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Hi everyone and hope you are all well.
It has been an interesting week and I have spent more time teaching which I have thoroughly enjoyed as vols have been out sick. I have been amazed at the 15 -18 year olds command and understanding of written and spoken English. For the first time Grace House is able to send 5 of its students to university for the first time. This week has seen them enrolling, signing contracts with GH and been given the cloth to have their uniforms made from. The students then have to pay a tailor to make up their trousers/skirt and shirts/blouses. They will all study for 4 years, during the evening as they need to work during the day to support themselves and help their family. The parents came into GH on Friday to sign/thumb print their part of the contract.
Sleeping has been difficult due to the death of someone just behind here, as for three days monks chant and funereal music is played from sunrise 4:45ish till sunset, so that was our early morning alarm. Then just across the road they held the 100 day meal to to remember someone who died 100 days ago. That too had the music for 48 hours and a large meal was held. The tent for the meal was half way across the road and on the other side were the caterers - cooking in the open so fumes, dust etc mixed with the food! The people attending would leave a doantion towards the cost of the food and the amily would hope/expect it to completely cover their costs. Also very sadly, Mac, Trixie (from our office) parner died in ihis sleep on Wed and was found by her friend. Although I hadn't seen him this time I met him a few times last year. He has worked very hard to help raise funds for the NGO's by organising and running Quiz Nights every week, so he will be badly missed by a lot of people.
We have had a fair amount of rain since Wed, but until yesterday it had fallen during the night so hadn't troubled us. We had been back to riding our bikes, although road conditions very poor.
Yesterday we decided to visit KUlen Mountain, a holy one and from where the stone came for Angkor Wat temple. It has a temple on the top and a waterfall which both locals and visits visit. The journey up the mountain road was difficult due to the torrenial rain washing the red mud away, but we got to the top. Unfortunately, the rain descended very heavily, and of course we had no waterproofs - the van driver had a few umbrellas, so the locals thought it was an ideal time to make money from wealthy tourists by upping the price of their flimsy ponchos considerably, but we refused to buy until a sensible price was agreed. The climb to the temple was lined with begging people and little children, the rain did not deter them. We were absolutely drenched and once we had taken off our shoes the going became very slippery. The shrine was not the most impressive I have seen, but the endeavour to build where it was must have been hard work. They are very proud of their sleeping Buddha in the temple perched on the top of the mountain. The views were spoiled by cloud. We walked around, up, over through narrow and dangerous paths to view all the little shrines dripping. Cameras had to be stored carefully and mine is still condensed badly. We walked to the waterfall, but could hear it way before reaching it, the river was a raging torrent and an impressive fall. It was far too dangerous to swim in, and any way we were beginning to feel cold after being so wet (first time in Cam) so came home. The journey back was interesting and the lying water vastly increased. We also knew that all the water we had seen and that which was still falling was on its way to Siem Reap, us and our families.
After a wet night we have had a pleasant morning, but it was a shock when we went into town for lunch to knee high flood water everywhere. Whilst I was there it began to rain torrentially and my journey back has been very interesting - deep water, many broken down motos and tuks, children swimming amongst the traffic and everyone wading about. My tuk stopped, when I got out the water was above my knees, he eventually got it going and managed to get me here. A few of the others are still out 4:30pm so their journey will be interesting if they can persuade tuks to go through it, but 1$ to them is a fortune, so they find it hard to say no even when they know it could damage the engine. It looks bleak outside, but there are happy voices about and everyone watching and wondering what is going to happen next. The families in our three villages will be in a right plight as will so many we saw yesterday and about Cambodia too, but as usual they will just get on with it.
I have heard about your hurricane so thinking of you too.
For those of you who don't know Belle has now got three new sisters - Georgianna, Henrietta and Cynthia - they are hens or bantams not other labs unfortunately. My dog is still about, I feed her well, but she is so so thin, looks at me lovingly and can wag her tail once or twice.
I can't imagine we'll get to school tomorrow, but we'll wait for further news then.
Can't think of more now, I'll load today's photos and close. Take care everyone, looking forward to hearing from you.
Love to all, J x
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