March 2005 in Cam

Wednesday the 15th
So So News
Finally had a job offer today, with this small company of Khmer consultants who provide IT advice, planning, training and project implementation.
They are imaginatively named Cambodia Information Technology, or CIT for short….

www.citcambodia.com

They seem to be very well connected in government circles, they wrote the 2003 IT Master Plan for the whole of the government IT upgrade ($10m) but it got axed by donors after the last election fiasco, but it looks like it might be back on the table again now thanks to the CG meeting last month and the new US$601m budget for the Cambodian government in 2006.

The job is a bit of a patchwork quilt, Marketing, Writing, Project Management, et cetera plus the money only just enough to live on to start with, not really any different to what I get now as a volunteer, but as of April my salary will be $0 a month, so at least I keep a roof over my head while I keep looking for a better paid job.

Poncy job title though - Head of Project Management

Which I started this week to get things rolling, alongside doing my normal job – the next 4 weeks are going to be very, very, busy!

Also have a part-time writing job coming up for a new Asian travel website (not yet online so no link yet) half the money up front, rest on completion of articles in December, better than a poke in the eye, two to four hours a week I reckon, starting next week, should be enough to meet the dead line, about 10,000 words…

Yes, going to be very busy.

Thursday the 16th to Wednesday the 22nd
I need more sleep
Work, work and more work for the last week, 15 and 18 hour days, aggghhh, roll on Khmer New Year, can not afford to go anywhere, but at least I should be able to sleep some more, sorry for the lack of updates in this month!

Had lunch today (Wednesday) with some NGO I contacted months ago about work, they have some for me, but it is only for 6 months, but the money is fairly nice, not sure what to do now, whether to take a better paying job that will only last up to 6 months, or stick with my lower paying, but permanent, job at CIT ???

Friday the 24th
Damn bike lets me down when I need it most!
Major problem with the bike today, possibly a blown head gasket. Decided to bite the bullet and take it to the one and only bike shop here not owned by a Khmer. ‘The Bike Shop’ as it is imaginatively called is owned and run by Bernard the Frenchman. He charges US$10 an hour for labour – rather than the Khmer US$3 and hour – but at least he speaks very good English and can understand what is wrong with the bike - my Khmer linguistic skills do not extend to cover words like pistons, rings, plugs, points, etc

Sunday the 26th
A half day off at last !
Not going into the office today (either old office or new office!) but need to do 3 or 4 hours research for the new Asian travellers’ website job – still, this month that almost counts as a day off!
Roll on Khmer New Year (14th April) when I finally finish my VSO contract and my old job and I only have one and two half jobs to worry about :-)
Still, all this work might mean I have a bit of extra cash for Heng’s Birthday in a couple of weeks!

Monday the 27th
Stick with the perm job
I have decided that even though the 6 month contract job would give a much needed boost to funds, I am going to give it a miss in favour or steady long term employment.

Picked the bike up from Bernard. New rings and gaskets, new fuel filter, new brake and clutch cables, replaced coolant, oil, brake fluid. Stripped, cleaned, rebuilt and balanced all 4 carburettors. Adjusted the timing, cleaned and checked plugs and points and even threw in a new key ring. All for nearly US$200 ! But now the bike is running so smoothly, so quietly, so evenly, that I have fallen in love with it all over again.

Thursday the 30th
Too much work
Too much work
Too much work
Too much work
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