so its been a while.
a long while.
since i last wrote an update we have gone back to australia as a family....and come back to cambodia...as..funnily enough. a family.
well.. not quite. after one night in phnom penh steve and the kids headed back down to kampot. and ive remained in phnom penh to buy fabric for the sewing ladies, come up with more grand plans..and hopefully use this time to also think through some of our latest marital conflicts. (think middle east)
so. australia. land of big skies. hot cars. and painful tv ads.
not much had changed.
BUT..being back with friends...good friends...was just what the soul needed. we were able to catch up with lots of them...mostly just little snippets..never really doing justice. but it was fun. and it was good. and we are hoping to see many of those faces here in cambodia sometime in the future.
the kids loved being back. levi basically disappeared into the adelaide hills with his friends as soon as we landed...not to be seen again until we left. lots of boy stuff. trees. pocket knives. fishing. a camping trip. and libraries!! all the books hes been craving since we left. magic!
neshica, the one who has missed her friends more than we realised...jumped from one house to another. visiting dear friends all around adelaide...and hopefully recharged her batteries enough to keep her going for a little while longer. one of the bigger things to happen while nesh was staying with one of her friends...was that they came up with a little (little for now) project that they call 'three jars full'. the name being chosen because it all started with three jars of eucalyptus 'perfume' that she made with her friend violet. they then sold this concoction to people on the street...(think lemonade)... then the next day i get a call from nesh asking if she can sell some things at a scarf party that night. so sure enough...neshica and violet rock up with beautifully wrapped goodies that they baked...and sold them that night...and made $50!!! so they now have enough money to buy ten sets of blocks for cambodian preschools that have NO toys. not only that..but they now have a few more girls who have joined the group...so who knows what can happen next..
time and ocea (like twins i throw them into the same basket) also had a wonderful time. walks to the library. finally being reunited with their umbrella and grandpa. more playground action than they have seen in 8 months. (which isnt hard since kampot actually doesnt have a playground). steve would text me the adventures that they had been up to each day...as i went about my crazy activities across this great south land of the consumer spirit.
dont get me wrong. it was exactly this consuming spirit i was hoping to tap into while back. it was a perfect opportunity to sell all the creations my sewing ladies have been busy with. sell silk scarves...and in the midst of that...tell people about this little country called cambodia..and what can happen here if a few good people catch the vision.
i travelled between adelaide, sydney and melbourne...(and let me just remind you...that travelling and veronica is not a good mix). telling my story. selling scarves. and meeting so so so many good people. i didnt realise how many people genuienly want to get involved somehow. in the midst of all that my article was printed...and it hit a nerve with a lot of people...so of course that was super helpful. having the article as a basis for a lot of the conversations. the things i voiced in there is shared by a lot of people.
i was also interviewed by two different radio stations...no wait..three different radio stations. which was surprisingly easy to do..and enjoyable. then again...pretty much anything that didnt involve flying was enjoyable for me while in australia.
i had two launches...one in geelong...one in adelaide. and both triggered the rain gods to shower down their blessings on us. in fact...the rain gods of adelaide had an absolute ball. but thanks to steve who managed to buy a tarp the size of a soccerfield...and some helpful friends...we managed to stay mostly dry. by dry i mean...there was lots of wet stuff being sold...but still more dry things than wet which is good. and...we had three hundred or so people come and check it all out...so all in all...a success. geraldine cox also made a surprise visit...and for those of you who know of her...would realise that its pretty much like santa ACTUALLY rocking up at christmas. or elijah at passover. (i wont use the jesus analogy at church since i have been corrected a few times that this does in fact occur each sunday.)
the day after the adelaide launch i headed into hospital to have my vericose veins removed. i know i know. a weird element to add to an already full trip. but thats what happened. out they came. a friend described it as having worms pulled out of the sand by seagulls. and really...thats the picture i like to keep in my head when i think back to that SUNNY day in adelaide. (yes...it was sunny every day BEFORE and every day AFTER the launch.) id like to think that i handled the whole episode pretty well despite it hurting more than i had anticipated. and honestly...how could i not?? my little hospital was a dream compared to whats on offer here in cambodia.
so. scarf parties done. launches done. surgery done. then a few more days left before heading back to cambodia. a romantic getaway with my husband. which turned out to be somewhat of a disaster. a disaster that needed some attention. which isnt the easiest thing to do when staying with other family. surrounded by four kids. farewell meals and friends visiting from overseas.
it was decided that steve and kids would head back to adelaide. i would fly back to cambodia. that way steve could be surrounded by friends. i could get the sewing ladies loaded up with jobs. and we could both work on our shit and then reunite in june.
perfect plan. tickets were offered for others to use. this is the day before departure mind you. an 18 year old son of friends decided to join me. so on the actual day of departure all is going to plan...i still havent packed of course...when we find out that we cant transfer the tickets. i call our friends..who are at the airport saying goodbye to their son..he is boarding the plane to meet me in melbourne. my life is too much like a book..
all this to say...two hours before departure we decide that its too much to ask friends to host steve and kids for a month. we will figure out a way of dealing with 'issues' (oh how i prefer the word shit) in cambodia.
we frantically pack...frantically with a capital F. steves dad and sister thanking the heavens that they have normal lives..and that all the madness that takes place in their life is focused solely on us. not them.
we get to the airport...remembering to take all the kids..coconut oil press...food processor...guitar..cant forget the guitar..PLUS 18 year old guy who is taking it all in his stride...and by now....is oceas new best friend. we get on the plane...still somewhat gobsmacked...neshica not happy with another month with friends being pulled away from under her..(i just know this is going to reappear in therapy in thirty years time).
the flight home is pretty much a dream...ocea only goes mental for about 20 minutes. thats about a ten fold improvement from last time...and a modern day miracle compared to the first trip over.
we land in cambodia. beautiful cambodia. crazy cambodia. sweltering cambodia. so aware that almost 9 months ago we stepped out of the airport into the complete unknown. this time we step out..and we dont have just one..but TWO wonderful friends greeting us with a massive sign saying "welcome home". ahh...its good to be back. Any has travelled up to phnom penh from kampot to meet us. its been a long six weeks for her. our friend sarah has moved to phnom penh while weve been away and has made the effort to greet us. it means so much. (having said that im not quite sure how im going to survive being back in kampot without her. our regular "wanna go for a coconut?" outings have been my social lifeline.)
we are back where we started. in our guest house called narin. steve and the kids head back to kampot the next day. i picture them being ushered into our home by the village chief. flowers being scattered. elephants trumpeting away. clearly i havent had much sleep.
im still in phnom penh...hunting for fabric like some holy grail. it takes me about three days but i finally have a picture of my new goal for my sewing ladies. another event. this time bigger and better than the last. renting an inner city apartment in adelaide for the june 18th weekend. setting it up to look festive and bright. all the latest sewing creations for sale...PLUS lots of other stuff that im sourcing from really worthwhile places. (i cant even begin to describe to you the gratitude and the smiles at the handicap association this morning when i bought hundreds of dollars of stuff.) i love love love that i can help local places out by bringing their things to australia to sell. im thinking an open house event..with a big food and drink...possible live music thing for the saturday night. im calling the event 'a little bit fantastic'. (purely because it sounded so damn cute when Any said it about an experience she had)
so there you have it. warts and all. and no. no photos this time. like two partners in crime our cameras pretty much stopped working within days of eachother...and we managed to come away from a pretty massive trip with not one piece of photographic evidence that it ever took place. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
a long while.
since i last wrote an update we have gone back to australia as a family....and come back to cambodia...as..funnily enough. a family.
well.. not quite. after one night in phnom penh steve and the kids headed back down to kampot. and ive remained in phnom penh to buy fabric for the sewing ladies, come up with more grand plans..and hopefully use this time to also think through some of our latest marital conflicts. (think middle east)
so. australia. land of big skies. hot cars. and painful tv ads.
not much had changed.
BUT..being back with friends...good friends...was just what the soul needed. we were able to catch up with lots of them...mostly just little snippets..never really doing justice. but it was fun. and it was good. and we are hoping to see many of those faces here in cambodia sometime in the future.
the kids loved being back. levi basically disappeared into the adelaide hills with his friends as soon as we landed...not to be seen again until we left. lots of boy stuff. trees. pocket knives. fishing. a camping trip. and libraries!! all the books hes been craving since we left. magic!
neshica, the one who has missed her friends more than we realised...jumped from one house to another. visiting dear friends all around adelaide...and hopefully recharged her batteries enough to keep her going for a little while longer. one of the bigger things to happen while nesh was staying with one of her friends...was that they came up with a little (little for now) project that they call 'three jars full'. the name being chosen because it all started with three jars of eucalyptus 'perfume' that she made with her friend violet. they then sold this concoction to people on the street...(think lemonade)... then the next day i get a call from nesh asking if she can sell some things at a scarf party that night. so sure enough...neshica and violet rock up with beautifully wrapped goodies that they baked...and sold them that night...and made $50!!! so they now have enough money to buy ten sets of blocks for cambodian preschools that have NO toys. not only that..but they now have a few more girls who have joined the group...so who knows what can happen next..
time and ocea (like twins i throw them into the same basket) also had a wonderful time. walks to the library. finally being reunited with their umbrella and grandpa. more playground action than they have seen in 8 months. (which isnt hard since kampot actually doesnt have a playground). steve would text me the adventures that they had been up to each day...as i went about my crazy activities across this great south land of the consumer spirit.
dont get me wrong. it was exactly this consuming spirit i was hoping to tap into while back. it was a perfect opportunity to sell all the creations my sewing ladies have been busy with. sell silk scarves...and in the midst of that...tell people about this little country called cambodia..and what can happen here if a few good people catch the vision.
i travelled between adelaide, sydney and melbourne...(and let me just remind you...that travelling and veronica is not a good mix). telling my story. selling scarves. and meeting so so so many good people. i didnt realise how many people genuienly want to get involved somehow. in the midst of all that my article was printed...and it hit a nerve with a lot of people...so of course that was super helpful. having the article as a basis for a lot of the conversations. the things i voiced in there is shared by a lot of people.
i was also interviewed by two different radio stations...no wait..three different radio stations. which was surprisingly easy to do..and enjoyable. then again...pretty much anything that didnt involve flying was enjoyable for me while in australia.
i had two launches...one in geelong...one in adelaide. and both triggered the rain gods to shower down their blessings on us. in fact...the rain gods of adelaide had an absolute ball. but thanks to steve who managed to buy a tarp the size of a soccerfield...and some helpful friends...we managed to stay mostly dry. by dry i mean...there was lots of wet stuff being sold...but still more dry things than wet which is good. and...we had three hundred or so people come and check it all out...so all in all...a success. geraldine cox also made a surprise visit...and for those of you who know of her...would realise that its pretty much like santa ACTUALLY rocking up at christmas. or elijah at passover. (i wont use the jesus analogy at church since i have been corrected a few times that this does in fact occur each sunday.)
the day after the adelaide launch i headed into hospital to have my vericose veins removed. i know i know. a weird element to add to an already full trip. but thats what happened. out they came. a friend described it as having worms pulled out of the sand by seagulls. and really...thats the picture i like to keep in my head when i think back to that SUNNY day in adelaide. (yes...it was sunny every day BEFORE and every day AFTER the launch.) id like to think that i handled the whole episode pretty well despite it hurting more than i had anticipated. and honestly...how could i not?? my little hospital was a dream compared to whats on offer here in cambodia.
so. scarf parties done. launches done. surgery done. then a few more days left before heading back to cambodia. a romantic getaway with my husband. which turned out to be somewhat of a disaster. a disaster that needed some attention. which isnt the easiest thing to do when staying with other family. surrounded by four kids. farewell meals and friends visiting from overseas.
it was decided that steve and kids would head back to adelaide. i would fly back to cambodia. that way steve could be surrounded by friends. i could get the sewing ladies loaded up with jobs. and we could both work on our shit and then reunite in june.
perfect plan. tickets were offered for others to use. this is the day before departure mind you. an 18 year old son of friends decided to join me. so on the actual day of departure all is going to plan...i still havent packed of course...when we find out that we cant transfer the tickets. i call our friends..who are at the airport saying goodbye to their son..he is boarding the plane to meet me in melbourne. my life is too much like a book..
all this to say...two hours before departure we decide that its too much to ask friends to host steve and kids for a month. we will figure out a way of dealing with 'issues' (oh how i prefer the word shit) in cambodia.
we frantically pack...frantically with a capital F. steves dad and sister thanking the heavens that they have normal lives..and that all the madness that takes place in their life is focused solely on us. not them.
we get to the airport...remembering to take all the kids..coconut oil press...food processor...guitar..cant forget the guitar..PLUS 18 year old guy who is taking it all in his stride...and by now....is oceas new best friend. we get on the plane...still somewhat gobsmacked...neshica not happy with another month with friends being pulled away from under her..(i just know this is going to reappear in therapy in thirty years time).
the flight home is pretty much a dream...ocea only goes mental for about 20 minutes. thats about a ten fold improvement from last time...and a modern day miracle compared to the first trip over.
we land in cambodia. beautiful cambodia. crazy cambodia. sweltering cambodia. so aware that almost 9 months ago we stepped out of the airport into the complete unknown. this time we step out..and we dont have just one..but TWO wonderful friends greeting us with a massive sign saying "welcome home". ahh...its good to be back. Any has travelled up to phnom penh from kampot to meet us. its been a long six weeks for her. our friend sarah has moved to phnom penh while weve been away and has made the effort to greet us. it means so much. (having said that im not quite sure how im going to survive being back in kampot without her. our regular "wanna go for a coconut?" outings have been my social lifeline.)
we are back where we started. in our guest house called narin. steve and the kids head back to kampot the next day. i picture them being ushered into our home by the village chief. flowers being scattered. elephants trumpeting away. clearly i havent had much sleep.
im still in phnom penh...hunting for fabric like some holy grail. it takes me about three days but i finally have a picture of my new goal for my sewing ladies. another event. this time bigger and better than the last. renting an inner city apartment in adelaide for the june 18th weekend. setting it up to look festive and bright. all the latest sewing creations for sale...PLUS lots of other stuff that im sourcing from really worthwhile places. (i cant even begin to describe to you the gratitude and the smiles at the handicap association this morning when i bought hundreds of dollars of stuff.) i love love love that i can help local places out by bringing their things to australia to sell. im thinking an open house event..with a big food and drink...possible live music thing for the saturday night. im calling the event 'a little bit fantastic'. (purely because it sounded so damn cute when Any said it about an experience she had)
so there you have it. warts and all. and no. no photos this time. like two partners in crime our cameras pretty much stopped working within days of eachother...and we managed to come away from a pretty massive trip with not one piece of photographic evidence that it ever took place. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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