‘Tis the season to be …….windy! Dec 2009

Well here we still are - our second Xmas in Cambodia. It sometimes feels like an age and other times like we arrived only yesterday. Current weather conditions include very dry, nice and warm during the day, cool at night and windy. Oh yes and very, very, very dusty! It’s a bit like California except its dusty and not by the sea and very different people!
However life here is never boring. There’s always some twit (spelt with an a!) waiting to throw a spanner in the works. For example……
The road widening scheme continues. Now they have hacked up the entire tarmac road through the town / city, leaving the debris to be collected sometime and dumped somewhere, hopefully somewhere far away, he writes optimistically. The road is now treacherous, very stony and bumpy with lashings of extra dust and no contingency for traffic use. So, everyone is battling for whatever piece of uneven pathway they can find. The motor bikes are taking some even more hammering at present.
We now live in a modest little wooden combo, some might even call it a lake side duplex. All seems well; the new landlord is very nice and helpful. Then, at the, let’s relax after the weeks’ toil, weekend, we are treated to the saw mill symphony. Yes, the next door neighbour has a part-time business – a bloody sawmill! The concerto signs begin with a chuff – chuff opener when the diesel generator starts. Then we are treated to a cacophony of delights punctuated by virtuoso performances on the big brassy buzz saw and the more melodic planer. We do show our appreciation for the performance by loudly cheering and applauding whenever there is an interlude.
Perhaps I should record it and release it as ‘cutting’ edge composition for MP3 download on the inter-net! (I’m not sure who called it a buzz saw – I can reliably inform you that it definitely does not buzz). The noise is absolutely horrendous, so much so that we may seek solitude at our former abode during weekends (as they are returning to Sweden for eight months!) There is some respite however when new timber arrives and the completed score departs. We have made representations to said owner but as a policeman he seems to be able to do as he likes. One disturbing observation is that he may go stone deaf very soon as no credence is taken re: health and safety – a much misunderstood term here, as no ear protection is worn by any of the workers – I fear he is already there as he feels there is no problem! Hark! the herald cutters begin as I write – magic!
Work projects seem to be proceeding well for both Jan and I. I have continued to work closely with four science teachers at the local secondary school. Last week they tried out some of the practical activities with small groups of twenty pupils in the new lab. All went well and it gave the teachers a well deserved confidence boost without their safety net – the text book! Pupils also had a great time, their first experiment in a very differently organized classroom (as you can see from the photos). The lab is still a work in progress, but progress nonetheless. We are approaching completion re: electrical wiring and desk fabrication. All that is left to do is a really good clean out, walls painted and to lay the floor covering.
Jan seems to have forged some excellent relationships with her schools and they are taking on board some ideas and suggestions. Evidence of resources being used with children and actually enjoying it!
On Thursday we were informed that a proposed inspection at schools in one of Jan’s districts was postponed (a euphemism for cancellation in Cambodia). We arrived at work on Friday, 0730 hrs as usual, and were informed again, still postponed. Ten minutes later it was back on again! They had received a phone call from the boss to say that money was suddenly now available for it to go ahead. Jan and I hurriedly gathered tool and repair kits, eventually leaving at 0845hrs and arriving at the school at approx 1000hrs and 35km later covered in dust and the beginnings of ‘inspectors arse’ , a condition caused by long motor bike rides on very difficult bumpy tracks.
We were asked to observe a contract teacher to look at technical matters e.g. quality of teaching and learning. Unusually, we reconvened at 1300hrs for a debrief meeting with the cluster director and the inspection team (the teachers finish the morning shift at 1100hrs and so were then unavailable for the meeting.) Please note that contract teachers are very young and educated to year seven or eight at best, received no training at all, have little or no support, often get no money for six months and are on a year’s contract. I leave you to imagine what we observed in the lesson.
Jan also returned from another visit where the school director was absent only to be told by the children that he is always drunk!
Talking of drink, we were in our (only) favourite local restaurant which was incredibly busy, full of locals and an influx of tourists when two young English things arrived. They presented the stereotypical image of two girls from privileged backgrounds, dressed in ethnically inspired garb, on their ‘finding themselves’ gap year trip funded by Daddy (I hope this biased comment paints the appropriate picture and no doubt totally wrong but what the heck…). They made a bit of a fuss re: the menu which is easy to read and in English. They then proceeded to ask about a bottle of wine. Dutifully, the young lad, Somm Nah, rushed away and returned with the one bottle of red they had to be greeted with “Oh we don’t drink red do you have any white wine?” We almost expected them to ask to see the wine list or to send out the sommelier to discuss cellar options!
Now for the foodie bit! We held a joint celebration for Jan and Veasna’s birthdays. It was a great evening with Jan’s magnificent sautéed potatoes or big chips / roasties, grill your own pork kebabs, crudités with home made dips (humus + roasted sesame seeds and kidney bean + cumin, fresh fruit salad and booze, Xmas lights, balloons and decorations! We also cooked a mountain of rice as the VAs say it’s in their culture and that they will die if they don’t eat rice with every meal. Surprise of surprises, we found all the fried potatoes went very quickly and most of the rice was left uneaten. Yet another Khmer myth put to rest culture when it suits! The photo shows Jan with her homemade passionfruit curd 'breakfast' pancake!
We had another get together Xmas eve. Jan baked some mince pies, shortbreadmulled wine, with vegetable samosas, savory couscus, onion bhajis and coleslaw, whilst our neighbours Ross & Gabi, did sweet balls. All delights home made of course!
Xmas day started with pressies from secret santa with nibbles. Lunch was a veritable feast of stuffed turkey and pork with roasties, cauliflower cheese, tomato and aubergine bake with cheese topping, sweet potato mash, beans, carrots and lots of wine. Then we had Xmas pudding (brought from the UK during our summer visit) and custard followed by cup cakes. Eventually managed to squeeze in an afternoon nap, shame we had no Queen’s Speech to sleep through but just goes to prove you can’t have everything even in paradise!

MERRY XMAS AND A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS