Let me catch my breath for a minute

What a month. I've been in Phnom Penh just as much as I've been in Kratie. And I've been sick again. It's time to go home to Kratie and get healthy!

I was in Phnom Penh for two meetings, one of which seemed to build my relationship with the District Council Chief, so it was a good week before I left for my much-needed break on Koh Rong. My fellow traveller Tracy (and fellow Canadian VSO volunteer) explains our trip well in her blog post. Despite the backpacker overload and stark reminders of the underbelly of tourism in Cambodia, I felt rejuvenated after my trip. Slightly sunburned but rejuvenated.

Then it was back to Kratie for a brief stint. My VA was really
sick and the town was cleaning up after the flood, but everything in Kratie was already getting back to normal. Punchum Ben had passed so Cambodians also got to take a break spending time with family. My landlady had returned to the house downstairs (which had flooded), although she had moved her clothes upstairs to keep them dry. Her eldest daughter and her newborn son were now staying here over her maternity leave. She gets three months off from her job at a microfinance bank in Phnom Penh. Her husband is also from Kratie but he had to stay in Phnom Penh to work. She speaks lovely English and it is nice to hang out with her and the baby at home, and there are many visitors keeping her busy. But it was less than a week at home for me and it was back to Phnom Penh for a full week and a half!

Since my Volunteer Assistant, Virack, had been sick while I was back in Kratie he only worked with me for a couple of days during my week back. He was coughing and had red eyes. I tried to stay away the best I could (and sent him home after he came in!) but it wasn't enough....upon my arrival in Phnom Penh I got the head and body aches, the chills, and a hearty cough. Oh no! The first thought was dengue. (I was so sore! But I didn't have the characteristic rash associated with dengue) Luckily it turned out to be the flu and I felt better in a few days...but not without missing two thirds of the three day session that I had travelled to Phnom Penh to attend. A little frustrating, but what can you do when you're sick?

Meanwhile, my temporary housemate in Phnom Penh was off having drinks with someone with conjunctivitis...and now I have pink eye. All of these ailments - the flue, conjunctivitis - are associated with flooding and the resulting lack of access to clean water. Even though I was in Phnom Penh during the flooding I wasn't clear of the sickness associated with it. Another expat in Kratie seems to have leptospirosis, so it was good that I got out before the flooding!

I am at work today but should have stayed home since I'm probably highly contagious. But there is always work to do. I am definitely not in the honeymoon phase of my placement anymore and need to be more pro-active if I'm going to get anything accomplished here. I feel like I'm going to be an annoying fly buzzing around the 'office', but if that's what it takes, so be it!