been meeting up with a great Khmer fellowship near [View Full Entry]

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Hello again, The end has come already, how three months flies by! The training has all but ended now, and the final workshops went really well. Jacina left to go to Australia last week and I am sure she was met at the airport from a very grateful husband! The last few trainings I did were for two different NGOs - one that deals mainly with counselling of children and teenagers, and the other that works with children at risk in the slum areas. Both were a lot of fun - despite my feelings of exhaustion and sickness! Yes, I got [View Full Entry]

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As I write this entry we have conducted 15 workshops and have 3 to go, not including the 8 week training program which will run up until the day before I leave to go home. So we are well over half-way now! Many of the one-day workshops we have conducted at our Chab Dai premises (where our work office is) in a fantastic training room that has cushions and straw mats on the floor. It has been a great learning opportunity for us to be doing training while sitting on the floor. Much more relaxing! (Unfortunately for the participants too - [View Full Entry]

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Susadey, sok sabaay te? (Hello, how are you?) As you can tell I am learning a bit more Khmer now - and I emphasise the ‘bit’. We are able to have short conversations with people now, however our topics are generally restricted to asking people how they are, what their name is, how old they are, and (for children) whether they go to school J. We met these two cute kids after church one Sunday - see photo. They were begging at the local Caltex service station. The girl on the left of the photo is 12 years old. Her mother [View Full Entry]

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Chum Reap Sua! (Hello), You might think I have nothing to do but write travel blog entries, but actually the last entry was written in July when we first arrived in Cambodia and I had to re-publish it only a couple of weeks ago due to the travelblog server meltdown. We are actually very busy! I am writing this at a wireless internet cafe (didn't have one of those three years ago when I came here!) in between sending some emails to services here re the workshops we are doing soon, and going to dinner with some colleagues! I am watching [View Full Entry]

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Hello again, At last we have arrived in this beautfiul land of Cambodia! We had a short stop in Singapore on the way, but have arrived safely. More on that later... The last seven weeks before we left Australia were a bit of a blur. We managed to raise the amount of money we needed for our trip and the resources we wish to provide for the Khmer people, thanks to many generous people (my brother Brendan, mum and dad, Katie, Lisa in the UK, Gloria and Ken, Young Discoverers Child Care Centre, Sian and the tuppaware ladies, and those [View Full Entry]

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Well, it's 7 weeks and counting until we go to Cambodia! And I have so much to do before I go! Why is it that the more you prepare the less you feel prepared? Anyway, our target for the raising of funds to help us get to Cambodia and to provide resources for the children and counsellors is going well. We aimed to raise around $7,500 and to date we have raised about $6,500. God is so good to us! Must say that fundraising is a lot of hard work, and is difficult to do when you are juggling two [View Full Entry]

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Well thanks to the support we received a couple of weekends ago, Jacina and I managed to raise about half of our trip costs at the Art Exhibition!! We were even in the local rag - which was a bit of a laugh... But judging by the amount of people that turned up to the Gallery (because they'd seen it in the paper) showed me that people actually read the newspaper - apart from me that is :) I even got a visit from a dear friend from Gladstone who saw my picture in the paper and came along to [View Full Entry]

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Only three days to go before our big fundraiser, it's nearly here!! Jacina and I have been organising, planning, networking, seeking out sponsors, running around, tearing our hair out..... we are hopeful it will all be worth it in the end. I guess it might be a bit strange having a travelblog entry when i haven't started travelling yet, but as all those who travel on a shoestring know, the trip begins with getting the funds. So, our journey has begun well and truly. Cambodia, here we come!! Some dear friends have decided to support me on my three-month mercy trip [View Full Entry]

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