The Girl with the Blue Bicycle

- growing by leaps and bounds   

Tea 'cozy' hats, duffel coats warn everywhere throughout Mondolkiri. ...  

In early December, it turned breezy, windy and yes, dusty; leaving a film of dust in every crevices you can imagine; nostrils , mouths, you name it ...  and it's there. The little Bunong market, spread out on the airstrip is shrinking each day due to cold, windy, dusty weather that is expected to stay for the next 6 to 8 weeks :(   

December was just as hectic as last month in a nice sort of way; Heather and Matt from Canada came to visit us and we caught up on all the Guelphite news :)  Both high school and elementary students thoroughly cleaned the school grounds, the education complex, and, within the vicinity (over the period of December) – a milestone to  become a change for Cambodia.      

It’s been a month where the partnership review (PR), planned mid month, was presented by yours truly the last minute since the education manager from the CO in Phnom Penh was new?    Panic!  Swamped with a number of deadline projects, and the copy machine out of function once again,  we went to town to copie  the documents; ‘unwittingly’ taking for granted that it would be done without a hitch – Not so!  Wherever you go to have things done, you have to expect the unexpected and to not take it for granted that things are going to run smoothly for you – such as making one to two copies to prepare for a very important presentation:)  Patience is truly a virtue – so they say.   Novuth, knowing that their was much to do to organize for the PR, came to the rescue once again to help set up and, off course  prepared all of the Khmer chars, using his beautiful ‘signature’ Khmer hand writing.  To my delight despite the initial panic and sketchy copie machine , it was very well attended and everyone came that was invited:)   Without the help of such a great team, the presentation would never have been as well organized and presented at such short notice.   

Elsewhere in Sen Monorom, every morning, the girl with the blue bicycle, too large for her to ride, began practicing her new acquire skills of riding this 'monstrous' bike, up and down the hill on our road; getting off and on her bike for a pause, for a breather.  After about a week or so, she graduated  from falling off her bike, to steadying and staying on it.   Through sheer perseverance, by mid December, she appeared to be more confident riding her bike up the road, down the hill and to school.   A few weeks ago, we noticed that not only was she riding her bike more comfortably,  the girl with the blue bicycle was riding a passenger at the back of her bike;  it was her young brother sitting on the back metal grid holding on tightly to the girl's waist .  What delightful Progress to watch the girl with the blue bicycle grow by leaps and bound

 
More later ... :)