Cool fans and street shoes...

There are two things I really enjoy about Cambodia. First, it is common to take a two hour siesta, from noon until 2pm each day-- the hottest part of the day.  This I can really appreciate as the buildings in Pursat have little or no air conditioning.  The oppressive heat and humidity makes it absolutely necessary to have lunch, take a cool shower, and then a short nap in front of a high speed fan. The second thing is that the people here take off their shoes before entering a building or someone's house.  To do otherwise is disrespectful...  so, to all my good friends out there whom I insisted take off your shoes before entering my home:   "Finally, I have found others like me!"

Today I helped the librarian set up a database for checking out books. The library has several hundred books that are not cataloged and there are no check-out records. I found a trial version of a library checkout software that seemed to be a good tool...  the catch, however, is that after cataloging 100 books, the trial version ends and a purchase is required.  With little or no budget to purchase software, the library finds making improvements a bit difficult.  I suggested we enter the books into the database and use it for a week or two to see how useful it is, and then....  a $49 purchase price?  Not too shabby really... perhaps I can muster up a donation... but first, I'll check to see if there are any open source or free programs out there...