hey everyone,

well... i know feel a lot more comfortable here - more like i have moved here and less like i am on a holiday! i ahve been gone from oz land for over three weeks and i ahve forgotten what the winter feels like!! hope u are all missing me!!

went to a wedding yesterday!.. well gatecrashed it would be more truthful. one of the staff members got married - i dont actually know her but went along anywasy. it was gfreat fun - i borrored a traditional outfit - whcih is a saronga and matching top in beautiful silk fabric, turquise and brown. some of the girls did my makeup - i was laughing so much.. they put white white foundation on my face.. apparently i am not white enoiugh!!!! and brigh red eyeshadoe and bright pink lipstick! so i was all ready to go to the wedding... oh and how did we get there you may ask? well in traditional cambodian fashion - on the back of a motorbike!!! so there is was, side saddle of a motobike, in a ball gown, praying that i would not fall off the back!!! and being stared at by everyone we went past - apparently a barang (foriegner) dressed like i was on the back of a motorbike is not a common sight in these parts!!!

the actual wedding ceremony is held privately in the home of the family - the bit i went to was a lunch - held in a tent that gets put out in nearest space to the family home - which meant the road. so i was sitting eating lunch with trucks and motobikes roaring past only 30 cems away! it was very very hot but i was stoked to see bavaria beer on the table - it was hot but still beer!! i was excited until i was told girls do not drink beer here!! well i obeyed that for about twenty minutes and then thought - what the hell - i already stick out enough with my white skin and long skinny nose - may as well fulfill the stereotype and o got stuck into the beer with the boys quite surprised but willing to fill my glass up constantly!

the food was good - very chinese in style - which meant chopsticks, i was quite a pro though - very good at it.

the dresses were so beautifil and the makeup as well - so elaborate - it must have taken hours!!!

the tradition is for the bride and groom and family to stand at the entrance and welcome guests the whole of the lunch - and then walk around and say hello to everyone. there were no speeches. the music was awseome - khmer pop songs - and i was looking forward to shking some booty but there was no room to dance so no dancing for me taht day! it was cool - i wish i got a picture of the bride she looked awse. don't worry i did get someone to take a picture of me dolled up as a try hard cambodian women - will post it when i get a chance!

i i have been really buys at the centre cos we have had lots of visitors - at the moment we have a second lots of english school students who are on a lead4ership camp - they ahve been helping around teh centre 0- sprucing it up a bit by painting murals in the classrooms and playing with kids. we also had about 40 people from all around the world who are prt of a evangelical christian group, here for a ig weekdn long christian concert. they are nice bit i have been biting my tongue very hard around them - like when they keep asking me if i am religious and if i go to church! and when they gave toys to teh kids - tehy explained there are bible quotes written in khmer on the back. some of them are very wealthy and are looking to donat money - so tehy have been looking at teh centre in depth - the centre is desperate for money because its in a financial crisis - but my blood boiled when they asked if the children have bible studies here - i got the impression that thy give money with one hand and a bible with teh otehr - can anyone say blackmail|??? but i gues what's imporant is they do want to help!

i am going to thailand next weekend i think - i need to renew my visa so thought i might hop on a bus and visit - will probably go to bangkok cos my nepalese friend is going to be there for two days on a stopover.

anyways gotta go

xoxoxo trish