Not all work!

This evening when I came home from school I decided it was time to try out that banana cake recipe I downloaded from the internet. It was really simple and I had all the ingredients (the incentive was the left over bananas from the carnival which were just right for cake). In the absence of real cake tins, I had purchased a package of aluminium foil food containers about the right size, and one of them was just perfect. In addition to that I had no trouble getting it out. Here's the evidence. It tastes yummy too! Thanks Jenny & Murray for making this treat possible.

And yes, that top is crunchy. I can't remember where I got the recipe but it was really easy, because you don't have to cream the butter & sugar (a real challenge without a mixer). Instead you melt the butter, sugar and vanilla together first, then add the other ingredients progressively to the saucepan. Now that's very helpful too when you don't actually own any proper mixing bowls. If I was staying in Phnom Penh, both these things would be on my shopping list for this weekend in BKK, but as it is I'm not sure. Maybe. Maybe not.

OK. I'd better go and at least open my resume. I'm waiting on replies to some e-mails before I can finalise it.

Contemplating the future

Jeremiah 29:11 says this "I say this because I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you and a good future".

Why am I thinking about this verse? That's easy, because right now I have no idea what the future holds for me past the end of May 2010. This afternoon I was told that I will not be offered a contract for next year at Logos International School in Phnom Penh.

I'm disappointed about this, but know that God is in control, and He obviously has other plans for me. It's hard to be told that you're not the right fit for the job you've been doing for 3 years, and it hurts, especially when you only want what is best for your students, and want them to be the best they can be. I still believe that it was God who led me to Cambodia, and to Logos, and I've always said that I would be here for as long as God wanted me here. It seems like He's got other plans for me and whether they are in Phnom Penh, or elsewhere in the world, I just do not know. Now I have to be patient and wise, as I seek His guidance over the coming days, weeks, and months.

Having said this, I was also told that I'm a great teacher, and the work I put into it was acknowledged, with the suggestion that I would probably be better suited to teaching Middle School students (Grades 6 through 8), but that there are no vacancies in that area of Logos at the moment, and that the principal would be happy to give me a recommendation for teaching Middle School, so all is not totally wasted. When God closes a door, He opens a window. Now I need to be patient and see where that open window is.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know he holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.

Life in a Rural Country

Today on the way home from school I actually had time to stop and snap this pic. I often see these guys with their oxcart, loaded with clay pottery on the way to school in the mornings, and occasionally on the odd day that I head home while it's still daylight. This afternoon I was heading home for Home Group this evening, and this cart was stopped by the side of the road, with a "Lexus" parked behind it. It was clear the guy from the Lexus was seeking a bargain from the pot seller, and the girls with their bicycle took great delight in getting in the picture. Each day as I see these carts, I am reminded of the rural nature of this country, and how so many of the people live in daily dependence on the land that God has blessed them with (although they don't all know that). Many have limited income, and are still dependent on skills they have learned from previous generations.

A couple of days ago I saw an even more unusual site. I can't remember what was on the carts, but as I travelled to school one morning I passed several smaller carts (a lot smaller than these) which were each being pulled by a single pony. Now that was something different, and definitely not something I see every day. If I see them again I'll have to stop and take a photo, even if it makes me late for school (it probably won't).

Meanwhile school has been relatively quiet this week, with most of the high school students away on Bible Camp. Certainly it was much easier doing "Rover" duty this afternoon (clearing hallways and other areas of the campus of students who are supposed to be somewhere else).

It was interesting that just this morning the principal mentioned as a major prayer point our electricity situation, when by 9.20am we lost power completely, and were told we would be out until 5pm this afternoon. It was a pleasant surprise when it came back on around 12.30pm and stayed on for the rest of the day. What tomorrow will bring, who knows, but as there's nothing we can do about it, then there's no point in worrying about it. So why is our electricity situation a major prayer point? Unfortunately when the school was constructed, the amount of electricity we would need in terms of supply from the mains was somehow either not calculated or miscalculated, and so consequently we don't have enough. Now I'm not talking about a minor not having enough, I'm talking a major issue. Currently we have one 100Amp line coming in to the school. Now that's probably adequate for a domestic residence, but for a school with 300+ students? I'll let you work that out. Consequently classrooms on the Southern side of the building can run air-conditioners in the morning (but only one per room), and rooms on the Western side can run one per room in the afternoons. The office and several other areas are not running any at all. The other day, I turned on the Overhead Projector without turning off everything else in the classroom, and oops, minutes later we all went out. I won't do that again. So progress has been made in establishing what the true needs of the school are, but the cost is going to be in ten thousands of US dollars. So why pray? Because our God is the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, and we know that He cares for us. Somewhere out there, God has already decided how the necessary equipment and work will be done. Please pray with us, that He will make this clear to the management team in the near future. The "cool" season is rapidly drawing to a close and the days when it will by 30 degrees Celcius by 9am are fast approaching. Teachers and students alike find it hard to work well in those conditions. And if you know someone or an organisation that might be willing to consider contributing to this, or taking it on as a sponsorship project, please contact the school through the website (or e-mail me if you know me personally). Meanwhile we will continue saving on our electricity bill, and trying to be fair about who gets air-conditioning when.

Time for bed.

Goodnight.

Karen

The Carnival is Over

The 4th Annual Logos International School Carnival is over! Praise God it wasn't as hot as the 1st one, which was back in February 2007, when I was relatively newly arrived in Phnom Penh. Wow, 4 carnivals and I've been here for all of them. This one was rather different for me. Instead of running a game with my students I was running our first ever Scholastic Book Fair. While we didn't sell out, or even sell enough to cover costs, we did make a reasonable number of sales, and we can always have another go sometime in the next couple of weeks. So while I sat in the relative peace of the Art Room, surrounded by books, the rest of the school buzzed with excitement as children and adults tried their hands at a wide variety of games, enjoyed heaps of tasty snacks, and even checked out a couple of Chevy cars! My teaching assistant, and the library assistant very capably ran the 4th grade game of "ten pin bowls", which had been popular last year, and was just as popular this year. Thanks Mr Kosal & Mr Ly. The "ticket" booth, and prize table were busy places, and we had a parade of unusual faces wandering through the book fair. One of the grades was operating a "jail" where, in order to get out of jail, you had to have your face decorated with moustache, eyebrows and other interesting features. All in good fun.

After all was over, and we'd back up and counted the takings, a few of us decided that a swim would be the best way to cool off on a hot humid afternoon. The water was very comfortable, even a little warm for me, and I managed to swim 30 laps today. Sadly I'm feeling it now, with some aching shoulder muscles. It's about 12 days since I last swam, so it was hard work, but I'm keen to build up to the point where I can complete 40 laps (1km) in 20 minutes. OK, OK, I know that won't win me any world records, but it will be good exercise, and a big step back to improving my fitness level.

Well, I have a pile of Math tests waiting for me to grade them, so I'd better go and get on with it. Who said teacher's work 9 - 3 and have lots of holidays. They obviously have never been a teacher!

That's it for now

Karen

The Joy of Moto Ownership

Most of the time owning my own moto is a blessing, but occasionally things go wrong, and then it becomes a challenge. Today was one of those days.

I arose at some awfully early hour (before 7am on a Sunday is not only not nice, it's nasty), and hopped on the moto to go and collect some keys from folk who'd be staying in a friend's place in Phnom Penh, and who were due to leave at 6.35am. No problems there. They were ready and waiting and I was safely back in my bed by 7am to catch up on the rest of the sleepin! The rest of the day was a quiet one, with a couple of Skype calls to Australia, and a book to read, and very little real "work". At 3pm I decided it was time to get ready for church, so had a shower, got dressed a little less casually, and headed down to the moto. As I turned the key in the ignition I thought I could smell fuel. Hmm. I checked the fuel gauge and it showed empty. That's odd. There was 3/4 of a tank when I got home last night. I pushed the bike out the gate, and parked it while I locked the gate, and noticed what seemed to be fuel dripping from the bike. Hmm. I think I'd better pay the local moto mechanic a visit. Well, I got almost there when the engine sputtered and died. OK. I can deal with this. I hopped off, put the moto in Neutral and walked the rest of the way (about 100m). When I got there, they quickly identified the problem, and replaced the rubber hose that has split. Ten minutes and 2000Riel later and I was my way. Still walking the bike. It started, but wasn't going anywhere. So I headed in the direction of the nearest servo, and as I passed the old Logos campus, met up with one of the tuk-tuk drivers who regularly drives a number of the staff. He speaks very little English, but he showed me how to get the bike going and to use up those last few drops of fuel, and I made it the rest of the way to the servo, where I put $2 worth of fuel in the tank and headed off to church (better late than never).

So how did I feel about all this. Well, to be honest, when I first discovered the missing fuel, I wondered if someone had been syphoning it off, but when I noticed the dripping, I quickly put that idea to rest, and became very grateful that this event occurred when I was at home, and within easy walking distance of the moto workshop and fuel. Praise God for his provision! It could have happened out at school, and then it would have been a lot more complicated (mainly because of not knowing the area as well, but also because of distances). It could have happened at church, and again it would have been more complicated. I was also grateful that I had left early for church, and so, even with the walking and stops, I only missed the first two songs. Thanks again Lord. Once again I have been reminded of your loving care for the details in our lives as well as the big things.

So what does tomorrow hold? Who knows, but whatever it holds, God will give me the strength to get through it! As the song writer so aptly puts it, "God is Good, ALL the time".

Contemplating a birthday

So I've now celebrated my fourth Cambodian birthday, and it was a special day too! I was able to take a day off school, and spend it with a good friend, enjoying a girls' day out. We didn't get the movie in that I'd hoped for, but what we did get to do together was very enjoyable, and I'll remember the day with joy. Thanks J. I especially enjoyed the treat of a manicure and mini-massage.
Here's a photo of the finished results of the manicure, complete with nail art!

Those gorgeous flowers were handpainted with a very fine paintbrush! Amazingly delicate work done with a very steady hand. Lunch & dessert were delicious, and it was good to get some other shopping & chores done as well.

Well, it's time I headed for bed, so I'll finish this post by saying Thanks to the Lord for the life He has given me, and the opportunities he's given me, and ask that He will help me to continue to serve Him joyfully for the rest of the days He has already planned for me. God is good, ALL the time!

Australia Day in Cambodia

Definitely no public holiday for Australia Day in Cambodia, but that didn't stop me celebrating. Still had to be at school at 7.30am, with the kids arriving in the classroom at 8.15am. Wore my Australia t-shirt, posted Australian flags all around the classroom, and promised the kids that if they worked hard before recess they could have a treat after recess. Well, enough of them finished the required work that we celebrated Australia day on the "gym" with a game of rounders (a bit like baseball, but played with a mini cricket bat, and a tennis ball). Much fun was had by everyone, and we returned to the classroom hot and sweaty and ready for a few minutes silent reading.

The next excitement for me (or maybe it was during recess) was the discovery of four boxes in the office from Scholastic! Yes! Yes! Yes! The books for our Book Fair had arrived, and with plenty of time to spare. This afternoon I had the very time consuming task of checking the books against the invoice so I can pass it on to the accounting staff for payment! All done, and all present! Wow!

So now I need to do a quick tidy of the desk (it's been collecting papers again all day today), and then head back to "town", pick up a few groceries, then a quiet evening (maybe I'll grade some Social Studies portfolios & maybe I won't).

That's it for today.

Karen