Aug 28th
 
Hey Everybody,
 
Well I got my first paycheque so I feel I am really a  bonafide Ëxpat",  And as always here geting things done is not so simple.  It took 3 weeks to get a bankcard (they have our photos on) but getting a chequing account is so difficult and requires stamping each and every cheque so I didn't bother.  There is no limit on what cash you can draw out in either US dollars or Cambodian Riels.  Each US dollar is worth 4000 riels and you use riels for small transactions.  As a result you pockets are full of thousands of riels and really it's only worth about $4.00 bu the locals flip back and forth from one currency to another.
 
A good description of traffic in Cambodia.....a bit like that opening scene of Starwars with all the meteorites coming towards you........I don't think I will ever stop wincing as the tuktuk driver turns directly into the oncoming traffic.    So what did I see on  moto this week......well there are always the balloon merchants who sell down by the river and pump up all these amazing animals and tie them to poles and gently waft down the street.  There are the two huge leather sofas.  There is the framework strapped on to the bike extending all around the rider and festooned with bananas.  There was one that was breathtaking.........wickerwork shelves piled high and tied one to another and all around the driver so you could barely see him.  The winner this week so far has to be the slaughtered pig.  A pretty big one hanging down on either side of the driver.  I must be getting used to this dead pig thing as I didn't hear or ignored the pigs being delivered to the butcher all week.  I tell a lie I saw one thing that took my breath away.  Little lad on the front then dad driving then Mum holding the baby and casually nursing it as they whizzed along beside our tuktuk.........very few people have helmets. 
 
Last weekend I joined my compatriot and went out into the country while some of the young guys went rock climbing.  Pretty difficult to find a rock big enough to climb here as it is so flat.  But we did!!" I have no head for heights so I just watched and we were entertained by all the local children who came to visit us and helped us cook on our BBQ.  This was an old part of a bumper, charcoal, and a lovely set of kebabs(squid,huge shrimp and meat and Veggie) prepared by the girls who look after our apartment.  They all run out and welcome us home and try out their English on us.   Sometimes they give us Khmer food which I can't eat but for the most part food here is great and very cheap.
 
So what is a usual day.  This morning I woke up to the sounds of the city waking up and looked over at the breakfast being cooked below me.  One day I'm going to try that.  A big wok full of boiling oil cooking on the sidewalk filled with a pastry puffing up golden brown.  A man has thrown a table top on two saw horses and is busy rolling out the dough beside it.  When I come home he is the tailor and is measuring pants.   The driver picks me  and the other 4 from the same building and drives us to school, thank goodness.  I get to look at all the sights from relative safety.  At school I like to go over to the poolside club and get a coffee for a 20 minutes.  Then it is Homeroom(Gr 9) for 10 minutes and then classes.  One  day I teach 3 classes and one day 1 class(I should each 2 but they forgot to schedule me in).  I have a Gr 12  AP Lit class of 9 students, a Gr 9 Lit class of 22, a Gr 9/10 Language class of 23 and a Gr 12 Drama Class of 15.  The students are very ESL but very bright and willing for the most part.  At the end of the day I try to get a swim and this week I am trying to jog......I'll see how it goes as it is up in the 30's most of the time.  It does pour most days and the power goes out more often than not.  The evening is taken up with errands/sightseeing/food and hanging out.  Tonight I'm off to see John Mayall playing (on DVD) at a place called the Meta House which is an Art Galley and a rooftop bar with a big screen.  It is right beside a Wat(temple)  Happy Hour is incredibly cheap and you get used to the cascading rain pouring over electrical things.
 
Found a great restaurant by accident last night.  I went to phone my mum from an internet cafe as the skype drops so often.  Across the street was a Korean restaurant.  Jo, the Australian girl I am sharing with had been enticed over by being given free treats(again from the bbq on the sidewalk )and by the time I had finished my phome call she had ordered dinner.  No one spoke any English but the place was spotless and they had pictures of the food around the walls.  We had a dish of deep fried pork bits covered with fresh veggies in a delicious sauce and then dumplings with chicken and onion.  there were sauces on the side to dip.  All this and a beer came to $6.00 which was expensive for here but it was so good.
 
This weekend I'm off to the beach.  We are all going together(well some are) and we have a 3 day weekend so I'm looking forward to that.  Did I mention I have lilac nails with silver sprinkles.  You can get your nails and toes done here for $8.  So far the reaction I've got is "Oh lovely" or..........."Well I suppose you are the drama teacher."  I intend to get all the colours of the rainbow done before I leave.
 
If anyone wants to visit us come soon as we may not be in our Penthouse forever.  As rents go here it is expensive and we may just be forced to look for another lovely(cheaper) place.
 
Love to all..........please pass this along to any other interested soul.
 
Love Joy