Monivrong again!

MONIVRONG - AGAIN ..

Every day this week Mum and I are going to The Missionaries of Charity on Monivrong Boulevard. We just call it “going to Monivrong”. Today we went to Lucky supermarket first to get coffee for the Sisters (because they don’t buy luxuries for themselves, but they still like coffee!) and chocolate milk (with extra calcium and Vitamin B) for the kids, AND biscuits which the kids love. Mum wanted to also buy toothbrushes and toothpaste. Will will tomorrow.

It was almost nap time when we got there at 11am. The 18 children had already had lunch and were getting into their cots, but Samnang, who calls me bong srei … which means older sister, was NOT going to take a nap. I’ve known Samnang since he was 1 year old, he’s now almost 6. I helped him go to school last year, but he can’t go to the orphanage school without the right papers.  His parents are dead and his grandma can’t look after him, so until she can get the papers from a distant province, Samnang can’t move. He’s a cheeky monkey, he loves to wear Mum’s sunglasses and go through her backpack, but also  likes to scribble. I spent an hour trying to teach him to draw but he preferred to be creative. 

Sister Lumina is soooo cool. I feel close to her but even more today when she told me she was the second person to hold me after I was born. She is the only person I know today who has known me my WHOLE life! Mum’s going to help Sister Lumina’s nephew who is an Engineer in India, in Australia where he wants to study more. 

And Sister Sanctia (who’s from Papua New Guinea - PNG) has also known me all my life. Sr Sanctia and Mum talk for hours. 

Samnang and bong srei

Sister Lumina and me

Sister Sanctia, Samnang and me

nap time

18 children at Monivrong. Only Samnang is an orphan, the other children have been taken there by a parent who is unable to care for them for a whole. 

The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Theresa's Order) are Catholic