1 down, 1 to go...

It's been a year since I arrived in Cambodia and time has seriously flown.

These are some of the things I love about this country so far:

• Phnom Srok district (especially in the wet season)
• 3 hour lunch breaks
• being vaguely aware of sunrise while lying in bed and listening to cocks crowing and dogs barking
• water buffalo
• watching sunset from my roof (albeit from behind a mobile phone pylon!)
• wearing flip flops everyday
• being able to escape any situation with a smile
• driving a moto
• palm trees
• the stars
• the sunshine
• absolute torrential downpours and then the cool air afterwards
• iced coffee with condensed milk
• respect and politeness
• the Cambodian smile - in any situation
• the feeling of living on a campsite
• the feeling of living on a farm
• the sound of rain
• beautiful flat countryside
• bright green rice fields
• the fact that family and health is always priority number one

There's not a lot I badly miss about the UK other than people but on off days these are some of things I yearn for:

• feeling cosy and warm
• being able to read things; signs, newspapers, packaging
• knee high boots and thick socks
• cardigans and jumpers
• hugging a mug of tea on the sofa
• having a fridge
• Sainsbury's
• sharing a bottle of wine with a friend
• crossing the Thames at Putney bridge each morning on the way to work
• talking English at a normal speed
• walking
• not having to explain my jokes! (well, not so often!)

And I've learnt a few things too, including:

• always have a speech prepared if attending a meeting
• never burp whilst wearing a helmet with the visor down, especially after eating a Khmer breakfast
• I need my sleep
• I was not really built for the tropical climate
• I seem to perform best under a certain amount of pressure
• I can hold a conversation in Khmer and just about be understood
• patience (well, I'm getting better)
• education really is a luxury and comes after health and livelihoods
• children are the same the world over, only some are more fortunate than others
• if in doubt, smile
• 'yes' doesn't always mean 'yes'. It can also mean 'no', 'definitely not', 'I'm not sure', 'I don't have a clue what you're talking about', amongst a whole list of other things
• road rules are a good thing
• beauty is in the eye of the beholder (and the media)