Digesting the information

If you happen to be in Battambang, and you are trying to visit me at the Stung Sanke Hotel, I may not be in my room, then, you can should look for me by the pool. Genevieve's various ailments of middle age go unnoticed and unremarked upon Australia. Likewise, the things that ail me are entirely pedestrian when in the comfort of my own home. But in a third world country, everything gets hard.

Walking: uneven roads, few footpaths make tripping a problem
Shopping: the stifling heat and lack of oxygen at the markets makes concentration on the exchange rate impossible
Breathing: the heat, the humidity and most of all the dust make this a challenge
The stairs: one cafe has ladders on a slight incline, it is a nightmare all the time
Sleeping: the chanting/music starts at about 4 am (I think we are near a crematorium)
Resting: Asian mattresses are not for those who have even slight arthritis or osteoporosis
Crossing the street: the advice is walk straight across do not stop or zig zag, let the traffic go around you
Ordering food: On the menu today "Khmer Soup" was listed four times. The Khmer writing for each one was different, so clearly they were different soups, but there was only one English translation. Fun huh?'
The digestive system: well, you probably don't want to know. Suffice to say that hardly a conversation in our group goes by without the internal machinations of the body being raised as a topic for discussion.

Of course, all these things are part of the fun and we are all loving the place, it is just that we are pretty determined that things should not end in tears.

I am teaching, but are they learning?

Our class of teachers is coming alive and our Cambodian teacher/leaders are really useful. We are putting them to the test, and they are doing very well. It is possible that they have learned one or two useful things.

I am teaching, they are learning!

If you come to Battambang in the future, you will find a great statue erected in my honour. This will surely happen because of the great contribution I have made to this country. With the wonderful assistance of my new Cambodian pal Colap, we have managed to teach a Cambodian cafe owner how to make iced coffee. I supplied the recipe, Colap translated and explained. The cafe owner sent staff running to buy the ingredients. I bet you think this sounds easy but think again.

"Expresso" has little meaning so it had to be "strong coffee"
"Vanilla" has no translation so it had to be "white" or "plain" ice cream

"Milk" means that strange powdered stuff they give you in hotels to add to your tea, so it had to be clear that it was "fresh milk" (which turned out to be UHT milk.)

"Ice" means shaved ice, so it had to be "ice cubes"

The type of glass was an issue, the straw AND long teaspoon were brought.

The communication of proportions was hilarious, we got stuck here until Colap started asking me for percentages.

So, 25% strong sweet coffee, 50% fresh milk, 25% plain ice-cream and a few ice-cubes, served in a tall glass with a straw and a long teaspoon. The end result was a very big tray with each of the items laid out. The little buddy cup of ice-cream was especially cute. I showed him how to put it together and hey presto.

Only later did I discover that Colap had done all the translating and instructing without ever having had or even seen an iced coffee. She declared it her new favourite drink. The cafe owner says that he will put it on the menu.