Before I left Battambang yesterday I bought a tub of ice cream for Thornin, Serey and little Lee Ann. I tucked in too - that's my knee in the photo.
It had rained heavily during the night so I had to mop the two balcony floors. There's no point in stopping there so I continued to wash the whole apartment floor. It always looks clean but, when I look at the soles of my feet, I can tell it isn't. It rained again in the afternoon and water poured down my drain spout onto the balcony, flooding it in no time. It's amazing how many times it gets washed.
I did my morning walking listening to the BBC World Service. It's amazing how much I learn. I didn't know that nowadays, especially in North America, patrons in coffee shops, restaurants etc are being asked to add a tip when they order something. This is even before they've had any service from the staff. One American lady said she was upset with the service in one place so she only gave a 10% tip. When she was asked how much she'd tip if she'd had good service, she said 22%. The journalist listening in from New Delhi was flabbergasted she'd even pay 10% when the service was bad. The American lady said that tipping started in the English tea and coffee houses. On the wall was a box for donations. On the box was written, "To insure promptness". In other words TIP. I'm glad I'm in Cambodia where nobody expects a tip.
I've just had word from Canada that four more dental workers will be coming in January so that puts the number at 14. This year we had only two dentists but next year there'll be six which means we have to find places with enough patients. It's now that time of year when I start to panic about the paper work. As usual, Thornin will say, "Relax and trust me". The trouble is he doesn't realise that we Westerners need to know what's happening.
After eating, Samnang settled down with a book but then his mother phoned to send him home as he needed to go to Chinese class. He and his two brothers hate it but his parents got fed up with them sitting in the office playing on the computers. They keep asking me to talk to the parents to get them to cancel the classes but it's not working. Oudom says he's not learning anything. When it's exam time he wears long trousers and writes things on his leg - he then goes to the toilet a few times during the exam.
I thought I had the evening to myself and then I was called to go to a nearby coffee shop to meet "three lovely ladies". They turned out to be friends who are organising a youth exchange programme with young Thais. It'll be in November and they want me to go. The Thais tend to look down on the Cambodians and they lay claim to Angkor Wat and the temple area. There's even a large model of Angkor Wat in the royal palace grounds in Bangkok and we are told it's there until they get the real thing back. They forget that years ago Thailand was conquered by the Khmer. It's interesting how, in our history, we tend to only remember the times when we were great. They'll go by bus from here but there's no way I'm doing that; I've had enough of land border crossings.
I think Canadians will be altering their clocks in a few days time. Here we are like Saskatchewan; we don't change. Year round it gets dark between 6.30pm and 7pm.
I need to do some ironing but during the summer my iron ended up with the new people downstairs. Cina won't let me buy one but she's too busy to do any shopping. I have to have something for the wedding on Friday and for my Singapore trip. Maybe I'll adopt the crumbled look.
