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.