Hi everyone. After the wedding we returned to Kampong Cham to finish the language course before moving to Phnom Penh for the end of In-Country Training. Here we were able to find several items of furniture for our new house and VSO provided a truck to take us to Samraong.It was decrepid, dusty and old - the middle part of the steering wheel came off 2hrs in - but with a good driver, we arrived safely 9hrs later, feeling very much our age and no hot bath to soak in!

There were still 5 days to spend in a hotel, then at last we moved into the house where we put our suitcases well out of sight.

Our landlord had installed a posh fridge, cable TV, a new bed, gas cooker and settee and chairs. Within a couple of days came new curtains. The house is made of pink stone and has 4 rooms and a rooftop space. There is a kitchen, a shower room/toilet, a bedroom and a lounge/dining room. The lounge has a high ceiling and a shop-house entrance which means you could drive a bus through. We have installed the largest mosquito screen in Samraong across this front space.

Carol started work on the 27th of April.Geoff has now handed over to me. I'm almost at the end of my 2nd week and it all feels very strange after the frenetic pace of the NHS. The days are long, 7.30 -12 and 1.30 - 5 and there's plenty of time to stand and stare! I'm shadowing the Project Manager who is typically Cambodian - small, smiley and generous of spirit. He told me yesterday that his parents and 7 brothers and sisters had been killed by the Khmer Rouge and that he and his 3 surviving siblings had spent their teenage years in a refugee camp on the Thai border. It is only 10 yrs since the civil war to drive Pol Pot out ended in these parts, electricity arrived 2yrs ago and the internet last year. I try to remember this as I complain at the lack of things like orange juice, cheese and white wine!

I've attended meetings with the Public Health Dept and the main funder of our organization, Malteser, a German Aid organization.I've been on a field trip to several villages to look at the reasons why so many families there have dropped out of the community based health insurance scheme which CHHRA - Cambodian Health and Human Rights Alliance , the organisation I work for also manages. I sat in on a days interviews to select a new health promoter and was impressed by the organization's professionalism in spite of the chickens clucking around which didn't seem to bother anyone! VSO say that it takes about 3mths to settle in to the job and I know that I will have to be patient. I'm still at the stage of meeting lots of people - looking for opportunities to make small changes will hopefully come later.

Geoff has met a French girl who is a teacher, working with a French charity trying to add value to secondary school age children's education. He's offered English teaching, a couple of times per week and has also agreed to teach English to CHHRA staff, beginners and more advanced. Meanwhile, he's content to shop daily at the local market for meat and veg which are of surprisngly good quality, wash clothes by hand, read, enjoy his music and cook for me. Nothing changes!

The 8 or so Aid workers here have been very welcoming. We've been out to dinner twice and a local restaurant last night to say goodbye to 2 medical students who have spent their elective at Samraong Hospital - one of them comes from Leeds!

We have 4 days public holiday next week to celebrate the King's birthday so we're making the long trek south to Kep to find some unspoilt beaches and a boutique hotel with ac. Laura and Alberto are also coming to visit the end of May so we have lots to look forward to!

Please keep trying to post a comment! Our address if you'd like to write is -
VSO Cambodia Programme Office. PO Box 912
#19, Street214. SangatBoeung Rang. Khan Daun Penh. Phnom Penh. Cambodia.

Good to know that you're having a beautiful Spring .
Love to you all
Carol and Geoff xx