Main Road near us and Independence Monument

Missionary of Charity

This morning I did what I have meant to do since the moment I got here. After numerous enquiries I finally found an organization that I am satisfied is not shonky, and donated some time. You have to be quite careful here as quite often all is not what it appears on the outside. People have been known to set up fake orphanages to fleece money or they may even be real orphanages but without the children’s best interests at heart. So after many enquiries I have found the Missionary of Charity. It is run by the same order of nuns that Mother Theresa was in, beautiful blue and white robes and smiling faces and all! How could you not believe that they have the best interests of the children at heart!!!
So this morning, with some trepidation, Mr Phea drove me toward the site. As we rounded the corner I thought that there had been an accident as there were people everywhere. Then Mr Phea pulls up and says “here it is”. Um…oh shit, what have I gotten myself in to? So I pushed through the crowd to the front gate and just walked in like I was supposed to be there. There was a lot of hustle and bustle going on so I grabbed the first Anglo face I saw and asked who I could see about volunteering some time each week. “um, can you start now?” Well yes I can and so I did! Turns out it was the second day of giving Christmas Hampers to the regular families that make use of the mission. There were about 10 nuns and 4 of us volunteers putting together these hampers as fast as the nuns could hand them out. They consisted of a big plastic bucket that was filled with rice. On top of that we put a few lollies, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, cooking oil, soy sauce and fish sauce. The bucket was then handed to the nun at the door who gave it to each recipient as they handed over some sort of ticket. To the hamper a small bag of clothes and a small blue tarpaulin was added as they left. It was so calm and organised. I was very impressed. Apparently they gave out 300 on Wednesday and we did another 300 today. It felt really good to be doing something physically to help out. The nuns told me it is not a normal day so I guess it was my good fortune to turn up at the right time.
So we finished up and I was invited upstairs to meet the kids. The Orphanage looks after 90 children aged between 1 and 5. The majority are boys and the few girls that they do have, have physical or intellectual disabilities. They are not all orphans; some are just placed there temporarily as their families cannot support them. It was lunchtime so I went up to give them a hand. It was very clean and happy which was a relief. First thing that happened was two big brown eyes stared at me and to arms reached out. Now I don’t speak the language but I am pretty sure that is the international sign for “pick me up”. So I did, and he was beautiful! I have found “the lover”. I cannot remember this boys name but he just loves a cuddle apparently. Who can resist. So he sat on my lap for the next half an hour while I fed him his chicken and rice. The other child that really touched me was a girl of about 5 with no hand or feet. Apparently she gets around no problem at all and she astounded me when her lunch came by manoeuvring the spoon and wolfing it down like a pro. No assistance required there!
So that was my morning. I hope to get back soon but the kids are off school for one week so don’t know if I will get the chance next week. Will definitely make it a regular when they start Winter School.

Alise's Party

Alise's Birthday Party

Post Script

Have given Mr Phea a pay rise. Felt to guilty!

The picture of misery....how do I cope?


Scarlett Rose takes the stage!

My Christmas Miracle

Quiddy and his girlfriend Rosa

Scarlett and her teacher

It's been kinda busy!

You would think that moving to a country where you know absolutely no-one, life would slow down a little. I have to admit quite the opposite is happening here! In fact, I’m exhausted!
We have met some absolutely wonderful people. I guess only being here a short time everything is just intensified and we have been busy with parties, functions, work and life!
The kids have now been at school over a week and really appear to be enjoying it. They had their Christmas party a couple of nights ago and had a blast. Each group got up and did a song. When it was Christopher’s group’s turn I could not find him anywhere. The last place I looked was the stage and there he was, Santa hat firmly perched on head, ready to sing. Anyone that knows my son know that he is painfully shy so and racking this one up to the miracle of Christmas. Scarlett even got up with her group, with some assistance from daddy of course. Santa arrived AGAIN and the kids received presents AGAIN! They are loving this Christmas Party business!!! Christopher seems to have really taken to the structure of the school. They spend an hours singing songs and going through days of the week/weather (hot) etc each morning. It seems like all of the groups spend the whole day singing. There are songs for going inside, songs for going outside, songs for when to have a drink, songs for just bout everything. The kids love it and spontaneously broke out with Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer in the back of the tuk tuk yesterday (much to the amusement of Mr Phea!)
Nick is really enjoying the work and appears to have settled in quite well.
I have a bit of a routine happening at the moment but that will change next week as school is closed until the 28th.
I had a lovely girls night out last night with Carol and Sheryl. Two amazing women who live here. It was so nice to go out with some “chicks”. You don’t know how much you missed it until you do it again. Fantastic restaurant called Fish which serves up….wait for it….seafood! We all shared 6 dishes, 2 wines and five cocktails and were more than happy with the $20 each we paid. Also went to the FCC or Foreign Correspondents Club, which is a bit of an institution here. Sat up on the roof and had a couple of G and T’s overlooking the river. A great night out.
Nick and I have our first Date Night tonight. We have tee’d up one of the Teachers Advisors from Christopher’s class to come and baby-sit ($3 an hour). Her name is Kunthea and yes, you can imagine how Scarlett pronounces it. She has me in stiches. So we are looking forward to just going out to dinner without the kids. It will be nice to be out at night together and get a different perspective on things. (Yes mum, she is fine, she has our number and the kids know her. They will be asleep anyway and she see’s them everyday so they are quite comfortable with her)
I have organised a birthday party for Christopher at a place called Le Jardine for 3.00pm next Wednesday. It is a little French place but actually has a big sand pit and cubby house for the kids. The do a $7 a head party for kids and they get ice-cream, drinks, balloons, hats etc and Quiddy gets a banner and a personalised cake. Kinda like a Macca’s party….but not! There should be about 7 kids or so I think so hopefully a fun afternoon.
I have the name of a local Orphanage that I hope to go and do one morning a week at. It is actually one of Mother Theresa’s orphanages and has a good reputation. Apparently they just need a hand feeding the babies and stuff. I don’t imagine it will be an easy thing to do and I have thought really hard about whether I would be able to do it. I am told it can be quite confronting. I do think though that if I left here without having done something, I would leave disappointed.
Out first guests (Yeah Nic and Fiona!) arrive on the 27th and leave on the 2nd so I imagine we will have a load of fun over the New Year period.
The Internet is currently down at home (it is TOTALLY unreliable, if I disappear for days at a time, that is why!) so I do not know when I will be able to post this. It’s been a long one so will sign off for now.

Not in Kansas anymore Toto!

Things I saw this morning….
-a man walking naked child through centre of town
-oranged robed monk with orange umbrella hurtling at a high rate of knots on the back of a moto
-a street entirely dedicated to cane furniture
-a guy who constructed a hammock somehow inside his Tuk Tuk who was fast asleep
-Mr Phea narrowly missing a “no u turn” sign, whilst making a U turn
-a street festooned with bunting sporting the Vietnamese flag in honour of a visiting dignitary
-a fish head with no body but the heart still attached somehow…and beating
-a bottle of Canadian Club for $9.50 (no I did not resist…bought it!)
-tourists getting fleeced at Central Market (this may have been a mirror!)
-a dog making the most skilful road crossing you will ever witness
-Aftermath of a motorbike accident
-a man on a bike that could barley be seen because of the thousands of kites he was carrying
-a 90 year old woman packing my groceries…..I felt SOOOOO bad!
-Crazy barang (foreigner) driving hulking SUV down wrong side of road…..oh, that was my husband!
-a moto “car wash”
-2 grubby smiling faces that lit up when I picked them up from pre-school

Phew…..wonder what the evening will hold?

The Things You See!

Honestly, the things you see! Now I did not see this one myself but it does not surprise me in the least. 4 on the Moto is not outrageous here at all. In fact, the motorbike is well and truly the family saloon here. People do all sorts of things on these bikes. Texting is commonplace. I can’t get my kids to sleep in the car yet they manage to get their kids to sleep wedged between 3 people on a bike seat. It really is an art. I was talking to someone the other day and they recounted what they had seen. This woman was breastfeeding on the back of the bike! If that is not bad enough, it was half time change sides. She could not swap sides directly in front of her due to the rest of the family sitting there. She thrust this dear little thing directly up in the air, with its little cheeks flapping furiously in the wind, and changed sides. Man, I wished I could have seen that. The image brings a smile to my face. Women of the world, I salute you. You just gotta do what you just gotta do!

Embassy Christmas Party

We had a lovely night at the Australian Embassy Christmas Party. It was a huge shin-dig with all staff and their families who work at the embassy invited, including local staff. The kids were reasonably well behaved but were getting pretty tired by the end. Santa came and Quiddy was very brave and shook his hand. Scarlett screamed like a banshee! It was so sweet watching the local kids do the som-pia (joining palms together and placing under your chin) to Santa. They were in awe! We hardly ever do the som-pia because there is so much etiquette involved. There are certain heights you have to place your hands according to who you are doing it to etc. A minefield of mistakes for us! They are very tolerant though and forgive us! The residence was amazing. I am talking amazing. Did I mention that the residence was amazing? All in all a great night!

Flavor Restaurant

Food...ok.....frozen Margaritas at $3....exceptional....6 staff whisking Cyclone Scarlett away and fawning over her for 30 minutes.....PRICLESS!

Mr Phea

Introducing the wonderful Mr Phea. He zooms us around PP in his tuk Tuk and his English is great. It is also lovely to know that we can give him a regular income to support his family. He is outside waiting for us to go to school at 0730. He then takes me to the gym and waits for me. We will then do whatever I need to do that day and pick the kids up at 12. How much you ask? I feel quite guilty in saying $7. It is so nice to have someone the kids know who lifts them in and out, minds my shopping and always has a big smile. We love you Mr Phea!

The Gym

Joined my gym this morning. $135 till the end of Jan. It is part of one of the really nice hotels/serviced apartments. It was so good to have some time to myself I must say. It has been pretty hectic. The pool is beautiful and overlooks the bustling Mekong. There is a small wading pool that the kids can use too. They are going great guns at school and really seem to be enjoying it. A bit sad when I leave them (them and me) but they are buzzing by the time I pick them up. Of to the embassy christmas party tonight. I hope they behave....and me too!

Rev Heads

Seriously, this place is so big, the kids think it is an amusement park! Quiddy really gets some speed up on this thing!

Russian and Central Markets

Flying visit to the markets this morning with Carol who is the wife of the Senior Liaison Officer here. She was a great help and introduced me to the stall holders that she uses on a regular basis so that I will not have to barter ALL the time to get a good price. I must admit, I do find it difficult to barter when your jaw nearly hits the ground at the original asking price. Paying $6 for original ADIDAS running t-shirts is ridiculous to begin with. Mind you, barter I did and I only paid $4. I feel like I am stealing from them! So your average T-Shirt is $2 with the ADIDAS gear and the "real" fakes going for about $4. Mind you, I found a shop across the road from the market with what appear to be Factory over-run True Religions for $25 bucks. I started salivating! (for my blog readers who may be of a certain age, they are worth hundreds in Aus!) Cambodia is also quite famous for it's gems. She introduced me to her Jeweler. She has had quite a few things made here costing a few hundred and has had them valued back home in the thousands. MMMMM.....Birthday, Christmas......I hope N subscribes to this blog!!!!

I picked the kids up at 12 and they had had another great day. Christopher already has a birthday party invitation for Sunday. I get the impression their dance cards are going to be busier than mine! That being said, we have the Embassy Christmas Party tomorrow night at the Ambassadors residence. Rumor has it that the big man in the red suit will be attending. God I hope my cyclones do not destroy the residence. We may get repatriated already!

My mornings just go a whole lot better!

The kids had their first day of school today and I am pretty sure I was more nervous than they were. It is a preschool call Gecko & Garden and is a parent run school. Not to sure what that means. I think it just means that they run the committee. I checked it out yesterday and it looked fine. Not brilliant but we are obviously more advanced in childcare in Aus than here. It was pretty clean but had a few things that you would just not find acceptable at home like a play area outside with concrete. As I say, acceptable. I am just picky. The thing that sold me was the staff. They are all so lovely. Locals who are western trained qualified teachers. You could almost see the love oozing out of them. Seriously!

So I went with the kids this morning and stayed for an hour. In the end I had to make a clean break otherwise they would have spent the whole session attached to my leg. I did not cry. I wanted to cry….but I did not cry! Believe it or not….nor did they. I picked them up at 11 instead of 12 because I thought it best to start small. Opened the gates and discovered that they had had a wonderful morning. Christopher, in the big kids room, had done some cutting and pasting and when I rocked up was outside on a bike driving like Schumacher. He dragged me over to meet his friend Rosa who apparently had taken him by the hand all morning and was showing him around. Such a ladies man! It was also one kids birthday and they had a chocolate cake. He was in heaven. I went in to Scarlett’s room and she was plonked firmly in the teachers lap and they were all singing and dancing. When I said time to go she promptly went and gave the teacher and her 2 aids a big cuddle and said “see you tomorrow”. So I have yet again underestimated my kids. Don’t get me wrong, at the start they were VERY shy and obviously quite nervous but if that is as bad as it gets I think I am very lucky.