We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Well it's been an extremely fun week at FKC and we hope you too have had an amazing holiday period!

It started on Christmas Eve, where we started preparing for Christmas with a food shop at the local market. We had to buy enough to feed 300+ kids and adults the next days so we drafted in a few volunteers to help!

That night a few of our students performed in a Christmas Carol Concert, and so put on their red outfits and Apsara dance make-up before heading out to sing and dance their hearts out.

Then on Christmas Day it was all fun and games, starting with football, sack races, pingpong games and beanbag throw. We then had a series of shows from students similar to Cambodia's Got Talent!

Finally on the 26th December we headed to other villages whilst our students were at school. In the villages we handed out Christmas donations including clothes and toys.

           A plethora of vegetables at the market                     

          Which ones feel firm and look yummy?                                 

Adding the finishing touches to the costumes        

A bit of lip gloss and eye makeup needed

Two girls competitively sack racing!

Getting ready for a game of Captain's Ball

No roads went to the village so we had to
walk or bike the supplies in

Making sure the clothes fit the children
whilst distributing them

A box of toys to be handed out to all the children

Children waiting patiently for their presents of toys and clothes

Staff lunchtime

As you may know, in Cambodia there are two teaching shifts. One from 7.30 until 11, and another from 1.30 until 4. The children are different in both shifts so we end up teaching the same lesson twice! This helps us perfect our lesson plan if need be, but it sure is hard work!

Fortunately we have a couple of amazing cooks at the school - the main ones are Theavy (sewing assistant), Vatana (sewing assistant), Kanha (Deputy Head of Ed and English Teacher and Om Srey(Cook, cleaner, tuck shop lady!).

Most days, we enjoy a large bowl of rice with a soup and a vegetable dish. All locally produced and usually bought in the same village as the school. Most importantly - it is nutritious and delicious, giving us the energy needed for our second class!

Kanha cutting up the vegetables for lunch

A special Cambodian dish made from peas, beef
and a variety of spices

Our cook is always able to knock up
something tasty and filling!

See it, pick it, eat it.

One of the best things (there are many, trust us) about Cambodia is we eat what the land provides us with.

Check out the photos below - we have coconut trees growing on our school grounds and a small lake just behind. Both provide us with a food source that we often use. The lake, for example, provides us with fish, morning glory (Cambodian green vegetable) and water lilies and sometimes lotus flowers. The coconut tree - well that's obvious!

These are but a few example of how we eat what grows around us. We catch frogs and fish when we can to cook and eat, we pick flowers and leaves from plants we know are nutritious and full of vitamins.

Unfortunately, not all of us are so lucky with what grows around us, and because of the dry season things can often die, that's why we have a well installation project to help villagers with no access to water - to try and give them a way to keep the good things growing!

If you are interested in donating a well - visit our donations page here: http://khmerchild.org/donations/

Pchum Ben Photos

We hope you had a good weekend - we certainly did! Here are some photos from our weekend.

Preparing the Cambodian rice and pork cakes for cooking

It rained a lot obviously!

Preparing the Cambodian rice and banana cakes and then cooking them - the fire must
keep burning otherwise the rice won't cook properly!

We took a trip to the Pagoda to remember
our deceased family and friends

Afterwards we went to relax with our friends and family
by a local lake

A glimpse of Cambodia

Cambodia has a rich history that has shaped the country into what it is today.

In this post, a talented student Mao Sokim writes about different aspects of Cambodia.

"In Cambodia there are a lot of celebrations such as the water festival, Khmer New Year, Chinese New Year, Bon Pchum Ben and Katten festival. Before Khmer New Year people prepare food, clean their houses, buy new clothes and so on. However the people in the countryside make traditional cakes called Nam Ousom and Nam Pum. The first day of Khmer New Year is called Mohasang Kran. The second day is named Vilak Vanabouth and the third day is called Virak Loeung Sek. The people always go to the pagoda to meet each other and playing traditional games.

Khmer food includes things such as korko, amok, Khmer cheese, curry and Cambodian noodle.

Most women in Cambodia are farmers who work very hard all day in the fields.

The climate in Cambodia is always changing. Sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it’s raining. Sometimes it’s windy, misty and cloudy.

My favourite thing in Cambodia is Khmer New Year and Bon Pchum Ben. I like the food Korko but I dislike curry. I like the kind Cambodian people. My favourite place in Cambodia to go for a walk is Angkor Wat because there are a lot of people and I like to visit Angkor Wat."

For more information about us visit www.khmerchild.org