I'm one of those people who can ignore a ringing phone. It can ring as much as it likes, especially if I'm doing something that's important to me - such as shaving. I finally picked up the phone, expecting a crisis, and was told by Vuth to join him and Ratha for coffee at 10am.
I went over at 10am and discovered that Ratha was at the bank, making sure he had enough money in his account as he was preparing his documents for a second attempt at getting a visa for Australia. He owes all of us something as he left all the paperwork for the rest of us to do - I typed a couple of letters giving details of how wonderful he was, his company, his family etc. He finally left the bank at 11.30am. Banks here treat people as being very special. We aren't expected to stand in a queue, shuffling along but instead we take a number, depending on which department we want, and then we sit down until our number appears.
Everyone else seems to have a mobile device with them, when they are sitting around. I can't stand the phone so I leave mine at home, which means I generally sit twiddling my thumbs and staring into space; I call it meditating.
Vuth asked Tola to book a table at a restaurant that's usually packed at lunch time. When Ratha eventually arrived we set off for Brown Coffee House where we parked the car and then walked to the restaurant. I was expecting something quite posh but, when we started going up a dingy staircase I was beginning to wonder. What a surprise when we walked into a delightful place, built in a Khmer style with lots of wood. The staff wore traditional Khmer outfits; not fancy ones but those worn by country folk. Eventually, Tola arrived from his job as a notary and Ratha ordered the food. I never bother with the menus because I feel it's better if they order what they want as I tend to eat anything. Jokingly, I asked if Prohok, the fermented fish paste, was on the menu. The waitress laughed and asked if I liked it. I told her it depends on who makes it as it's different every time I try it.
The food in the restaurant is Khmer and so some of the vegetables were local ones that don't have an English name. I did enjoy the meal - we had a green creeper with meat, a plate of rolls that were made of Khmer traditional noodles with a piece of fatty pork inside. Another dish had rice paper and into it we were able to put various offerings. There was a Khmer style sweet and sour fish soup filled with fish and different vegetables and finally a large fish that had been cooked in a kind of batter so it had a crispy skin. For the four of us we paid $40 which wasn't bad at all for such a lovely experience. Ratha said he'd pay for me as he'd invited me, but I had to pay for the upcoming coffee.
From there we walked back to Brown and managed to find a table with just one chair. It's amazing how packed these places get at noon. Staff found three more chairs so we could sit down and order. I never know what to order, especially when the menu is full of lattes, mochas, cappuccinos etc. The waitress showed us a new offering and, if we ordered one of the drinks, we got a free custard tart worth $1. Vuth ordered a honey coffee and I chose a minty lime one. Mine was so sour it send shivers through me. I ended up added three packets of sugar to calm it down. I won't order it again, even though I did like the tart.
I came home and settled down to type my Nigerian notes. Recently, I've been typing about exam time and I can't figure out how any of the Canadians survived being at our various schools. My notes are full of absentee invigilators, absent students, students taking the exam for a friend, students being given papers to mark and filling in blank spaces with the right answers, correcting wrong answers and generally passing everyone. We drove ourselves to distraction trying to keep the system going with no help from the local teachers. Finally, Avis said, "Why should we fight to change their system?" I think we were all joining the ranks of the students fighting the tyranny of the system.
I didn't have to out any more during the day but I decided I need a break from typing. I went to one shop and bought some oatmeal for porridge. I checked for brown bread at "Smile" but couldn't find any and so I ended up at "Panda" where I did find a loaf. It's handy having lots of shops around. At eMart I found some small cans of pate from France with various meats - pork and mushroom, chicken with herbs etc. Just $1.35 a can so I'll be going back for some as they'll be nice with sandwiches or crackers.
I came home and settled down to watch The Murder Room on YouTube. It's an Inspector Dalgliesh mystery written by PD James. Unfortunately, it's in two parts so the end will have to wait.
I have to get to bed as I want to get up at 6am tomorrow. I am joining about young people to go to an exchange programme involving young adults from Thailand and Cambodia. We do exchange programmes with thailand and Vietnam and we find it helps to improve relationships among the younger generation. The older folk have set ideas about each other which are often negative. I wasn't actually invited to the weekend gathering but I did receive a copy of a letter that said, "Peter will be keynote speaker and note taker for the weekend." So I thanked the writer for the warm invitation.
I've just received another wedding invitation for the 17th March. It's a young lad who was raised at the children's home. He's now at a good university, studying international law. I'd love to go but it'll depend on getting a ride as it's in another province. Right now I'm not thinking about it. Good night.
