New volunteers, National Nursing Conference and progress for the ankle! Piano links.....
on So Now It's Cambodia (Cambodia), 13/Nov/2010 04:59, 34 days ago
Alison's been busy as usual. The recent activity has been to help with the induction of the new volunteers who are coming to our area. Like it was for us last year, they're having a placement week which fits within the language training in Kampong Cham. So there have been some meals together at our local restaurants and a range of meetings with other volunteers to show them around the work place and generally get orientated and find somewhere to live. They'll be back in the second week of December to start properly - the same as we did. It hardly seems possible this was us a year ago!Alison has also been continuing to prepare for the National Nursing Conference. This has included helping select presenters and helping the staff at her hospital prepare their presentations. I even managed to have a very small role in preparing certificates for presentation  - it meant dusting up my poster skills!!Alison is on her way to Phnom Penh via Siem Reap for the conference which is next week. I am already in Phnom Penh as I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. This was meant to be my last with me walking pretty well but I haven't made that kind of progress yet. He gave me some extra medication which really seems to have helped. Maybe I needed an extra day as it's exactly 3 months yesterday since the accident. However, last night it was much improved and I was walking much more freely - even walking around the hotel without a crutch! I'm also tackling stairs with much more confidence now so there seems to be real progress at last. The down side is the anti inflammoratories aggravate my asthma so I'll have to go carefully there.Ollie's been with us and with Claire. They seem to been enjoying themselves and have both started some English teaching at the orphanage which hopefully will help when they go to teach in Beijing next year. After the conference we will take a short break on the coast with Ollie and Claire as well as it's a National Holiday for the Water Festival. We decided not to compete this time!!!I thought I would add these You Tube links as some of you may have never heard me play the piano and when I say I spend my time practising you may wonder what I do! One of my projects for retirement was to record and share my music. I've also just realised I'm in my 60th. year! - which is really scary - so I thought I'd better get a move on and share these before it's too late!!I hope you enjoy them: the Love Song was "written" many years ago but recorded (with a few slips!) in our house just before leaving England. It was recorded on my Knight piano (which is now in storage in Cambridge) and the Jazzy Piano one was recorded on my Yamaha electric piano in our house in Mongkul Borei. I had been intending to record more but I've only seen the piano for one week in the last three months! They also provide evidence that I used to have two good legs!!Sorry, Judy and Terry - these are the same ones I sent you before.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnS8CPOkTt0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBWaNRpF1fs