Working in Phnom Penh

Having a full time job in a hot asian city is a totally new work experience.Thankfully my CAmbodian colleagues at the University are very enthusiastic about our Renewable Energy project but things can never be that straight forward.

• I have a bicycle now so I head off into the chaos at about 7.30am on a weekday for the 10 minute cycle to work. So relieved to have made it safely, with lots of smiles and laughter from the Cambodian traffic as it passes me, I then have to climb 10 flights of stairs to reach the office. Recovery time is needed before anything resembling work can commence. You really have to plan your day carefully because you do not want to go up and down the stairs too often.
• I have wifi in the physics work room where I do my thing. Apparently I have set a record in achieving this in 3 working days. An expat colleague in the chem dept hasnt succeeded in five years so we are all mystified by how this happened. Perhaps gaining access to the psychology depts wifi network prompted people to act!
• There is an edict at the University that as an energy saving measure, air conditioners are not allowed to be on in the morning. The one in our office is out of gas anyway so that is not an issue...and yes it gets very hot.
• My CAmbodian colleagues are all very talented and dedicated teachers...but there is not a lot of encouragement to take on new work when their pay is $100 per month! So that they can have a reasonable life and educate their children well, they all work at least 3 jobs teaching at some of the private universities in town and the provinces. Mostly this is on the weekend but also occurs randomly during the day. I lost one guy for a week and couldnt work out why I could never find him....see above. He was working every spare hour at his other jobs.
• THis is hardly encouraging to the development of a research culture in Renewable Energy in the Physics Dept, for which they will not be paid. 
• My first main job was to write a Development Plan for this year with these guys so that we can move the project forward. Done that. Next job is to find some funding because no money means no project work. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated but we are talking major amounts of money here from world wide aid organisations. Think I might have already reached the hard part!

Otherwise, life in Phnom Penh is good after more than 1 month. The local people are delightful and as long as you have a respectful and playful attitude with them they are only too pleased to help. They dont do anger or grumpy so somehow that doesnt seem to feature in my life anymore...now there's a surprise!

More on another day, keep in touch and I hope you are all well and happy!