Current update

Hey everyone. We are one the winding down side of things here at school, although, we still are working on finishing strong. We will finish up this week, have a full week off, then two last weeks of school.

Dean posted some pictures in the last entry of the flooding rains. What he didn't tell you was about the storm the following Friday. Most kids had just been picked up from school, around 3:15, when the lightning and thunder hit hard. We heard stats that 8 inches of rain fell in around an hour, but to watch it was something entirely different. The problem with flooding right now is twofold--we're just coming off the dry season, so the streets are filled with lots of sand, dirt, garbage, and many other things that easily clog the drains (if there are drains) and I also heard that the ground is hard and dry, not used to the rain yet, so it's not absorbing the water very quickly. Whatever the reason is, the water just fills up the streets and everywhere.

By the time I left the school in a tuk tuk with some other teachers, it was about 3:45, and the entire driveway on the school grounds was flooded up to my mid-shin! I had to wade through the water to get out of the school property. And, just to mention, calling it "water" is being kind--the sewers full of raw sewage all back up into this "water" and it all swirls together, not to mention again, whatever is out on the streets floating around.... It is pretty gross to say the least, and we often see small children playing and actually swimming in the street water when it's really high.

Water was splashing into our tuk tuk on the short ride we were on, the driver's moto stalled a number of times, many motos and cars were stalled, stuck, and soaked people were walking around in clogged and totally flooded streets. The entire 592, our school's street, was a complete lake. I forgot to mention, that the water actually lapped up almost into the main building with the office, so the custodian dumped a pile of sand on a tarp, to protect the building. All this in under an hour! We were shocked, and I had never seen it this bad. Some who have been here longer even said it was something. I did hear from many poor souls who thought they could travel in the city later that evening, that many main streets were just parking lots. One family we know, just pretty much abandoned their car and went to a restaurant for supper.

So, it's all in the name of a good story. By the next day, everything was drained.

Well, we have a pretty important family event coming up this mother's day--Stephanie's 13th birthday! Sounds like it's going to just be a party weekend, with friends over on Sat to Sun, going to the school drama production on Sat. night, (the Diary of Anne Frank, who by the way, was 13!), One or two sleepovers, lots of junk food.. that kind of thing. Steph was handing me a mild bit of attitude the other day, so I kindly requested if she could just hold out a few more days and wait until she actually TURNED 13, that would be great! haha. STeph is definitely growing into a mature young teen, and we are enjoying every minute of it. Ok, well, most minutes.

Next week if off for us--the king is having his birthday, and with some other stat holiday's we had to take, it's a great week for us. We're going to wrap up so many things in the house and the classroom, get all our errands done to come home, start packing, do our last "souvenir" shopping, that sort of thing. I asked Sokhom to teach me a few of her famous dishes, and she's heartily agreed to teach me, so I can pass it along, hopefully, this summer! We are hoping to get out to Marie's Rescue for one more visit before we leave. Also, Dean and I will celebrate our 18th Anniversary, on the 12-13th, while the kids go to our friend's house for a sleepover. We cannot go out on the weekend, as it's the High school grad, and may as well celebrate when we have the free time (Our actual anniversary is our 18th, on the 18th!) I'm hinting big on some jewelery, but not sure it's taking hold! haha

So, that is all for now. Can't think of too much more to say, except that we are excited for the next few weeks. Things are going really well. I don't think we realize just how hot it is here, and how much we're used to it. Dean and I were at Russian market on Saturday ( a tiny, khmer market, with narrow aisles, known for it's incredible heat. We get a call from a friend who tells us the thermometer at school, in the sun, is registering 114 degrees farenheit. I felt fine in the market, not that hot at all! This morning, the same thermometer read +37 C at around 8 in the morning! I was shocked, as it did not feel anywhere near that hot! Yikes! It will be interesting to go a whole day without sweating, that's for sure.

We love yous all. Have a great May Long weekend! God Bless!
Les