wow a historic moment, not really. this is post number 100 on this blog! what a joy it has been. when i remember back to sitting in the jubilee office and writing my first blog way back in august last year it seems a life ago and actually was a life ago. so much has changed and in a relatively short space of time. i hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts as much as i have enjoyed writing them, although i am aware that i often scare my grandparents with the occasional rant about somesuch nothingness. apologies. i wouold like to point out that at this point i am excited about moving on to something new soon and well, the truth is my life in england is far too uninteresting to warrant a blog. like i said in my first blog this is a place where i can post news and stories from cambodia...hence the name (ben in cambodia!) and seeing as i will soon no longer be in cambodia the blog must come to an end. it has been a good place for me to let off some steam and fuel my shrinking ego.
if you read this please leave a post, if you have read my blog before and never left a post i insist you must. it is very important to hear from people, i know jeni has appreciated emails as have i...send more!
back to this crazy land.
Ben.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
apocalyptic rain storms
little bo looking cute in his traditional khmer shirt for the wedding.
sothy reading a bible verse
verne and polly
the uni.
klang na (very strong) boy from the village.
this is a phoo from the christmas party at the destiny rescue building in stung men chay village the day i left cambodia for england. this is pat playing some games with the kids. 
sothy looking suspicious. either planning to steal my wallet or cut my break cables. and his friend mr.koy looking on in sheer delight, i really dont know what he was doing!
me and so-wat (sovath)
danik (daneth) and verne
the wedding on aturday. dar and ratana on the right of centre have been coming to our church on and off for a few months.
its been a funny old week. a few things have happened that have been interesting experiences. on our way back from cell group on friday night me and pat got caught in one apocalyptic rain sorm that left us both looking like a fish out of water, yet i was still surprisingly warm. it s nearly hitting 40 degrees at midday and just a hot at night. as i pulled into the church my bike skidded on the tiles and i whamed into the wall and took a layer of skin off my arm then proceeded to almost run over our live in toad, bernard.
the wedding was really great, very small but very nice. the food was great which is alway something to compliment although i left feeling a bit bloated after eating my body weight in curry. well worth it. jenifer and hiep, whos house the wedding was held at have also been coming along to the church for a fe months and their boys come to the kids club. they have a zoo in their back garden. the only really interesting creatures are their monkey which is tied to a tree and a sloth which looked dead but was obviously asleep as they are night life maniacs. they also have kittens, bunnies, guniee pigs and a pony. pretty cool i say.
then today we went out for lunch after church and down to the asia club to go swimming, a very obvious and popular among the expat community here. in fact last week we bumped into the evans family and all their mental kids, who i lived with before. polly came along aswell which was nice and it was his first time going swimming in a pool, he has been swimming in the lake and river, neither of which would make a particularly pleasent experience. it was great to spend some time with him. we got chatting after about the khmer language and midge started quizzing polly about various gramatical confusions and made me start wishing i had done some more language lessons. i can only write two words and cannot read any more than those, id love to be able to speak more freely aswell. ive learnt enough to get by comfortably and feel like i can express myself and make myself understood but no more than that. which i regret. its all good fun though!
more pics soon.
Ben.
Friday, April 27, 2007
photos galore
me and polly.
the band
jeni's main job...setting out chairs.
the church/office
sorry i cant rotate this one, it is the church and flat above, where i live.
this photo is the khmer cell group we have after church on a sunday morning.
steve and polly.glad to finally get some photos up here, sorry its taken such a while, hopefully i can upload some more soon. miss everyone but am feeling good today. will write some more tomorow or monday.
Ben.
joe bloggs
sorry about the last post, i dont quite know what got into me. it was worth it to get you lousy people to leave messages. call yourselves friends? sorry...i know that wont win me any brownie points and i am in desperate need to some of those right now.
got my hands on a flash disk today so should hopsfully be able to get some photos up here soon. in the process i was checking out the ipods, you can buy a 1G ipod for $30...that fifteen pounds sterling. pretty cheap, eh? i might get me one of those before i leave. by the way my gameboy is classic, my thumbs hurt already from the excessive tetrising. thanks for your suggestions ryan i will look into all the games you suggested although i can help but shout from my computer desk...GEEK. greatfully you already refered to yourself as one so we shouldnt need a chat anytime soon...or do we?
ahh im glad for a bit of online banter. i must say joseph 'wit'church has been a bit lacking in syberspace humor of late, is he losing the magic touch as they say? shock horror! or is that shock and awe! goodness me, what a strange state of mind i find myself in. in furthur justification of my drug induced previous blog i must inform everyone that throughout history there have been many genius's of which i am obviously not one, but none the less, if these seemingly incredibly intellectual and impressive people are allowed massive stints in looney assylums then surely joe bloggs here is allowed a funny five minutes.
talking of funny five minutes ive have a rather silly few days in terms of the unfortunate circumstances i seem to find myself in, not because of clumsiness or stupidity, but simply because of old fashioned bad luck. i whacked my hand on the banister rail in the church and punched the smiths wall whilst trying to push the door bell, then, once again, i dropped a heavy duty door lock smack bang on my foot. i still have my fungus infected legs which have started to make me feel like a manchester united fan in Roma and i appear to be growing some sorty of emsamble of rashes on my hands. good old heat rash. brilliant.
we have a wedding tomorow, traditional khmer, so should be a ball. ill let you know if i do anything studip like acidently pour red wine on the brides dress, it has been known to have happened. not to me yet but i can forsee such an event.
Ben.
got my hands on a flash disk today so should hopsfully be able to get some photos up here soon. in the process i was checking out the ipods, you can buy a 1G ipod for $30...that fifteen pounds sterling. pretty cheap, eh? i might get me one of those before i leave. by the way my gameboy is classic, my thumbs hurt already from the excessive tetrising. thanks for your suggestions ryan i will look into all the games you suggested although i can help but shout from my computer desk...GEEK. greatfully you already refered to yourself as one so we shouldnt need a chat anytime soon...or do we?
ahh im glad for a bit of online banter. i must say joseph 'wit'church has been a bit lacking in syberspace humor of late, is he losing the magic touch as they say? shock horror! or is that shock and awe! goodness me, what a strange state of mind i find myself in. in furthur justification of my drug induced previous blog i must inform everyone that throughout history there have been many genius's of which i am obviously not one, but none the less, if these seemingly incredibly intellectual and impressive people are allowed massive stints in looney assylums then surely joe bloggs here is allowed a funny five minutes.
talking of funny five minutes ive have a rather silly few days in terms of the unfortunate circumstances i seem to find myself in, not because of clumsiness or stupidity, but simply because of old fashioned bad luck. i whacked my hand on the banister rail in the church and punched the smiths wall whilst trying to push the door bell, then, once again, i dropped a heavy duty door lock smack bang on my foot. i still have my fungus infected legs which have started to make me feel like a manchester united fan in Roma and i appear to be growing some sorty of emsamble of rashes on my hands. good old heat rash. brilliant.
we have a wedding tomorow, traditional khmer, so should be a ball. ill let you know if i do anything studip like acidently pour red wine on the brides dress, it has been known to have happened. not to me yet but i can forsee such an event.
Ben.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
karma
what can i say? i spent ten mintues trying to rermember how to spell 'exhausted' then another ten trying to find a dictionary to check if my mind was playing tricks on me again.
my most recent attempt at getting a solid nights sleep is to sit up till about 12 and wait. then fall asleep almost immediately, fortunately i have west wing season seven to keep me entertained. the only problem is i find it hard to sleep after being totally enthralled in the programe and find myself sitting on the edge of my seat whispering 'com on santos' to myself in some laughable comic skit worthy of a place in any modern american sit com. so with the added stress of a fictional was in kazakhstan and a presidential election that may as well be real considering the amount of time i ponder its outcome. i decided to buy some drugs. seriously. not altogether cheap drugs at that. it cost my $3 for a dozen sleeping pills and another dollar for my fungus infected legs, oh yes i forgot to mention, i have fungus infected legs. or did i say that already...i forget. the pills seemed to help and i slept all night but felt aweful in the morning, chur as they say. i was still felt heavily sedated at lunch. maybe thats where my morning went..., i was so whacked on smack i must have lost myself in some drug induced karma of nirvana. of course im only kidding, dont worry mum, im not taking over the perscribed limit...yet. it does worry you, however, to know that you can freely buy morphine over the counter without a perscription. im not sure worrying is the right word, maybe inticing or tempting would suit the sentence better.
i have run out of things to say, maybe i should buy some morphine to make this blog a bit more exciting? i will get back to you on that one.
long live cambodia.
Ben.
my most recent attempt at getting a solid nights sleep is to sit up till about 12 and wait. then fall asleep almost immediately, fortunately i have west wing season seven to keep me entertained. the only problem is i find it hard to sleep after being totally enthralled in the programe and find myself sitting on the edge of my seat whispering 'com on santos' to myself in some laughable comic skit worthy of a place in any modern american sit com. so with the added stress of a fictional was in kazakhstan and a presidential election that may as well be real considering the amount of time i ponder its outcome. i decided to buy some drugs. seriously. not altogether cheap drugs at that. it cost my $3 for a dozen sleeping pills and another dollar for my fungus infected legs, oh yes i forgot to mention, i have fungus infected legs. or did i say that already...i forget. the pills seemed to help and i slept all night but felt aweful in the morning, chur as they say. i was still felt heavily sedated at lunch. maybe thats where my morning went..., i was so whacked on smack i must have lost myself in some drug induced karma of nirvana. of course im only kidding, dont worry mum, im not taking over the perscribed limit...yet. it does worry you, however, to know that you can freely buy morphine over the counter without a perscription. im not sure worrying is the right word, maybe inticing or tempting would suit the sentence better.
i have run out of things to say, maybe i should buy some morphine to make this blog a bit more exciting? i will get back to you on that one.
long live cambodia.
Ben.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
1975
i had a terrible day which is bad for me but good for you as it means i have some interesting things to write about.
i just popped up to the british embassy to try and get some forms for tevy who is hopefully going to come to england this summer for the brighton conference. and in the process went to a whole new part of the city i have never even driven through before. i drove right past the french embassy which probably wont mean anything to anyone unless your french or interested in modern cambodian history. the french embassy was the place where all the expats went when pol pot and his khmer rouge troops took the city in 1975, it is where the film 'killing fields' is set and is steeped in history. so it was interesting to see that although they have clearly replaced the old building with a shiny new one and a giant wall blocks any view of the compound, still it was enough for me to pull over and gaze for a few seconds. just round the corner is the british embassy which looks like a small pig farm in comparisson but, rather impressively blocks an entire street with its anti truck bomb barriers. wisely for the french they decided, for the most part, to keep out of bush's wear on terror, which is convienient for the cambodian authorities because the french embassy ios right smack bang on the main street in the city, blocking that road would prove diplomatically and physically stupid.
then i intended to pop over to the post office and was on my way when i realised that i didnt have the letter i was going to send, so doubled back on myself and took a wrong turn at a very confusing intersection and was briskly pulled over by the police, which obviously started my heart pounding as my mouth resembled something like the sarah desert. however quick to calm my nerves the police man spoke ok english so i explained to him that i had gotten lost and hadnt seen the no turning right sign which for the record is on the wrong side of the road and hidden behind a tree. he quickly hit back by asking some rather probing questions about my wonderfully crappy motobike, which un fortunately for me is nopt only unlicenced but was bought ilegally and i am driving it illegally. fortunately for me 8 out of 10 nikes in phnom penh are in the same situation as mine and the same amount of drivers dont have a licence or any paperwork. so i was a little worried but then when i asked him to write the fine and let me go he said for that i had to wait untill 6 o'clock at this point it was 4:15, i wasnt going to sit there for that long so i asked him how much to go now and he said $10 to which i laughed because i know that the fine is $1.25. i managed to negotiate my way down to a dollar for him and his friend and then they let me go, after which i shouted at myself 'ben you stupid bugger'. i then proceeded to feel awefully sick and guilty bedcause of the fact that i had just bribed a police man. i know bribery corrupts the soul and i wasnt even thinking i just wanted to get away as soon as i could. i still feel utterly aweful about the whole thing. at least its one thing i can tick off my list of things to do before i die...bribe a police man. doesnt sound very holy eh? well im ashamed of myself.
in genral ive been feeling pretty stretched at the moment and have a growing list of jobs and errands to run. this song has come to sum up how im feeling at the moment.
havent i been faithful to you lord?
havent i offered up my prayers and tried to follow your word?
lord wont you search me and show me where im wrong?
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
lord forgive me for speaking this right out
but i see the wicked prosper while the godly go without
i cant read human hearts but do you know where im coming from?
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
lord up ahead i see the lonely road
ive got this burden on my back its such a heavy load
these day ive got questions buit theres no answers in my songs
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
please dont be angry with me oh my god
please dont hide your face away
im like a child and im down on my knees
and im begging for you just to bless me today
brian houston. 'rollercoaster' album.
Ben.
i just popped up to the british embassy to try and get some forms for tevy who is hopefully going to come to england this summer for the brighton conference. and in the process went to a whole new part of the city i have never even driven through before. i drove right past the french embassy which probably wont mean anything to anyone unless your french or interested in modern cambodian history. the french embassy was the place where all the expats went when pol pot and his khmer rouge troops took the city in 1975, it is where the film 'killing fields' is set and is steeped in history. so it was interesting to see that although they have clearly replaced the old building with a shiny new one and a giant wall blocks any view of the compound, still it was enough for me to pull over and gaze for a few seconds. just round the corner is the british embassy which looks like a small pig farm in comparisson but, rather impressively blocks an entire street with its anti truck bomb barriers. wisely for the french they decided, for the most part, to keep out of bush's wear on terror, which is convienient for the cambodian authorities because the french embassy ios right smack bang on the main street in the city, blocking that road would prove diplomatically and physically stupid.
then i intended to pop over to the post office and was on my way when i realised that i didnt have the letter i was going to send, so doubled back on myself and took a wrong turn at a very confusing intersection and was briskly pulled over by the police, which obviously started my heart pounding as my mouth resembled something like the sarah desert. however quick to calm my nerves the police man spoke ok english so i explained to him that i had gotten lost and hadnt seen the no turning right sign which for the record is on the wrong side of the road and hidden behind a tree. he quickly hit back by asking some rather probing questions about my wonderfully crappy motobike, which un fortunately for me is nopt only unlicenced but was bought ilegally and i am driving it illegally. fortunately for me 8 out of 10 nikes in phnom penh are in the same situation as mine and the same amount of drivers dont have a licence or any paperwork. so i was a little worried but then when i asked him to write the fine and let me go he said for that i had to wait untill 6 o'clock at this point it was 4:15, i wasnt going to sit there for that long so i asked him how much to go now and he said $10 to which i laughed because i know that the fine is $1.25. i managed to negotiate my way down to a dollar for him and his friend and then they let me go, after which i shouted at myself 'ben you stupid bugger'. i then proceeded to feel awefully sick and guilty bedcause of the fact that i had just bribed a police man. i know bribery corrupts the soul and i wasnt even thinking i just wanted to get away as soon as i could. i still feel utterly aweful about the whole thing. at least its one thing i can tick off my list of things to do before i die...bribe a police man. doesnt sound very holy eh? well im ashamed of myself.
in genral ive been feeling pretty stretched at the moment and have a growing list of jobs and errands to run. this song has come to sum up how im feeling at the moment.
havent i been faithful to you lord?
havent i offered up my prayers and tried to follow your word?
lord wont you search me and show me where im wrong?
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
lord forgive me for speaking this right out
but i see the wicked prosper while the godly go without
i cant read human hearts but do you know where im coming from?
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
lord up ahead i see the lonely road
ive got this burden on my back its such a heavy load
these day ive got questions buit theres no answers in my songs
ive been waiting for the blessing for far too long
please dont be angry with me oh my god
please dont hide your face away
im like a child and im down on my knees
and im begging for you just to bless me today
brian houston. 'rollercoaster' album.
Ben.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
mars bar and milk shake
well its been a happy couple of days, ive been feeling a whole lot better and have decided to start enjoying myself again. ive been amazed at how this trip has worked itself out financially, considering some of the pretty expensive things ive had to buy (visa's, air tickets, moto's etc.) i still have a good chunk, which was reassuring as i sat in the travel agents and discussed dates and flights to sydney. i have had some very generous gifts over the last year towards my living costs and other stuff which has been a massive blessing. so with that in mind ive stopped worrying about eating cheap rubbish food and decided to raise my standard of living slightly, so i had a burger for lunch...brilliant! ive established a good weekly routine i like to call my monday mars bar and milkshake day. it only costs $2.75 but has boosted my morale on several lonely monday afternoons. i think thats a routine to break into my other life...the one in england i mean. after what i said about counting the days i really felt like today was a chance to start thinking about all the stuff i could do here before i leave, i still feel like im just getting started with the stuff i want to do and see completed. good news...i finaly finished the consturction of our infamous table tennis table. works a dream, just need to buy some bats...opps.
had a good day with steve today, i was feeling a little frustrated before. mainly because of the way i had taken certain things but perhaps also because of expectations i had had that didnt work out. we are two completely different people which has at times been hard but has also been good as we both see stuff from different points of view. we had a quick experiment and figured out that we could fit about 70 people into the church hall (at a push), things really feel like they are starting to take off here, its really just a matter of time. so things are on the up, im pleased to be able to say i helped a little. i hope the church will look back on this year and see everything that everyone has done. it really is a massive sacrifice for the smiths, they have literally given their lives to this. good on em i say.
west wing series seven awaits...must go.
Ben.
had a good day with steve today, i was feeling a little frustrated before. mainly because of the way i had taken certain things but perhaps also because of expectations i had had that didnt work out. we are two completely different people which has at times been hard but has also been good as we both see stuff from different points of view. we had a quick experiment and figured out that we could fit about 70 people into the church hall (at a push), things really feel like they are starting to take off here, its really just a matter of time. so things are on the up, im pleased to be able to say i helped a little. i hope the church will look back on this year and see everything that everyone has done. it really is a massive sacrifice for the smiths, they have literally given their lives to this. good on em i say.
west wing series seven awaits...must go.
Ben.
Monday, April 16, 2007
ghost town
i am back to full strength and also back to eating gut rippingly hot chili crisps. as i write my mouth is on fire, maybe that wasnt a wise purchase...
well i have 9 full weeks in cambodia. so much has happened and i have so many memories when i think about it all it seems like a few years worth of life has happened in the last seven months yet when i think right back it seems like yesterday i was saying goodbye at heathrow in september. i hate to say it but the countdown has begun for me, ive been looking at my diary for a while, but i think because khmer new year was a non event for me i was forced to spend a bit of time thinking and that usually ends up me thinking about home. i must savour every portion of fried noodles and every grain of rice. lord no more rice...please.
i realise announcing on the blog that i might be going down under was probably not the wisest thing, it may ot happen and all depends on sorting out the dates. but i really would like to go so i will put in extra effort. in the meantime chris has promised to take me to see the temples sometime in may for a few days, it would seem pretty stupid spending all this time in cambodia and not going to angkor wat, having said that steve has been here four years and hasnt been yet. mental. it is after all one of the wonders of the ancient world. speaking of anciet world has anyone seen apocalypto? man thats a bloddy film! i stacked up on dvds to see me through the new year.
things with the church here are going well, we didnt meet last weekend because of the new year, everyone goes off to their hometowns so the city was empty. it felt like a bit of a ghost town at three o'clock in the afternoon driving around. it was a strange feeling. phnom penh is really quite a small city but the roads are crammed with people because no one walks anywhere. so with few cars and a slow trickle of motos the dust laid a thick layer of muck on the road which make driving more unpleasant, my visor is so scratched i cant use it and i managed to break my sunglasses aswell, so i just have to squint a bit and rely on my god given eye lashes to event almost certain death. im joking, its a bit safer than i make out.
i havent heard from anyone for a while. give me an email with all your news if your reading. its good to feel part of things in this odd situation i seem to have found myself in. life goes on, if barely.
uncle john if your reading this i am glad your out of hospital and feeling a bit better. email me if you are feeling up to it, it would be good to hear from you again and hear some more war stories. we all prayed for you and continue to do so.
much love hommies,
King Ben.
well i have 9 full weeks in cambodia. so much has happened and i have so many memories when i think about it all it seems like a few years worth of life has happened in the last seven months yet when i think right back it seems like yesterday i was saying goodbye at heathrow in september. i hate to say it but the countdown has begun for me, ive been looking at my diary for a while, but i think because khmer new year was a non event for me i was forced to spend a bit of time thinking and that usually ends up me thinking about home. i must savour every portion of fried noodles and every grain of rice. lord no more rice...please.
i realise announcing on the blog that i might be going down under was probably not the wisest thing, it may ot happen and all depends on sorting out the dates. but i really would like to go so i will put in extra effort. in the meantime chris has promised to take me to see the temples sometime in may for a few days, it would seem pretty stupid spending all this time in cambodia and not going to angkor wat, having said that steve has been here four years and hasnt been yet. mental. it is after all one of the wonders of the ancient world. speaking of anciet world has anyone seen apocalypto? man thats a bloddy film! i stacked up on dvds to see me through the new year.
things with the church here are going well, we didnt meet last weekend because of the new year, everyone goes off to their hometowns so the city was empty. it felt like a bit of a ghost town at three o'clock in the afternoon driving around. it was a strange feeling. phnom penh is really quite a small city but the roads are crammed with people because no one walks anywhere. so with few cars and a slow trickle of motos the dust laid a thick layer of muck on the road which make driving more unpleasant, my visor is so scratched i cant use it and i managed to break my sunglasses aswell, so i just have to squint a bit and rely on my god given eye lashes to event almost certain death. im joking, its a bit safer than i make out.
i havent heard from anyone for a while. give me an email with all your news if your reading. its good to feel part of things in this odd situation i seem to have found myself in. life goes on, if barely.
uncle john if your reading this i am glad your out of hospital and feeling a bit better. email me if you are feeling up to it, it would be good to hear from you again and hear some more war stories. we all prayed for you and continue to do so.
much love hommies,
King Ben.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
popping pills
i have been sick like a dog the last few days and although putting a brave face on things i still feel aweful. my head is pounding and my stomach is churning. i didnt sleep much the first night as was to anf from the bathroom every half hour then puked up in the morning, which is never a pleasent experience. all my boasting about having a stomach of steel and my recent surge in experimental local dishes probably hasnt helped. i figured as i hadnt been sick up till now i must be resistant to most stuff, i had eaten almost anything they sell on the side of the street and hadnt had any problems before. to make it worst i am still mourning spurs defeat by seville. yes joe, i agree. am always pleased to see any italian side get a firm whopping.
so my new years plans have been hampered by my belly...gutted, i had a few allnight raves lined up and perhaps a trip to a khmer nightclub...joking, i would certainly die if i went there.
my head feels like its going to explode so im going to head home and sulk for a few hours.
to make it all worse it was Sothys birthday yesterday and i couldnt even walk to the end of the street and buy him a pressie, steve came by and took me round to theirs which i did without complaint because i knew i wouldnt be allowed my own space and peace and quiet, it just wasnt going to happen. so instead i had to sit with them and the boys and add to my growing illness, to make it even worse i wasnt allowed to eat anything. im sorry, im learning that i complain too much. suffering in silence is the best way by far i think, i would rather not be treated as a science experiment.
ive been popping pills all day which have helped slightly, momentarily stopped all flow of liquid.
anyway,
i need some confirmation:
-is it true luke is joining the police?
-is it also true the foxes are moving to leistershire?
-i heard a rumor the lease on the flat is going to end and not be renewed?
-at pizza express joe was unable to finish the leftovers...sloppy joeseppy?
im going to be sick.....ughhh
so my new years plans have been hampered by my belly...gutted, i had a few allnight raves lined up and perhaps a trip to a khmer nightclub...joking, i would certainly die if i went there.
my head feels like its going to explode so im going to head home and sulk for a few hours.
to make it all worse it was Sothys birthday yesterday and i couldnt even walk to the end of the street and buy him a pressie, steve came by and took me round to theirs which i did without complaint because i knew i wouldnt be allowed my own space and peace and quiet, it just wasnt going to happen. so instead i had to sit with them and the boys and add to my growing illness, to make it even worse i wasnt allowed to eat anything. im sorry, im learning that i complain too much. suffering in silence is the best way by far i think, i would rather not be treated as a science experiment.
ive been popping pills all day which have helped slightly, momentarily stopped all flow of liquid.
anyway,
i need some confirmation:
-is it true luke is joining the police?
-is it also true the foxes are moving to leistershire?
-i heard a rumor the lease on the flat is going to end and not be renewed?
-at pizza express joe was unable to finish the leftovers...sloppy joeseppy?
im going to be sick.....ughhh
Thursday, April 12, 2007
red ants
i once again tried to up load some more photos but these blummin internet cafes arnt all that good!
its been a difficult few days here, ive been feeling more and more isolated. one look at my diary and i realised that i have just 10 weeks untill i leave for england. ive decided to go to sydney and aukland although at the moment im just sorting out dates with steve and looking at how much it will cost etc. but it is something i really want to do and could leave PP 10 days earlier than i was going to and fit it in at the end of my trip. we will see if it happens, but i hope it all comes together, it will give me something to look forward to and get my mind off all the stresses of my job and life here, which seem to have been piling up recently. its khmer new year this weekend and we dont have church or any other meetiongs because all the khmer will be in their home provinces and alot of the whities are heading out of the city for a few days whilst everything here is shut down. chris and dale might be going to the beach so i may try and tag along and tomorow we have a dvd fest planned for the afternoon after a roast dinner at steve and midges.
i had a rubbish sleep last night, it rained really hard and woke me up, but i also had a pretty traumatic dream where i got stabbed in the head and died. thats a bit of a long story and started a discussion with jeni as to whether i watch too many violent films...im looking forward to staying up all night watching zombie movies at the flat in a couple of months in england. good times.
so ive been genrally a bit under the weather physically as well as mentally, the possibility of a trip south of the equator has lifted my spirits as i thought it was off the cards.
i recieved a bunch of letters and packages from england today which i think have been sitting in the mail box for a few weeks as one package containing some chocolate elcairs had been revished by red ants, aweful shame. i thoroughly enjoyed reading 'the week' and 'private eye' and endless newspaper clippings from nan kept the boys entertained whilst trying to avoid their home schooling this morning. i dont blame them, i wasnt in the mood to do much work either. just sat there and grunted occasionally so they knew i wasnt asleep. like i said i didnt sleep much last night, im going to see if i can get some pills to help me sleep because th last few weeks have been particularly bad as the weather hots up and the rains start to fall hard at night. i always hated putting chemicals into my body but recently ive been taking regular aspirin and vitamins and drinking a bit too much coffee which probably doesnt help my campaign for better sleep.
i have thought about nothing much today except being back in england. i know i will be sad leaving here and my life here because it is so wildly different from my life at home, yet i can help but confess how much i am longing to sleep in a warm bed and have warm showers and drink fresh milk again...its funny the things you miss.
apologies for the ramble, ive never been an organised blogger!
still going slightly mental,
Ben.
its been a difficult few days here, ive been feeling more and more isolated. one look at my diary and i realised that i have just 10 weeks untill i leave for england. ive decided to go to sydney and aukland although at the moment im just sorting out dates with steve and looking at how much it will cost etc. but it is something i really want to do and could leave PP 10 days earlier than i was going to and fit it in at the end of my trip. we will see if it happens, but i hope it all comes together, it will give me something to look forward to and get my mind off all the stresses of my job and life here, which seem to have been piling up recently. its khmer new year this weekend and we dont have church or any other meetiongs because all the khmer will be in their home provinces and alot of the whities are heading out of the city for a few days whilst everything here is shut down. chris and dale might be going to the beach so i may try and tag along and tomorow we have a dvd fest planned for the afternoon after a roast dinner at steve and midges.
i had a rubbish sleep last night, it rained really hard and woke me up, but i also had a pretty traumatic dream where i got stabbed in the head and died. thats a bit of a long story and started a discussion with jeni as to whether i watch too many violent films...im looking forward to staying up all night watching zombie movies at the flat in a couple of months in england. good times.
so ive been genrally a bit under the weather physically as well as mentally, the possibility of a trip south of the equator has lifted my spirits as i thought it was off the cards.
i recieved a bunch of letters and packages from england today which i think have been sitting in the mail box for a few weeks as one package containing some chocolate elcairs had been revished by red ants, aweful shame. i thoroughly enjoyed reading 'the week' and 'private eye' and endless newspaper clippings from nan kept the boys entertained whilst trying to avoid their home schooling this morning. i dont blame them, i wasnt in the mood to do much work either. just sat there and grunted occasionally so they knew i wasnt asleep. like i said i didnt sleep much last night, im going to see if i can get some pills to help me sleep because th last few weeks have been particularly bad as the weather hots up and the rains start to fall hard at night. i always hated putting chemicals into my body but recently ive been taking regular aspirin and vitamins and drinking a bit too much coffee which probably doesnt help my campaign for better sleep.
i have thought about nothing much today except being back in england. i know i will be sad leaving here and my life here because it is so wildly different from my life at home, yet i can help but confess how much i am longing to sleep in a warm bed and have warm showers and drink fresh milk again...its funny the things you miss.
apologies for the ramble, ive never been an organised blogger!
still going slightly mental,
Ben.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
traditions
got alot done these past few days, steve gave us a pretty big list of stuff to be getting on with. now the 'office' actually looks like an office and i pinched an old bamboo screen to partition off part of it for a todlers area for sundays. i got to be a bloke as well by hammering stuff and running around feeling really important. plus, i get to use the drill again soon. which makes a really loud noise and is quite releving of stress, especially when it slides without too much effort through the soft wall. you can tell i havent been having much sleep, eh?
easter went without notice and wasnt even mentioned at church, all the build up to the new years celebrations this weekend shifted our attention somewhat away from the normal christian traditions, not that ive ever been one for christian traditions, quite the opposite.
my bike has been humming along nicely since having the pistons replaced and the insides given a good working over, so im greatful of that, although chris tightened the front break and soon after the cable snapped so now i have no front break which is more than slightly inconvienient and verging on rediculously dangerous. so my weekly trip to the mechanic has given a whole new name to 'second hand' and has made me seriously doubt some of the claims made to me by its previous owner. it sounds like im complaining but i love it! i wanted to buy a rubbish old bike in england last year and do it up and now i am. when i leave steve is going to have it, it would save him heaps of loy (dosh) on sang (petrol).
speaking of loy and sang, my language has been doing well recently despite not having any lessons for a while. sovath, who cleans the church building, has been teaching me the occasional word when i ask and likewise i help him out with words. we have these funny half and half sentences. his english is far better than my khmer so we almost always finish up by me breaking down and him saying 'it ok my friend, we have no worry' then a short explaination of what he was saying in english, just in case i hadnt experienced enough trauma trying to decipher his original khmer explaintion. its all fun and games.
apparently recieved a bunch of mail this week, steve rarely checks his box, so its probably been sitting there for a while. i'll let you know if i get anything exciting. like a copy of beano or a dark chocolate bounty. it could happen...
everything is still mental here and getting even hotter,
Ben.
easter went without notice and wasnt even mentioned at church, all the build up to the new years celebrations this weekend shifted our attention somewhat away from the normal christian traditions, not that ive ever been one for christian traditions, quite the opposite.
my bike has been humming along nicely since having the pistons replaced and the insides given a good working over, so im greatful of that, although chris tightened the front break and soon after the cable snapped so now i have no front break which is more than slightly inconvienient and verging on rediculously dangerous. so my weekly trip to the mechanic has given a whole new name to 'second hand' and has made me seriously doubt some of the claims made to me by its previous owner. it sounds like im complaining but i love it! i wanted to buy a rubbish old bike in england last year and do it up and now i am. when i leave steve is going to have it, it would save him heaps of loy (dosh) on sang (petrol).
speaking of loy and sang, my language has been doing well recently despite not having any lessons for a while. sovath, who cleans the church building, has been teaching me the occasional word when i ask and likewise i help him out with words. we have these funny half and half sentences. his english is far better than my khmer so we almost always finish up by me breaking down and him saying 'it ok my friend, we have no worry' then a short explaination of what he was saying in english, just in case i hadnt experienced enough trauma trying to decipher his original khmer explaintion. its all fun and games.
apparently recieved a bunch of mail this week, steve rarely checks his box, so its probably been sitting there for a while. i'll let you know if i get anything exciting. like a copy of beano or a dark chocolate bounty. it could happen...
everything is still mental here and getting even hotter,
Ben.
Monday, April 09, 2007
bodge job
i was just in the middle of writing a blog then the whole street had a power cut. that is not exactly a rare occurance these days. there was a particularly hot week couple of weeks back and there was power cuts during the night. which you would think is better but i heavily rely on fan assisted sleep, if the electricity goes out the fan stops and half an hour later you wake up in a pool of sweat wondering what happened. after an hour or so it comes back on then you fall asleep again only for the power to go out a little less than an hour leter. the craziest thing is that they actually advertise when there is going to be power cuts and in which part of town, only problem is they dont publish them in english. the city grid is run by six big generators and one of them literally blew up a while back so theyve had to do a bodge job and use the other five to compensate. fair play.
me and chris went out on another adventure yesterday. Sinar, chris's language teacher, was having a khmer new years party in the afternoon/evening. so we went out to chong cham, just outside the city the other side of the airport, to join in with the festivities. i didnt realise till after but apparently i had only been invited because chris didnt want to go on his own and chris's wife was so anti going someone had to go and i was the most obvious option. in my hunt for some genuine cultural experiences i have been roiped in to some pretty strange things the last few weeks. anyway.....so we arrived in this small little estate with all these communal houses with hundereds of naked kids running around through piles of rubbish and flies everywhere. sinars house was pretty typical and doubled up as a convenience store and language school. we hung around for a while and played a few games and watched in horror as sinar tried to get us to try some khmer dancing. it was a big of a laugh and i was actually having fun. i really wasnt releshing the thought of staying there for food, as during the thorough tour sinar gave us i made a close inspection of the cooking facilities and was convinced that there were enough viruses in their pot to go round the whole group. we scampered before the food was forced down our festive faces. i think sinar was a bit dissapointed that we left so early, the games go on all night, literally. but instead we went down to the river and joined some others for a walk and then some chinese dumplings at the new york hotel. sinar clearly had the best party in the area because he had to whites with him. and of course watching two silly foreigners try to dance to this aweful khmer pop music was enough to draw a good sized crowd. it was an interesting afternoon. i wished i had taken my camera but i cant get anymore photos up here in this internet cafe so ill try another time furthur down the road at a different place.
it was a strange little part of the city right on the outskirts and away from all the noise yet just as packed in as the centre. despite the fact that they have loads of empty fields around they all live in these tiny little rooms. one things about the khmer i like is that they are incredibly social people, they never do anything on their own. they have a good sense of community. that does mean you lose your sense of personal space and often the guys will hold your hand or touch your knee when they speak to you, its very effectionate but a little worrying at first.
i was talking to chris after on the way back to the city about what a weird place this is to live. it really is strange. everything is so foreign to my way of thinking. i would assume people want to live in their own seperate houses and that they wouldnt want to live with their parents but here they really do. the way they all eat in groups on the street corners and little packs of motos all follow each other as a large group of friends go out for the night.
im still amazed by the complexity of the culture yet the simplisity of the people and the way they live.
what a strange place.
Ben.
me and chris went out on another adventure yesterday. Sinar, chris's language teacher, was having a khmer new years party in the afternoon/evening. so we went out to chong cham, just outside the city the other side of the airport, to join in with the festivities. i didnt realise till after but apparently i had only been invited because chris didnt want to go on his own and chris's wife was so anti going someone had to go and i was the most obvious option. in my hunt for some genuine cultural experiences i have been roiped in to some pretty strange things the last few weeks. anyway.....so we arrived in this small little estate with all these communal houses with hundereds of naked kids running around through piles of rubbish and flies everywhere. sinars house was pretty typical and doubled up as a convenience store and language school. we hung around for a while and played a few games and watched in horror as sinar tried to get us to try some khmer dancing. it was a big of a laugh and i was actually having fun. i really wasnt releshing the thought of staying there for food, as during the thorough tour sinar gave us i made a close inspection of the cooking facilities and was convinced that there were enough viruses in their pot to go round the whole group. we scampered before the food was forced down our festive faces. i think sinar was a bit dissapointed that we left so early, the games go on all night, literally. but instead we went down to the river and joined some others for a walk and then some chinese dumplings at the new york hotel. sinar clearly had the best party in the area because he had to whites with him. and of course watching two silly foreigners try to dance to this aweful khmer pop music was enough to draw a good sized crowd. it was an interesting afternoon. i wished i had taken my camera but i cant get anymore photos up here in this internet cafe so ill try another time furthur down the road at a different place.
it was a strange little part of the city right on the outskirts and away from all the noise yet just as packed in as the centre. despite the fact that they have loads of empty fields around they all live in these tiny little rooms. one things about the khmer i like is that they are incredibly social people, they never do anything on their own. they have a good sense of community. that does mean you lose your sense of personal space and often the guys will hold your hand or touch your knee when they speak to you, its very effectionate but a little worrying at first.
i was talking to chris after on the way back to the city about what a weird place this is to live. it really is strange. everything is so foreign to my way of thinking. i would assume people want to live in their own seperate houses and that they wouldnt want to live with their parents but here they really do. the way they all eat in groups on the street corners and little packs of motos all follow each other as a large group of friends go out for the night.
im still amazed by the complexity of the culture yet the simplisity of the people and the way they live.
what a strange place.
Ben.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
a predicament
well...lucy left this morning. and my bike died last ght which has made for a slightly more sobre few days the the previous. it is actually quite a good story i think.
so friay night we finished a mentally long meeting at the church at about 10:15 then me and chris headed down the the river for a bevie and some food. all was going swimingly although man city v charlton wasnt the most gripping first half ive ever seen. still...the food was good. we headed back and rather out of the blue my bike starts slowing and chuging along. its wortyh pointing out at this point that ive have become afectionately used to the loud roaring vibrating nature of my crappy moto, yet nothing could have prepared me for the ensuing adventure. we walked the bike round the corner and put some gas in, the bike still wouldnt work. so being a good hour and a half away from either of our houses we figured it was a good time to crack on and start the long walk back. bearing in mind wqe didnt start eating untill about 11, so by this time it was pushing 1am, which is not the best time for two white blokes to strolling around phnom penh. despite the fact that we are both incredibly muscular and well built guys i thin a man with a knife would probably win the an argument...just. so, we had been walking for about 5 minutes when this moto driver pulls up and offers to take us back, when we explained to the kind gentleman our predicament he began to explain how he could drive his moto and push ours at the same time. chris turned to me with a big grin on his face and said 'its alright mate khmer people do it all the time'. in my determination to become a fully integrated member of this society that card never fails to get me to do something i would stongly recommend not doing. so i jumped on the back of the guys bike he put his right foot, which is in charge of his breaks, on the back of my bike as chris steered. in this manor me coasted all the way through the city at way past midnight and arrived home a few minutes later with only a few major accidents avoided and 5000 riel poorer.
true story.
i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed doing it.
on a different tone, this week has been really good. its been great hanging out with the girls and like i say lucy is flying to sydney as i write, then on to aukland. im dead jealous.
we went to orussay market yesterday which was good id never been inside before and hadnt really had a reason becaue i didnt thin they sold anything different from any of the other markets closer to me, so i never bothered. however i did find a gem, they had an original game boy. you remember the big grey bricks? i didnt buy it and didnt even really stop to look but im seriously considering going back and getting it. how brilliant is that?!
so i dreamt of mario in my sleep last night and other more adventerous cadavours with chris and broken motos.
happy days,
Ben.
so friay night we finished a mentally long meeting at the church at about 10:15 then me and chris headed down the the river for a bevie and some food. all was going swimingly although man city v charlton wasnt the most gripping first half ive ever seen. still...the food was good. we headed back and rather out of the blue my bike starts slowing and chuging along. its wortyh pointing out at this point that ive have become afectionately used to the loud roaring vibrating nature of my crappy moto, yet nothing could have prepared me for the ensuing adventure. we walked the bike round the corner and put some gas in, the bike still wouldnt work. so being a good hour and a half away from either of our houses we figured it was a good time to crack on and start the long walk back. bearing in mind wqe didnt start eating untill about 11, so by this time it was pushing 1am, which is not the best time for two white blokes to strolling around phnom penh. despite the fact that we are both incredibly muscular and well built guys i thin a man with a knife would probably win the an argument...just. so, we had been walking for about 5 minutes when this moto driver pulls up and offers to take us back, when we explained to the kind gentleman our predicament he began to explain how he could drive his moto and push ours at the same time. chris turned to me with a big grin on his face and said 'its alright mate khmer people do it all the time'. in my determination to become a fully integrated member of this society that card never fails to get me to do something i would stongly recommend not doing. so i jumped on the back of the guys bike he put his right foot, which is in charge of his breaks, on the back of my bike as chris steered. in this manor me coasted all the way through the city at way past midnight and arrived home a few minutes later with only a few major accidents avoided and 5000 riel poorer.
true story.
i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed doing it.
on a different tone, this week has been really good. its been great hanging out with the girls and like i say lucy is flying to sydney as i write, then on to aukland. im dead jealous.
we went to orussay market yesterday which was good id never been inside before and hadnt really had a reason becaue i didnt thin they sold anything different from any of the other markets closer to me, so i never bothered. however i did find a gem, they had an original game boy. you remember the big grey bricks? i didnt buy it and didnt even really stop to look but im seriously considering going back and getting it. how brilliant is that?!
so i dreamt of mario in my sleep last night and other more adventerous cadavours with chris and broken motos.
happy days,
Ben.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
the soviet
as far as it goes this week has been good. i have, up untill this week, been grateful of a good bill of health and had no real need for any medication except the obvious aspirin and cafeen, and the ocasional injection of alcohol, sadly my running streak came to an end this week. after a few days of sore eyes and then some sleepless nights it would seem i have conjunctivitus....sore eyes. we went swimming on monday and my eyes were really sensative i thought it was to do with the water but apparently not. i dont know if jani has blogged recently, i think maybe typing is hard with her hand all bandaged up! they just got back from the doctors and had an xray, apparently it wont need to be amputated....what a story that would make! lucy has gone up to stung treang with libby and a bunch of others for the next two days. libby runs a clinic out of a church up there and goes for two days every week then just hangs around in the city the rest of the time, she is semi retired..i think, if not she is a massive slacker.
it rained pretty heavily last night which was nice as it meant a cooler sleep, so i was appreciative, it did mean sovath had a bunch more cleaning to do unstairs this morning which i dont think he particularly enjoys. he did offer to take me to this eye doctor he has been to before, after asking a few carefully selected and deeply probing questions i discovered this doctor is a soviet. im not joking that is what sovath called him! the khmer still use the word because a bunch of places are called 'soviet hospital', 'soviet bridge' etc. that made me chuckle then i tried, but failed, to explain about the fall of communisim in russia, of which i am obviously an expert. this was an interesting coincidence because a few days earlier we were talking about this region and i suddenly realised how we are surrounded by communist countries. vietnam, laos, indonesia, burma and china. all except thailand which may as well be. there is a big national election in may next year and all the mission organisations are updating their emergency evacuation policies just in case something happens. it sounds a bit crazy but political instability has come to define cambodia for the last half century and no one would be surprised if something did kick off.
what a mental place to be. i keep thinking what a mental life i have here, it really is completely mental.
going mental.
Ben.
it rained pretty heavily last night which was nice as it meant a cooler sleep, so i was appreciative, it did mean sovath had a bunch more cleaning to do unstairs this morning which i dont think he particularly enjoys. he did offer to take me to this eye doctor he has been to before, after asking a few carefully selected and deeply probing questions i discovered this doctor is a soviet. im not joking that is what sovath called him! the khmer still use the word because a bunch of places are called 'soviet hospital', 'soviet bridge' etc. that made me chuckle then i tried, but failed, to explain about the fall of communisim in russia, of which i am obviously an expert. this was an interesting coincidence because a few days earlier we were talking about this region and i suddenly realised how we are surrounded by communist countries. vietnam, laos, indonesia, burma and china. all except thailand which may as well be. there is a big national election in may next year and all the mission organisations are updating their emergency evacuation policies just in case something happens. it sounds a bit crazy but political instability has come to define cambodia for the last half century and no one would be surprised if something did kick off.
what a mental place to be. i keep thinking what a mental life i have here, it really is completely mental.
going mental.
Ben.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
death threats
sorry that last post was in response to me losing this massive essay i just wrote... ughhh..
today was luc barrows birthday party so we went out for pizza and then to bumper car racing at parkway, which is always fun, except for today jeni managed to get her arm lodged in between two cars and needed medical treatment, do not fret all is well nothing an ice pack and a few perscription pills wont fix. there was a lot of banter before the raceing and me and joel were joking about various health and safety regulations etc. some of the kids recieved vague death threats from me and were promised that they wouldnt see their next birthday if they even tried to gang up on me, gratefully i feel, because i took the moral highground and restrained myself from being over zealous in my revengful driving, i claim the victory. and are now the self proclaimed bumper car champion of cambodia...no asia. brilliant.
i regret to announce that i have a self diagnosed photographic special needs so my photo taking abilities have suffered over the last few months, however as you see on the last post i added some new ones! and have found a good way to get them up here so will endevour to paint a masterly canvas of life here, probably better than monet. although i obviously dont mean a literal canvas, i think you get it.
its been good having the girls here i think weve had fun, although as a collective group we are not the most decisive bunch, we have seen the sights...there arnt many to see!, and have a busy week planned. its a hot cloudless day in the city and is only getting hotter i need to revert to shorts and ones that dont soak up the sweat soo much and leave me looking a shade darker.
perspiring in phnom penh
a blog by king ben.
im a poet and i didnt know it.
today was luc barrows birthday party so we went out for pizza and then to bumper car racing at parkway, which is always fun, except for today jeni managed to get her arm lodged in between two cars and needed medical treatment, do not fret all is well nothing an ice pack and a few perscription pills wont fix. there was a lot of banter before the raceing and me and joel were joking about various health and safety regulations etc. some of the kids recieved vague death threats from me and were promised that they wouldnt see their next birthday if they even tried to gang up on me, gratefully i feel, because i took the moral highground and restrained myself from being over zealous in my revengful driving, i claim the victory. and are now the self proclaimed bumper car champion of cambodia...no asia. brilliant.
i regret to announce that i have a self diagnosed photographic special needs so my photo taking abilities have suffered over the last few months, however as you see on the last post i added some new ones! and have found a good way to get them up here so will endevour to paint a masterly canvas of life here, probably better than monet. although i obviously dont mean a literal canvas, i think you get it.
its been good having the girls here i think weve had fun, although as a collective group we are not the most decisive bunch, we have seen the sights...there arnt many to see!, and have a busy week planned. its a hot cloudless day in the city and is only getting hotter i need to revert to shorts and ones that dont soak up the sweat soo much and leave me looking a shade darker.
perspiring in phnom penh
a blog by king ben.
im a poet and i didnt know it.
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