Could the dry season really be approaching?

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I was up on the terrace last night and for the first time in 4 weeks and 2 days, I saw a star !!! Wow, it’s been raining or overcast every afternoon since I arrived and yesterday was the clearest, and first rain-free day we’ve had and I saw a star, yea, but haven’t seen the moon in over a month. Do we dare hope and cross our fingers and get excited at the possibility that the wet season is drawing to an end?? I hope so, as so much of Cambodia is currently flooded, too many lives have been lost, too many homes and farms destroyed. Its’ been such a bad wet season for Asia (Bangkok and Thailand are also having severe flooding at the moment). When we head to riverside, it’s amazing to see the speed of the current, and height of the Mighty Mekong....boats barely manage to remain under control, most are often sideways.

As always, there seems to be lots happening here, and thankfully most of it really positive, which is awesome.

I found it really amusing yesterday when I realised the “game” my senior kids are playing with me this week... Last week the kids in my two senior classes spent the week telling me at the end of each lesson “Teacher...easy”, and so when I did my weekly revision quiz on Friday, they were quite stumped on a few of the questions, despite the fact that they all told me they understood etc....seems the lessons might have been too easy and they didn’t take time to remember some things. So this week at the end of each lesson when I ask if it’s hard or easy, they’re often saying “Teacher.....hard” because I think they have an idea that I might go easier on them this Friday....we’ll see !!! Though, having said that, have you ever tried to teach non-English speaking people, the rules of plural spelling? There are so many rules, and to confuse things, so many exceptions to those rules!!! Maybe I will go just a little easier on them on Friday when I do my next quiz...

I mentioned in my last blog about a girl (Sreypich) that I may try to sponsor through to university – I bought her a notebook and wrote a lot of the English spelling rules in it, and also a stack of conversational English for her to copy and practice – probably 40 pages in total with sentences written at the top of each one. She and her best friend (not sure of her name yet) got together after school and filled all the pages with picture-perfect handwritten copies of all of the phrases!! This week, they’ve been quoting them to me, word perfect, with a huge smiles on their beautiful faces. I could cry !!! I named them “The Twins” today because they do everything together, and they are so friendly and good fun. I gave them both a fancy hair elastic, with a bright flower on it, the other day, and they waltzed into class yesterday, big smiles on their faces, and did a spin in front of me to show off their pretty, flowered, ponytails...at the end of the class they told me to stop, and presented me with some moving picture thingys (have no clue how to really describe them) that they’d made for me – so lovely. Sreypich was so shy when I first arrived and I’m loving the confidence I see in her now. This is what I’m here for.........not to travel, not to socialise, but to make a difference to as many kids as I possibly can...and if I get to do the other stuff, it’s a bonus.

In all of my trips to Asia, I’ve never tried the fruit, Durian. I’ve heard about it. I’ve seen the signs in hotels banning patrons from bringing it in. I’ve heard the reputation it has for smelling awful and being an acquired taste........but have never tried it....until last night. One of the other volunteers bought some for everyone to try – you see it at every market and there are stacks of street stalls dedicated to the fruit, and she decided that we should all share the experience with her. As soon as I smelt it, I recognised it as the sickly sweet smell from many of the fruit markets, and that I’ve always put down to lots of rotting fruit. The texture was that of soft Brie. The initial taste was of sweet fruit........and then suddenly it all goes wrong in your mouth. It’s sour; it tastes a bit like pure alcohol; it tastes like rotting fruit, and it’s AWFUL. We had 7 people at the dinner table and 6 of our faces were screwed up so bad as we tried to swallow it. Yoshi and Regina who have the world’s best appetites for anything edible were almost gagging.....Susanna took the remains (and there was lots) to the other apartments for the other volunteers to try, and the reaction was the same. Our cook and cleaner were in hysterics...and happily polished off the remains. Anyway, I can now tick that off the list, and thankfully won’t be wasting any money on Asia’s most expensive fruit ($2.50 kilo).

For any of my work colleagues reading my blog, who know how much I don’t love meetings, or agendas, or minutes etc, so you’ll be amused to know that I wrote an agenda yesterday for a fortnightly teaching workshop that Projects Abroad (P.A) hold. I went to one on Mnday night, with no idea what we were to do, and like the other volunteers, thought that P.A. would run the show and teach us how to teach etc.........but they wanted input from us, and our teaching plans etc, which no one was prepared for. So I spoke to Seang and said that if she was open to it, I’d put something together. She was rather excited at getting help, and so I put together an agenda that also included “anticipated outcomes”.....at least now, the volunteers will turn up prepared and be more able to participate – yea, Win/Win.

More good news – many of you will have read the blog and seen the pictures from the September Dirty Weekend. Well, fingers crossed, the next one is this Saturday, and Seang is seeking approval from the monk to do it at my school. I can’t imagine he will say no, but am still waiting to hear confirmation. There are only 2 rooms in our school, one upstairs, one down, but both are in such poor condition. If they were in Australian, they would have tape across the door, and everyone would be banned from entry – especially the one downstairs, the walls are seriously filthy, the vinyl on the floor has massive holes in it, and I’ve never been brave enough to venture into the toilets. Anyway, if approved, we’ll get in there on Saturday, sand down and paint the walls, and then paint pictures on the downstairs classroom walls (where the junior kids go). I will then get the monk to get quotes on replacing the vinyl and submit them to P.A. for payment via the fund that we all contribute to (he will get a “local” price, mine would be the “Westerners can afford anything” price). I’m determined to leave the school a better place for these gorgeous kids.... If it all goes ahead, I’m going to take lots of pictures of the volunteers and painting progress, get them printed on Sunday, and put them up on the walls on Monday so that the kids and teachers can see the event...Shame Luc's not still here, as he was the master of making the alphabet come to life with funny faces. I’ve sworn the teachers to secrecy, as I want this to be a big surprise for the kids.

I went to Tim’s on Sunday afternoon for a bbq with a number of Aussies, and various other expats.....the main focus being the rugby union match between Australia and New Zealand. I’m not a union fan, but I am an Aussie, so was sad to see the kiwis win and wish the Frogs well next weekend. Enough of rugby, but on the topic of kiwis, we have a volunteer that’s just arrived from the land of the “great white cloud”, and she was with a bunch of European volunteers the other day and was slanging off at the Aussie accent !! She even said that we say “fish and chips” funny....can you believe it? They were quick to point out that fish and chips ARE spelt with an “i” and not a “u”, so somehow she must be confused....the debate continues....she thinks she’s right, the Europeans think she needs help and Shouldn’t be teaching the poor Cambodian kids, and we Aussies know the truth and that’s all that matters!!

Talking nationalities.........I’m amazed at how many people are reading my blog that I don’t personally know. I’ve had a few people write and say that they’ve found my blogs enlightening etc. One such person is Erika, from the States........she was searching for info on Cambodia and came across my blog and we’ve been emailing ever since. She and her hubby may be coming up later this week (he’s in the airlines and on standby etc), and I hope to catch up with them over the weekend. Erika was quick to realise what country I’ve been making vague comments about (ok, ok, they weren’t that vague but I was trying to be somewhat diplomatic), and has assured me that she’s from California and not like some of the other Americans... I’m still amused that I’m entertaining people from around the world, and not just my friends back in Oz.

I thought I’d share, that at this moment in time, I’m totally, 100%, completely and utterly vulnerable in Cambodia. When I arrived, I could only get a 1 month visa, and had to re-apply for a 3 month visa at the end of the first visa. Well, my existing visa expired yesterday, so I handed my passport over to the local travel agent, with said expired visa in it, and now I’m in a country where corruption is rife, without a passport or valid visa.....scary stuff. The local travel agent, where they work in the dark with only the fans going, took my passport and $75, gave me a bottle of water and told me to come back Friday. Fingers-crossed I don’t look sideways at the wrong official between now and then...oh, and have no idea what the bottle of water was about.

Minor bad – stomach bug is back.....so back on the antibiotics....such is life, I’m not going to sook-up about it.....and besides, it means I can eat whatever I like and it’s going to do no further damage to my hips !!!

Oh, talking weight, ok, I know I’m not the small size I was 10 years ago, but enough already with the kids and nun pinching my arms and telling me how big I am !!! I know it.....but I’ve seen cuddly Cambodians too, so I’m not a freak, but I am getting a serious complex about my size. At least my shoe size meets their approval. Oh, just remembered, over here they are mostly really tiny and there aren’t a lot of curves on the Cambodian women........so they have knickers that have padded backsides !!! I kid you not. They are hilarious.....they’re like the opposite of the old fashioned girdles ...they don’t squeeze you in, they actually have these huge, artificial butt cheeks built in. I should buy a pair just to bring back and show everyone. I’ll try to get a photo.

In my blog titled the Mysteries of Phnom Penh I mentioned that I didn’t know the significance of the cream flowers sold at traffic lights.......well I found out today that because they are so fragrant (and they are, my neighbour has a tree that the flowers come from and the scent is beautiful), they use them as air-fresheners in cars.....makes so much sense now that I know.....and I may just buy one for my room.

Ok, the nun that I mentioned in a previous blog well and truly cheesed me off today....the kids at school give me lots of hugs and high-fives and are basically very affectionate towards me, and I am well and truly the same in return. Well, she told them all off this morning and banned touching me, except for shaking my hand and told them they must show me respect by the traditional hands together subservient bow........what a crock. They are kids, I am not Cambodian, and I was really upset that the poor kids were on the receiving end of her crankiness and lecture. When my seniors came in to the room, they could not stop apologising to me and looking upset that they’d offended me by their behaviour. I explained to the teacher (and asked her to explain to the kids) that I am not offended by their affection and feel really bad that they were lectured because I didn’t know they weren’t supposed to hug me....I told her to tell that I love their friendliness and will miss the hugs etc. They were back to smiles after that thankfully.

On a really lovely note at school this morning, one of the teachers asked me to attend her wedding in December. I was so touched and would have loved to go, but it’s on the 30th December, and I will be in Hungary.

Ok, time to post this blog and check some emails before going back to school.

Hugs from Cambodia, Rob

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