This week has been busy. The POE has approved my annual plan and I have written 5 different training/coaching programmes that I can offer. One on management, one on planning, two on monitoring (one on monitoring plans and one on monitoring schools) and one on data.

Armed with an individual work plan for each district off we went. District 1 was Chbar Mon so the journey wasn't bad and I saw part of the city that I hadn't seen before. They were so welcoming and look forward to working with us. We discussed the plan and they then did a SWOT - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Next meeting will be an hour session on management.

District 2 was 20km along highway 4 past the lake I visited last weekend and nearer the national park. Bunthorn was great as lorry after lorry thundered by he just calmly drove on never too fast or indeed too slow. The DOE looked at the plan and asked us to change one aspect as he felt happy with the way he plans - I have to agree his planning is already good. So I now have to write a programme on basic excel as he wants to be able to use it for planning. Next meeting will be on excel.

I never got to district 3 as I had to attend an ESWG (Education Sector Working Group) meeting. This is made up of all the NGOs (Non-government Organisations) that work in the area. Sadly Bunthorn was at district 3 so I missed the point of some of the meeting but most spoke some English so they translated what I needed. Next meeting is a workshop for all NGOs in the area which will be interesting.

Lastly were my English lessons for staff at the POE. They are such fun. I am following a scheme but only in as much as I look to see what they have to learn that lesson and then I just let my imagination fly. They don't know what has hit them as for the first time they are being encouraged to actually take part in the lesson. The POE himself joins so I get several chief of departments.

All my "students" say the same - I only speak a little English!! They know so much vocabulary and specific terms - I really have to make sure I am one step ahead when it comes to using the correct name for things. What they find hard is listening and then remembering what the other person has said. So guess what - we are playing games!!