The Cool Winds of Samrong

Hi Everyone

Well, its stopped raining, there's little sun and a coolish breeze most of the time, so we guess this must be the start of the cool season.The mornings are chilly- I'm wearing a cardy to bike to work, we don't need fans , at least in the mornings, and we have a blanket on the bed. It's great, just hope it lasts a while.This is also the season of holidays, so we've had a long weekend to celebrate the King's birthday when we were tourists, and visited some remoter temples and a beautiful sight Kbal Spean where we trecked uphill through jungle to a spectacular carved river bed and waterfall with lingas and animals carved into the rock to deify the water on its way to Angkor Wat.Never has a massage felt so good at the end of the day!
We've also had a weekend away with 5 vol. friends to Prehear Vehear Temple, a World Heritage site, the one which you occasionally hear about on the News as Thai and Cambodian soldiers take pot shots at each other. It is magnificent, perched high on an escarpment on the border,in a very remote and poor province, looking down on flat Cambodian plateau and slightly more undulating terrain on the Thai side. The road has been improved recently to accomodate the Army, but it felt an adventure, especially when we were piled into the back of an open truck with locals hanging on to the sides for a freebie trip up the steep approach and were met by friendly, smilng soldiers with guns. Reminded me of trips up Sutton Bank in Dad's Morris 8!

Work is still good, and busy.Those of us working in Samrong,went off to visit Oly Shipp, from Delph would you believe, and working as a VSO management advisor in a small hospital, Tmar Pouk, on a terrible road, more remote than Samrong. He and Alison, a volunteer from Cambridge inspired us with their hospital garden, new children's ward funded by the American Army I think, and their health promotion sessions for relatives and carers.Mary's hand washing demo of using oil followed by potato flour to demostrate how germs are transmitted when shaking hands, touching a baby's face etc and how just using water doesn't remove the flour, has so impressed my Project Manager that its now part of our hand washing strategy, and we have not only soap but washing up liquid and washing powder for field staff to demonstrate in the villages. For some reason, I think cost - most things come down to that here - there is no culture of using soap, so I hope that by showing alternatives, we will remove another barrier to better health. A small thing, but it made my week, as there is a chance that it will be sustained when I leave!

I've also supported our most senior health promoter to present a workshop to staff about working in Schools which went well, even though we have few resources and staff find it difficult to think imaginatively about games and activities to get across the usual health messages around hygiene and sanitation. I got the idea from another volunteer colleague for a 'crying stomach' plastic bag which the children fill with picture cards of the things that cause diarrhoea - dirty water, uncovered food etc and a 'laughing stomach' plastic bag - picture cards of washed hands,a food cabinet etc.How will I transfer these skills back to Saddleworth!

We will leave here at Christmas and we both feel there's lots to pack in before then, like nice souvenir shopping and our favourite restaurants in SR and PP, as well as things like the never ending reports, an exit interview with VSO, the dentist and a visit to the local police station to get a letter stating that we have not committed any offences whilst in Cambodia! Geoff's busy with some consultancy work for an International NGO in Samrong, correcting and writing up 'success stories' for donors and interviewing villagers and staff.Its come at just the right time, as he's feeling a bit jaded teaching without the support of colleagues and with few resources, and its actually well paid!
Its holiday season here so we're making the most of a 5 day break by visiting Laura soon, to give her a hand with Enrico, who like all babies is lovely but demanding! Geoff's away just now, to get our visas renewed and follow up some possibilities of voluntary work supporting teachers with an NGO in Siem Reap ,for a few weeks in January 2011, whilst I enjoy being a Granny in Singapore!We'll also make the most of our last non existent frantic run up to Christmas. So, take care and keep us in touch with all the goings on at home, even the Phil Woolas story!
With love to you all
Geoff and Carol