Yesterday, today and tomorrow is the National Education Congress. I am one of well over 1000 people, who are all involved in education, attending the congress. It is a celebration of the past year and a chance for each division to talk about plans for the future. The photo is of the Minister of Education along with POE and othe chiefs. All had got up and sang in front of us all at yesterday's dinner party. This party had been really well organised. As I said the...

Jazz in Phnom Penh - great evening with Ian and Amy. Lessons are going well and even the guest house staff are trying to help me learn (he wouldn't give me my key until I asked in Khmer!!)

First weekend in a new country as a worker not a tourist, it's very different. Saturday I confirmed that I am a shop kind a girl rather than a market type. I need space when I am buying something. On Sunday Zoe invited us on a boat trip to celebrate her teacher's graduation - he is now going to study for a masters degree in India. We went up the Tonle Sap to the Mekong and just drifted along - this is a common way of celebrating anything in Cambodia. In the afte...

Great Birthday. Started with my language teacher asking how old I was, my reply was Haa Seup Bpram Boun ngai nee (59 today) and she understood!! Evening spent at a bar with a couple of beers, several other volunteers and some of the staff from the office.

First day training: 1. Changed from old gueat house to the Good Luck Guest house - now have a window with a view (in fact 2 Windows!!) 2. Shown around VSO office - on tap tea and coffee and AC (what more can you ask for) 3. Language training - Sister whoever (can't remember which nun tried to teach me Latin) would have cried with joy I managed to count in Khmer - which is more than I ever did in Latin. We ended up playing Bingo. Tomorrow we go to the market fo...