Slightly demented thoughts of the PinkFish...

Tuesday 19^th June. 17.30hrs Bugger, damn and blast! I am in a right two and eight because I can’t find Littleun! Where oh where has my little dog gone L
I left her this morning in the house while I went to work, she was very unhappy about this so this afternoon I let her stay outside, my last view was her sitting on the drive watching me drive away on the moto.
 Now I’ve come home and she’s nowhere to be seen. No little woofs, no waggy tails and no slobbery licks. What have I done? On the one hand it is very sad for me as I will miss her company – on the other hand maybe she is just happier being outside and free to wander where she chooses. If she comes back she could have both – I hope she realises this and wanders back here soon.
Oh my heart feels all empty and I’m at a loss of what to do with myself, she was only here a day and I miss her warm welcomes already. PLEASE come home soon Littleun.

Especially not good after frustrating afternoon at work. Plans for the study tour were, I thought, coming on well with a view to starting it next week. NOW the Director says he is not happy with the questionnaires as he has all the information already! Well if we have it WHY are we doing the tour??? I guess the two biggest things that I am finding the most difficult is a) not really knowing HOW things are done here – the politics, infrastructure and methods of doing things are so different – and b) I feel quite restricted in that before doing things (like the study tour) all the work has to be checked by the Director, whereas I’m used to having quite a lot of freedom in making decisions and running my workload how I like. As the volunteers say here “breethes in, breethes out!”  God I hope my little-un is ok…she coulda been run over, or beaten up by another dog or anything….  I'm sitting on the balcony watching out for her, looking expectantly everytime something passes or catches my eye – but its not her.
WHY didn’t I leave her INSIDE???  19.00hrsHOO-flipping-RAH!! Littleun has returned! Yippee! Ali came round and we were lamenting over her disappearance when all of a sudden we hear a little whimpering and up the stairs bounces Littleun! A ten tonne weight immediately lifted from my chest and faith restored that I am not a bad mother after all (not too much anyway!). Hoorah, hoorah, hoorah!!! Thursday 21^st June 08.10hrsHelp PLEASE! Clearly I am insane for taking on puppy and kitten at same time as new house, new job AND new country! I think perhaps I shoulda researched kitten and puppy care before taking on both. How do you train puppies?? Stop them chewing, jumping, biting, wailing and pooing on the floor of your rented wooden house??
Such are the questions plaquing my thoughts this early morning before I do some proper work. I think I will have to do some investigating on the internet tonight for advice – does anyone have the Dog Whispers number??? Perhaps he’d like a trip to Cambodia?!  Saturday 23^rd June 07.11hrsOh dear, what can the matter bePuke on the floor and bugs in the lavatoryThey should be cleaned up on this fine SaturdayCat and dog – what a fine pair! I woke up this am to pick three small puddles of vomit lying in artistic patterns on the floor. A wee early morning present from Littleun! Nice… I am not sure what to put it down to…a) that she was trying to lick off the anti-flea and tick shampoo I was washing her in last night, b) she stomach didn’t like the bone I had given her from the market or c) she had eaten something from outside.
I am not in mood to clear up puke, so I think breakfast at the market is required to build stamina! Sumai here I come!

Sunday 24th June
I caught a fish today! I nearly caught a huge whopper but the blighter got away. I tell you honestly he was ginormous - the size of Jaws himself!!!

It’s a lazy Thursday afternoon here in Stinky Trong, lots has been happening over the last few weeks with work and play and I’ll try condense it all here!  I have discovered the fun of moto riding! After two lessons with another volunteer (dinner and beer was all it cost!) I was ready to hit the road (jack..) And hit the road I did, going out on a partially cloudy day. Within 5 minutes it started raining, while any normal person would turn round, I with my ever decreasing grey matter, decided to persevere onwards! The sky turned a vicious grey, thicker clouds blowing in fast and the wind whipping up a storm! Still further I head out, for the second time here, I actually feel cold! Not until a lighting bolt hits the ground a little too close for comfort and me practically leaping out my skin do I think it wise to head on home! When I get back I’m absolutely, utterly, completely, entirely drenched to the bone! Bloody hell it was fun!  Work has been slightly more productive of late. I confess I am finding it difficult taking work slowly, VSO recommend taking about 3 months to settle in, build relationships and learn information about where and whom you are working with before making definite suggestions etc. I can see the relevance and importance of this; however that doesn’t make it any easier – small talk is not my strong point at the best of times let alone in another language!!At the moment I feel I am drifting around too much – most days I never know what to expect when I go into work, and can wind up doing anything from observing teaching practice, reading information about the school, teaching a session myself or eating fruit and chatting to my colleagues. One of the more concrete aspects to the jobs at the moment is planning a study tour of the 5 provinces – this is going ahead (slowly!), the money is in my bank account from VSO and it all should start to happen next week. …………… but wait, surely nothing could go that smoothly eh? …………no, you’re right. Just as I thought everything was hunky-dory, I get a frantic message from my colleague to say STOP! Apparently before doing ANYTHING like sending out letters or such like, everything has to be approved and officially stamped by the Director. So, another hold-up as he’s in Phnom Penh and isn’t due back for a week. But soon, dear friends, I will be heading off to exciting places like Mondulkiri, Rattanakiri and Preah Vihear! It will be a chance for me to see how different the hospitals and health centres are in these provinces and meet the staff there.  The bestest news of all? On Saturday I finally moved into my new house – HOO-RAH! A more joyous occasion it would have been had I not had severe stomach cramps! A few trips on moto’s was all it took to transfer my worldly possessions from Ali’s house to mine, kindly assisted by another volunteers Cambodian colleagues (who, it has to be said are significantly more skilled at balancing boxes on a moto – they got my suitcase on the back of one moto and drove it to my house without it being tied down! Mum and Dad will know what a feat that was considering the size and weight of the case!!). The house is great, my landlord Mr Leu Tith, bought some stylish new bamboo furniture for me with the first 6 months rent and the place is looking and feelin real cosy – there is a spare room for anyone who’d like to visit! So I’m settling in slowly, putting up photos and all the little things that make a house a home. This lunchtime my colleague, Vann, brought round my new kitten; after careful consideration, and following countless suggestions of names for the cat (like Dog, Penguin, Chocolate and Custard – to name a few! Thanks Ali!) I have decided (probably!) to call him Smidge, because he’s undernourished and therefore just a smidge of a thing! But Smidge and I are open to other suggestions! In the next few days my puppy should arrive too, his name already set in stone as ‘Little-un’ – I’ll put the photos online here at the usual place.  Well I'm fresh out of inspiration now folks – gonna love ya and leave ya here, all the best xx  

P.S. Ch'maa is Khmer for cat...