Setting Up the Craft Room 2010

Liark and myself painting the window frames
The very helpful Monk!!!

One of our special helpers was one of the Buddist Monks from the Wat next door to the Childrens Community. I first saw him standing outside and watching the children painting.....he lingered for just a few minutes and then the next thing I know he is standing in the room and studying how Melinda and myself were painting the window frames. I managed to catch his eye and smile at him. Well ....that's all it took...it appeared. In a flash this monk grab a paint brush and a paint tin lid with a large blob of paint on it...and started painting the window frames.

He stayed with us for maybe 1 hour and then made his leave. Melinda and I were grinning from ear to ear.....as you rarely see the Monks out of the Wat let alone mucking in and helping......Wow we felt privileged.

The children that came into help ...fairly much came and went when they wanted ............but they did a great job of getting the paint onto the wall and window frames ( with the creativity of sometimes painting the floor with splats here and there).




The sewing machines were in Bad state of affairs.....and after picking the ones with the most remaining parts on them ......I manage to arrange for my Cambodian friend from Opot village ...to take me to see the sewing repair man or people. So in her truck we went and just 10 minutes trip away we arrived to the family who fixes sewing machines. We arranged to get them to come out to Wat Opot to fix the 4 machines and 1 overlocker that I had choosen to be rescued.
And low and bold they turned up the very next day and with out consultation ....inspected them and promptly took them away. I arrived at the room to see the machines (not their tables) being carted off on the back of a moto trailer, not sure if they were ever to be seen again. Hmmm
But the very next day they were brought back to us, all restored to their former Glory. $58 US dollars was the repair price..........which of course I paid and thought it was a good deal......Now to find a sewing teacher??????


I aimed to make part of the craft room into a shop area. This is where the jewellery that the children make for sale can be displayed. So after rescuing some fixtures that I was able to use for this area.....I arranged for Peeip the handy man to make up 2 large display boards that were free standing and could be used either side if required. So Peeip sent me off on another adventure to the main town of Bati. With Arun's help again and her trusty Toyota truck!! we set off to go see the wood man.......we ended up going to two wood men to see if we could get a good price for the wood but it turned out that when a Westerner is standing there prices seems to be high. So $89 US dollars later we had all the wood and Bamboo matting that Peeip requested and I also managed to pick up some plastic baskets for Beads and Materials and 2 lock up tins and some floor mats ( that are really Cambodian sleeping mats)...so I did bring in an element of Western world by putting them on the floor for when the little kids
were playing with beads on them.

We were ready to start!!! Let the beads be free and the children come forth.................and believe me they did!!!!!