In general, "Cambodia" is going so well! SWELL, indeed. Although work matters are on a bit of a hold right now. The general mood of holidays and that sort of thing...
The school newsletter project that im implementing (in collab with folks here, of course!) is going as per plan. we will kick start the next year with first meeting (and therefore, "training") sessions with students who volunteered for the student-run newspaper clubs that we're launching. this pilot project is only being launched at 3 secondary schools that we picked out of all the schools KAPE works with. each school will produce their very own school newsletter/4-pg newspaper every month. exciting and very tangible stuff. yahoo!
It is now the best (=most comfortable) "season" in cambodia. the cool-and-dry season. come feb, it will transform to hot-and-dry. and then later in the year it becomes hot-and-wet, which is perhaps the least comfortable, albeit most beautiful, I'll bet. So the days are cooler this time of year; there's always a wonderful breeze about, and the nights can sometimes get chilly. There was this one night that I actually had to turn the fan off and pull on a heavy sweater. Whoppa.
I can speak rudimentary Khmer now. How are you? Fine? FINE! Where are you going? The market? How much is that? TOO MUCH MONEY, OLDER BROTHER/SISTER/AUNTY/OLD LADY!, NO MONEY!! and important stuff like that... :P I've also quickly picked up the necessary words that, when strung together, allow me to be sassy-in-khmer. Of course I did.
Laurel asked me what the coolest thing was that happened to me this past week. 'Well, nothing really COOL happened to me this past week. but something incredibly memorable did. and boy, can you say THAT again. ;) i was in a road accident. christmas day/ christmas miracle and all that warming-of-the-cockles-of-the-heart kind of material. I got t-boned smack on the left by a speeding motorbike fella as I was biking across a road. No mortal injuries. No broken bones. No head trauma. Oh, hello there Sheer Luck! But she did leave me some tokens: sore torso, bruises and scratches, and an bittersweet appreciation for the diversity of peoples. I encountered both, disturbingly stoic and indifferent people (who, btw, proceeded to just stand and stare at me as I lay heaped in the middle of a busy thoroughfare), and unbelievably and unfathomably kind and caring few others (whose actions made me weep).
Anyhow, all is well. Convalescence is swift and incredibly successful. Perhaps another 2 days of rest (I stopped taking painkillers couple days ago) and voila! fit as a fiddle.
Headed to Phnom Penh (PP) for some New Year's festivities. Yahoo!
Jhoom Reap Soo-er 2011!
ps- (Uh, btw, that was me saying, how are you 2011. So, this tells you how often I use the wrong phrases. Cute. But inappropriate phrasing.)
