Saturday 18^th October

There was good news this morning, Fr Ingune, a Jesuit from Battambang has just finished giving a seminar here and is going back today with spare seats in the car, so we are getting a lift to Chomnoum. We are due to leave about 12.30, so a lazy morning, did not even have to write a homily, so I put up another posting on the blog and then packed a small weekend bag. Ratana picked me up in a tuk-tuk and we made the short journey to the Jesuit Centre where they were ready to leave. Fr Ingune is from Korea and there were two volunteers with him and he was giving a lift to three Buddhist monks, plus Ratana and me. 

We had to drop off two of the monks at a pagoda on the way, one of them wanted to visit his master as he was passing. As it happened it was 4ks off the road, down probably the worst road in Cambodia.


Arriving at the pagoda after 4ks of bad road, much better suited to this form of transport.

It was well worth a visit, very beautiful, but a bit isolated.

The Master and his student with two visiting Catholic priests.

As we turned off I suggested that the girls be left at the main road to get a drink as it is very hard and bumpy in the back, this turned out to be a very good idea. It took about 20 minutes to cover the distance and was very hard work for Fr Ingune. We had to ask several times where this particular pagoda is, but eventually we found it, and it was worth it. I think the two monks we dropped were rather worried that they might never get back to the main road.

Our next stop was at the church at Sway Sisophon to collect a few things from Fr Rajat. Some girls were sorting and opening nuts, so we gave them a hand for a while and then headed off again. 

 The road from Sway Sisophon to Chomnoum is being rebuild and will be a great improvement. Fr Pedro said it can take over an hour to cover 10k from the main road to the village in the wet season. but with new road gradually being raised above the flood level, it will only take about 15 minutes.

Next stop was Chomnoum, Ratana’s village, we arrived at her uncle’s house around 4.00 pm. One of her uncles is visiting from the US, which is why she particularly wanted to visit, and it was a good opportunity for me to go and be there for a weekend at their church. 

This Ratana's mum, Punluek, who I have met several times before, she is a lovely jolly lady and always pleased to see me and have a few laughs.

When we arrived the whole family was gathered, Punluek is one of 9, 7 of whom are still alive, and all were gathered with many cousins as well. It was a family gathering like many I have attended with my own family and with other families as well. Circumstances were a little different, everyone sat on the floor, outside the house, lots of food was being prepared, lots of beer being drunk and a great deal of chat and laughter.

Blessed art thou among women!!! These are all of the ladies of the family, from different generations, mostly aunties and some cousins.


 I guess family gatherings are part of every culture. I was made most welcome, although only two or three speak English, and soon had beer and food put in my hand.

Ratana's grandma on the left and her sister on the right. 

The man in this picture next to me is an uncle who is visiting form the US, he has only been back once before, he left nearly 30 years ago. they were all very pleased to see him, he brought Nathan with him, his youngest, who seemed to be getting on well with his cousins, even though he does not speak Khmer.

Grandma with all of her children.

I was to have dinner with Fr Pedro, the parish priest, and I was staying at the church house. So as it got dark, around 6.00 pm Ratana took me to the church and I met Fr Pedro and Sr Faustina, a sister from Battambang paying her first visit to the parish about to start working there each weekend. Fr Pedro is a member of a Colombian Missionary Society and has been in Cambodia for 14 years, he lives in Battambang but comes each weekend to Chomnoum for Mass and to meet the community. 

After dinner Ratana came back and she and I, Sr Faustina and a young lady from the church went on motos to the local pagoda where there was a village festival in full swing. Most of the young people of the village seemed to be there and many families. It was a little incongruous to me, right next to the pagoda, with all of its peace and quiet, with monks and meditation, there was a full blown western style disco happening.

There was also a little train for the children to ride round a small circuit, not quite Alton Towers, but lots of fun for the children and families.

People go to bed early in the villages, so I was in bed before 10.00, unheard of for me. I slept well, disturbed a little by the night chorus of the jungle all around, and woken by the most amazing booming noise, which I learnt later is made by the frogs.

Sunday 19^th October

Mass here is at a much more civilised time of 08.30, so no rush in the morning. Before breakfast I headed for the church for a bit of quiet time and to take some photos. It had rained heavily during the night and they have a problem with the roof, so a few people were sweeping water from the back of the church.

St Teresa's Church, Chomnoum.

It is very simple and beautiful inside.



8.30 came and went, but not many people had arrived, so Fr Pedro 
waited and started about 9.00 am, Mass starts when the people arrive! It was again a lovely community gathered for Sunday Mass. Ratana and her sister, Ratha, and nieces, arriving for Mass at 08.47, but still in good time.

Fr Pedro and me and the painting of Sr Teresa, then ready to begin Mass.

I was made very welcome, as was Sr Faustina, and we were both invited to say a word or two. Fr Pedro has a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham which he puts out when he has visitors from East Anglia, so I said a little about that and how much it made me feel at home.

Offertory procession at Mass

Ratana with Ratha and two girls and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham

Some of the Sunday Community at Chomnoun

 After Mass some of the young people took Sister and I to visit some of the local Catholic families around the village, it was very moving to be welcomed into their homes. After lunch and a knap I said goodbye to Fr Pedro and Sr Faustina and some of the young people as they went off back to Battambang. Ratana then took me on a tour of the village and finally to see the house where she was born, where she learnt to swim in the river and to the rice fields. Much of this caused great consternation as they do not see many Europeans in the village, one lady even got up from her hammock as we drove by! 

 One of the families we visited, an old man of the village, pleased to welcome me to his home and to receive God's blessing before we left.

Preparing small fish, cutting off the heads and tails, the fish are left for a while to get "high", then salted and compressed into a container and can be stored for a long time. They call it fish cheese, I have never managed to get passed the smell to get near enough to see what it looks like, never mind taste it!

We were accompanied most of the day by Ratana’s two nieces, Dalia and Monliwan, aged 6 and 3, happy to go anywhere with their auntie on the moto and to lead my by the hand to see the sights. After dinner with a smaller number of Ratana’s family I went back to the church, where I was now the only guest, with the night guard to keep an eye on me. So, again I went to bed early.

Monday 20^th October

I had offered to say Mass on Monday morning in English and so several people turned up for Mass, which I did part in English and part in Khmer. I have been working on the parts of the Mass that interact with the people, “The Lord be with you” etc. they were very kind and said I had done quite well, I think they were delighted that I tried. As for the English, there was no book available, thank goodness for the apps on my ipad!!

People gathered for Mass on Monday morning.

I watched the children arriving for kindergarten, Ratha is the Principle. It was lovely to see them arriving and then putting up the flag at the beginning of the day. I visited one class and sang some songs with the children. Ratana and I had a lazy morning at her sister’s house with her parents-in-law, I learnt how to get safely in and out of a hammock and had a doze while they chatted. 

Outside the house where Ratan's grandma lived and where she was born.

Ratana cooking at home in the village, no gas, just an open fire, but very well controlled, very happy producing "spaghetti chomnoum" with pork instead of beef. It was very good, only thing missing, wine and parmiggiano!!

After early lunch and goodbyes we set off back to Siem Reap. The first 45 minutes on the back of a moto, bit dusty, but OK, then we took a taxi from Sway Sisophon, arriving in Siem Reap in time for my 4.00 pm English class. The whole visit was a lovely experience of rural Cambodia and Ratana was so proud to show me her village after all this time that I have heard her speak of it.

I had cancelled the 5.00 pm class because of another engagement. John Blunt in Ely had drawn to my attention a reception that the British Ambassador was giving in Siem Reap for all British Nationals living here. So, never one to miss a party, I applied and got an invitation. It was held at the FCC Hotel, next to the King’s Residence here, a very smart hotel. Fortunately there was no dress code and it was all very low key and friendly, I guess there were about 30 people in total. The Ambassador only took up his post in January and is a youngish man, we all took the chance to meet him, he seemed very pleasant. I raised the issue of visas and will follow up with an email to him in the next couple of days. The reception was just an hour, with some canapés and drinks; I met one lady from the church here and a few other people from different parts of the UK.

life here is certainly very varied and enjoyable, my Khmer is coming on very slowly, but beginning to understand a little now. Ratana says I have become a good passenger on the back of the moto, not too stiff any more, it is quite good for prayer sitting on the back! She is very careful and understands the flow of the traffic well. I hope you can access this, some people have told they have not been able to, good luck. more next week.

Sunday 12^th October

I was just leaving for Mass this morning when Sr Soklin arrived on her moto, I knew she was in town,  on the way to Thailand for meetings, but did not expect her to visit. She brought me a bunch of bananas and gave me a lift to Church. I did not concelebrate this morning as Fr Jub SJ has now also taken up residence here, although he will be working further afield, so may not be here much, once he gets going.  He is a lovely peaceful man from Thailand and has worked in Cambodia for many years, he was made very welcome at Mass. I sat in the congregation and joined in as much as possible from my English phonic translation, I spotted some corrections that need to be made. After Mass I stayed for a cup of coffee and started chatting and teaching English to some of the young people, answering questions, how to say this, what sound does this make and so on. I met five of Mai’s six children, she comes to Mass every day and her husband is the night guard for the Church. They both became Catholics about 6 years ago and all their children are now Catholic. I have met Mai many times before and she is a very jolly and happy lady, I had a photo with all the family.

 

I was really waiting for the transport to Chong Khnies, one of the floating communities on Tonle Sap lake. Fr Panus goes there once a month to say Mass for a small community, most of whom are Vietnamese. A couple of other people were also going and Elizabeth and Hayley arrived from the Jesuit Mission to go as well.

It is about half an hour to the place where you get the boat. This has now become quite a terminal because of the number of tourists who wish to visit the floating villages on the lake; foreigners pay $3 to board a boat and Cambodian$1. There is also a nice souvenir shop there, for later in my visit. We found the smaller of the Church boats and boarded, it is about half an hour on the lake as well, much nearer than Prek Toal, for those who have been there. We arrived and celebrated Mass for a small group and then the children had rice soup, it was rather low key and small in number, Fr Panus explained that some of the children had been to a party the day before and had not made it to Mass. Sleep over with not much sleep, like in England. 

Chong Khnies is actually two boats together, one is the Church of St Peter, the other is the school. this picture I took on a previous visit in the dry season when the Church is further out on the lake, just now it is beside the bank of the lake the two are end to end.

Getting ready for Sunday Mass. The variety of communities who gather for Mass in the Catholic Church never ceases to fascinate me, the places they meet, how and why they get there is truly amazing.

Everything happens on the water, and if you stand you can take charge of a boat for younger ones who cannot.

The learning centre is open Monday to Friday from 08.00 – 19.00, there are three groups, morning, afternoon and evening, there are two teachers who are Vietnamese and the evening session is teaching Khmer to the Vietnamese children and young people, so they manage better living here. In total there are getting on for 100 children each day in the school. Rice soup is served twice a week, Sunday and Thursday, again about 100 at each sitting. This is a busy centre providing something good for a lot of families.

Not quite Tesco's  opn the high street of a bustling Express, but this is a supermarket and we were definitely on the high street of a bustling community, clinic, school, restaurants anything you need to sustain a community.

The children had finished their rice soup and we were just having lunch in the Church end of the boat when a group of Korean tourists stopped their boat against the school, poured off, gave out gifts and took pictures and then re-boarded their boat and left. Fr Panus says this is a regular event and he gets a number of donations in the church box from such groups. We were all just getting ready to leave when three more tourists arrived. We chatted to two of them from Canada, they asked where we were from and I said Suffolk, they replied that the third member of their group, who was taking pictures of the children, was from BURY ST EDMUNDS.

So I met Edward the first person from BSE that I have met here, so far. I did not actually know him, but he knew where St Edmund’s is and we chatted about the town. I knew this would happen, the world is a small place; I warned Ratana one evening in Pub Street that one day someone would call to me “Fr Philip, I know you from my school in Bury St Edmunds”. Not yet, but I think it could be just a matter of time.

Ratana returned from Battambang today, so I went for dinner with her and her friend Pharoth, simple Cambodian food and drink, lovely to see her back here. She says we start learning Khmer tomorrow morning at 09.00.

Ratana and Pharoth come to cook in my room some evenings, some cooking, lots of Khmer and laughter.

Pharoth brought me some lotus flowers for my room and because it was a Buddhist feast and the anniversary of the death of the King Father, and a public holiday. She then folded them into beautiful shapes and left them for me.

Monday 13^th October

We started Khmer lessons at 09.00 and we will do one hour each day and then she practises reading in English to me for about 20 minutes. Apart from that, other events are now a regular pattern, except that now I do have someone to have dinner with some evenings.

Tuesday 14^th October

Ratana is keen that the market is a good place to learn and practice Khmer, so after the lesson we went off to the food market to buy veg and fruit and also a piece of chicken from her friend. She is very well known in the market and barters fiercely to get good prices. I was not too sure about the chicken, but in fact it was very good value and tasted great and there have been no after effects. In the afternoon we went to a different market, The Old Market and bought a mop for the floor, a couple of jars and a new pair of shorts for me, American Eagle Outfitters, Made in Cambodia, a good deal at $7. I might get some more before I go home. I had visitors in the evening, Channa and her sister Viriya came to chat; Channa was the young lady we tried to get a visa for to visit England and failed three times. We had a good chat, she is doing very well, she is a translator at a clinic, working beside a doctor from Myanmar. Viriya is younger and is waiting for results of her final exams to see will she get to university. It was lovely to see them both.

The rest of the week was just the usual, Mass, Khmer lessons, swimming, English lessons. Now that Ratana is here there is a little more entertainment, so sometimes we go out in the evening for a ride on the moto, it is a little cooler, then we stop and have a drink in Pub Street and chat. It is very lively in Pub Street in the evenings, but always feels safe.

The dogs seem a little less agitated at night now, the full moon is ended, but the cockerel is just as bad as ever, he does not seem to recognise night and day. 

The cockerel, getting a little too close for my comfort!!

With the help of Sarah, my niece, and a little advice from Dominic, you should be able to leave comments now, I certainly hope that is the case, if so I look forward to hearing from some of you. I am going to Ratana’s village for the weekend, so I will report on that next time.

Monday 6^th October

It rained most of the morning, so I did not go swimming, I spent most of the morning trying to find some suitable resources for the English class, they are at quite a low level of understanding, they have some words, but are not sure what to do with them. There are no books available, I am beginning to think I may have to write a few simple stories for them. The children’s story books that are here are too removed from their situation and not much help.

Tuesday 7^th October

I was celebrant at morning Mass today as usual, followed by breakfast with the sisters and a few others. I needed to do a bit of shopping, so I went to do that and then back to the Church for 10.00am to go with Fr Panus to Ta Om. I have been there many times before, it is one of the first places the Diocese of East Anglia helped to build, then later when they were ready the Diocese also funded the new roof for the 19^th c French village church that stands in the middle of the village. 

Mary of the Mantle, Ta Om

The route is a main road for about half an hour, then off to the left along a dirt road for about 45 minutes. This dirt road is very much improved since the last time I was on it and we made really good progress, there is a lot of water about in the rice fields and sometimes the road was flooded, but no trouble for the pickup.

Road top Ta Om, bit like crossing the Fens

A few trees, but very flat

A bit flooded, no problem, drive on!

Rice soup is served in Ta Om on Mondays at the moment, so we were there for Mass and some instruction with the teachers and the children. It was very quiet around the village, time for a little wander, the river is quite high at this time of the year, a few children were playing nearby.

A version of paper, scissors, rock.

Mark the results on a frame drawn in the dust, good use of resources!

We had lunch with the leaders of the community, which we had brought from Siem Reap, then a short rest and Mass at 2.00 pm. 

Lunch with the staff at Ta Om

Many children were preparing for Mass, learning songs and sitting very still and quiet in the heat, Mass was very prayerful and devout and the children took an active part, there were a few mums also present. The Church was built in the time of the French rule, then confiscated and used as a stable during the time of Pol Pot, eventually it was returned to the Church. It is the biggest space in the village and is sued for many things, but it is lovingly cared for and is used for Mass each Tuesday.

Getting ready for Mass

After Mass a Japanese visitor presented some books to the children and I gave some M & Ms and some Maltesers, the former were in good shape, the latter, seriously melted, but all were consumed.

Chocolate, the international language that gets to all 

ages.

We came a different way back, right along the bank of the river, and the whole was is built up, one village after another, there is a good living to made from the river. Most houses are a mixture of wood, bamboo and reeds, some are now smart concrete houses, even with room for cars, which may be more ornament than use with the condition of the road. We arrived back in Siem Reap just in time for the 5.00pm English class.

Wednesday 8^th October

Weather is better today, I did some reading then went for a swim, and had some lunch. In the afternoon I had a class with Saki to help me get the words finished for the Mass in Khmer, she is very helpful and good at the language. Then I taught English, I have two classes on Wednesday, did both of them and then home to cook supper

Thursday 9^th October

Nice bright day again, no rain today, perhaps in the evening. I went to the supermarket for some shopping, then for a swim and to the local market for veg and some eggs. The girl on the stall I used last week remembered me and was cheerful and pleasant.

I also bought a pineapple and watched while  the lady trimmed it for me with a knife that would be an offensive weapon at home, she did it very quickly and skilfully and it looked lovely when she had finished, all that, including the fruit for $1. Lots of sights and smells in the market, but very friendly.

Friday 10^th October

Mass today is in the evening, so after a lie in and prayers I went for a swim. I taught in the afternoon and then I had been invited to the Jesuit Service House by Sr Denise to say Mass for their small community and to have dinner with them. Every day I chat with a moto driver at the corner of the road, but do not usually need a ride, today, I do, so I booked him to pick me up at the Church at 6.00 pm. He turned up and took me out to their house, which is near the edge of the city, on the way to the airport. I met Sr Denise, who I have met here before and seen already this time, she is lovely and a motherly figure for the small community of Jesuit Volunteers. She is an Australian Sister of Mercy, so we chatted a little about Ireland and some sisters there. The others are Brother Do, a Vietnamese Jesuit brother, who will eventually be a priest, then Elizabeth, from Paris and Hayley from New York. They are both volunteers for 6 – 8 months with the Jesuit Volunteers, Elizabeth has a degree in hospitality and is volunteering at the hospital. to try to help them improve their systems, Hayley has just arrived, not sure yet what she is going to do. There is a lovely chapel at their residence, also where Fr Panus lives, so I said Mass there for the five of us. I forgot my camera, but it was dark anyway, so I will get some photos next time I go there. We had lovely dinner, rice, but pasta also, as an alternative, very welcome to me, fried chicken and so on. For desert Sr Denise had some ice cream for us as a treat, very good, then as a further treat cheese and wine!! She is very good for treats!! A most enjoyable evening, with good company, I am sure there will be other occasions. My moto driver turned up to pick me up and chatted in fairly good English all the way home.

Saturday 11^th October

Again Mass is in the evening, so a small lie in, got up at 6.30 instead of 5.30, such luxury on a Saturday morning. I went shopping this morning as I had been encouraged by Sr Denise last night to treat myself to some wine, which can be found at good prices. I came across what to me is a small mystery, how did I manage to come without a corkscrew? I always have one handy at home and travel with two in my car, just in case a friend might need to use one. Anyway, I went to the Japanese second hand shop, I am a regular visitor, and picked up a corkscrew for 50 cents, problem solved. Then to the supermarket for a few bits and pieces and a bottle of French Merlot at $5.50, about £3.40, when I tried it later, it was very enjoyable. I said the English Mass in the evening, less people this week, no big group of visitors. Fr Simon from Rome concelebrated with me, he is here on a mission from the neo-Catecumenate, he has permission from Bishop Kike, but is not being fully encouraged at this stage. However, he is nice enough and his English is quite good. After Mass home  to cook dinner and enjoy my first wine since leaving England, except at Mass, where the wine used is Monbazillac, excellent choice!!