Siem Reap Tuesday March 25th.
I can't believe that it has been 2 weeks since I left Melbourne, at times I feel that I am not getting anywhere but when I reflect, so much has happened and has been achieved.
Already I have met old friends, made new friends, said goodbye to departing volunteers that I would have liked the opportunity to spend more time with and had contact with people who are returning to Grace House, but that is what this town is about! We come and we go. Some stay, some like myself return multiple times before deciding what they will do here.
It is hot, sooooo hot, the hottest months are upon us. It will take time to acclimatize ( if I ever do). I melt, literally! I feel like I have wet my pants some days and dread standing up after having sat for any length of time. Tonight is a screamer and no relief after a scorching day, it has been a 4 shower and change of underwear day! Problem is that 2 minutes after having a shower the face fountain starts spurting again. I can't put face cream on as it runs off with the heat. My hair is never dry because I have either washed it again or the scalp fountain keeps it moist! I don't actually remember having been this hot before! Could be due to no swimming pool. Must visit one this weekend!
There have been a few lessons learnt this week:
Always make sure when you live somewhere with tiled floors to have a plastic film on the I phone face because when you drop it the film keeps the shattered glass in place so one can still use it!
Carry a towel all the time to prevent sliding off or peeling yourself off the plastic tuk tuk seat or the plastic restaurant seat so you don't look like you have wet your pants.
Keep all laptops, I pads and phones fully charged as power can go out at any time
Make sure torch is always next to bed or in handbag when you go out as power can still go off at any time! Keep spare batteries!
Always have lots of single dollars in the purse as tuk tuk drivers rarely have any change as they rarely get any fares.
Elevate feet whenever possible to prevent heat related elephant ankles.
Always write in a note book and not on pieces of paper because when you turn the fan on the before mentioned pieces of paper fly out of the door and over the balcony.
At night turn on the outside lights to keep the evil spirits away! I do it to try to deter intruders! Same same but different!
Carry many passport photos and copies of passport and visa as every department wants one! I even had to supply them to the village elders and the local police department! The police department also wanted to know my weight ( I lied) my parents names and if they were "present or departed"!!!!
Never put more than one thing on the to do list per day because you will only disappoint yourself as everything moves very slowly!
I have spent some time at Grace House speaking to Bridget and Alan about doing some teaching for the next 6 months as I think the architect is scared I will be around watching every brick being laid! I think I have him bluffed with my directness. They aren't used to this but it seems to be working with him. I have taught them some English. They say " you want cheap?"I say , "no, less expensive, it sounds so much nicer!" They look at me blankly! Today they came and Yango said to me, " this one is less expensive, it sounds so much nice"!!!!! You win some ..........
Anyway I digress. I was going to job share with another person, her in am , me in pm but the other person didn't work out and as the situation at GH has changed I will be holding the fort, so to speak. Alan has a tumour in his neck and returned to the UK this evening for proper diagnosis and treatment, Bridget will be following ASAP and they may be away for a couple of months. The Khmer staff who have been around from the beginning and who have a vital role In the project will be running the show and I will just be back up and help where I can and look after new volunteers, along with afternoon teaching to the senior students. I am happy that I am here and can assist them so they can focus on Alan's health. A busy time but if I manage my time properly all will be well.
I have been in the villa for 4 nights now and settling in OK with the bare necessities, a little above the level of camping but have what I need! The place is clean and habitable and in a week or so should be even better!
So my achievements are:
2 lovely woven basket chairs and a table
A gas kitchen stove, bottle and stand
A nice timber kitchen unit
A new but pretty hard foam mattress (had better and had worse) it was "less expensive" than a spring one!
A little television for my "visitors", mine for the moment
Internet connected
Cable television connected, out of 89 channels I watch 5!
A safe for my masses of jewelry!! Ha Ha!
Lots of cleaning
Organized interior painting in the villa, was going to do it but ceilings are 3.5 meters!!!
Tomorrow the builder starts to build a screen around my very large verandah because every time I go out for a shower or to the bathroom , which is built at the end of the balcony(!) I seem to come face to face with the heavy smoking French man standing on his balcony in the apartment block next door!!!
The locks are to be changed on the external doors as the owner insists she doesn't have one but I KNOW she has.
I have a paying guest arriving late June for 3 weeks! A volunteer at GH who was recommended to me by Bridget. I can do this for the next few months or until I am sick of it!
I have applied for and received a 12 month visa which allows me "residency"
I have employed a young man who is the prodigy of a co worker at Grace House. He assists me with interpreting, cleaning, gardening and anything else I need help with. In return he gets a wage, the pleasure of my company and guidance in the way to deal with foreigners and how the role as an assistant works. Today's lessons were don t stand behind me and read my computer, don't point at my phone and use becoming fingers whilst saying give me! And it isn't polite to ask me how much everything costs me! All said in a far more delicate manner than this of course! He is actually delightful, very eager to please and a hard worker and very pleased to have his first paying job which is flexible to his schooling hours and close to home.
On my list of to do's are the business registration which commenced this afternoon and after visiting 3 offices, 4 passport photos and. 2 copies of the passport and visa and a $15 search fee, I should know by Friday if Santa Clara Is available. If it is I was told I would have the certificate. Nakk my assistant has a dry sense of humour, $15 and 2 days? Ha! They could do this in one press of a button, 2 days justifies taking $15 from you! Many people don't earn that in a week!
Still, one goes with the flow and this certificate is required for the business and for me to do the next thing on my list and that is to open a bank account.
I'm getting there! Things are happening, slowly but I knew that would be the case!
I am happy with the location that I have chosen, in a really nice part of town, on the river, big old trees, quieter, friendly neighbors, smiling locals. The owners don't like a cent to pas them and when they discovered I was changing the bathrooms they had somebody in to take away all the toilets, the hand basins, the bedroom fans, exhaust fans, if it could be removed, they removed it to on sell. All the metal awnings have been taken down along with enormous frames. Good for me as it has taken a team of men 2 weeks to do this, saved me a lot of time and trouble to remove very ugly fixtures!!!
So all in all a couple of good weeks, I'm not lonely, I'm not bored, I'm well and looking forward to the transformation. Do have to say though that I miss family and friends, moaning about Deans sadistic training and coffees with Yvonne, movies with Maria, drink, lunches and chats with Kaye , Rhonda and Lois and now going to miss seeing Loira blossoming in her pregnancy. Miss seeing and chatting with my mum and my boys and their partners and of course my little girls, I think of them all the time and if anything makes me a little tearful it is looking at their photos.
So, much has been achieved and much yet to achieve. I sometimes ask myself the question that Yvonne asks me - why don't you ever do anything easy? The answer? The easy option is rarely exciting!
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