Final Day at Kamping Puay

Tues, 1st Jan, 2019

Hello Diary.  I hope it's going to be a good year.  This is the first posting for this new year.

It must be chilly.  I have turned the fan off and I'm wearing a shirt.  I hope it's a sign that the "cold" season has started.  I've had a busy few days so it's going to be good to get into a normal daily routine.

There are no secrets around here.  A friend phoned to wish me a happy new year and he mentioned I'd been to his family for the day on Saturday.  His sister told him everything I'd eaten, which she said wasn't much.  He was worried I wasn't well yet.  If it's not my eating habits then it's my appearance that comes in for observation.  Yesterday a young friend said, "I swear your ears are growing."  Today I was told my eyebrows are going all over the place, which is true, and I'm going to have to do something with the fast growing white ones.  I was also reminded that my nose hairs were coming out of my nose.  People seem to forget that I've been ill and couldn't be bothered with such trivia.  I was also told that when I bend down I have a lump in the middle of my back but it disappears when I stand up.  If I were 20 years old I'd be feeling a bit paranoid at this moment.  

Last night I chatted to Chan and his family who were down below on the street on their motorbike.  They wanted me to join them for countdown at the riverside but I'd got Oudom with me - which was a good excuse as I wasn't that interested.  Oudom wanted to count down for the new year but I said we were going to bed and that was that.  I asked him to set the alarm, which he did, for 11.50pm!  I could have strangled him when it woke me up but not him.  I deliberately stayed awake until midnight so I could bash and pummel him but he was fast asleep.  

We went out for lunch today, to a Chinese Dim Sum place.  When Cina orders food one never knows when the end has arrived.  We'd had the usual wonton soup, dumplings with shrimp, bean curd balls, fried rice with seafood, a plate of a variety of mushrooms and   I thought that was it but then plates arrives with various chicken, pork and duck dishes.  I managed to get through a bit of each and then a sweet and sour fish arrived.  I think we were all heaving by that time but more was to come - a vegetable dish, a crispy mushroom dish and a dessert.  I went home and had to lie down for a while.

I've bought myself a blender.  There are always sales at big holidays so I went back into town to buy one.  I was pleased to see it was made in Vietnam which is a lovely change to coming from China.  I think that's my final gadget purchase.  

I caught a mouse last night - they really enjoy peanut butter here.  The locals call them rats but they are more like a large mouse.  This one spent the day in the cage until I decided to go outside to get rid of it.  I waited until it was dark as I always have a problem getting the creature out of the cage as they cling to the wire walls while I'm shaking to get it out.  I decided to let it go in the alley; I even saw one running along when I went outside so I knew he'd have company.  He plopped out of the cage, staggered about a bit, ran right past the nose of Friday (my neighbour's dog) and ran straight into their home.  It's so embarrassing.  The last time I released a mouse it also ran into a neighbour's home.  I suppose I should be grateful they decide not to come back to mine.  I've now set the trap to see if any more are planning on visiting.

Wed, 2nd Jan, 2019

This morning I listened to a BBC international comedy hour.  The programme had a lady comedienne from Malawi as the compere and the dozen or so performers were from various parts of the world.  I was interested by the fact that most of them were women; three of them declared themselves to be lesbian.  I'm not sure if that had anything to do with their being funny.  In the old days being a comedian meant being a man.  I think I gave up on humour about forty years ago.  Being British I naturally enjoyed BBC comedy while I lived in the UK.  When I moved to Canada I was raised on mostly US shows such as "I love Lucy", "The Carol Burnett Show".  I laughed my head off at Archie Bunker.  Then something happened; I got sick of North American humour and to this day I don't find it the least bit funny.  The CBC has comedy programmes, and people are always laughing their heads off, but I have to switch off the radio.  Nowadays, If I want to have a laugh, I go to YouTube and watch the old comedy programmes.   Tim Conway from the Carol Burnett Show still makes me laugh.  So what's gone wrong?

What interested me about the BBC show was the fact that I laughed throughout the entire hour.  Maybe it was something to do with the fact that most of the comedians had moved to the UK from various parts of the world and so they were tuned into British humour.  I'm not one of those who remembers jokes but I still remember the Russian lady saying that there was a new trend in Russian Presidents that had them involved in the elections of presidents all over the world.  The Mumbai man had me in stitches talking about the British in India.  He mentioned that they'd introduced gin and tonic as a wonderful cure for malaria, and tea, which he objected to as it was "Ours in the first place".  

This morning I looked in room 2 in the mouse house and didn't see anyone.  Vuth came over so I said he could take it back as I obviously didn't need it any more.  At that point I saw a shadow scampering around in room 1 and there it was - another mouse.  I went downstairs, around 10pm when the alley was asleep, and released it.  This time it scampered off into the darkness and didn't bother about the neighbours' homes.

My head is getting so muddled with appointments; I'm glad Cina has given me one of the many calendars her company receives each year.  I got quite excited when Vuth said the French Bred bank calendar showed Cambodian national holidays.  They usually have a couple a month so it's nice to know they are happening.  Unfortunately, this calendar shows them in blue but explains what they are in Khmer.  Makara here means January and the 7th is a national holiday called Victory Day - which is for victory over the Khmer Rouge.  It's also a very popular name for a boy child.  When I left the office I bumped into Soubert, who is a stickler for political correctness.  He jabbed his finger at the day and said, "It should be Invasion Day!"  That's because, on the 7th of January, the Vietnamese came and got rid of Pol Pot but then they occupied the country for 10 years until they were told by the UN to get out.  I suppose there are many dates that mean different things to different people.  

This evening I have a dinner appointment with a Canadian friend who is passing through Phnom Penh on her way to Bangkok.  Tomorrow I'll most likely be meeting another Canadian friend who is returning to Cambodia after spending the holiday with his wife in Thailand.  On the 12th a friend from the UK is coming to help with the dentists; the group arrives on the 14th and we start work on the 15th.  On the 19th I've just heard that a friend from Poland is coming here and wants to meet with me.  She's here until the 28th, and visiting many of the places I'll be in, but not at the same time.  I may be able to see her while the dentists are touring the temples in Siem Reap.  Meanwhile, two of the dental group leave the group a day early, two are having a short touring holiday after the work ends, two more are staying on in town and want my help seeing things, one lady is going off on her own for a backpacking experience and needs buses and hotel rooms.  My brain can't even deal with my own travel arrangements, never mind anyone else's.  

Thurs, 3rd Jan, 2019

I caught yet another mouse during the night; that's number three.  I am getting fed up doing my neighbours' job; after all, they are their mice, not mine.  I have to wait until all the neighbours are indoors before I go out to let them loose.  So far I've been told to think about getting "Bounce" (which I may find in the supermarket but then I can't read the labels), peppermint oil and dish-wash liquid, and mothballs.  

There's a gentle rain falling as I write this.  I was told this afternoon that Thailand is expecting a tropical storm so I hope this is all we are going to get.  I'm enjoying the cooler weather as I don't need fans whirring away all day.

I watched a young lady in an enormous black car trying to do a many point turn in the middle of a major boulevard.  The car was new enough to have no license plates.  It was a Bentley.  I wish I had access to a fairy who could zap all these arrogant, cheating people and get them off the roads.  Nowadays, I tend to walk with the traffic coming from behind.  I have decided if I do it this way, then they have to watch out for me.  I'm fed up facing traffic and having to do the weaving in and out.  I'm taking the attitude that I'm old, white and uninsured so I should be all right.

I had the bright idea of buying the blender a few days ago.  Today I was having lunch with Cina and family and I pointed out that I'd bought the same blender they use.  "But we've got two more that aren't being used," she said.  "We were given them free of charge with the fridge in your apartment."  There's no refund or returns here so I'm stuck with it.  A least I'm happy I picked the same brand they got as I'm told it's a good one.  

Have you heard the rap song, "This is America"?  It's by a well known black singer.  It's satire on what is happening in the USA from the black perspective and it's scathing and nasty in parts.  It has been viewed 458 million times.  I heard on the BBC that it's been copied by many countries so you can now listen to "This is Iraq", "This is Nigeria" etc.  Americans won't like the Iraqi version as it has US soldiers killing local people and marching Iraqis around in orange jump suits.  The Nigerian one bothered me as it sounds as if nothing has changed since I was there in the early 80s.  The main punch line is "This is Nigeria and everybody's a criminal."  There's a bit where two or three Muslim girls, wearing hijabs, are doing some modern cult dance.  Boko Haram threatened the writer to take the video down from YouTube but he wouldn't.  

Even if one wants to be honest, it was often hard to do.  When I was in Nigeria I had to renew my driver's license so I joined the queue in the office.  A young man came to me and said he would deal with the matter and I could come the next day to pick up my renewal.  I asked him where I should meet him and he pointed to a tree and said, "Over there."  I went the next day to collect it; he handed it to me and I turned to walk away.  "Hey!  What are you doing for me?"  I said, "Don't you work here?"  He said, "I come here to do things for people."  Here I was, thinking he was on staff.  People keep telling me I'm naive, which may be true, but I like it better than being cynical about everything.

Thurs, 3rd Jan, 2019

I caught another mouse this morning, or rather the lovely live trap did.  I don't know what would be worse, dealing with a dead mouse or this live one.  It'll have to wait until tonight as I have no plans to take it out during daylight hours.

We are preparing for remnants of the storm that's hitting Thailand at the moment but so far nothing has happened.  We did have a gentle shower but I have a feeling we are going to be saved from any bad weather.

This morning the European Union declared it was going to cease funding to Myanmar because of the government's attitude towards various issues.  The EU is the largest donor to the country so it'll have a huge impact.  The same is happening here in Cambodia; the EU has said it will cut funding to the country unless the Prime Minister does something about the human rights record of his government.  He's not likely to do that, so the main group of people to suffer, as usual, will be the poor and especially the young ladies in the garments' industry.  The Prime Minister says he won't be affected as he's got plenty of money so he's not troubled by the threats.  It reminds me of Trump today saying that landlords will be nice to their tenants because they are unpaid government workers. Someone who knows Trump said he's a landlord who would definitely not be nice if his tenants couldn't pay their rents.

I learned today that the big bosses around the world have already earned this year (and it's only the 4th of January) what an ordinary worker will take all year to earn.  I can't help wondering why this is allowed to happen; is it the shareholders fault?  

I borrowed a book online from my Alberta library.  It's just an ordinary murder mystery kind of book so I wasn't expecting anything profound, but it's amazing what one learns from novels.  This time I've learned all about my death, ancient Egyptian style.  There's this god called Anubis who is the man responsible for coffins and for weighing the hearts of the dead.  He takes us to the "Hall of Truth" where we are attended by lovely goddesses who most likely give us cups of tea while we wait for the god Orisis and Thoth his scribe.  We are taken to a place where there's a set of golden scales - the "justice" type of scales with two balancing plates.  What bothered me was that there were 42 judges so I didn't think I'd stand a chance.  The heart of my soul is put on one plate on the scales and a feather of truth put on the other place.  At that point I knew I wouldn't stand a chance.  If I passed muster I then go to the Bliss of the Field of Reeds where a boat will pick me up and we set off to paradise.  If my heart is too heavy for the feather then my poor heart is thrown on the floor and it's gobbled up by Amenti who seems to be a cross between a crocodile, leopard and rhino.  He's known as The Gobbler and I guess that's what he does.  It's nice to know there's no hell but there's no existence either as I've been gobbled up.  Maybe I should stick to one of the more modern ideas out there.  

I went shopping for vegetables in the afternoon.  This time I went to the local market rather than to the big supermarket.  The next time I go I'm going to have a go at buying some of the fish although I'd want it to  be deceased before I take it home.  In the market the fish are jumping all over the place.  Some of them are mud fish and can survive out of water; some escape and it's fun watching the ladies trying to catch them and bring them back.  

I took the mouse outside and rattled the cage quite a bit to get rid of it.  The mice never realise that I'm trying to let them go and they hang onto the wires for grim death.  It's depressing because, as soon as I get back upstairs, I prepare a trap for the next victim.  

Bea paid a visit and we had an early dinner together.  She enjoys Indian food so off we went to my local Pakistani Taj Mahal.  She's done quite a bit of winter volunteering at the children's home near Battambang.  Tomorrow I will hopefully meet Luc who is another volunteer - he's from Quebec while Bea is from Alberta.  It's nice to have a Canadian chat every so often.  

I typed some of my Nigerian diary today and it's mind boggling what I experienced.  On this particular day our bus driver didn't stop on the exact spot outside our school.  The military ordered him out of the vehicle and he had to bunny hop down the road with his hands over his ears.  When he was told to turn around to return to the vehicle he was told to do it crawling on his stomach.  Wouldn't Canadian roads be more entertaining if the police would make speeding drivers and other wrong-doers do similar things.

Fri, 4th Jan, 2019

Would you believe it!  Another mouse in the trap and that's number five this week.  

It was an interesting morning on the radio, listening to Canada's own Lise Doucet, speaking to various international female members of her BBC staff on women's issues around the world.  Did you know that the first time an Iranian students hears anything about sex education is at university?  The student is 22 years old and he or she is allowed to see a condom from a distance of 3 metres.  It's mind blowing how the world treats women and their issues.  I was fascinated by the 600+ kilometre line of women stretching through Kerala State in support of women who want to go to a Hindu temple.  They can't go because they are female and they may be menstruating, which would upset the deity who decided he was going to remain a bachelor.  What's amazing is that the women want to worship in his temple; I'd say, "To hell with him!"  On the other hand, it's not the god who's causing the problem, it's the men who are the 'protectors' of this bachelor chap.  I don't think any of them bothered asking for his opinion.

I was having people over for dinner in the evening and I had to think of what to do.  I've only got one tiny hotplate so there was no way I could cook a meal for 7 people so I decided to think of somewhere where I could order the food and take out.  I decided to go to the Oyster House which is a seafood restaurant I've been to many times with Cina, Vuth and their staff.  Vuth just sits back and has a drink while Cina does all the ordering.  It's always done in Khmer so I had no idea what she was saying; all I kept hearing was "Moi Kilo" which means "One Kilo".  The food's always good so I asked Samnang, the 14 year old son of Cina and Vuth to come with me to help me with the ordering.  He's the one who comes over to cook for me.  He chatted in Khmer and passed on the order.  I nearly had a heart attack when I was told it would cost $55.  It turned out he'd ordered a kilo of crab, a kilo of shrimp, two large bbq'd fish with vegetables and a large plate of fried rice with vegetables and seafood.  He also told me he'd asked for it to be super spicy.  I crawled up one side of him and down the other and then he started laughing - he hadn't.

It was a challenge as I don't have much in the way of furniture and kitchen supplies.  My kitchen table went into the living room and joined up with my desk to make a long table.  I put onto the table all the plates, bowls and cutlery I possessed and hoped for the best.  Bea and Luc came early and we kept getting reports from Sokha that he was getting closer.  It took him 2 1/2 hours to come from the outskirts of Phnom Penh to the centre, where I live.  He came with his wife, two daughters and his dad.  All Cambodians love seafood and they attacked everything with relish.  I can take it or leave it, especially when there are shells involved - I just don't have the patience to deal with food that's smothered in spicy sauce and has a shell to remove.  Luckily the crab shells are soft enough I just chomp on everything.  There was food left over so Sokha was happy to take it home.

I took them downstairs to the back door at 9.00pm and then I returned to bring down the mouse.  Again, it took quite a bit of bashing around to get rid of the thing.  At 9.30pm I put some more food in the trap and by 10pm there was another mouse jumping around inside.  I couldn't believe it.  They must be enjoying my peanut butter.  It's going to have to wait until tomorrow night to be released.  I've decided I'm going shopping to see if I can find something to deal with this crisis.   

Sat, 5th Jan, 2019

Did you hear about the Japanese man, who owns a chain of sushi restaurants, who'd bought a 280 kilo tuna for just over $3 million?  He said he was going to share this amazing fish with his customers; how does he know it's going to be amazing to eat - he only saw it on the auctioneer's counter?  It reminded me of the fun we had last night with $55 of seafood.  I don't think I'll bother trying to get any of his tuna.

I fancy looking at the dark web which I learned about from the BBC this morning.  It's fascinating.  It's full of illegal stuff and I can buy anything.  Prices go up and down depending on availability and demand.  I can get credit cards, phone bills, invoices and all sorts of stuff which I can then use for illegal activities.  It sounds so interesting!  

At the same time I learned about the epidemic in the USA concerning loneliness.  Maybe that's why I need the dark web.  The UK have even appointed a Minister responsible for Loneliness.  Apparently, it's causing a lot of problems in the workplace because people who are lonely stop having social skills so they don't work so well with colleagues.  A Norwegian company creates devices that help people with loneliness; one is a toy gadget for sick children.  I didn't realise that, as we grow older, blood doesn't always circulate to the tips of our fingers and the skin becomes dry. When that happens we can't use a touch screen computer.  Now that would be a real calamity for me as I don't use a mouse - I just catch 'em.  I found myself massaging my finger tips today just to make sure they stay supple and moist.

I went to the supermarket this afternoon to look for mouse deterrents.  The store sold trays onto which I would have to put sticky sheets of something.  I really didn't fancy waking up to find a mouse trying to remove it's feet from the sheet.  What would I do with the mouse - clobber it?  I ended up buying a can of spray I'm going to put on the steps, along with some rat bait, but I will still use my trusty trap and the peanut butter.

Many years ago, when I lived outside Calgary, I worked with Agness who owned a lovely ranch and raised dogs.  On her own, with little outside help, she cared for over 200 dogs which were all pedigreed.  That was until there was a huge fire while she was away.  Neighbours came over, grabbed dogs, bundled them into trucks and took them to safety.  Many were in heat so it was a veritable orgy in the trucks.  Poor Agness had a devil of a job getting rid of all the pups and I bet you didn't know that once a pedigree dog has had a mongrel pup her future offspring can't be called pedigree.  

She had a mice problem.  Sometimes she'd put out bowls of food for them mixed with plaster of Paris which would expand in their stomachs and what happened after that I don't discuss.  Others would eat the dog food and then try to escape.  Agness was always helpful; one day I saw her pushing a rather fat mouse through a hole in a plank.  She was a lovely lady.  

Sun, 6th Jan, 2019

This morning I looked into the mouse trap and didn't see a  mouse.  I was delighted; it meant the poison and/or the peppermint spray had worked.  Later I decided to take another look in the trap and there was a mouse - in room number 1.  I was really deflated.  

Vuth came over to find some peace and quiet for a Skype conference call so I invited him to look into the kitchen of my downstairs neighbours.  I was amazed to see her using the broom but unfortunately she didn't use it in the kitchen, where it's most needed.  We also saw a tray covered with the glue stuff that people use to trap mice; there were three of them stuck to the tray.  I went down later in the day and they were still stuck there; heaven only knows when she's planning on disposing of them.  Now I have to do my eviction trick at 10pm and put some more peanut butter in the trap.  It's getting expensive.

Friend Milind phoned from India to say that the cold season had started.  Panchgani, where I stay, is 1000m above sea level and so, during the cold season, the temperature is mild during the daytime and downright nippy at night time.  It's lovely to sleep under many blankets whereas here in Phnom Penh I have one cover and the air conditioner on.

Boroith phoned to say his brother got engaged today.  I'm very close to the family but I'm eternally grateful I wasn't invited.  He's still on the road, coming back by taxi, so it'll take him around 7 hours to reach home.  Komphear has to raise US$5000 to pay as a dowery to his fiancee's parents; it's not a dowery in the same way as in India but rather a deposit on the cost of the wedding.  So the wedding day depends on when he can get all the money together.  I think I'd run away from home if I was in the same situation but traditional values have a strong hold on people here.

I learned of a new therapy this morning - financial therapy/psychology.  Apparently, there's a lively business by psychologists and therapists helping people with the stress of dealing with money.  People most likely think I'm lying when I say I haven't a clue what I have in the bank; I don't even know the amount of money I get as pension.  My bank people told me I had enough to bring my body back and deal with it.  I told them, I'm not going back if I happen to pop off away from Alberta.  The people in the interview said it's important to look into our past to understand how we deal with money.  I wonder what we have to think about if, like my family, there was no money?

I used to get two shillings a week from my Granddad and for that I had to go to the shop every evening after school to bring him his "Players, Capstan or Goldflake" cigarettes.  I also had to do the garden of the local baker, cutting the grass around his bungalow and taking care of the plants.  Every Saturday I went into town, on the bus, to buy the horse meat which Dad cooked for the hens we kept.  This was just after the war so there was still rationing and we had to depend a lot on what we could raise ourselves or grow.

One Saturday I detoured and went into the market before buying the meat.  I watched a demonstration of a toy which I thought would be nice for my younger siblings and so I bought it.  I went home with a smaller package of meat.  I couldn't face Mother with the toy so I hid it under the neighbours' hedge and two weeks later I fished it out and showed it to Mother.  "Look what I've found!" I said.  The toy was metal so it was quite rusty by this time.  "So that's what you bought with the meat money", my smart Mother said.

I've just heard that a South Korean boy was removed from a gaming place where he'd been sitting and playing non-stop for 96 hours; the police had to drag him out.  One in seven South Korean boys are addicted to gaming.  I feel sorry for them; it's as if the parents have no clue what to offer them as an alternative.  In my younger days we had no toys for inside the house and none for outside; we had to play with what we had.  We used Mother's clothes horse and covered it with sacks and mats to  make a tent.  We played Tin Can Alley, whacking a tin can with a stick.  For Hopscotch all we needed was a  bit of chalk.  Inside the house we played dominoes or cards and that was it.  Most people in the village were in the same boat so we never felt deprived.  The little 3 year old I know here said, "If I cry my dad gives me his iPhone."  Kids are smart and parents don't often realise they are being controlled.  I had lunch with her today; I came back to my peace and quiet with a smile on my face.  

Mon, 7th March, 2019

It's Victory over Genocide Day today so it's a national holiday.  Son Soubert stabbed his finger at a calendar for the day and said, "It's not Victory Day, it's Invasion Day."  He's talking about the fact that the Vietnamese troops came in to chase Pol Pot away but they stayed in Cambodia for 10 years.

I now have a very nice daily routine but it'll only last until the weekend when the dentists start to arrive.  I'm getting up around 6.30am and by 9am I've done my daily steps, washed the apartment floor and had a shower.  After that I wander onto the balcony with my breakfast and my iPad to do Facebook birthdays and check my mail.  I do get a bit fed up with the birthday business because so many times people tell me it's not their real birthday.  Their excuse is that they want to keep some things secret from the Facebook public.  I can't understand why people are so sensitive about birthdays.  

On the other hand, I do get a bit fed up when people keep asking me how old I am.  When I moved from Nigeria to the Canadian north I got fed up with people wanting to know about my marital status.  I don't think anyone was asking me because they fancied me so I decided to lie.  I told people I was married.  When they asked for more details I told them I had three wives back in Kano and I also had children.  Luckily, I had a photo of three fellow lady teachers and lots of photos of students.  The main problem was keeping their names in my head.  I was often asked why I didn't bring a wife over to Canada but my answer was that in Islam I have to treat all wives equally and, seeing as I couldn't afford to bring all three to Canada, I decided to leave them all back in Nigeria.

This story went on from 1984 to 1990 when I applied to move to Cambridge Bay.  When I applied I thought it would be good to move as I could finally say goodbye to this story.  Unfortunately, a fellow teacher had moved to Cambridge Bay the year before and he primed the staff about my story so they all knew about it when I arrived.  It didn't bother the Inuit that I had multiple wives; they told me in the old days the Inuit women had multiple husbands. While one was away hunting the other would stay home to protect the family.  It made a lot of sense.  

I also got fed up of people asking me how old I was and so, when I moved to Fort McPherson from Nigeria, I decided to add 10 years to my age.  It worked really well.  People were amazed I looked so young.  One student said I looked younger than his dad who was only 40; I was 47 at the time.  I don't need this ruse in Cambodia as people always say I'm younger than I really am - whether they are saying it through politeness or being honest I don't know.  

I'm watching a BBC programme called "The Face of Britain" and it's about where we came from - are we Celtic, Anglo Saxon, Norman etc.  I'd love to know my background.  The Welsh people were so upset at the thought they might be Anglo Saxon - they all wanted to be Celtic.  I think my Dad's family came over from Ireland at some point; the Liverpool area is full of Heyeses but there are few on the other side of England which is where Dad moved to for work in Yorkshire.  If I am Irish then I'm also a bit Celtic.

There was an interesting talk about John Lennon and his song, "Beautiful Boy", which I don't think I've ever heard in its entirety.  It was linked to an American father whose son was a drug addict.  The son finally pulled himself together and the father talked about how the song helped him.  The programme producer said she read the comments about the Lennon video and she was in tears reading about the tragic lives of children on drugs.  I'm a bad one for YouTube comments and it's amazing how much influence the comments have on my opinion of the programme.  If the comments tell me it's a terrible movie then generally I don't watch it.  I'm sure life would be easier if I ignored the comments and just watched the movie, judging it using my own opinions.  

Samnang came over in the evening which meant I lost control of my iPad.  Luckily, he's fascinated with "The Two Fat Ladies"; the large ladies who had a very successful cooking show.  He used to complain they were slow but now he's fascinated with the way they cook and how much butter, oil etc they use.  I think they are lovely and I would love to be on their motorbike.  

After he left, I gave a final check of the mouse trap, which had been empty all day.  Lo and behold, there was a mouse in it.  I wonder which work shift he was on?  I was ready for bed but I decided I'd better take him downstairs and let him go.  

Wed, 9th Jan, 2019

This morning, while doing my daily marching up and down, I listened to a History programme on the BBC.  They interviewed people at an army base in Central America that was attacked by rebels.  The soldier talked about the base and its defences, huge fences, barbed wire etc.  It reminded me of the army base I was in during the 1950s when I was doing my National Service.  I was at the main centre for the Armoured Corps - tanks, heavy guns etc.  As far as I can remember it was completely open with just a gate at which visitors had to stop and report to the office.  Every evening about 10 of us had to dress up for guard duty.  Generally, it was just an overnight guard duty but every so often it was for 48 hours or 72.  It was during the time of the IRA and their members would creep into the camp and steal guns etc.  In their infinite wisdom our commanding officers issues each of us on guard with a long wooden pole and that was the only thing we had to defend ourselves against the IRA.  Fortunately, I was never on duty when any of their members arrived.  

Samnang crept in around 2pm.  Because he's the son of the landlords he has access to their keys.  He loves creeping in and hoping that I haven't noticed.  I feel sorry for him and his two brothers because the school has been on holiday for nearly 3 weeks and he's got nowhere to go.  The house has no outside play area and his family doesn't want him, at 14 years of age, roaming around the streets, especially in this tourist area.  He decided to come over to visit me so I took him to the riverside where we could sit, have a drink and chat.  I enjoy his company as he speaks excellent English and he can be quite mature when he feels like it.  He and his brothers were adopted by their aunt when their father, her brother, developed into a permanent addict.  I often ask him about his past life and it's interesting how he doesn't blame his real dad and has no animosity against him.

We came back to the apartment and he helped me make a cauliflower curry in coconut milk.  It turned out very well and he didn't fool around too much with the chilli.  He also helped me eat it.  

I felt a bit sad when I saw a video on Facebook called "Lily Savage and Parkinson".  "Lily" is really a male and he's very famous as a female impersonator.  I've known of him for years so I felt sorry he'd developed Parkinson's.  What was so funny was that he was on a chat show with a man called Parkinson.  

My sister Janet phoned in the evening.  Just before we said goodbye I said I'd check the mouse trap to see if anything had happened.  It was already quite dark.  I'd put the trap on the balcony as a change to the steps - the steps I now spray with a peppermint mixture which is supposed to deter the mice.  I picked up the trap and lo and behold there were five mice in it.  Janet got me worried as she said mice can find their way back home from a distance of 3km.  I was worried about releasing them in the back alley.  I've done that with one mouse but dare I do it with five?  What if they all ran into the neighbour's house.   There was no way I was going to walk 3km so what to do?  

I'm a bit slow sometimes but this time I surprised myself.  I carried the trap to my front balcony, opened the trap door and released them.  It was fun watching them fly through the air from my balcony - 2nd floor British style, 3rd floor North American.  They all landed well and ran off in different directions.  It reminded me of that song, "They fly through the air with the greatest of ease."  This time it was tiny mice rather than 'daring young men on the flying trapeze.'

Wed, 9th Jan, 2019

Another mouse went flying through the air this morning.  I have to be careful because the balcony below is wider than mine so I have to watch that I hold the trap far enough away so the mouse goes to the ground.  This particular one made a very loud splatter noise but it still got up and ambled off.  I have to watch for the road sweepers as they arrive just as I'm getting ready to jettison another mouse.  Nobody here has heard of "raining cats and dogs" so "raining mice" would be an amazing phenomenon.

I had a cheery message from my walking gadget people.  They told me I'd walked 4,115,790 steps in 2018 which is equivalent to 2,857km.  I'm going to have to look at an atlas to see how many countries I could have crossed.  I burned 417,700 calories, which doesn't mean a thing to me but I did understand when they said it was the equivalent to eating 1,814 scoops of ice cream.  They didn't say if it was low fat.

Thornin phoned.  The poor lad has been driving back and forth between Battambang and Phnom Penh on a regular basis, and then driving into Kandal Province to meet someone from the Ministry of Health.  That person makes promises which are never kept so often it's a wasted trip for Thornin - a 7 hour drive.  He finally got the papers and took them to the main Ministry of Health office.  There he was told that another letter was needed from both Battambang and Kandal Provinces.  This is not only impossible as the group arrives on Monday but the Provinces are refusing to issue them as they said it's never been done before.  Thornin, reading between the lines in the discussion with a certain lady, came to the conclusion that some money would solve the problem.  We sometimes give a $10 phone card as a thank you but Thornin suspected she wanted a large amount of cash.  So now we are stuck.

Without this final approval we can't go to the customs people to get clearance for the equipment and I can't get into the airport to meet the group.  This is the first time in 15 years.  I've sent messages to the 15 in the group that they pick up their suitcases and equipment bins and come out as tourists.  The flight comes from Taipei and it's always full and the passengers return here loaded with enormous boxes.  The customs people say nothing so I don't think the dentists will be taken aside.  The one big problem is that they love to wear their team t-shirts when they meet in Vancouver so they can bond.  This year they are bright red, emblazoned with logos.  I've told them this is a clandestine operation so they should be a bit more subdued.  I feel a bit of a maverick and it's going to be fun.  We do have permission to work; it's just that we don't have permission for the tools etc.  

I had a call from a Canadian Cambodian friend who had arrived today in Phnom Penh.  He wanted to see me so he arranged to come to the apartment at 5 or 6pm.  Close to 7pm he phoned to say his brother hadn't picked him up and, when he did, they'd have another hour drive through the city.  I tried to put him off but he was determined to come.  He finally arrived at 9pm.  I went downstairs to meet him as it's hard to find my entrance.  "Where can we eat?" I told him a place but his brother said it would be closed; it wouldn't as this is a tourist area.  I offered a coffee shop just a few minutes away but that was declined.  Our visit ended up as a five minute chat at the side of the car.  I wasn't too concerned as I didn't have to eat late in the evening, I didn't have to drink coffee (which is not on my bucket list) and I didn't have to bring him here to entertain.  He's been in Canada for over 20 years so it's a perfect example of the fact that you can take a Cambodian out of Cambodia but you can't take Cambodia out of a Cambodian.  My rule of "absolute flexibility" continues to work.  

Before going to bed I checked the trap and found another couple of mice.  Off I went to the balcony.  Others might find it quite exciting but it's becoming a mundane operation for me.  

Thurs, 10th Jan, 2019

This month we've had two holidays already - New Year and the 7th which is officially known as Victory over Genocide.  I thought I'd do a search to see how many holidays we get in this country.  On the 19th Feb there's Meak Bochea which has something to do with remembering Buddha's teachings.  On the 8th March there's International Women's Day, which I think every country should celebrate.  For 4 days in April it's the Khmer New Year.  They do quite well for New Years as they celebrate the 1st Jan and also Chinese New Year.  On the 1st May it's International Labour Day - another day that the West should celebrate.  From the 13th to the 15th of May they celebrate the present King's birthday and on the 18th they go further back and celebrate Buddha's birthday.  On the 20th May it's Remembrance Day - don't ask me what they are remembering, and on the 22nd it's the Royal Ploughing Day.  This is when the King comes out of his palace to push a plough pulled by an enormous bull.  The bull feeds from a pile of grain he chooses and it's then said to be a good year for that particular crop.  That's 7 days holiday in May - why bother working for that month?  Children's Day is on the 1st June, which I think is a lovely idea.  On the 18th we celebrate the birthday of the King's Mother.  After that we have to wait until September when we have Constitutional Day on the 24th.  The UK can never have that day as they don't have a written constitution.  From the 27th to the 29th September it's Pchum Ben which is the time when everyone returns to their family home to celebrate their ancestors - they have meals around the grave, do some tidying up and generally have a good time.  On the 15th October we have a Commemoration day for the old King and on the 23rd it's the holiday for the Paris Peace Agreement which brought an end to the Pol Pot era.  On the 9th November it's Independence Day and on the 10th to the 12th it's the Water Festival.  This is the time when all the provinces have dragon boat races to select a provincial champion boat.  These boats then compete in Phnom Penh in the presence of the King and other dignitaries.  The largest boats hold 75 men - half of them standing.  Don't fall off because the boat doesn't stop to pick you up.  The festival is supposed to fall at the time when the Tonle Sap River decides to flow south again to join the Mekong and to flow to Vietnam.  It's a fascinating thing - during the rainy season, so much water is coming down the Mekong from Tibet and the water from Tonle Sap can't enter it; instead the river reverses it's flow and it flows back into the Tonle Sap Lake which triples in size at that time.  Very clever these rivers. Finally, and you are saying "Hurray", we have International Human Rights Day on the 10th December.  Fortunately, Christmas isn't a holiday in this Buddhist country but it doesn't stop the streets from being decorated, trees being put up and shops dressing their staff in red and white like little elves.

I learned today that 1 in 3 of us will suffer from Alzheimer's.  What a depressing thought.  I don't know if to start practising to be the '1' or to put up a struggle to be one of the other two.  

I listened to World Book Club on the BBC this morning.  If you want to learn about authors and how their minds tick it's a lovely hour of chat.  You can also access records going way back to choose a book you'd like to read.  Today the lady was interviewing Lee Child who writes fast moving American mystery books with a man called "Reacher" who appears and disappears and doesn't seem to have a permanent home.  I was surprised to hear that Lee Child was born in Birmingham and went to university in Sheffield - his books are totally American so he's really soaked himself in the culture since moving to Wyoming.  The way he spoke about his books and writing makes me want to read more of his work.  

I always say, when I take the pictures down from my wall it's no longer my home.  When I moved into this rented place Vuth and Cina had put up some pictures.  One was a wall hanging in hand woven silk.  A couple of weeks ago Vuth asked if he could hang it in his office.  Seeing as it wasn't mine in the first place I don't miss it at all.  I have a lovely, heavy, Naga blanket.  Officially, they are meant for the bed but they are very heavy and ornate.  Whenever I go to Nagaland I am always given a blanket.  I realised I had it in the cupboard so I asked Vuth to take the blanket to the man who made the wall hanging to ask him to make a rod so I could hang the blanket.  Most people who get them drape them over the sofa or put them on the wall.  The blanket came back without the rod.  I asked Vuth when I was getting it and he said I wasn't.  Apparently, the carpenter says it's not appropriate to be on the wall so he won't make a rod for it.  I thought, "This is my house and my blanket," but obviously, according to the carpenter it's not enough.  

The dental document tale continues and we are getting nowhere.  Thornin wanted lunch so we decided to eat on the street - the food is cooked by my neighbours.  We had a plate of rice along with a bowl of fish and vegetable soup, a plate of bbq'd chicken and a beef and green pepper dish, plus a beaker of iced tea.  It cost us $1.75 so I still have some money in my pocket.

Cina told husband Vuth to join Thornin and me and go to a coffee shop.  Fortunately, coffee shops serve countless drinks so I don't suffer.  I ordered hot caramel for $2.50 - it's more of an upmarket place than the roadside lunch.  I didn't mind it but I think it's just hot milk with squiggles of caramel floating on top.  Afterwards I picked up Samnang who wanted to come for a visit.

He's 14 and I'm constantly getting on to him about his lack of relationship with his parents - maybe it's a 14 year old thing.  Whatever they say to him gets no response, just a yes or no.  He said he likes talking to me because I don't judge him even though I do tell him off at times.  I told him that I've most likely done all the things he's doing at his age.  I'm going to have to have words with his parents.  

I'm now into a mouse routine.  Before it gets dark I put food into the trap and then I put it onto the balcony.  Around 8.30pm I check the trap and I usually find one or two mice.  They are what I call the late shift.  in the morning I'll check the trap at 6.30am and will take the early morning shift to the balcony.

I'm beginning to wonder - is my ginger biscuit and peanut butter menu attracting the mice? Would they come if there was nothing in the trap?  Would they come if it was some marmalade on a bit of bread.  I wonder if there's some scientific information about this?  

Fri, 11th Jan, 2019

This month we've had two holidays already - New Year and the 7th which is officially known as Victory over Genocide. I thought I'd do a search to see how many holidays we get in this country. On the 19th Feb there's Meak Bochea which has something to do with remembering Buddha's teachings. On the 8th March there's International Women's Day, which I think every country should celebrate. For 4 days in April it's the Khmer New Year. They do quite well for New Years as they celebrate the 1st Jan and also Chinese New Year. On the 1st May it's International Labour Day - another day that the West should celebrate. From the 13th to the 15th of May they celebrate the present King's birthday and on the 18th they go further back and celebrate Buddha's birthday. On the 20th May it's Remembrance Day - don't ask me what they are remembering, and on the 22nd it's the Royal Ploughing Day. This is when the King comes out of his palace to push a plough pulled by an enormous bull. The bull feeds from a pile of grain he chooses and it's then said to be a good year for that particular crop. That's 7 days holiday in May - why bother working for that month? Children's Day is on the 1st June, which I think is a lovely idea. On the 18th we celebrate the birthday of the King's Mother. After that we have to wait until September when we have Constitutional Day on the 24th. The UK can never have that day as they don't have a written constitution. From the 27th to the 29th September it's Pchum Ben which is the time when everyone returns to their family home to celebrate their ancestors - they have meals around the grave, do some tidying up and generally have a good time. On the 15th October we have a Commemoration day for the old King and on the 23rd it's the holiday for the Paris Peace Agreement which brought an end to the Pol Pot era. On the 9th November it's Independence Day and on the 10th to the 12th it's the Water Festival. This is the time when all the provinces have dragon boat races to select a provincial champion boat. These boats then compete in Phnom Penh in the presence of the King and other dignitaries. The largest boats hold 75 men - half of them standing. Don't fall off because the boat doesn't stop to pick you up. The festival is supposed to fall at the time when the Tonle Sap River decides to flow south again to join the Mekong and to flow to Vietnam. It's a fascinating thing - during the rainy season, so much water is coming down the Mekong from Tibet and the water from Tonle Sap can't enter it; instead the river reverses it's flow and it flows back into the Tonle Sap Lake which triples in size at that time. Very clever these rivers. Finally, and you are saying "Hurray", we have International Human Rights Day on the 10th December. Fortunately, Christmas isn't a holiday in this Buddhist country but it doesn't stop the streets from being decorated, trees being put up and shops dressing their staff in red and white like little elves. 

I learned today that 1 in 3 of us will suffer from Alzheimer's. What a depressing thought. I don't know if to start practising to be the '1' or to put up a struggle to be one of the other two. 

I listened to World Book Club on the BBC this morning. If you want to learn about authors and how their minds tick it's a lovely hour of chat. You can also access records going way back to choose a book you'd like to read. Today the lady was interviewing Lee Child who writes fast moving American mystery books with a man called "Reacher" who appears and disappears and doesn't seem to have a permanent home. I was surprised to hear that Lee Child was born in Birmingham and went to university in Sheffield - his books are totally American so he's really soaked himself in the culture since moving to Wyoming. The way he spoke about his books and writing makes me want to read more of his work. 

I always say, when I take the pictures down from my wall it's no longer my home. When I moved into this rented place Vuth and Cina had put up some pictures. One was a wall hanging in hand woven silk. A couple of weeks ago Vuth asked if he could hang it in his office. Seeing as it wasn't mine in the first place I don't miss it at all. I have a lovely, heavy, Naga blanket. Officially, they are meant for the bed but they are very heavy and ornate. Whenever I go to Nagaland I am always given a blanket. I realised I had it in the cupboard so I asked Vuth to take the blanket to the man who made the wall hanging to ask him to make a rod so I could hang the blanket. Most people who get them drape them over the sofa or put them on the wall. The blanket came back without the rod. I asked Vuth when I was getting it and he said I wasn't. Apparently, the carpenter says it's not appropriate to be on the wall so he won't make a rod for it. I thought, "This is my house and my blanket," but obviously, according to the carpenter it's not enough. 

The dental document tale continues and we are getting nowhere. Thornin wanted lunch so we decided to eat on the street - the food is cooked by my neighbours. We had a plate of rice along with a bowl of fish and vegetable soup, a plate of bbq'd chicken and a beef and green pepper dish, plus a beaker of iced tea. It cost us $1.75 so I still have some money in my pocket. 

Cina told husband Vuth to join Thornin and me and go to a coffee shop. Fortunately, coffee shops serve countless drinks so I don't suffer. I ordered hot caramel for $2.50 - it's more of an upmarket place than the roadside lunch. I didn't mind it but I think it's just hot milk with squiggles of caramel floating on top. Afterwards I picked up Samnang who wanted to come for a visit. 

He's 14 and I'm constantly getting on to him about his lack of relationship with his parents - maybe it's a 14 year old thing. Whatever they say to him gets no response, just a yes or no. He said he likes talking to me because I don't judge him even though I do tell him off at times. I told him that I've most likely done all the things he's doing at his age. I'm going to have to have words with his parents. 

I'm now into a mouse routine. Before it gets dark I put food into the trap and then I put it onto the balcony. Around 8.30pm I check the trap and I usually find one or two mice. They are what I call the late shift. in the morning I'll check the trap at 6.30am and will take the early morning shift to the balcony. 

I'm beginning to wonder - is my ginger biscuit and peanut butter menu attracting the mice? Would they come if there was nothing in the trap? Would they come if it was some marmalade on a bit of bread. I wonder if there's some scientific information about this?

Sat, 12th Jan, 2019

I hope most of you are wondering, what the heck is FYROM.  Many years ago, even before Jesus, there was an area in the Balkans called Macedonia.  It's mentioned in the Bible.  Alexander the Great's dad was called Philip of Macedonia.  Macedonia was part of the Greek world but it was an area where people spoke a Serbian language rather than Greek, people's names were a bit like Russian where women's names ended in 'ova'.  I've just realised it looks a lot like ovum - egg, so maybe it is connected to female fertility.  

Anyway,  these people followed the Serbian Orthodox Church rather than the Greek Orthodox.  When Yugoslavia came into being the country had an area called Macedonia.  It always bothered the Greeks who claimed the name as their own.  When Yugoslavia fell apart, Macedonia because a country.  It had always been called Macedonia so the folks decided to carry on using the name but that made the Greeks even more angry.  When I went to Thessalonika, which was called Solun in the old days, we were stopped at the border.  The Greek guards came running out of their hut with a roll of sticky tape.  They tore some off and stuck it over the MK symbol on the car - the symbol of Makedonia.  On the tape it said FYROM which means "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  

Now the Macedonian Parliament has voted to accept a proposal to call the country The Republic of North Macedonia and in a few days time the Greeks will vote.  The folks don't like it but it's all they can do; they won't be allowed by the Greeks to apply for EU membership etc unless the name is changed.  So now you are experts on FYROM.

Val arrived from England yesterday so I spent most of the day dealing with her needs.  I did a lot of walking, in fact I managed to walk over 26,000 steps which equated to 17.6km.  At the end of the day I was too tired to be impressed.

With it being Saturday morning I had to wake up at 6.15am so that Oudom could play football.  I woke up at 5.35am and lounged around, wondering when the alarm would go off but it didn't.  I finally checked the time and it was 6.40; I was to be in the parking lot at 6.45.  We moved!  Oudom had forgotten his football boots so back to the house we raced.  He couldn't find them so he never did play football.  Samnang said it didn't make any difference because Oudom can't play anyway.  I don't think I've ever heard the two of them say anything nice about the other brother.  Later I checked the alarm and it turned out that it was set for 6.15pm.  I've decided I should always set the alarm wearing my glasses.  

I caught two more mice.  Other people arrive home and say to themselves, "I wonder if there's any mail?"  I come home and say, "I wonder if I've caught any mice?"  It like a conveyor belt; they keep on coming and coming and I'm running out of biscuits and peanut butter.

Sun, 13th Jan, 2019

I was enjoying my apartment walk this morning when I got a message from Hans who is the leader of the dental group.  "Sogol and Graham are already in Phnom Penh; they left Canada a day early.  Can you go to the airport to meet them?"  I told Hans the plane had already landed so they could be anywhere.  I decided it was pointless because they may be on the way to the city centre while we are on our way to the airport.  Later on I heard that Sogol was inside the airport, trying to find Graham who could be anywhere.  She didn't want to go out of the airport to look for him as she might be able to get back inside.  We had no rooms books for them in the hotel so I had to get my travel agent to see if he could get a couple more rooms.  The group isn't staying at the hotel so I was worried as to which address they'd used on their arrival documents.

It was all chaotic.  Sogol finally got hold of me and said it was frustrating looking for someone when you didn't know what he looked like.  Eventually, she was alone inside the arrivals area so she decided to go outside.  a tuk tuk man tried to take her somewhere but she said she was looking for someone.  Cambodian tuk tuk people love to help so he asked her questions.  She said she was looking for someone who was supposed to be going to the Angkor International Hotel.  The man said, "I've just been there and dropped an old white man with white hair."  That was Graham.

Eventually, I connected up with them and heard their story.  We've still no idea why they were issued with tickets two days earlier than the rest of the group.  I was so frazzled I suggested walking down to the river and having a drink.

While all this is going on, I'm trying to deal with Val's time in the city.  Srun, the tuk tuk driver came and dropped her at the royal palace.  He left and she found out it was closed until after lunch.  My job was to find him and get him back to pick her up.  I met them and we went to a shopping mall for lunch.  Meanwhile, I'm also dealing with the dentists but my phone had almost no charge.  I went to the travel office to charge my phone and Vuth and Cina were phoning the airline to see what they could do to locate Graham.  We'd no idea he was relaxing in the hotel.  

Boroith, one of my main translators was arriving in Phnom Penh from another city so I had to locate him and tell him what to do so that I could meet him.  It was like a circus.  I finally got everyone together and at 6pm we met to walk to a restaurant for dinner.  What a relief.  Now I'm hoping they are packing a small bag for just one day of work.

Tomorrow I'll meet them at the airport and hopefully they will be able to come out of the airport with their dental equipment.  It'll be a busy day for them as they've been travelling for a long time but we have to do some tourism jaunts because there's no other time during the programme.  Such is life.  

Mon, 14th Jan, 2019

This date has been etched on my brain for about five months and now it's here.  Boroith and I had pork and rice on the street.  It's a nice meal as the pork is bbq'd and it comes with rice, a dish of pickles and a bowl of broth, plus the usual free iced tea.  The other people came from the hotel and picked us up to go to the airport to meet the rest of the dental group.  

Now I have to switch into my logistical mode.  On the way to the airport we met the truck that we use to pick up our equipment and we transferred our bags from a tuk tuk to the bus.  In the airport we saw that the flight from Taipei was 30 minutes early so we time for a quick drink.  I ordered a local herbal drink with honey and Sogol decided to join me - much to her regret.  If you've never had it before it tastes as if you are eating grass.  She's a brave soul and drank it.

This is the first time I couldn't get into the airport so it felt strange waiting outside for the group.  I recognised one lady with a bin and so, when the doors opened, I quickly shouted to her to gather the group and to come out when she had everyone.  It worked perfectly.  For so many years we've had problems with the documents but now we can save ourselves time knowing that the dental people could come out as individual tourists, without any questions asked.

First stop the Killing Fields.  The locals and I had lunch while the group was inside on their individual tour, listening to an audio on a headset.  They all came out looking very sombre - it really is a moving experience, especially the thousands of skulls in a ceremonial stupa.  From there we went to Toul Sleng, the prison which used to be a high school.  I met one lady who couldn't go into the area because she said it was her high school in the old days and, at that time, it rang with the laughter of children.  The group's general comment was, "How could people do this to their own people?"  It's a huge question.  Sitting beside us were four elderly Khmer men and I pointed out to my friends that they were most likely Khmer Rouge in the old days.

We arrived safely at the children's home.  In French it's L'enfant du Paix but it was translated wrongly to peaceful children whereas it should actually be children of peace.  These children are like any other child - not always peaceful.  We arrived in time to join them in their daily singing of the national anthem and lowering of the flag.  The group got to work, opening up the bins and organising how they wanted items laid out.  Boroith and my local friends had already done a great job of setting up the tables.

Dinner was lovely, as always; breaded fish, a pork and beans dish and a lovely soup with lots tomatoes, onions and mushrooms in it.

The group found their rooms, had showers and then held a meeting to discuss tomorrow.  Hans, the leader, is very upbeat and everyone was smiling so I think we are going to have a good day tomorrow.  

15th Jan, 2019

First of all I must apologise.  I was reminded I'd skipped a day.  I had completely forgotten; when the dentists are here each day blends into the next one.  It'll be out of date order but nobody will notice the difference1. 

Anyway.... our first day of work was with the children at the Peaceful Children's Home.  It meant a one hour bus ride from the hotel to the home and I was happy to see the dentists on time.  Boroith had left the hotel at 5am to set up the tables so everyone was impressed when they saw there were a lot of things they didn't have to deal with.

We work in one of the small classrooms so it's quite crowded but the dentists prefer to be together as it helps them to feel as if they are a group.  We did a lot of preliminary work before going for dinner and to bed.  The accommodation is mixed so some people found themselves in rooms with bunk beds while others had rooms with air conditioning.  One lady was in a room and then the group leader popped his head around the door and said, "Can we join you?" So he and his partner joined her for the night.  She was a bit befuddled but took it all in a friendly way.

I was in a room that meant showering in an outside room.  I always find it fascinating because there are so many lizards glued to the walls waiting for mosquitoes and ants.  In other years the ladies haven't appreciated using a "shower" that involves dipping a ladle into a large tank of water and chucking it over oneself.  They insisted on using the showers in other private rooms.  I told them the water was the same but it didn't encourage them to have a go.  This year the group didn't mind so it makes my life much easier.

This year we had only 27 children to see because each year 1/3rd of the children must return to their home base.  It's a totally insane idea by the government.  Many of the children are orphans, some come from destitute families so there's no one to take care of them. They get poorer health care, education, food, clothing etc., so it's very sad.  There are two special needs people at the home - one is 27 and the other an older teen.  They are uneducable but there's no one able to teach them anything.  We are now trying to get them into a centre where they will learn basic skills.  One of them has a family but they don't want her.

We had a great day; people came from the village saw we saw around 76 patients.  Some of them need a large amount of work done because they've never been to a dentist, so it kept the group busy.  Many in the group this year are new to Kindness in Action so I'm happy it's a positive experience for them.

In the evening we went back to Phnom Penh so the group was happy to be in a room with air conditioning and a proper shower.  We took them for a boat ride on the Tonly Sap and Mekong River.  While on the boat, one of the older ladies came to me and said, "We've been trying to figure out how old you are; are you older than I am?"  I looked at her and knew she was far younger than I was - she was 71.  It was nice to know that she thought she was older than I am.  

The group kept thanking me constantly for giving them a variety of experiences so it's a great relief.  I now know all their names and lots of information about their past lives.  I'm hoping they spread the word that Cambodia's a good place to visit.  

16th Jan, 2019

The day started off well.  I got up at 6am and didn't find a mouse in the trap.  Boroith left the hotel at 5am to set up the tables at our next work place.  That meant I could go to the hotel and have his breakfast.  The restaurant is a totally different place now the Chinese have taken over.  We have to get a chit from the hotel desk whereas before we just wandered in and ordered a meal on trust.  A man stands and does nothing except collect chits.  The frazzled lady cooking the eggs doesn't speak English so it's hard to order anything other than omelette as that's the only word she seems to know.

As usual, things have gone wrong with the equipment, so three of the group had to leave separately to visit a dental store.  It took us nearly 1 1/2 hours to reach our destination because of the traffic and stopping for water, ice etc.  Boroith had done a great job of setting up so the dentists just have to place all their equipment where they want it.  For a few days I've been trying to reach Father Ou Chang, who is the Korean director of the centre.  When we arrived I learned that he'd been back in Korea for two months and there's now an Indonesian Jesuit running the place with a young man from Vietnam.  

Triage is always interesting at this place, which is for mentally and physically handicapped adults.  They come to the centre for almost a year to learn a trade and then they return home to set up a business.  The Catholic church runs the centre and they also follow the young adults when they return home to help them get established.  Nowadays, they take in the mentally handicapped and they live side by side with the physically handicapped.  In the villages they are ignored but at the centre they live happily together.  They learn how to do simple tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning floors etc and so, when they return home, they become appreciated.  

I think I went off topic for a while!  Triage is fun because people come in their wheelchairs; some have amputations and hop around on one leg or they wear artificial legs.  There are people with various stages of cerebral palsy, spastics etc.  The mentally handicapped seem to control how we work  because we have to work around them rather than our own schedule.  They are examined, given a bib and then they disappear.  We tell them to sit in a particular area and then they get up to join a friend in another group.  I got a translator to tell them, "If you move to that section you will get all your teeth removed as that section is for extraction." They quickly move.  One man with Down's Syndrome said he couldn't be examined because he was a VIP and he had to wait until his guru came.   I've learned to treat them as ordinary people and I often ask how they lost a limb.  I had to laugh at a church helper who has no fingers on one hand.  Everyone automatically thinks the accidents are with landmines but he'd worked at a sausage factory and he lost his fingers in a machine.

It's amazing how independent they are.  They climb on and off the tables, even though they are missing limbs.  While waiting for their turn some play football and crutches are flying in all directions.  We stopped for lunch and today a village kitchen brought us some fried vegetables, chicken, rice and fish.  The fish was the head with the portion just behind the head.  I took the whole thing and it was delicious; I didn't bother about anything else.

The group gets along really well and there's a lot of laughter and fun while we are working.  It's interesting how they arrive and some are friendly while others are a bit reserved.  Gradually, they start to feel comfortable, they relax and eventually everyone is having a great time.  

This evening we took them for a boat ride for an hour and then to a restaurant called Shabu Shabu.  Each one of us has our own pot of broth, made from different things such as Tom Yam, the spicy Thai soup, a pork broth etc.  Then food goes by on a conveyor belt and you just take a plate and add it to the broth.   There's also a sushi section, other kinds of food, ice cream and soft drinks - all for $12 per person and as much as you can each.  Buffets are a lost cause for me as I never eat my money's worth but the Asians in this group definitely made up for what I didn't eat; they were still eating half an hour after I'd finished.  It was nice to be thanked so many times for the work, meals, trips etc; it makes it all worthwhile.

I can't sleep at the hotel as I've given my bed to a translator.  I had to pick up my bag from the translators' room and I came home with an armful of laundry for the lads.  It'll take over an hour so the first job in the morning will be to hang out the laundry.

So now I'm off to bed, basking in the glory of being appreciated!

Thur, 17th Jan, 2019

I think I've already told you that "Prieb" means "dove" which is quite appropriate considering that the area was a military base not that long ago

This morning I had my breakfast on my own at home and then joined the group for 7.30am at the hotel.  The traffic was awful and it took us 2 hours to get to the centre.  We stopped for some fruit on the way and the group bought fruit they've never eaten before - mangosteen, dragoon fruit, lychee and a banana that's mouth size.

If we thought yesterday was a challenge, with all the physically handicapped people, today was even more challenging.  Today was mostly ladies and they were all mentally challenged.  At the centre they are called "special needs".  Some were slow, some had Down's syndrome; there were some with epilepsy and others with problems we couldn't define.  One young lady shook when anything was suggested to her.  The man who said he was a VIP yesterday decided to have treatment.  One man wandered around all the time and didn't come to see us until the last minute - he constantly dribbled.  They were such a happy bunch and constantly laughing.  We were definitely not in control - they were.  They kept disappearing or moving from one section to another.  When we asked what was wrong with their teeth they kept changing their minds.  With them being so happy, it makes it easier as we often want to treat them with kid gloves as we feel sorry for them.  It's sad when we can't give them the treatment they need because their teeth have reached a critical stage and needs more care than we can provide.  One supervisor told us to only remove one tooth, even though the girl needed many extractions.  As she rightly said, "You are only here for one day and so you don't see the trauma that might happen tomorrow."    

Lunch is always a challenge.  Yesterday we had the fish heads and today it was a long slim fish, about the size of a pencil and not as long.  I told people to imagine it was our sardine, which didn't help as most of them didn't like sardines - they said it was a British thing.  These fish are deep fried and I eat everything -  bones, head and tail.  Looking in the bag I don't think many tried them.  

After our work the group made a tour of the centre to see what the young adults are being taught.  The men learn how to fix mobile phones and computers, make wheelchairs that are suitable for bumpy country roads, fixing engines, farming, gardening etc.  The ladies learn how to run a beauty salon, sewing clothes etc.  They stay for one year at the centre and then they return to their community.  The Catholic church supervises their return and makes sure they are able to set up a little business.  I think the gift shop was happy for our visit as I saw a number of the group buying things.

It took another two hours to get back to the hotel but time went quickly as we were in a singing mood.  Someone hung a portable speaker from a luggage rack and we placed requests for songs.  It was a happy time and the time past quickly.  I'm supposed to meet the group at 9pm to take them out for a drink but they are having problems getting their meals.  Normally, we go in a group and I order everything to make it faster and easier.  This evening they are all ordering individual meals which really complicates things.  It's always a problem when 20 people enter a restaurant.  They take time ordering and then it takes time to cook.  I prefer ordering some specific dishes and asking everyone to enjoy them.  So now I've got a few minutes spare before I leave home to find the group.  Wish me luck. 

Fri, 18th Jan, 2019

Sat.19th Jan, 2019

Sun, 20th Jan, 2019

It's 10.25pm but I'm too awake to go to sleep so I thought I'd do my diary.  The day worked out well although it's always worrying when there's nobody waiting for triage.  Inevitably, when we decide to go off and help in the different work places, people start to come so I have to chase around to find translators to tell them what is happening.  A group of ladies came and they said they were very nervous as they'd never been to a dentist before. Then another lady appeared and she said she'd been to our clinic three years ago and it was a wonderful experience so that helped the other people to relax.

We had lunch in one of the classrooms.  There was rubbish all over the floor, parts of the walls were missing and hens and cockerels kept coming in and out, hoping we'd drop something on the floor.  It was so strange to see advanced math on the blackboard.  I had no idea what the calculations were as they were so complicated, plus they were done without calculators.  It's exactly what the author of "The Outliers" has to say, it's not individual intelligence that counts but opportunity.  There are obviously children in this particular math class who are brilliant at what they are doing but sadly they won't have the opportunity because they are in a remote rural area.  In a recent English language newspaper there was an article about an excellent government school in Phnom Penh where students are able to participate in debates, they have computer classes and all sorts of modern educational aids.  What the article didn't mention is that this is available to about 1 percent of the Cambodian young population; the rest put up with what they can get.

Luc, who asked us to work in the area, came by and said he'd visit parts of the commune to let people know we were here.  He said that health workers do go around the community checking on people's health but, when he asked them to tell the people that they could have their teeth fixed, they refused unless they were given money.  It's the same in the schools. The teachers are so poorly paid they generally only teach half the curriculum and then the students have to pay their teachers for evening classes.  If there's an exam, the students have to pay for the exam paper.  In all school playgrounds you can find stalls, selling all sorts of educational supplies (pencils, exercise books etc) plus snacks, and they are all owned by the teachers' families.  It's an awful state of affairs but I can't blame them for wanting a higher salary.

After doing our work we packed up and left the school.  Tomorrow there's be 600 students so it's going to be a bit chaotic working in the environment with children running all over the place.  We had time, so I suggested we go to see the bats.  I don't know how many millions come out of a large opening into a cave and it's fascinating watching them.  I've taken the 15 dental groups to this place and we sit and have a drink and snack while waiting for the bats to emerge.  In this year's group some were concerned about rabies, which is something I'd never thought about.  I suppose it is something to be concerned about but sometimes we allow these medical issues to prevent us from enjoying ourselves.  

Around 6pm the bats started to come out.  In one second there are thousands of them and they are coming out of the cave for over half an hour.  I often wonder what's happening in the cave.  Do the bats have an internal clock that tells them it's time to leave or do they have one person with the alarm clock who makes the decision.  They stream out in a ribbon that weaves its way across the sky.  At some point they say to each other, "Well, I'm going off in this direction so I'll see you in the morning."  They all return to the cave in a ribbon of thousands rather than one by one.  It's fascinating.  

We went back to the hotel and had a shower and change of clothing and then we went for dinner.  Today was a scrumptious meal of mushrooms cooked in a sauce, a dish made with vegetables and very wide noodles, a Tom Yam soup which is a Thai soup and Lok Lak which is a delicious beef dish.

After dinner we took the group to a karaoke. Three or four didn't want to go so they stayed in the hotel.  Some of the group had never been so it was a lovely experience for them.  We had the enormous VIP room which had space for dancing and I made sure we had Cambodian music so the boys could teach the Canadians some dance steps.  It was a huge success.

One lady said she was enjoying the programme so much and she said I was an absolute - I don't think I'd better say as we were talking about dental egos and I might have to class myself in that group.  The lady is from Saskatchewan and her husband encouraged her to join the group because of the history in the area.  It's really great when people keep on thanking me and the boys for giving them a good experience. The trouble is that it makes the boys want to continue and I have to join them.  

Mon, 21st Jan, 2019

As usual we were up at 6am and out of the hotel at 6.45am.  I always eat my meal while walking around the restaurant as I help deliver the food to the dentists.  Serey had a difficult morning as only one cook arrived for work.  Lower paid people generally don't have the commitment to jobs and so you can't expect them to be loyal and come every day, or even inform you they aren't coming.

When we arrived at the school we didn't see anyone waiting for us so I started to worry.  I'm eternally grateful for not being born in Cambodia and becoming a teacher here.  The school where we are working is typical of all rural schools in the country.  The grounds are littered with rubbish, the bushes are rarely watered in the dry season so they always look half dead.  The classrooms are awful and there's very little in the way of supplies such as chalk; the children have to provide everything themselves.  To serve this need, the lady principal of the primary school, and her husband, have a shop in the school grounds which helps to supplement her very low salary.  Children were constantly coming away from the shop with sugary drinks.  I told the children they'd be back to see the dentists but they just laughed.  It's the only treat they get in the day so who can blame them.  

An annual treat for me is to have my teeth cleaned by one of the dentists.  I have paid into a Canadian insurance plan since 1990 but have hardly used it.  I tried calculating how much I've given the company with no benefit to myself - maybe I should cancel it all together.  This time Graham cleaned my teeth.  He's in his early 60s and so it was nice to have someone who understood why my teeth weren't perfect.  In my younger days we didn't even know what a toothbrush was.  When we eventually got one we used salt rather than toothpaste.  We were encouraged to have hard bristles and to brush hard so my gums are not where they are supposed to be.  I've also got gaps that were created when I was about 10 years old when the government lady dentists came into the school and pulled teeth - that's all they did.

We all felt dirty at the end of the day because of moving around the dusty grounds.  At one point the dentists started screaming and I learned that they'd disturbed an ants' nest and so thousands of ants were coming out of the ground carrying eggs.  Later somebody said an enormous wasp was building a nest on the ceiling.  Luckily we'd bought spray so we could deal with these disasters as they appeared.  The students looked clean in their white blouses and shirts and black pants and skirts but the children from the village wore very dirty clothes.  With all the dust and dirt around I suppose the parents are fighting a losing battle.

In the mid afternoon we decided to close up the triage and, as usual, people came at the last minute for treatment.  I hate turning them down but there's nothing we can do for them.  We did treat one young lady as she'd come yesterday but we had finished work.  She came by motorbike from the Thai border, which is a long way off.  Later a man arrived and his teeth situation was so bad he needed seven teeth removed plus surgery.  Our bus driver is constantly helping us in little ways and I think it's because we gave him treatment.

At the end of the day a young lady of about 15 approached me.  She'd been walking around but didn't make any effort to see the dentists.  I had decided she had a mental issue so I just thought she was spending time seeing what was going on.  This time she stood in front of me and pulled up a trouser leg.  Her leg looked awful - swollen, purple with two enormous open sores.  I took her to see Val but she rightly pointed out that this was a dental mission so we had no bandages, medicine or ointments to treat the young lady.  We asked her questions but all she said was the name of the area where she lived.  We did learn from someone else that her father is a drunkard and he beats her all the time.  One of the volunteers washed her leg but we were so frustrated as we couldn't do anything.  Eventually, we found a man who would take her to the local clinic on his motorbike.  She'd get very little treatment but it would be better than nothing.  Val said the infection had gone deep and, if it affected the bone, the young lady could lose her leg.  It's so sad when we can't help people.  

We stopped at the pagoda where we'll work tomorrow and it was nice to see our friendly senior monk.  What's nice about going to regular places once a year is that people recognise me.  We set up the workplace for tomorrow as there will be over 100 people, mostly monks and nuns.   I went into the meeting hall and sat on the floor staring at the Buddha statues for a while as I get fed up with all the daily noise.  

Coming back on the bus we had the pleasure of seeing a special blood red moon which has something to do with an eclipse which wouldn't be seen in our part of the world.  I had an early dinner and decided to walk back to the hotel as I wanted to put my feet up.  

Final working day tomorrow.