First things first, apologies to any of you who thought my blog would be an intelligent expose of Khmer culture and society. Far from….. my blog is to communicate the day to day and mundane to any one who is remotely interested. My philosophising and reflections are confined to my written journal, and therefore for my eyes only!
4 November 2007 – Mekong Sunday
Its 12 noon as I write and my second Sunday here in Kampuchea (Khmer for Cambodia), and whilst I have already established a daily routine, in which comfort can be derived from my own sense of order and control, I am keen not to loose my heightened awareness of daily events and happenings here to the blindness of routine.
This morning the small group of rookie VSO volunteers, of which I am one, is doing homework. After 3 days of intensive Khmer lessons with a great Khmer teacher, we are all doing our Sunday homework. It is a long time since any of us studied a language so intensely…….in fact, I never studied a language intensely like this before. Needless to say the Sunday homework brings memories of cramming homework in before Monday flooding back……! The dread of Monday morning is however absent, for now anyway.
Sundays are also marginally quieter than the rest of the week, but not by much. The cockerels start at 4 am as usual, the music blares from the Wots and the weddings from early on, and the ever present mottos (motor cycles of various size) start up, and many people going about their usual business.
The other great thing about this morning is the weather: overcast, bit of drizzle, and temperatures dropping to the mid- 20’s (in new money). It’s very comfortable.
And onto the other short stories:
Don’t stand under the coconut trees!
Having lived in Ireland and England all my life, I never actually appreciated the hazards posed by a coconut. Our little compound has a nice yard, with several coconut trees on the periphery…….very pleasant. The washing line is located under the trees, and whilst I was pinning out my washing, our teacher kindly explained that falling coconuts (they fall from a great height) occasionally result in severe injury or death from time to time. So no more chilling under the coconut trees and hanging the washing out is now a speedy exercise.
Kiki the dog: Kiki is the little brown guard dog that is a sweetie but takes her job of warning us of any bike that might come near….which is many. Kiki has taken a bit of a liking to me because I slip her scraps now and again. She’s got my number in terms of missing Poppy, and that I’m a soft touch. Reports of Poppy for those who know her is that she is doing well, and has settled in her gang of dogs walking in Roundhay Park, Leeds every day. She is not however, too keen on the frequent bathes Dee is inflicting on her. So, Kiki is my surrogate for Poppy for a short while.
The frog in my shoe: Some of us will remember a children’s TV programme with a frog called Kiki……answers on an email please. I don’t think this frog has a name. As part of our in country health advice we are advised to check our shoes before we put them on in-case something took refuge in them. Let me explain, when entering the house and most Khmer buildings, including temples and shrines, shoes are removed and left at the door. This morning as I was putting my running shoes on, I stuck my hand in my shoe and yelped as it met the soft body of a small frog! Now, the reason why this is a good lesson is obvious. I was reminded of the need to check my shoes all the time, and lucky for me, there was nothing more than a small cute frog in my shoe today. Getting used to unusual things such as Geckos on the bedroom ceiling and frogs in my shoes is a bit of a challenge.
I’m going to close here. If you want to know something about Kampuchea (Cambodia) you can put in a special request via email. Otherwise, I’ll just keep on telling you what I think is of interest on the banks of the Mekong River, including the mundane.
4 November 2007 – Mekong Sunday
Its 12 noon as I write and my second Sunday here in Kampuchea (Khmer for Cambodia), and whilst I have already established a daily routine, in which comfort can be derived from my own sense of order and control, I am keen not to loose my heightened awareness of daily events and happenings here to the blindness of routine.
This morning the small group of rookie VSO volunteers, of which I am one, is doing homework. After 3 days of intensive Khmer lessons with a great Khmer teacher, we are all doing our Sunday homework. It is a long time since any of us studied a language so intensely…….in fact, I never studied a language intensely like this before. Needless to say the Sunday homework brings memories of cramming homework in before Monday flooding back……! The dread of Monday morning is however absent, for now anyway.
Sundays are also marginally quieter than the rest of the week, but not by much. The cockerels start at 4 am as usual, the music blares from the Wots and the weddings from early on, and the ever present mottos (motor cycles of various size) start up, and many people going about their usual business.
The other great thing about this morning is the weather: overcast, bit of drizzle, and temperatures dropping to the mid- 20’s (in new money). It’s very comfortable.
And onto the other short stories:
Don’t stand under the coconut trees!
Having lived in Ireland and England all my life, I never actually appreciated the hazards posed by a coconut. Our little compound has a nice yard, with several coconut trees on the periphery…….very pleasant. The washing line is located under the trees, and whilst I was pinning out my washing, our teacher kindly explained that falling coconuts (they fall from a great height) occasionally result in severe injury or death from time to time. So no more chilling under the coconut trees and hanging the washing out is now a speedy exercise.
Kiki the dog: Kiki is the little brown guard dog that is a sweetie but takes her job of warning us of any bike that might come near….which is many. Kiki has taken a bit of a liking to me because I slip her scraps now and again. She’s got my number in terms of missing Poppy, and that I’m a soft touch. Reports of Poppy for those who know her is that she is doing well, and has settled in her gang of dogs walking in Roundhay Park, Leeds every day. She is not however, too keen on the frequent bathes Dee is inflicting on her. So, Kiki is my surrogate for Poppy for a short while.
The frog in my shoe: Some of us will remember a children’s TV programme with a frog called Kiki……answers on an email please. I don’t think this frog has a name. As part of our in country health advice we are advised to check our shoes before we put them on in-case something took refuge in them. Let me explain, when entering the house and most Khmer buildings, including temples and shrines, shoes are removed and left at the door. This morning as I was putting my running shoes on, I stuck my hand in my shoe and yelped as it met the soft body of a small frog! Now, the reason why this is a good lesson is obvious. I was reminded of the need to check my shoes all the time, and lucky for me, there was nothing more than a small cute frog in my shoe today. Getting used to unusual things such as Geckos on the bedroom ceiling and frogs in my shoes is a bit of a challenge.
I’m going to close here. If you want to know something about Kampuchea (Cambodia) you can put in a special request via email. Otherwise, I’ll just keep on telling you what I think is of interest on the banks of the Mekong River, including the mundane.
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