Koh Kong here we come.....

We are heading off fo a mini break to Koh Kong which is near the Thai border. we are going to somewhere called Oasis . We are all very tired and are really looking forward to a break chilling out by the pool and hopefully visiting some waterfalls in the area. We were going to get our visas changed at the same time but our passports are still at the Government Department so we will have to make another trip later.
We are going off-line until Friday unless we can access the internet somewhere in Koh Kong...so we will let you know what we got up to when we get back. Here are some pictures of where we will be staying

We have our own little bungalow to stay in!

Books and Lemongrass Tea

Today we decided to take a break from finding house things (apart from looking at some furniture) and someone had suggested we go to a Bookshop/Toy shop called Monument Books. We were not sure how long the children would last! When we arrived though it was lovely. There was a whole section for the children with cushions to sit on. They chose books to read and settled down, there was ambient music playing and a place for adults to sit. Colin grabbed a magazine on the latest movies and I found some cool interior design books to get some decorating/house arranging ideas. After about 40 mins I mouthed to Colin "can I have a coffee?". There was a coffee shop in the book shop ... such a lovely place (Emma R you would love it!) I wanted to take a photo but it was a bit dark. One whole wall was deep red covered with all different sized mirrors some with carved frames, others with very distressed old frames. So lovely! I had my coffee in peace and quiet. Then Phoebe joined me and we had some gorgeous fresh lemongrass tea ... hers was iced and mine was hot ... while we were doing this Colin took the others to the toy shop upstairs where to their delight there was a place to play! Colin swapped with me and he had a chance to have a cuppa too. We finally dragged the children away after about 2 hours. We all felt really chilled out and relaxed!

mid term break and a new house...

This is my lovely student art work...we have had such fun over the last 12 weeks (with no break!) but I am so glad we have a week and a half off! We are all looking forward to lying in a little tomorrow and having pancakes for breakfast. mmm!
We picked up the keys for the house today...all 24 of them. There are three padlocks and one lock to open the front door and each bedroom has a "front door style" door with a deadlock. It is because these houses often house several families and it is quite strange to the Khmer that we are going to occupy the whole thing ourselves. Children do not have their own room here!
these pictures were taken quickly and do not show the whole house but I thought it would be nice to see the empty space before we fill it!!! lol! It does need a good clean and although this does not look that bright it is actually brighter than you think.

This is the main living area which enters onto a small drive and the road...on a nice quiet street.

Kitchen is an extra room built on the back...might be a bit hot but the door opens onto a courtyard (small)

This is the top bedroom which has windows both sides and is the access to the roof garden.


Roof garden potential space!!! I have lots of plans just give me some time... you could give me some good ideas it is long and narrow but you could make it really nice

the rains came down and the floods came up.....

Well that was what happened today. I hadn't really paid much attention to the rain today just made a mental note that it was heavy....that was until I got a call from Colin saying it was flooding in the house...all the way through. By the time we all got home from school it was about 1 1/2 inches deep. Fortunately Colin had been home all day because Lucia was not so well so he was able to rescue a few things.

It has taken us about three hours to bail the water out. In Cambodia we have these really good dustpans with handles so you don't have to bend down to sweep up the dirt....they had a completely different use today! Sambaht my house helper was swining it through the flood water to scoop it outsde. We have nice little steps across all the doors to "stop the water" coming in but they are not big enough. The real problem comes when you want to get the water out of the house over the step. The dustpans work a treat...and we had three so the children had fun joining in too. As the dining room was still flooded, we had to eat upstairs Khmer style which was fun! (This involves sitting on the floor and eating food which had nearly gone cold because it had been prepared 2 hours earlier...no-one complained!)


The good news is we will be moving soon!! Yipee! We went to look at a house for the second time today and checked it out with the children. (forgot the camera :( They loved it and so we decided to go for it...good price, good size and good location. We also noticed no sign of flooding!!! :)

The downside is we have to pay 3 months rent deposit and 1 months rent in advance...quite normal but we had thought we were going to move a bit later so less time to save up. ( We will get the deposit back when we leave). Also the house has not a stick of furniture so we are working out what is our ABSOLUTE essentials...it is quite funny really what each family member deems essential.
I wonder if you could guess each persons?

Just some pictures of Ewan playing Top Trumps with his friends!

Ewan go a bike for his birthday which he was very pleased about! It is second hand and had a chewed handle and a bright blue seat. When I pointed this out the lady went and removed a handle and break from another bike...so I pointed to the nice plack and red seat (might as well get it co-ordinated!) It was all swapped around and put on to my specific taste with good humour.... I think they found Ewan a bit cute too!!!

here yesterday ...gone today!

Today I got a distraught phone call from my house helper. Normally when she rings it is because she can't find the house key I have hidden or we have not given her the money to buy things from the market. Today though she had gone to the market to find the place she normally leaves the bike she uses (belongs to the owners of the house) was having a new roof put on so there was no secure place to leave it. She was walking round with this bike in the market and turned to pay a shop keeper and when she turned round it was gone!
Poor thing she was so upset! Normally this kind of thing could result in someone being fired or having to replace the bike from her wages, which she can not afford to do. Sometimes people will do this kind of thing as a scam but she is such a consistently conscientious worker that I am sure she wouldn't do anything like that. She is always very careful with everything and was absolutely mortified.
She waited until I came home and as I came in the gate she had tears in her eyes. I just felt for her as she had obviously stressed about it all day. I had got my classroom assistant to ring her to tell her not to worry and that it was not her fault but I know she will know feel indebted to us as a family.
This is a very real reality for many people in Cambodia. They often live just above the bread line and the margin of making it financially every month is so fine. If they have not got the money the only solution is to borrow, often from loan sharks who charge hefty interest.
So something for us that is an inconvenience, like losing a bike, could cost them more than just the bike, it could prevent them from getting to work to earn the wage they desperately need.
This is the daily reality of someone like my house helper. We need lots of wisdom to know how to help without just giving handouts.
My dilemma is...she will feel indebted to me and will feel the need to pay me back...how can I help her "repay that debt" without it costing her money? Tricky one...answers on a postcard :)

SWEEET!!! Happy Birthday Ewan

So today was a sweet day...literally!! it was Ewans 6th birthday so we went to celebrate at the ice-cream parlour!!!






Ewan on the birthday chair at school. The birthday child gets lifted up for the number of years they are.

Pieces of my life....

Sometimes it is difficult to explain what life here is like. The only way I can describe it is by comparing it to a type of snack the Khmer people love to eat. They mix sugar, salt and chilli together and dip certain fruit in it. It is acutally quite nice but definitely an aquired taste. Life is like this: sometimes it is sweet, things go well, people understand me when I try to totalk to them in Khmer (and I remember what to say!)the weather is cool and i have fun! other days it is like the salt or chilli. It is hard, friends seem far away, no-one understands me and I cant find what I want.
When I have a "salty" or "chilli" day I have to remember the good things here and why we are here. I love that verse where it says all things work together for the good of those who love God. Even when the going is tought God is at work in me and my family.
Our next plans are to move from our current house to one which is a bit closer to work. This will mean not having a yard :( but that means no dog :)
We are looking at a flat/town house style which is in a terrace. they can be quite large inside but narrow and tall (with a roof space for a garden) The children are all looking forward to having their own space with all their own things.
It will be hard work but we need to do this before Christmas.
One of the reasons we want to move is because this house floods...well the garde does and a little into the house. It is not nice having to wade in and out through the water.




The other day we walked down the road and were surrounded by loads of children who all wanted their picture tsken. They were so cute!



The market is somewhere I like to go if I am not too tired. It can be quite an overwhelming place...a real explosion of colour, noise and smells!! I like seeing what things there are for sale. You can find almost anything you want.

Today...

We were woken up at about 4:30 by the loudspeaker from the local Temple. It is the middle of Bonn Pchum Ben which is the festival held for commemoration of the spirits of the dead.

"The highlight is on the 15th day of the waxing moon during the tenth month of the Khmer calendar, called Pheaktrobotr.

The festival does not just begin and end on one day. In fact, it lasts 15 days, each of which is called a day of Kan Ben. A Ben is an offering. The word of Ben is derived from Sanskrit pinda, or balls of rice to be offered to the souls of the dead.

During the first 14 days, people take turns offering food to the monks of their local pagoda in the hope that their offering will reach the souls of their ancestors and friends by virtue of the monks' sermons.

The present-day Ben are balls of glutinous rice, cooked in coconut milk and mixed with various ingredients according to local customs. The way a Ben is held also differs slightly from locality to locality. The final day of Pchum Ben is the most important for all followers. On this day, at every pagoda around the country, the mass collection of offerings (Bens) is dedicated to the souls of ancestors. If this duty is ignored, it is believed that the soul is cursed and will haunt the neglectful descendents for the rest of the year."

Extract from Frizz Restaurant

This means that for the Khmer Christians we know it is a hard time. They are expected to participate and asked on numerous occasions over this period of time how many Wats or temples they have visited and there is huge pressure from family to go to the Wat.
It is also a time of year for families to meet up and many Khmers will go to visit family in the provinces so Phnom Penh is usually quite quiet.

We will have two days off school which will be nice and a much needed rest!


I liked this when I saw it...puts a new twist on mobile banking!!!