Fun in the Sun (well looking out the window at the Sun)

So bright and early (well about 7) we headed off to our annual WFP retreat in Sihanoukville. I made it just in time for last years retreat and the 2008 retreat was held in 2007 for some financial accounting reason and was probably my last one. Its a great opportunity for people from all over the country to see each other once again.

I rode in the rear car with our national logisitics officer (Eng) and the M+R officer (Liu). I wasnt on the bus with everyone else so all my colleagues gave me shit about that. And the convoy system didnt really work cos the first two buses turned one way and the others another way!

Eng is a really interesting character. He talks...a lot. But he told me his life story which was fascinating. He escaped the Khmer Rouge by hopping on a boat with tonnes of other people and sailing over to Malaysia. There their boat sank and the Malaysians rescued them, gave them a new boat and deported them again. Eventually he ended up in a refugee camp in Indonesia. It was there he got a job working for an NGO in the camp and learning english (and Bahasa!).

Sihanoukville is the main tourist beach area so its a bit overcommercialised and i dont really like it that much. But the hote/casinol was nice (although i think a few of my colleagues lost their fair share of $ there) and the food was awesome. I found this sign particularly amusing.

Plus it overlooked this island that was bought by a Russian millionaire to develop then promptly arrested for child sex charges.

Basically the days were spent listening...

and lecturing...

and posing for team photos

and wearing that horrific star trek/ten pin bowling grey team t shirt. I won't bore you with the details of business planning etc. Although we did do one personality test which told me I ""appear withdrawn or holding back", "have an active internal life, not external life", "can be immobilised my external stimulation" and "can become single minded and ignore people".

The first night i went out to dinner with the other Assistant Heads and the Country Director which was good cos i have always had a complex that the country director hates me. but we got on well. Other nights were spent predictably drunk and at karaoke. My team took along the other two assistant heads to karaoke and predictably their minds were blown with my renditions of 'heal the world', 'killing me softly' and my old staple 'Hello'.

The final night was the old mega seafood bbq and free beer night which led to much embarrassment and merriment. The next day I shot home to the Speu and ontoa plane for my holiday in oz.