Maybe I should have not said anything about the mice. Grandpa came over with two workers at 8am today to do something about the mouse invasion. They brought with them metal sheets with small holes which they cut into pieces to cover every conceivable surface where a mouse might try to come into my place. To cut them they used various metal cutting gadgets and grinders. The noise was horrendous. Dust flew everywhere. I've even got a grill over the water outlet from the shower. Grandpa went home and Vuth came over to supervise which meant sitting on the steps and chatting to the men.
Vuth gave the workers money to buy lunch and to have the machinery stopped for a while; we have a lady neighbour who loves to complain about everything so he wanted to keep her happy. When the workers had finished, Thornin bought food from our street friends and we ate together. They finally left around 3pm and then I had to start cleaning. Vuth said I'm definitely burglar proof now and I'm thinking I'm even bulletproof. I feel very fortunate that I've only got to mention something to Vuth and Cina and, as my landlords, whatever it is is fixed immediately.
I had a bit of a letdown this morning - no mouse to send flying off the balcony. I did have one before going to bed last night and I'm now wondering if he is the last. I've got so used to dealing with the trap it's going to be difficult not wanting a mouse.
There was an interesting programme on the BBC radio this morning about food banks in the UK, Singapore and Kenya. Their stories are so different. In Kenya they were given crocodile meat and they didn't know what to do with it. They took it to a school where the students were a bit dubious. After tasting it they fell in love with the meat and the next time the ladies took some crocodile to the school the children burst into a song and dance routine. In Britain the lady said a man came in with a bag to donate and when she looked into it she couldn't figure out what it was. The man said it was rabbit food. They don't turn anything down so they accepted it. During the day a family came in for a food donation and the lady asked if they had any pets. "Yes, we have rabbits!" The UK food bank belonged to a Christian organisation so the lady said it was a lovely example of God taking care of the smallest creatures.
The UK food bank often found itself with too much food whereas in the other countries the people said they didn't always get many donations. Years ago I listened to a talk on the subject and I learned that in the West people give 80% of their gifts to charities and 20% to religious institutions such as churches. It's the exact opposite in places such as India where 80% is given to the place of worship.
In Canada food banks sometimes get nervous about particular foods and so they won't accept them. The Kenyan lady said that a ship arrived in Mombasa loaded with sugar. The importer couldn't pay the tax on the sugar so the government sent soldiers to chuck all the sugar into the sea. She couldn't understand why it wasn't donated to the food banks. It was interesting when the ladies said that they try to put little treats in bags for the elderly, such as a piece of chocolate or a cookie. One old lady in Singapore burst into tears when she opened her food parcel and food a moon cake. She hadn't been able to afford this favourite Chinese sweet for many years and it reminded her of her childhood.
I wonder if anyone I know has seen the play "Antigone"? It's a Greek tragedy and has been performed for 2,500 years. Apparently, in the Greek city states, drama was a part of the state, on a level with politics and the judiciary. Citizens learned about democratic participation by watching plays.
I learned today that Venezuelans called their country "The Fatherland". I think the Brits refer to the UK as "The Motherland" and Germany is "The Fatherland" for those who live there. I wonder if it's like this all over the world? Maybe that was the problem with Britain and Germany in the past - parents often argue and so it's obvious the Fatherland would not get along with the Motherland.
I picked up Oudom after his Chinese class and straight away we had a discussion on world affairs. This time, on the way here, we discussed Fukushima, Chernobyl and another place he mentioned in a former Russian state. I'm always wondering where a 12 year old gets all his information from. Later he gave me a lecture on the North West Passage in Canada, which is a bone of contention between Canada and the USA. Thankfully, he thought it should belong to Canada.
So it's bed time. Tomorrow my friend Val arrives from the UK so I'll be making sure she settles in.
