HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY MUM

Just as I pressed the button to update my blog yesterday Onno (team manager for education in VSO) walked by!! He was in Battambang with several of the top people from VSO including the new Netherlands lead. This meeting lead to an invitation to one of the poshest hotels in town for dinner. Fab!!! Best thing was that I am at last feeling I am getting to know the other local VSO volunteers.

As I said at the end of my last blog I need a skirt so at the beginning of the evening I just said I needed help with finding somewhere in Battambang, before I was allowed to say what and why, Jeremy said he would help as he knows the place well. When I asked about needing an outfit for a wedding he handed me over to his VA a lovely young girl who told me where I should go.

So this morning off I went looking for the shops she said I couldn't miss .... I did!! So into the market I dived, walked around and around found material, found a woman with a sewing machine. Left and found a coffee drank the coffee, dived back into the market and bought not one but two lengths of material. Found the woman with the machine again but she only mended or adjusted clothes - at least that's what I think. So I went deeper (that's what it feels like) until I found a section where there were several women with machines. I showed them my material - only one - and demonstrated skirt. They showed me a sampot (Cambodian skirt, basically a long wrap around) and I nodded. I was well and truly measured and then we worked out that I was to return at 5 o'clock.

Now for the top - fancy white blouse. I had seen them at the other end of the market so off I trotted thinking if I can buy a skirt a top will be easy. I am not the shape of the average Cambodian woman - I am not sure I am the shape of the average British woman!! - but I was sure I could find something. I found one that was nice but too expensive. Then I found a stall that had several that were not too heavily decorated and I chose one. The woman who owned the stall was very proud that she felt she had my size, extra large. As it happens she was wrong, I am only a large so maybe I am getting a little slimmer!

I am celebrating by having a mango shake and lime cake for lunch in the rain. Celebrating because I managed all this without meeting anyone that could speak a word of English beyond hello.

Celebrated too soon - she meant 5 o'clock tomorrow. Oooops!! Watch this space.