Amok? A..yuck!

I didn’t have too much trouble falling asleep last night..but MAN was I tried this morning! Before leaving for Home of Joy I did a MAJOR Raid spray! I have had enough of ants EVERYWHERE..especially in my bed (Steve you better watch out..they are making their move!) So I sprayed everywhere and they booked it!

I walked to the Home of Joy because I knew I wouldn’t have time to return my bike this afternoon. I didn’t really enjoy the walk (I like biking MUCH better) and kept getting asked “Motorbike? Tuk-tuk?”

When I arrived at the orphanage I found Jenny (the woman I met yesterday) already teaching Maria English! I couldn’t believe my luck! She apologized (like she needed to!) but she said she had to stop by early anyway so thought she would teach. I was happy and knew Jenny had taught a lot, but I also felt a bit of guilt. Here I was dreading this and somehow I found the experience, humbling? I was complaining and complaining and not looking forward to it..and then I just didn’t have to do it. I felt guilty for NOT wanting to do it in the first place.

I was able to hang out with the kids which I like doing. And by hanging out, I mean consoling whoever is crying. The nuns do a great job with loving them, so they need to be held and coddled etc. The boy that I feed struggled a bit today as he gets very distracted when the fruit comes out! They bring fruit out after the meal (as a dessert type thing) and he always wants it before he is done!

The FLIES are awful here! I haven’t (knock on wood) had any major problems with mosquitoes but it’s the flies! At the Home of Joy (which really is VERY clean) I feel like I spend most of my time swatting flies from myself and the kids (in between the crying of course)!

As I was leaving I told the sister I wouldn’t be there tomorrow (Wednesday) but I would see her on Thursday. She said something which I didn’t understand so I kept trying to figure out what she needed me to know. I finally realized it might have something to do with Thursday. There is a sign outside the orphanage that has the visiting hours but says no visitors on Thursday. When I was talking to Payal (the girl who used to volunteer here) she had mentioned how she didn’t go on Thursdays. But I went last Thursday and didn’t even think about it. I don’t know, however, if that was special because of Christmas Eve Day (and the little party we had with the mother and daughter). I finally asked the nun if I could come on Thursday and she very kindly (no really she was sweet) said no, I think because they weren’t going to be there. I do remember someone telling me that the children are able to visit their families, so I wonder if they do this on Thursdays. Anyway I felt bad because if I had known I would have planned my last day to see the Temples on Thursday. Oh well now I know!

After Home of Joy I went to the cyber café to have a “final chat” with my mom about Thailand! Woo hoo! I THINK she is all set and ready to roll! I CANNOT wait!

My next stop was the Pavillion d’Orient. I had emailed some of the nicer hotels in Siem Reap (rumor has it one of the hotels is $2,000 a NIGHT) and explained how I was volunteering. I had asked if they would be able to donate any unused toiletries, towels, etc. Most of the hotels said they already partnered with an NGO (which I figured) but the Pavillion (relatively new) said they would love to! I wasn’t quite sure WHERE it was and it didn’t have a set address either (weird I know). Once I found a tuk-tuk I had to sort of explain where I needed to go (I knew the general direction) and then negotiate the price (which I find so tiring). One we had agreed, I showed up and met the manager who was so kind. He gave me three HUGE bags mostly with towels (he said they don’t keep them over a year), a couple of mosquito nets and some soap. I was SO grateful but soon realized this would NOT fit on a motorbike. I had to think fast about what I was going to do, but luckily I had the tuk-tuk ride back into town to do that. I KNEW I had to stop at the bank seeing as I had NO $1 bills left (which made transportation impossible) so that was my first stop. I am sure I was QUITE a scene stumbling into the bank. I then realized I needed to eat at the FIRST place I found since I was walking as fast as a snail. And the first place I found was…A PIZZA PLACE! Imagine that! I wasn’t even in the mood for pizza or pasta because I was sweating SO much from carrying everything. I decided on French toast and yogurt. The French toast was burnt and I laughed when I thought about how if I was in the U.S. (well first they wouldn’t even SERVE me that…) and then if they did I would definitely send it back. I managed to eat some bites as I waited for my yogurt. I finally asked what was taking so long and they said they had to go to the market to buy it! Oh Cambodia!

While I was waiting I stopped next store to get some toys for the kids…badminton and some soft bouncy ball things (a little smaller than soccer balls). I had called Leng to tell him I couldn’t take a motorbike and asked for a suggestion on how to get there and he said he could pick me up! So he showed up and off we went!

The kids all help unload the trunk and I showed them the new toys and they were really, really excited! We played games for awhile and then I could tell Leng wanted me to teach so off I went! I started with the alphabet and numbers game again, partly because I find it so hard to teach when I have ages 10-17. They are ALL at different levels so it’s a bit hard to find a middle ground. After the game started to get boring I asked which book they wanted to go over. They decided on animals..so off we went! Like in China, I showed them the picture, said the animal and then did a motion or a sound! After a while I would only say the animal (they had to do the sound) or vice versa. I then had them play charades in teams..but some of the younger ones forgot which animals they were. I think they still had fun and if nothing else I had a good laugh watching them act it out.

I find I get VERY tired and hot in mid-afternoon so when it seems like they are tired as well I call it a day! I spent a little bit more time playing with them and then I hit the road.

I came back to the homestay for a little bit of “downtime”. (By now you should be able to tell how much I enjoy and NEED time by myself!!!) I wanted to go into town for dinner and to check out the night market so I started walking! This time, a “passerby” motorbike picked me up. I told him I wanted to go to the Sugar Palm which was recommended by Alexis and Andrew and also got good reviews from what I had read. I told him the name and showed him on the map, but I could tell he had no clue. This was the first time I realized maybe some of the drivers can’t read maps! So, being the motorbike pro I am..I had to have my map out and give him directions as we drove. The cool kids don’t hold on when riding a motorbike..they read maps!! I had an IDEA of where it was, but since it wasn’t on the main strip I was a bit clueless as well. I finally had him just drop me off and went to find it myself!

It was very beautiful and I ordered the Amok, which is the staple dish of Cambodia. Most of the time it is like a coconut curry soup thing with fish, but I also read you could get chicken. However, all they had was tofu, so I ordered that. I knew I would have to wait 40 minutes (that’s why people said it was so good here) and I was ready when it came out! It was like a soupy substance in a hollowed out coconut shell with rice on the side. I got out my little article about “what to eat in Cambodia” and it said it is sometimes served with rice, so off I went! Ok now take a guess..did I like it?



NOPE! Surprise surprise I know! I SHOULD have known not to order the tofu because I don’t like the texture of tofu ANYWAY! I tried to eat a bit..but decided my granola bar would have to do. I did manage to cover it up nicely with my napkin so nobody noticed. I got the bill and realized I was charged another dollar for the rice. For some reason this kinda got to me. I didn’t ORDER the rice and when they brought it out I figured it was just included. Now, it wasn’t a big deal at ALL (the rice was the only part I liked) and it was only one dollar. But, I would love to see somebody’s reaction at BG’s if I brought them a baked potato with a main course and didn’t say anything and then CHARGED them for it! I think it’s just more that while I love the culture because it is so different, I also hate the culture because it is so different! I get tired of having to make sure I am not getting ripped off or scammed. The bill came to $6.50 so I gave the waiter a $10. He came back and asked if I could have the change in Riel. Now again, was it a huge deal…ehh (it is a bit much to have in Riel). The only thing I EVER use Riel for is the internet and even then I USUALLY use dollars (better exchange rate). The only time I use Riel is to get RID of them (anything less than a dollar you will get back in Riel..). He told me they were all out of small bills. Now, I was at a popular tourist restaurant (all Westerners around me) so I somehow doubted they were out. I kindly asked him if he could go check again and I think magic happened because he came back with $1 bills! Again maybe his motives weren’t bad but I hate always feeling like someone is trying to take advantage of me and scam me!

I left the Sugar Palm and headed for the night market! I had read there were two night markets (right next to each other) and wanted to check them out! I was actually really impressed! They were both very big and sold all the typical tourist things (every booth had the same thing!) There was also a really cool tiki bar type thing and a couple of restaurants (more or less). I knew I was too tired to actually LOOK for anything but I enjoyed the people watching and the crowds!

Hugs and kisses from the Cambodian dish Amok.