Week 17: ups and downs

After our first whole week back in Chamcar Bei it feels like we never left. It's been quite a busy week and has been full of ups and downs.

We went back to the village from Kep a bit earlier than we usually do last weekend so that we could enjoy having a few days of chilling out at the Red House before a full week of teaching. On Sunday we were reading in our hammocks when we got 2 unexpected visitors who didn't seem to be expecting us to be there either. Apparently, while Tom and I had been in Singapore, some one had broken into the kitchen twice over the weekends (while everyone was inKep) and stolen some food and knives. We still don't know who he/she/they were but by the way the two men sneakily crept up the stairs and their awkward reactions when they saw us, we have a hunch that it may have been them. After a while the guard showed up and chatted to them for a bit but when Paa came out of the kitchen, where she'd been resting, they set off pretty quickly.

The house is also being taken over by a plague of biting ants, especially in the kitchen where a strange dance or jig has developed to prevent them from biting our feet. We've also seen a couple of little snakes around the house and by the wier so now we're doubly careful of where we put our feet down.

Last September we heard that there were plans to move the BAB office in Kep to Chamcar Bei in March or April this year. Having been in Cambodia for 3 months already we were pretty cynical as to whether that would ever happen, let alone in March. However, as of a couple of weeks ago, the BAB office in Kep now has a new project manager called Sara, from Holland, who has promised us that it will be moved on 9th February. Everyone agrees that we think decisions and plans will be made a lot faster from now on! I'm really glad that the office is moving to the village, mainly because it will mean that we won't have to drive the moto to Kep every weekend. I don't really mind driving there and have got quite used to driving the moto but neither of us trust the other people on the road very much. The number of road accidents we've heard about in Cambodia so far is incredible. This week there were two funerals in the village - both due to moto accidents and the victims were only 20 and 29 years old. It's not a very comforting thought...

It's definitely the time of year for weddings and parties at the moment and in Chamcar Bei everyone loves a party. The only problem is that they last for 2 to 3 days and they like to build great big walls of speakers and blast music from them until 2 in the morning and then again from 5am until daybreak. Unfortunately sound travels extremely well in the area and a party 3km away can sound like it's just down the road.

Despite a slight lack of sleep, teaching has gone pretty well this week. Our afternoon schedules have changed a little. In the morning we still teach the kids at CLC, the teachers and the youth team. However, in the afternoon I'm now teaching one hour of CLC kids and then I go back to the CVTC to teach all the ladies who work there - the weaving, sewing and Funky Junk ladies as well as Coconut Project ladies. There are 35 of them so I teach half of them on Monday and Tuesday and half on Wednesday and Thursday. I'm starting right from ABC again because they can't speak any English at all. I think I'm really going to enjoy teaching them at the end of the day.

The topic this week has been a recap of time as well as dates, seasons and birthdays. Unfortunately my class of intermediate CLC students on Wednesday morning was extremely hectic - it was just one of those days where all the kids had waaaay too much energy and decided it was more fun to climb up the window grills and have a ride on the new mobile white-board than learn to tell the time. However, the beginner students are really enjoying the "letter of the week" activities. We've found worksheets which have traceable letters and pictures of words that begin with that letter. I'm also trying to teach them some new games which will help them to practice new vocab.

We worked very hard with the Youth Team this week to help them fill out their scholarship application forms. We managed to get them sent off on time and now we have about a month until the selection process starts when they will have to go Phnom Penh for exams and interviews.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!