It's Louzas birthdayyy!!

Happy Birthday Louuuie....the blind children and I have a little message for you...
Lots and lots of love! xxxxx

Ps) Happy Birthday Pinnnnyyyyyy too!!

Purple is NOT an animal

Ooohhh my goodnessssssssss. Teaching really does test your patience. I nearly had a breakdown today when I was teaching the 2 youngest children animals with flashcards , pictures and the word. We had rabbits, lions, tigers, birds, elephants, etc.

I kept thinking that they had FINALLY got it so would hold up a card. It is a rabbit.
'Purple'he says.
'No, purple (pointing to my very purple top) is a colour...R A B B I T rabbit'. 'Rabbit', he says.
I hold up another card. It is a lion.
'Purple' he says.
'No! Purple (pointing to top) Purple (pointing to purple on wall) Purple (pointing to purple on his bag) L I O N....Lion.
'Lion', he says.
I hold up another card. It is a bird.
'Bird', he says.
'Goooood' I hold up another card. It is a dog.
'Cat'
'No'
'Lion'
'No'
'Monkey'
'No'
'Purple'
OOOOOooooooooooooooooooooohhhh myyyyy goooodnessssss. Calm breaths. Take a moment. Smile at the little boy. Look for help. 'Can someone please translate to Piup that PURPLE is a colour NOT an animal...' Srey Deith explains in Khmer to him. He seems to understand.
I hold up a Monkey.

You can just imagine...


On friday, the same boy came to the lesson. We sat down ready to play a game of Bingo when the children start laughing and holding their noses. I ask what's wrong. 'Piup, Piup! Poo' one of the older students says while pointing at his grubby t shirt that has a big lump of chicken poo stuck to the front. I keep my serious mature teacher face on....for about 10 seconds saying maybe he should go and wash it before I crack and I am laughing..a lot. The children find it hilerious that I have just cracked up and are all laughing at the poo and at me. Little Piup, starts to laugh, histerically, I was worried he might have been crying but it was the funniest moment. He just could NOT stop laughing. He takes off his t shirt and washes it under the water pump outside. He spends the rest of the lesson wearing just his shorts. We go to sit outside in a circle to play a game. The children start to giggle...again. I look over and Piup, sitting topless, has a huge hole in the crotch of his shorts. Poor little one. Again, he laughs so much, then gets up and does a dance like a chicken before sitting down with his chicken poo t shirt covering the hole.

I think I might buy him a new pair of shorts.

On my way to school yesterday I cycled past a little boy next to the river, I thought he was making cat noises but I looked down to see a cat swimming and climbing onto the bank of the river. The little boy picked up the cat and hurled it back into the river.... Wasn't quite sure what to do.. (Don't get any ideas Dad).

Why why why did I eat a bug....?

I blame peer pressure...

Kulen Mountain and Waterfall

We get into the pick up Truck where I am offered a square of cardboard to balance on the edge and sit on. We all squish around the side of this open backed pick up very prepared with khramas wrapped around our heads and necks to protect from the sun and dust. True Khmer style except there are 11 of us squished in the back rather than 30. Before we leave Siem Reap we stop to fill up the cool box with blocks of ice that Theavy (the Khmer lady who is our volunteer coordinator) hacks with a small machete. It's a two hour journey and was fantastic! The countryside, as per usual as stunning, and the fact that we were just sitting on the side of a truck with not a lot to hold on to was a lot of fun, especially when we we each half way and get onto the dirt tracks....bumps and orange dust galore. We stop and bargain for a bunch of bananas. The best I've ever eaten. We stop for a toilet shack break where we get involved with the hokie kokie to unnumb our bums.. I think I love it more than the kids!! We arrive and carry our hammocks down to our spot next to a small waterfall, we have hired a kind of gazebo, made from wood, bamboo and leaves. I have a nap in the hammock next to the waterfall and wake up to Nina in the water above the waterfall with Mr Gee and his wife and their two adorable grandchildren, shivering but smiling in the cold water. I get up and join Nina, in my clothes. Khmer style, bikinis are just not worn here, they go in the water with their clothes on so I am wearing long shorts and a vest top. The water is pulling towards the waterfall so we sit by the edge. It really would not be fun to go whizzing down a waterfall however exciting it looks! It is sooo refreshing and lovely but I soon turn a little blue so get out and it's lunch time. The Khmer lady is cooking up a feast in the gazebo on a little gas stove that we have bought with us, we pass around deep fried banana covered in sweet rice, unripe sour mango with chilli and salt and crispy sweet rice pieces. We eat morning glory with chilli and egg and pork with lemon grass and peppers with rice...of course. rice rice everywhere. 'Khnyom bai' 'eat rice'.

When most other Khmer families have left we wander down lots of wooden rickety steps to the main waterfall. Wow. It is absolutely stunning. It is so high and so powerful. The water looks amazing crashing down on the rocks below and the sounds and the spray of the water were incredible. We all go swimming in the water below and climb rocks and jump off. Nina and I perform our song (more will be revealed soon) on a rock in front of the waterfall while Rachel films it from a dry rock. It felt amazing being in this waterfall, one of the best things I have ever seen and done.

We make our way back in the pick up, this time I am not on the edge but sitting on the cool box in the middle. It gets dark quickly and we find ourselves driving through the jungle in the dark.

Kulen is one of the best places I've ever seen and been to, the journey there, the waterfall, the water, the chilled atmosphere. Yet again, what a day...

Flooded Forest

It was sooo cold, the morning when Nina and I wake up freeeeezingggg 'it's freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing' I pop on Charlesos' cosy hoody, my khrama and trousers to eat my final breakfast on the roof. We are moving home to Thida's house today. It is all dried out and cleaned after the flood. I'm excited to move back but I have LOVED the rooftop and sharing with Nina! We had so many laughs up there on that roof! With all those flies on our beds, the shower that churns out orange water that has given me ginger hair, the 50 odd steps that we walk many times a day, the flower pots to hide our keys, and then forget that we have hidden them in there, the sunsets, the view of the top of Ankor Wat, the monster gecko.

Our first day back home at Thida's we go on a day trip to a flooded forest. We woke early and got into Mr Gee's Wagon of Love (Mr Gee's tuk tuk with heart shaped plastic windows...cute). It's pretty cold again (I'm such a wimp after climatising to the heat here). Nina, Rachel, Marielle and I in one tuk tuk, the others in another or on motos. After 5 minutes Mr Gee has a puncture so we sit and wait on the plastic chairs for him to sort that out before getting back into the tuk tuk and having a little nap...this is until we hit the bumpy orange roads that are Cambodia and have to hold on tightly, making sure the huge tupperware of hot rice and crate of beer doesn't fall overboard! Out of a wooden shack (shop) Mr Gees son appears on a moto and tells one of us to hop on the back with him as we are cearly too heavy for this tuk tuk on the bumpy roads. I accept and also accept the poncho that he offers me, I am already wearing my pro raincoat with the duck beak hood but double up with a lovely plastic poncho. I love being on motos, I just love it.

We arrive to the others eating noodle soup and make our way to the boat, taking my flip flops off that get stuck in the mud to walk bare foot, it feels amazing, Squelchhhhie. We go out past a village where the houses are on stilts, apparently in the dry season the villagers are able to walk and cycle on the roads but now they make their way by wooden boats. We pick up a 'picnic' boat to have our bbq on and a few random Khmer men, I think the family we are with (who we live with) knew them...!? We enter the forest....the men break down branches so the boat can get through....It's very strange thinking that in dry season you could walk around this forest but now, the water is high up the trees so we are in amongst the branches and the tree tops! The others jump off into the water/forest and I...being the wimp that I am in water where you can't see what's underneath you, try and slide in down the boat and then swim quickly panicking to grab hold of a tree and sit on the branch out of the water! Where oh where is tom and jezza when you need him hey?! The others enjoyed climbing the tree tops and jumping, diving, backflipping off, I make my way back to the boat breathing slowly so not to panic. I AM SWIMMING IN A FOREST.....how am I not supposed to panic?!!! Whoooo knows what is underneath me right now. Oh yeah, and the family tell us about the alligators and snakes that live in the deep water in the forests here. Hmmm I was in and out of that water pretty quickly! It was nice to just chill on the boat though and we had some amazing food, little shrimpies, bbq beef and chicken, cucumber, green tomatoes and fruit to follow. Nina, Rachel and I form some kind of head massage line which works pretty well, I came out of it with an afro that was apparently rather amusing....that is just my normal hair..?!

A really good day, so many amazing places to see and experience here.

The Water Festival

Wow, what a weekend.

The water festival is the second biggest festival in Cambodia, after new years. The rivers crowd with Khmer families, wooden stalls on wheels strolling the streets with all kinds of strange things to eat, children with balloons, colourful long boats filled with men and women racing down the river, strange Khmer bands playing, dodgy looking fairground rides and bamboo rafts with candles and incense floating down the river.

As my children in the orphanage house seem to stay at home a lot I decided that I would take them to the festival for the day. I assumed their 'dad' would accompany me but when I arrived to collect the children, he waved them and me goodbye. So there I was, with 16 children, off to the busiest festival of the year! I loved the feeling of responsibility and I am glad that I was on my own with them, it meant that I could have lots of fun and be silly with them with no one watching and judging the teacher in me.

The river is an hour walk from their house so we started walking...it was the hottest part of the day so as soon as I saw 3 tuk tuks, I sorted a price and the kids jumped in. They were all so excited...'char...tuktuk?!!' with gleaming smiles. They rarely go in tuk tuks as they are seem as 'expensive' for locals. Some of the children had never been in one before so they were just excited and amazed!! We found a grassy spot next to the river and settled down to watch the boats race down the river....the colours are just amazing here, so vibrant and the boats were painted all different colours, filled with men and women wearing their teams colours. The racers have been practising for weeks and weeks before the festival as the winners go to the capital Phnom Penh for the 3rd day of the festival to race their winners. The kids were excitable, clapping as the boats rushed past us.

After a while it got very crowded and a little claustrophobic sitting on the bank so I suggested going for a walk around the river. The children all followed me, I had one of either hand and the others followed. I was called the pied piper by a western guy and I really did feel like it, char followed by her 16 kiddies through the busy riverside streets. They even called me mum which was amusing and kind of sweet, when we left the house they said 'char we're your children for the day, you're our mum.... '. I spotted an ice cream stall and it was the mans lucky day when I ordered ' sohm dop bram bpee' (17 please in Khmer). The children were so appreciative and all came to me one by one when they received their ice cream with sweet rice, nuts and syrup in a plastic cup to thank me. It was lovely as there was no one there to tell them to thank me, they just did on their own accord.

We wandered some more, the children bought fruit with salt and chilli to dip and shared it with each other and me, I bought some spring rolls from another stall which they enjoyed. There is al this amazing foo everywhere, served in banana leaves or on wooden sticks. The drinks here come in little plastic bags with a straw, or a whole coconut to sip the milk juice out of...

We found a 'fairground' with a very rickety looking ferris wheel, the children looked intrigued so I got 17 tickets...actually 14 as I had lost...umm yeah....a few kids on the way. (They are old enough to look after themselves so I wasn't too worried and the children here in Cambodia wander the busy roads and streets with no parents most of the time. So no panicking from moi, that's what I kept telling myself.... The only panic was when I realised I had bought myself a ticket for this dodgeyyyy ferris wheel! 'Charrr charr, come on!!' They wanted me to go on with them but I had to tell them that char was far too scared and gave my ticket to Hout who went on a second time. The ferris wheel was manned by a man on what looked like a car motor and a steering wheel. They all pushed past others to get onto a few of the 'boxes' and were waving down at me. One child looked so sick...probably my fault for giving them ice cream and then tickets for this but the others came off laughing and jumping about with excitement and adrenaline!

We then went to throw some darts at balloons and two of the children won prizes which they shared with the others. Time flies when you're having fun and t was almost 5.30 so we said our goodbyes and they said their thank yous and off they went back to their house. I went and sat by the river with a beer and thought about how amazing it was to be able to do this for these lovely children who have so little and have been through so much. Just the smiles on their faces to have a cup of ricey ice cream and how they all get on so well with each other and were just so so well behaved. It is going to be so so hard when I have to say my goodbyes for them but for the time being I just have to love every moment I have teaching, chatting, laughing and playing with them. Hopefully I will take them out another weekend as it leaves me with a fantastic feeling and they just loved it all.

I met the others who had made rafts from bamboo, flowers, candles and insence to float down the river. At the end of every water festival everyone floats some form of raft down the river and wishes for good luck. Nina had made us a joint one which was sweet as I had been with my children. We lit the insense and candle and a Khmer boy took it from us, got into the river wearing his clothes and waded to the middle to let it float downstream. It was such a special moment, all these candles floating down and the smell of insence here really gives you a feeling....I can't describe what. They use it a lot to wish for good luck and I guess it is very spiritual here...

Halloween in Cambodia...what?!

You wouldn't think that halloween was a popular occasion here amongst the monks and the dust but of course us volunteers celebrated in style....Roman style....hello TOGA PARTY. Nina's idea to go for the white bed sheet look and bronze ourselfs up to go for the less scary halloween costume.

It starts on the rooftop, Nina and I in togas made out of white cotton from the market, a ridiculous golden hairband (which we had pulled the bow off) and a pearl necklace from the market. The pearl necklace was a joke, it was obviously the tackiest thing you can see in the market, plastic, broken clasp and scratched plastic beads and the guy tried to claim that they were REAL PEARLS....what a joke....?! 'We live here'is the common phrase when trying to bargaining for things in the market...pretending we know all the prices and we know when they are ripping us off as they do tourists. But this time he was taking us for idiots. Eventually got the 'pearl'necklaces down to a reasonable price to finish off the costume.

Who would have thought that you could dress up here so easily!! The other volunteers looked fantastic, we had a mummy (Sandeep) who came up to the rooftop armed with a white sheet 5 minutes before we were supposed to be leaving and asked for help, Nina wrapped him up and splattered tomato ketchup (from our breakfast) over him. We had a very scary gothic style Sanna and met the others who were bumble bees, fairies, German tourists (sandles and socks, LP in hand, ridiculous hat, belly and bumbag...you can just imagine!) red indians...etc.

We left the apartments and the attention starts, the little kiddies and the lady in the wooden stall next to our apartments LOVED our costumes. The lady was stopping moto drivers and pushing them towards Sanna to see her face painted face. Sandeep came down mummy style with arms out straight and scared the life out of the children! They will have had no idea what we were doing going out like this as they obviously don't know about halloween here but they loved it all the same. We got out of the tuk tuk in pub street (yes i know, pub street) and heads were turning, I felt like a celeb...tourists were taking photos. A few Koreans came and had photos with us so i thought why not, I'll take one with my camera too as it was a rather strange moment!

Many ex pats and other volunteers had come in fancy dress so we did a little parade around the street which the Khmer people loved and ended up dancing on the tables in Ankor What? bar.... At around 3am Nina suggests a pool partay. Yes nickered - from a TOGAAAA PARTY to a POOL PARTAAAAY. Anyhoo, luckily bikini under toga was a good look and ended the night dancing with my broken toga as when I got to the pool I was so very excited to get in it that I had to physically rip my toga including the VERY expensive 'pearls' off me...

Happy Birthdays....

For Steph and Francesca....hope you had fabulous days my lovelies xx