Time goes by...

So nearly a fortnight has gone past already, not sure what I am feeling – everything is so new still, however saying that I am getting into a daily routine now with work.

Up at 6am, have to be woken by my alarm as no natural light can get in my cell! Wait for a free time in the shower – sometimes this can be a minute or up to half an hour – if the later it puts me a little behind schedule and means I have to cycle slightly faster.

I leave Smile at 7.00 in order to get up to the office for around twenty past giving me 10 minutes to sit in front of the fan and cool down! Actually the morning cycle ride is the nicest one of the day as it is still relatively cool and also you see everyone out and about as life out here starts early and some people have been up and on the go since 5am, so I am a relatively late starter.

Office work has still to settle down – lots of presentations and meetings still – power point fantastic, think I might have to brush up on my Power point skills as I think I might be asked to produce some presentations at some point in the next year! At the moment, in between presentations and field trips, I am helping with writing fund raising proposals which is a new one to me. I am on a steep learn curve with all the NGO terminology and finding my feet with how to put them together as I don’t want to get it wrong and for BSDA to miss out on any funding as they do such great work over here.

Lunch time is from 12 – 1.30 – so it is on with the suncream and hat for my cycle ride back into town for lunch – I think when I have learnt a bit more of the language I will stay around Wat Nokor and eat at the market stalls up here – but my Khmer is not up to that standard yet – as the ride back at 1.30 is a killer in the heat and it is only going to get hotter but then also I should become more acclimatised too so we shall see.

Then home time is 5pm – This is a nice downhill cycle and also a good time to reflect on the day at work and take in everything around me – I am usually smiling all the way home.

Then it is shower & clothes washing time which is so looked forward to as even though the office is in a beautiful setting and the ceilings are inspirational the working conditions especially in the afternoon are pretty hardwork – we don’t have aircon (just a few fans)or anything fancy like that not even lights which is great as you can’t stay late! No glass in the windows which as I found out today is quite amusing if we have a big rain storm. I am by a window and was getting soaked so we have to pull the big shutters on the pagoda closed. Then all you see in the office are all the laptop screens lit up around the place. What is tricky is then negotiating your way around the place without bumping into one of the monks as women must not touch monks or their orange robes.

Then the evenings are quiet affairs - reading, skyping, logging on emails etc, grabbing something to eat here at Smile or one of the other cafes - just getting use to things here before I start eating at the market or river front stalls. I have met a couple of other expats who work at other NGOs in Kampong Cham and might meet up with them for food one eve a wk.

So everything is still early days - I am looking forward to when I am a bit more clued up about the work and know exactly what I am doing. Also looking forward to planning things to do at the wkends but first I must get down and learn the language....