Water Festival – Reversal of the River …

It’s a perfect morning – there’s a gentle breeze coming my way. The sky is crystal clear.  The moon is slowly fading behind the bright blue sky.   There is a little community down below our house.  By dawn everyone has woken up.  The ‘bread’ lady has just arrived on her motorbike up the alleyway to sell fresh crispy baguette.  The landlady is gardening at the front of the house whilst the landlord boils hot water for breakfast. The landlord’ brother is cutting a branch. The vendor who lives down below with his wife has begun to deliver his goods on his motorbike whilst his wife is hanging laundry.  Kevin has just left for work – it’s now 6: 00 in the morning and the dogs are now sleeping from ‘yelping’ throughout the night.  This is what a typical morning look like for us each day. 

On the weekend ‘twas The 'Water Festival' or 'Bon Om Tuk'.  Bon Om Tuk is a national holiday here in Cambodia.  It’s a celebration of the changing of the season, the harvest and the return of the Tonle Sap River  -it's a celebration of the reversing flow between the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River.  The Tonle Sap a.k.a. Great Lake begins just at the mouth of Phnom Penh and joins up river at Bat Dambang and Siem Raeb Provinces that sit on opposite sides of the lake.   The locals claim that 'the reversal of the river is probably the only waterway in the world, that the Tonle Sap and Mekong flows in opposite directions at different times of the year'.    Usually this time of the year there’s a large boat race in Phnom Pehn.  However, the boat race has been cancelled for the last couple of years due to political instability.

The Water Festival is also a time to celebrate the harvest.  Each year the reversal of the Tonle Sap River has proved to be beneficial to the locals.  The river is rich in fish stocks and the silt deposits left by the floods fertilize the fields.  It's a source of livelihood for fishermen and farmers. It’s a way to giveback to the river  -it's a way for the people to give thanks to the moon.    

During the Water Festival we stayed home and enjoyed beautiful Mondulkiri.

More later …

Time …

I have just returned from Phnom Penh – from a BELL conference that is to be launched and implemented to Cambodian teachers in the 4 North Eastern Provinces.    Here in Sen Monorom, a small group of Cambodian teachers have already been exposed to parts of Level 1English –a review will need to be done to assess how much the teachers already know before introducing the next level.

Whilst in Phnom Penh I have also had the opportunity to visit my daughter Tralore at her school   - ‘Zaman International Elementary school’.   Zaman simply means ‘Time’ –As a family, teachers, students, parents –collaboratively spend meaningful ‘time’ together on various activities/curriculum to support and help their students develop their talents, necessary skills and more ….

Tralore teaches 4 grade 2 English classes.  She arrived in Cambodia at the same time as we did.  A week later she found a teaching job.  She is beginning to settle in her new surroundings and unlike her parents; she enjoys the hot humid weather in PP.

More later …

Phnom Penh - Tralore at 'Zaman' School

PP - 4 on a motobike 

PP - holding on ...

PP - Streetscape 

PP - Streetscape

PP - Russian Market

PP - Russian Market 

Welcome to Sen Monorom ...

Sen Monorom is a sleepy little town in the beautiful hill country of Mondolkiri; surrounded by mangos, banana trees, coconuts and other lush vegetation that we haven’t seen before.  (So No -pine trees are not indigenous to this part of the country after all  -it was a Chinese Company who planted them in Mondulkiri).

Our house

We have rented the top floor of a 2-story house with a large veranda.  Everything is wood and very open to the elements.  ‘Tis truly an experience living here; it's like camping, which is great when the weather is nice and not so much when it rains.   

Our giant friendly gecko

There are numerous creaks with many visitors (bugs) who claim their spot in the house when it gets dark.  As part of the nightlife, our friendly giant gecko pokes his head out through the hole in the wall in the spare bedroom to check things out, and when he thinks it's safe, our gecko quietly runs around the walls throughout the house to search for bugs. 

Local market

As for the rainy season, fortunately we have arrived at the end of the rainy season.  The weather here is pleasant; it's cool in the mornings and quickly warms up during the day.  It’s a relief to be here after the hot, noisy traffic of Phnom Penh. Life is certainly at a slower pace and we love it here :)

Kevin now works with 3 NGO’s teaching English to the local staff.  He also does most of the shopping at the local market while I’m at work.

We are happy to be here and so far have stayed healthy.

More later ... :)