So this was my first Christmas a) away from my family b) in a foreign country and c) WARM! Now I know everyone at home was suffering with snow and freezing temperatures but on Christmas Day I awoke to a balmy 25c, climbing to about 30c, sorry!
Also, thanks to my amazing family and friends I had a lovely pile of presents to open, including a stocking, which were full of fabulous gifts. Everything was very much appreciated and it was great to have presents to open on Christmas morning, as well as receiving many very useful things (wooly bed socks for one!).
I had Christmas lunch with Gabby, Ros, Josh, Jeltje, Jan and Keith and we had a veritable feast in comparison to what we are used to! I seriously don’t think I’ve seen or eaten so much yummy food in over 4 months! The turkey was great and I am glad I haven’t had to go a year without it yet. So after a fab lunch we all wandered home to skype with family, nap and in Jeltje and I’s case to watch ‘Love Actually’ and have a Christmas cry! I haven’t seen that film in several years and had forgotten how sweetly cheesy it is!
So on Boxing Day Jeltje and I tried to head off to the coast but we couldn’t get in a taxi so had to wait until 27th to begin our epic holiday. By 28th Jeltje and I were on a bus to Kep, an old French town on the coast which is very beautiful and picturesque, with jungle covered hills sweeping down to golden beaches. Sadly, the beaches are mostly used by Khmer people who picnic there a lot and don’t clear away their rubbish. In fact, one section of the beach is actually a rubbish dump, which is such a shame as it could be as amazing as Sihanoukville.Still, the little place we stayed at was lovely as we had our own little bungalow, complete with hammock and thatched bamboo roof! After we arrived and settled in a bit we took a tuk-tuk to nearby Kampot to meet up with fellow VSO’s there and have a look at the town. So we had a great afternoon catching up with Kirsty and Sarah (who arrived in Cambodia with us) then headed to the river front to dailaing (a bit like promenading or something really) which naturally ended up with cocktails! We had a lovely meal at a place called Rusty Key Hole (owned by an English/Khmer couple with a very cute baby!) whilst watching the sun go down and mulling over life in Cambodia with lots of VSOs.
The following day we headed out to Rabbit Island, about 30mins boat ride from Kep, which is a beautiful tropical paradise! We spent the day swimming, sunbathing, walking and eating great food right on the beach! I also started chatting to one of the owners of a beach shack there who was really nice and very supportive of VSO!So after our hectic (ahem) day we headed back to the mainland and had dinner and an early night in preparation for our 6am leave to Sihanoukville.
The drive along the coast was beautiful and after a couple of hours we arrived at our (first) guesthouse in Sihanoukville. It was right on the beach which was where we spent the majority of our days!The coast is stunning and the beaches are all like something out of paradise! There is also a really good night life and some nice restaurants so all in all we had a brilliant time. Still think I am recovering from all the food, wine, dancing and lack of sleep though!
However, seeing in 2010 on a tropical beach with about 5,000 people while watching the entire sky being lit up with fireworks is something I will never forget.
After our amazing trip Jeltje and I have headed back to reality (work!) for 2 weeks before going back to Phnom Penh for a further 2 weeks of language training. I really can’t wait as I think that it will be a great chance to further my language. Then it is only 1 week until my parents arrive for a 10 days visit!
Anyway, back to my school visits. I am having varying rates of success, with sometimes having twenty community members turning up and sometimes zero! Still, I am really hoping that between now and March we can run our first Community Open Day, get the well project going and start setting up more effective school support committees.
So, happy 2010 everyone and here is to a highly productive year!
C x
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