One month left

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Time passes far too quickly here. Can't believe it's already Thursday. Monday morning, stayed down on the beach till sunrise, the most beautiful thing. A grey sky, but an amazing contrast of light, the air was cool, very few people were up and colourful boats were bobbing in the bay. Slept out on the balcony and woke marginally sunburnt. Then a few of us spent the afternoon at the pool by Utopia eating pesto pasta. Amongst other things. Spent last night in an aircon room next door, with Jo and Katie with rather great pizza, watching Vicky Christina Barcelona. Like a tiny CCPP slumber party.

Am Regent School Goer on the roster this week. Regent school being a nearby English school which one volunteer goes to each afternoon. Quite daunting when you first walk in and the teacher says "right so what do you plan to teach the class today?". Always entertaining to walk into the class to be greeted with children, hands pressed together, chanting "Hello Teacher, how are you teacher?" Me: Ï am fine thankyou. How are you? I am fine thank you teacher, something something teacher". One of the text books had a comic strip conversation which went Ï am Buddhist. What are you are you Taoist, Muslim or Christian?" to which character two replies "No! No! No! Indeed! I am a free thinker". Instead so far the only pages I've taught are Ëxcuse me Jazz you dropped your business card"and "How many people are in your family Janice?". During the break between classes I sat with a few of the teachers and we ate green guava and apple dipped in sugar, salt and chilli. Then one of the teachers offered me the equivalent but with Royal D added... Royal D being a rehydration powder, a little like berocca, the perfect thing here but strange with salt chilli. Then one of them bought me a couple of skewers of really good grilled beef in a plastic bag with grated raw papaya, cucumber and sauce. The second class was peculiar in that i began by reading out lines which then I had to show them how to put them into the past negative and explain it. "My father did not curse at me a lot this morning''.. The teacher said I had sweet pronunciation. Then followed the usual question period.. "How long have you taught English for?" "20 minutes" "Did you sleep well last night" ''Why yes I did thankyou". When I said I spoke some Japanese the English lesson became a Japanese lesson and the teacher got me teaching them how to say "How are you. what is your name?''

Had another hectic morning which kept involving medical care. There'was a little girl who had what was like an infected boil on the back of her head. They'd drained it but it had become infected and so her sister and I had to work at cleaning it and opening the wound. The poor thing was screaming and sobbing and I had to hold her with her head in my lap while Theary, her sister tried wiping the wound. Then Theary went back to the kitchen and her sister, slightly calmer with a lollipop, sat there while i bandaged her head. Theary was saying how hard it is for Cambodian children to keep wounds clean, even the smallest cut becomes easily infected and her sister's head was very much an example of this. It seemed excruciating.

7pm, have to go back, meet everyone to go out to one of the restaurants where they're screening The Killing Fields. Food and Killing Fields feels a slightly weird combination but.

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Comments

[Eva]

uncle ho and cambodia
Flo! have just been catching up on all your entries. what can I say... what an adventure. what an amazing experience. sending you lots of love xox Eva

[mike & judy]

Yum!
Green guava and apple dipped in sugar, salt and chilli. Sounds delicious! Giving English and Japanese lessons, and fixing kids' boils. We are VERY IMPRESSED.