Frank has been hanging around the orphanage a lot trying to gauge the level kids are at to set up his program and design a lot of stuff. Today he bought them all skipping ropes, big and small and boy did we have a field day this afternoon.

Inspired by nanna and her love for indigenous Aboriginal artworks, I decided to teach the older kids a lesson on Australian culture. Afternoons they have in their head that all we will do is colouring in, but I try and mix it up with craft as well and keeping it a little educational-especially the more advanced older kids, so we wrote and read a bit about aboriginal culture, and I showed pictures on my iPad, explaining the techniques of their art work. We then used sticks, the tips of paint brushes and our fingers to create our masterpieces pictured.

Feeling much better than I did a few hours prior, munching on the worlds biggest and strangely sweet grape fruit I thought of my Nanna.

Sunset on the back of a motorbike over Pursat, and Socheat, Mrs. Laymeng and Socheat’s sister.

We sat for an hour talking, or rather Socheat interpreting for us and she was such a fun, happy, smiling lady you just wanted to constantly hug her. She told us she really liked us and that she think of us like her daughter. We have been invited to stay with her whenever we return (soon I hope) as long as we teach her English. She kept thanking us so much for helping Cambodia and the things we were doing. It was hard to leave her place not grinning from ear to ear. We said our goodbyes, and exchanged long hugs and rode back home on the motorbikes.

Socheat (sot chit is how it’s pronounced) had been asking us how we eat passion fruit and I had tried to explain the concept of pavlova or on fruit salad, and she said so never as a drink? A drink!? Well now I understand its glory, passion fruit, sugar, honey and ice and voila, heaven! Already ready and waiting for us to arrive! The only way to consume passionfruit from now on!

At the front we have the famous passion fruits she grows, the huge green thing is in fact the most delicious grapefruit you’ll ever eat (and I hate grapefruit) and lychees all home grown.

We had a very amazing experience yesterday (and today), Mrs Leng’s nice Socheat came up and started talking to us the day before and about how she can show us around. She’s 19, studying interior design and speaks very good English. She told us about her aunts incredible house and promised to take us their the next day. Her grandfather has been fairly unwell and Mr. Leng (her uncle) has been caring for him a lot lately so there has been a lot of family always at our house in the afternoons. Socheat, her sister and aunt beckoned us towards two motorbikes and we were off. I was on a motor bike with Mrs Laymeng and she was so happy she was hugging me the entire way. We went through to a part of Pursat that I’d never seen before, one that is absolutely beautiful and filled with lush green trees and smaller dirt roads. We arrived at her incredible house (pictured) and was given a grand tour. Lavender, wild flowers galore, pineapples, grapefruit, passion fruit to feed the masses, dragon fruit you name it she grows it! And what a proud gardener she is!

My stomach is doing somersaults today from Mrs. Leng’s suspicious cooking, so I am spending my morning in bed whilst this cutie pie keeps me company and watches YouTube videos of Dora the Explorer and the Cookie Monster.