Happy New Year

Met up with the group  I trained with in Siem Reap for Khmer New Year. Stayed at a nice cheap guest house which left more money for eating and drinking! We visited a butterfly farm which was more interesting than it sounds!

An Atlas  moth (largest in World I think)

We also visited a silk farm as Cambodia is famous for its silk but the real stuff is very expensive!!





the actual silk cocoons( put in this basket thing to make them easier to handle)





We did`t do Angkor Wat as it is expensive and I will `do` it when visitors are over here. The weather was really hot and we found an air conditioned ice cream shop with `beds` in it! Perfect!! so here for people who have commented they haven`t seen a picture of me....



This is why I don`t put pictures of me on this blog!! but the ice cream was lovely!

It was lovely to see everyone and I really liked Siem Reap!

Had to go back to PP rather than go straight to Kratie as the bus was overbooked because of the new year.! We were in a minibus containing 17 people. I couldn`t actually put both feet on the floor as my seat was right at the back over the wheel arch. We had Khmer karaoke, a manic comedy show and the usual violent , martial arts film blaring from the speaker right above my right ear. I had to wear one of my earplugs!! When I think of my space/noise level tolerance when I travel in the UK it has gone off the scale. You have to put up with noise of all sorts and if there are any quiet moments they will have to fill it with something-music. banging, drilling, shouting, hawking up phlegm(a favourite pastime of the young and old, chanting. baking(dogs) Geckos making loud gecko noises ...

Back in Kratie I have settled into my house and here to have to put up with not only all of the above but also bats flying around my living room and a huge cockroach in the kitchen!!

I finally started work at the teacher training Centre. I walked into the office I share with the deputy director , which is actally the staffroom, here is a picture of my table and my lovely plastic flower arrangement.

This was the scene on the table next to mine where the trainers had been marking books, I didn`t enjoy marking but I never resorted to an axe!! It was quietly removed later and I have no idea why it was there!! The rest of the staff seem quite friendly although with their english and my khmer communication doesn`t flow!! At the moment I am just trying to look busy. Yesterday I went to a 2 hour staff meeting which was not very enlightening. It started just like the ones at home. Some people turn up on time and sit and wait, then after a while someone thinks they could be doing something else and someone decides to go and round up the others so it took a while to get started! Still it passed 2 hours! This morning it was suggested (not to me I might add) that I should take a 2 hour english lesson as the tutor hadn`t turned up!! What could I do? i could hardly say I wasn`t prepared!! The students were very reluctant to speak English and although they have been learning for 3 years their language was quite limited. Anyway I somehow managed to get through the time and am now on my lunch 3 hours!!
We work from 7-11 and then 2-5.
Here are some pictures of the PTTC(Provencial teacher training Centre) where I work.

The view from my window, across the road is the river.





The outside of the PTTC my `office` is on the first floor to the right of the stairs.

Just one other thing-apart from never moaning about the NHS, the rubbish collections and health and safety in the U.K. again I would like to add staff toilets!!Anyway off to have another shower before I cycle the 5 mins back to work!!

By the way I can`t access this blog so I hope its coming out ok!

Life in Kratie

I was supposed to start work this week but after a 20 minute meeting with the director, I was told the college was shutting for 3 weeks for New Year and to come back on the 21st April! It`ll be time to come home before I`ve started work. Still I am making the most of it and on Wednesday I am going to meet up with my language group in Siem Reap for 4 days! I am travelling with 3 other volunteers from here so that will make the journey better.
After staying a couple of days with another volunteer I have finally moved into my own house. It is very handy for the market, near other volunteers and close to the river.

This is it! I have the upstairs and the landord and his wife live downstairs.

My balcony

  These are photos of the inside.

My cooking facilities!

Its lovely to be able to have ice and to keep things fresh!

I don`t have hot water and the pressure is very low at the moment but it is nice to have a proper shower!



The chairs I bought in Phnom Penh note the 70`s lino!!

This is looking in from the front door. As you can see I am going for the minimalist look!!

Anyway the house is nice but it is quite noisy but I think that is part of Cambodian life. They don`t seem to notice noise!
Sunday am.
Having said about the noise I was kept awake by dogs barking and loud music last night and woken at 4 30 by chanting monks and my neighbour(God knows what he was doing!) However I did get back to sleep until 6 30 when everyone is up and banging!!

This is sunset over Koh Trong

Yesterday I cycled around the island opposite Kratie called Koh Trong with another volunteer. We went over on the ferry and hired a bike on the island. It was lovely and shady and peaceful ,except for the wedding on the island and the noise of the one on the opposite bank! It was very rural although I did spot a satellite dish!

A bamboo pathway up the beach on Koh Trong

These people were washing clothes in the river!

Bananas growing. The flowers are beautiful and used in cooking.

The Beach.

Anyway thats all I`ve got for now. Will try and blog more regularly now I am settled.