My grandmother, Marjorie, was born in Rangoon, Burma. Before World War II, her family was well-to-do, and they lived a good life. But in 1942, her family escaped to India. Although she never returned to Rangoon, my great Uncle did, …
Leaving Cambodia After Five Years
Today, after five years, three months and five days of living in Cambodia, I am leaving. During my time in Siem Reap, I have faced an incredible amount of challenges, and have almost given up numerous times. However, I didn’t. …
The top 5 things I will NOT miss about Cambodia
Last month I wrote about the top 5 things I will miss about Cambodia when my partner and I move to Australia in January. Well, now it is time to talk about what I will NOT miss. It was actually …
The top 5 things I will miss about Cambodia
In less than five months, my partner and I will be moving back to Australia. I will have been living in Cambodia for five years and three months by that time. Whilst there are more than a handful of things …
Compassion, are you there?
As today is a public holiday, Seyla and I decided to get out of the house for a bit. We drove along Road 6 (the busiest road in Siem Reap) with the intention of visiting some pagodas. Along the way …
Leaving HHA
In just four short months, after almost four years working here, I will be leaving Human and Hope Association to be entirely Khmer operated. It has been an incredibly challenging four years. I am not going to sugar coat things; …
You give me fever…..dengue fever, that is.
I am currently at the end of a horrible illness called dengue fever. For those of you who aren’t aware, dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease, and I can pinpoint which mosquito it was. I was sitting in the office at …
The weaknesses of men and women in Cambodia
“The biggest weakness in Khmer men is they think with their eyes. The biggest weakness in Khmer women is they think with their ears.” This was the response a workmate gave to me on the weekend when I noted he …
Banks in Cambodia
Oh, bother. It is incredibly difficult to find a bank in Cambodia with good service. Our first bank provided terrible customer service, refused to look into missing funds, and even had a security breach on my account. At least they sent …
A Story of Compassion
It’s a shame that I don’t post on my blog frequently, as I miss opportunities to talk about how kind, compassionate and thoughtful my workmates are. So, given I have a free few minutes on my hand, I thought I …