Monday 29^th September

Early Mass and breakfast and farewell to Sr Soklin, I am sure I will see her again before long. Ratana and her mum have decided to go to visit grandma and will be away for a few days, so I am on my own! I went for my first swim, very enjoyable. I am walking most places, which is quite difficult as the tuk-tuk drivers and moto drivers are keen for business. 

The pool at the River Garden Hotel 

 It is as beautiful as it looks, surrounded by gardens.

Sochea and Phim, girls on the bar, maybe joining English class

On the way back I stopped for a haircut, which included a neck massage at the end, good value at $2. As I am on my own now, I had a very simple lunch, a bread roll and some cheese which I had brought with me from England, then a rest. I had my first class at 5.00 pm, four young ladies turned up and are very keen and made good progress. I am simply trying to get them to pronounce our language more correctly, so they can be better understood when they try their English.

English class grew from four to six.

I went for dinner in a restaurant near the Church and then returned home to do some writing before going to bed early, I am celebrant at Mass tomorrow and it starts at 06.15 am.

 Siem Reap river, now a very pleasant walk

The river has been cleaned up. 

Tuesday 30^th September

As I write this on Friday we have just had a lovely rain storm and it has cooled the air slightly, the down side is the road now resembles a river and will be muddy and full of puddles for some time. Such is life. After Mass I came home and spent some time on the blog and trying to get it set up and posted and I finally succeeded and since then I have had comments via email and some on the blog page itself, so I know you can read it. Success! Thus far I have had to go to the church and use the wifi there.

A light shower!

Wednesday 1^st October

Fr Panus had asked me to say Mass for the MC sisters as it was a feastday of one of them, that was 6.30 followed by a fried breakfast! I was amazed to get two sausages and a fried egg, of course two nuns to go with it! When I got home later that morning the wifi turned up, so I stayed in and read while they fixed it and got me connected, it does make life much easier.

These days I spend quite a lot of time alone, Ratana is still away, but it is peaceful and I love watching a different way of life all around me. The afternoons are good for a rest, in fact it is often quieter during the day than at night, the dogs and cockerel only seem to make a noise when it is dark, so a good rest is required. After that some preparation for the class, I am finding some resources on the net and am grateful for resources sent from St Edmund’s school. I started my second class today this will be at 4.00 pm on Monday and Wednesday, this is for some sisters who live a long way out and do not wish to go home in the dark. After classes are both over I stay and go in the church for a little while and then return home for a G and T, some BBC World News and then go out for dinner. I know two restaurants near the church, so I go to one or the other, at the moment I am eating alone, so I take a book. The food is good, the service friendly and quick.

Thursday 2^nd October

Yesterday Fr Panus decided that as I am here with not much to do I could cover him for Mass today, so he went to Phnom Penh for some time off. I said Mass and went for a swim this morning, then classes this afternoon. Nothing out of the ordinary, I spent time looking at resources for teaching on the net and worked on some words for the class.

One of the things that strikes me about life here is that people have very little personal space or privacy. Yes, there are some large houses, but many are divided up into smaller units and rented, but many people share just one room, like mine and seem to get on very well. Much of life is lived outside, everyone can see who is gathered at the table or sharing food together, it is very different to the rather isolated and compartmentalised life we have grown used to.

Street next to the church closed for two days for a wedding

Ratana has a large circle of friends whom she helps in whatever way she can. Atet is one of them, she is from Battambang and is living here, rooming with Ratana and looking for a job, for the time being she is doing my laundry for the going rate, $1 per kilo, it gives her a little money and something to do. Another friend is Pharoth, who I have met several times before, popped round with some laundry, we had a chat and a cup of tea, but she had already eaten dinner; she weighs less than 40 kilos, so could have done with another one, but would not be persuaded.

Friday 3^rd October

We had a lot of rain today. Forecasts here are different they talk regularly of rain, maybe 100 – 200 mm, a little different to severe weather warnings in the UK for 10 – 20 mm. I am beginning to form some kind of routine, which means there will not be so much news to write. I did see something I have never seen before, a motorbike with a delivery unit on the back, bit like a tuk-tuk, reversing to make a very neat three point turn in the road. I did not know that motor bikes can also have reverse gear. Mass today is in the evening followed by Benediction for the First Friday, Fr Panus was back to celebrate and then we went for dinner together.

Saturday 4^th October

Mass again in the evening, in English, so I prepared a homily. I managed to break my coffee pot, so I had to go shopping to find some way of making coffee. While in the shop I decided I was fed up with not cooking and sitting alone in restaurants, so I bought some food to cook for myself after Mass. There were lots of people at Mass, a large group of Australian young ladies who have been on holiday here and return this week, some American young people visiting, Filipino visitors and a few regulars. This Mass really does serve the tourists and it is difficult to know how many people will turn up each week. I am still waiting for a voice to call out and say, “Fr Philip, you were chaplain at my school”. Not yet, but I guess it may happen.

Afterwards, I successfully cooked my first meal.

Sunday 5^th October

I concelebrated Mass with Fr Panus at 07.30 in Khmer, Fr Joseph, an English priest from Liverpool, on holiday here also joined us, he knows a couple of priests in our Diocese. Small world. I saw some of my English class at Mass and they came to chat in English, progress. After Mass I went with Fr Panus to the Jesus Farm, one of the out stations, for Mass and to serve rice soup to the children. Then home to write the blog.

Rice soup at the Jesus Farm

These are some shops on route to the Jesus Farm. Once out of town the whole standard of living and housing changes dramatically, although it seemed to me most of the road had improved very much, funded by South Korea.

Shops on the way to Jesus Farm

Ratana is still away, so I am not sure what this week will bring, but I am sure there will be a few things to share in due course.