March-ing on..... (12/03/11)

Greetings,

Since I last wrote, much has been happening. I've been busy with the puppet flipchart project visiting the three NGOs taking part,  spending time at Cafe Eden with the staff there, having friends over to the flat and feeding them and generally getting to know people more and them, me. All of which have helped me feel much more at home here and settled I’m pleased to say.

Language continues to be a challenge but have decided to have a go at learning the Khmer script which will help me  understand the structure of the language and grasp the prounounciation better too. At the moment it just feels really abstract with words floating round my brain like untethered balloons. Soooo, there’s a course at a local University which starts at the end of this month so I hope to do that for the following three months and make it my main focus. The puppet project has run on longer than expected but hopefully will be finished around the time the course starts.

It was really good to see Ced and Marie from the Island here earlier last month. Ced lived in Phnom Penh a few years ago and, with Michael King from the World Horizons team here, set up a business exporting tiles to the island made by families from a village just outside the city (see the link for Ced’s business “Bojj” on www.charnwood.com). Whilst they were here we went to visit the village and it was one of my favourite days so far. The five families they've been working with all clubbed together and put on a massive spread for us. Seeing as it’s one of the poorest villages in its province, it was a true feast. And it was great to have a laugh with the children afterwards and splash about in the Mekong just a short walk from their homes.

Going down to the seaside town of Sihanoukville to visit one of the NGOs (a centre for street kids - see www.mloptapang.org) for the puppet project was another of my favourite days. The centre’s an amazing place. Full of kids who would otherwise be down the beach selling bracelets or fruit to tourists or just on the streets. Really loved being there and seeing the range of things they offer: medical and dental treatment, a creche (where worn-out Mums can sleep too), emergency accommodation, an outreach team, a mobile library, a craft shop as well as the lessons and the arts and drama workshops I’d heard most about. Amazing.

I went to train a couple of staff (via a translator) to use the flipchart which was a first for me. Haven’t needed to do it for the other two NGOs so it felt quite a new thing. Really enjoyed it though and it was great to see them use it to teach some kids afterwards.

Some fun things have been a pancake night with the CFC girls at Jo and Fiona's (here doing their gap year with World Horizons) which turned into a photo shoot.....

.........A "Big Food" ("Ah hah tom tom" in Khmer) night at my flat which brought together people from England, Japan, America, Cambodia, Indonesia, Scotland and Canada. A great evening full of eating, laughing, chatting and playing daft games........

..........and cooking lessons and hospitality from my landlady, Mom, and her daughter, Nita:

So all in all, things are going well and life is taking shape. Just want to say as a final thing, thanks so much again for the recent financial support from the church tithe. It was such an encouragement and has been real a blessing to me. Many many thanks.

Until next time, sending blessings and rays of warmth from Cambodia.

lots of love,

Fiona x