Farewell to Cambodia. Dtar neak sok sub bai dte? Hello! I am such a show off its ridiculous but I am very proud of my new found language skills and am using them at every possibly opportunity, especitally after an Angkor Beer or two.... I am now officially a graduate again and have passed my course, with merit obviously. It has been brilliant actually; I have really really enjoyed it. The last two weeks have been quite challenging as we have been learning Khmer and have been teaching afterwards. The Khmer has been really good and really difficult. I would love to keep on learning it, and if - or when rather - I come back to Cambodia I will definitely be doing more lessons. Its just really exciting being in an Asian country and understanding bits of what people are saying. I have been really lucky in that because I know a few languages generally I can work out at least bits of ones I haven't learnt, but Khmer is so completely different it always seemed so…foreign, really, for lack of a better word. Not any more! I nearly shouted out with excitement the other day when I was on a bus and someone said 'one more' in Khmer and I UNDERSTOOD IT. Stupid as it sounds it makes you feel a lot more comfortable somewhere when you know that you can communicate with people, even on an incy wincy level. Listen to me making out I'm bloody fluent! I can hardly string a sentence together but it has been wicked. The teaching side of things has also been brilliant, although it would have been nice to have done some more. We have mainly been team teaching so two of us would take an hour long lesson together. Naomi and I worked together and we definitely lucked out in terms of our students. The teaching practise is based at an orphanage, which is absolutely nothing like PACDOC, where I was last year (more of that in a minute…). We took a class each day of 7 students which were classed as pre-intermediate. They were probably around 16/17 - an age group I was previously terrified of teaching and would not go near with a barge poll. But what a difference a day makes. They were absolutely fantastic - so energetic, so eager to learn and generally really fun. I am going to miss teaching them everyday. As a whole I think our lessons have been fine, good even - although we have had no feedback. We took one lesson on our own which was quite nerve wrecking but mine was ok, even though I screwed up bingo. We also have had to find a Khmer person to do a one-to-one lesson with. That was great! I asked in this random little café near where we live if the boss would mind if I nicked one of her staff for a couple of hours for an English lesson and she was so lovely and completely up for it. As was Tola, the boy I taught. He was lovely!! The lessons are the fun part but sadly they come hand in hand with…yawn…lesson plans. Good god if I never see another one again I will die a happy woman - still want to do my PGCE though - now more than ever! There has been quite a bit of paperwork actually; lesson plans, observations, self-evaluations yada yada yada, and this week especially I have felt tied to the computer. But it's all done and completed now and I am just a little it proud of myself. It's sad that imp not staying on now I'm done with the course and working - most people are, and I have been getting pretty jealous about their apartment and job hunting! But I will definitely be back again just to work...honest! On my next trip to Cambodia I will not be doing any travelling - just hard graft. Probably. Definitely there are things about the course I would change, but nothing major and to be honest I can't be bothered to moan and be negative. Generally it has been a fantastic experience, one I am so glad I have done and one I will always remember. Anyway, in other news! Jen is here and has been for a couple of weeks. It's been great to see her and we're going to spend two weeks in Vietnam before she flies home. Actually I'm in Ho Chi Minh City now but this place deserves a brand spanking new update. Last weekend Jen and I got the bus up to Siem Reap (where I was last year) for an absolutely fabulous - and slightly vodka fuelled - 48 hours. It was really really lovely to be back there - and to relieve our memories. It is a really special place for me and I am glad to have been back and enjoyed it again as it was there that I thought I may lose my mind at the beginning of this trip! Jen and I caught up with some friends who are still there - much alcohol and reminiscing if I remember correctly. We also visited the Angkor temples again which are the most amazingly beautiful things I have ever seen. AND I made it back to PACDOC, where I had the most amazing welcome and with the help of a Khmer guy who spoke English actually managed to have a conversation with the kids. Actually, as soon as I got there they all ran into the classroom and sat down. I had to explain that I was only nipping in and not there to teach. I asked the Khmer guy to tell the kids I would try and come back before I head home. He translated and the kids started cheering so now I am going back for a week or so after Vietnam to teach. Which is perfectly fine by me! In fact I cannot wait. My last week in Phomn Penh has been...emotional i guess! The course has been pretty full on with lots of panicking making sure I had completed everything for my 'portfolio', and there has been lots of trying to squeeze in social things I wanted to do before I left. Oh and the eating of tarantula. Seriously - I ate it. Well I ate a couple of legs actually. It was nice once you got over the furry leg issues. We left Phnom Penh this morning and it was quite sad - but not too bad as I know I will be back in a couple of weeks. But it was really really sad saying goodbye to Kitty - the puppy at the house. No-one else loves him - probably because he is forever trying to bite you - but I adore him and have spent many an hour sitting outside with him in my lap. He is like a little ginger fluffball and if you catch him when he is not insanely hyperactive he is like a snugly teddy bear. I really love him. A lot. I don't know what has captivated me so much about Cambodia but I feel so happy when I am here. It is an amazing place and remains one of my favourite countries in the world. It also seems to hold so many possibilities for me, be it teaching, volunteering, or NGO work - there is always something to get involved in. And the Khmer people are the nicest people in the world ever. Especially the women who are forever smiling at you and laughing and talking. Cambodians like to smile and have fun, despite everything and their horrendous recent tragic past, they seem to love life and embrace it.Anyway, on to another country - Vietnam! I'm a little apprehensive about what to expect as everything I've heard from other travellers hasnt been very possitive and I am still in love with Cambodia, but I am trying to begin my new experience with an open mind! I'll let you know! Lots of love. EllaxxxxxP.s. Did I mention how much I love Kitty?