There is this window of an hour or more every morning when the kids have finished breakfast and our childcare staff have not arrived yet. Roughly from 6:30 to 8:00. And then once the staff have arrived the children have until 9:00 to play until they have to get to their school lessons. These lessons […]
On weekends our childcare staff have off, so it is up to me to keep the kids busy all morning. Sometimes I wheel the game cabinet and puzzles outside. Or other times, I pull the TV outside just for a change of pace. Outside things that are usually utilized inside is the key. It brings a […]
The schools are still closed here so the primary school teachers send out worksheets a couple times a week. The kids complete and we send back. They actually look forward to these worksheets…a break in the monotony of being homeschooled every afternoon by our staff, perhaps? It’s a far cry from going to the public […]
Wat Opot was so fortunate to have former resident, Srey Oun come to visit again with her partner, Long. Together they successfully made Wat Opot a lot more stylish! In the last few months we have had to rely on a well used pair of clippers and dull scissors to keep hair trimmed and out […]
More than a year ago, we were given these balloon bags by the founders of Thomas’ House, Gaye and Roy McPhee, along with some other items. I had put the bags in a very secure place in our store room…so secure that I promptly forgot about them! While doing some necessary ‘spring cleaning’ I came […]
With all staff (except for Dara, Wayne, and I) off for 5 days during the Khmer New Year holiday we had a lot of time to fill with keeping the kids busy. So with my new obsession with flowers and plants in mind, the kids tried their hand at making small ‘cement towel’ planters. This […]
A few months back the Wat decided to fill in their part of the pond we shared and in the process, the deteriorating fence that separated us for several years was weakened and part of the wall came down. It will have to be repaired before the rains return but all of the options so […]
Many mornings everyone walks to school, including those who do not have class that day and those who are too young to attend. We walk from classroom to classroom saying “goodbye” and “have a good day” and then make out way back home. One morning, as a handful of us were walking back from the […]
For many years we have had a saying here “Make Wat Opot Sa’at” (Sa’at being the Khmer word for beautiful) when ever we want the kids to clean up. The school year has started, but there is a lack of teachers so 1st through 3rd grades have been cut in half because of the large […]
As we have posted about before, we are growing lots of food. Greens grow very well and fast and we often have an abundance. One day this large 5 kilo (11 lb) stack of mustard greens was brought to me with the request to make kimchi out of it. I have made kimchi many times, […]
