Smells....

The smells in Cambodia vary greatly.

Riding in a tuk tuk is an experience not just for your eyes and ears but also for your nose. We have been here for just over a week and already I know the areas around our suburb that I should hold my breath. 

Going over the creek where there are so many little shacks with people living in them.

Going past the back of the restaurants.

(Sadly) the smell of some of the street children who have no understanding of the need for hygiene.

Our smells after sweating it out in the heat all day... Ugh!

There are also some absolutely beautiful smells here! Right now I am sitting in a comfy chair smelling the neighbours dinner and wondering how I would go about asking for cooking advice. I have been conversing with the lady who lives next door - conversing rather than talking as she has only a little English and I have very little Khmer. So far I have figured out that she is 31 years old and her daughters are 4yrs5mths and 10mths. She knows that James is 2yrs10mths. She knows we come from Australia (although I don't think she had heard of New Zealand) and that we are living here for 6 months. She wants to learn English - I want to learn Khmer. 

It was our first day at the Sunshine Cambodia centre today. We got a better idea of what we will be doing here and now both feel excited for what lies ahead. I particularly have a lot of work ahead of me with the planning for the preschool / daycare centre which will cater for 3-5 year old Cambodian children.

Heading home we walked up the road to find a tuk tuk with some of the children walking with us as they headed to afternoon school. I was tapped on the arm and turned to find a sweet little girl about 6 years old presenting me with a small bunch of flowers she had picked - "teacher! teacher!"

Oh that just melted my heart!

Well thats about all I have time for today. Now to go and figure out how to cook something that smells half as good as what the neighbours are cooking....