Wednesday 24^th December

               It really hard to believe it is Christmas Eve!! I did not have any classes today, I have now finished teaching and will probably not do any more after Christmas as I am going to be away some of the time, so better to finish now. On a more reflective moment I was challenged to think about Christmas and what it means to me without all the trimmings, without the music and carols that I love and without a traditional meal with my brother, it made me wonder what I actually believe about it. In the end I decided that the Lord was born in Bethlehem and shared our humanity, whatever the weather or the way we celebrate, and His birth changes everything.





I wondered round to the Church in the late morning to encourage those doing flowers and have a chat with them, while there I met a few visitors coming to check the time of Mass for Christmas, more or less as I would at home.

I stayed for lunch at the Church and then came home and had a rest. I packed my parcels, such as they are, and then got ready to go to Mass.

The church was very full, there were six priests at the altar, Fr Panus, Fr Jupp and Fr Simon, who are all regulars, but also Fr Frederick from the Philippines and Fr Michael from Korea. During Mass the children did a mime of the story, from Annunciation and visitation to Elizabeth through to arrival of Wise Men, it was lovely and they all do their parts with such dignity and poise.






Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and asks her to be the mother of the child Jesus.

Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth

The shepherds with their sheep, they came on and did a very lively dance to much laughter.

The heavenly choir sing to the shepherds.

The shepherds were great and their sheep.

The wise men before King Herod with their story about the birth of a  new king of Israel.








The final hymn was Jingle bells accompanied by 8 children in red santa outfits dancing, it was hilarious and very enjoyable. The children all want to see snow, but they think it will be warm, they do not realise that it is cold!

The Jingle Bells were very good value.

After Mass we went to the Triangle for dinner with Pharoth and had a wonder round Pub Street.

Christmas Day

               Mass this morning was at 8.00 am, so quite a lie in! the same mime was done again and the Jingle Bells, but in addition this morning we had 5 of the children doing the traditional Khmer blessing dance, throwing petals as the blessing, very dignified and moving.




















Traditional Khmer dancers at the end of Mass.

There were also 5 members of one family baptised at the Mass, two of whom also made their First Communion. In all it took just under two hours!! After Mass I popped round to the Golden Orange to give a small gift the girls of my English class and to invite them to join all my students for fried rice on Friday evening, they were delighted, I got the impression, through Ratana, that they had never been invited out for a meal before.

     



I went with Fr Panus to Prek Toal, floating church for Mass. It is a long way, 2 hours, mostly on the boat, so it was relaxing. We were joined by a lovely couple from Belgium who are friends of Bernadette, they have lived in a Christian community of 7 families for the last 30 years and have a very simple lifestyle, they were fascinating.


This is the crib at Prek Toal.







Mass was rather chaotic, too many children chatting and not taking any notice, just there for rice soup. Anyway the children there did the same story and danced, it all took much too long really for the 200 or so children.

The angel brings the message to Mary.









They could not find a boy for Joseph, so he is the girl with the red scarf, it was charming and again such poise and dignity.









Then we served rice soup, but there was not enough, so some went away hungry, Fr Panus also gave out gifts, tee shirts and pants, books and pens, it was a bit of a scrum and some fairly serious fighting broke out briefly.



The Church there is now in need of serious repair and is tilting somewhat, they will repair it at the end of the dry season sometime in March and put plastic drums under it to replace the rotting bamboo poles, it is a big job, about $15,000, but it has to be done.








Children and adults received some new shirts.









We got back around 5.30, it was a long day. I came home and had a shower and a G and T and then Ratana and I went out for dinner.





Ratana with her first ever Christmas presents, it is not part of their culture, so this was new. Many thanks to those who sent her small gifts from England and cards as well, very much appreciated.











She had chosen a very nice French restaurant, Barrri’s, the food was lovely, pate de champagne, confit de canard and a crème broulee, with a carafe of South African red. It was lovely. She is very good company and we had a lovely meal, we each had a starter, but shared the canard and broulee.

Friday 26^th December

I missed my lie in today as I went with Fr Panus to Ta Om, it is the last time I can get there, we left at 8.00 am. Mass was much as at Siem Reap, short mime, dancing at the end and traditional dance too, it was very nice. 

Children waiting for Mass near the crib at Ta Om.

Angel Gabriel appears to Mary.

Traditional dancing at the end of Mass at Ta Om, some of the girls had gone with us from Siem Reap.













Some little ones also did some dancing, it was lovely.










I was not feeling too good so I went to lie down while the others had lunch, a touch of food poisoning from something, I was violently sick and feverish and not at all good. Anyway, I made it home safely and went to bed, but I had to say Mass in the evening as the others went on to a meeting and are not here. After a rest, a couple of paracetemol and immodium I felt well enough to go to Mass, and I was OK, I came home and had some bread and an early night. We had cancelled the party with the English students and postponed it to tomorrow.

Saturday 27^th December

I had arranged morning Mass today as it is the patronal feast of the Church, St John, the Evangelist, I was feeling much better and went off to Mass and had a light breakfast. I had a quiet day, wrote a homily for evening Mass and took it gently, ate a little and kept the fluids up. After evening Mass I was well enough to go out with all my students and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening with them.

My English students

They even gave me some gifts which was very naughty of them, but a lovely thought

It was a lovely evening, it has been a privilege to teach them, they are so keen to learn and so dedicated at getting to the classes, I have also really enjoyed the company of such lovely young people. 

I wish you all a very happy new year and many blessings for 2015, I shall be in Pub Street for the new year moment and enjoying whatever goes on there, a little like Trafalgar Square, I think. I return to the UK on 13th January and move to my new home on 20th and begin work in the parish on Sunday 25th, I hope to see you soon, let me know when you are in Yarmouth and come to visit.

Tuesday 16^th December

I felt in need of a quiet day today and also I needed to write up the blog on all that has happened over Tony’s visit, so I taught my morning class and came home and began writing. Ratana called to do some shopping for me and we decided to go out for a light lunch and in the afternoon I finished the blog. I had a simple dinner at home, just bread and cheese and some fruit.



This is the Advent wreath at the Church, it is actually a lovely purple cloth, even though it shows blue in the photo. The wreath has been very nice and has been refreshed with flowers each week.






Wednesday 17^th December

After Mass and breakfast I taught morning class at the hotel and went round to the church for 10.00 am to go to the prison to help give out fruit to some of the men there. On the way we picked up Mai, Sr Kalayan and her friend from Vietnam and a neighbour of Mai’s. We arrived at the prison and the men were assembled, this time in the workshop.








Sr Kalayan is brilliant with them; she did some simple magic tricks with two handkerchiefs which helped to lighten the atmosphere. She then told them the Christmas story and asked questions about it afterwards, rewarding correct answers with sweets, we then sang a Khmer version of Jingle Bells to which they have given Christian words telling the story, very clever. When the men were getting their gifts I had a look round the workshop, they make furniture and some clay pots, used here for fires. One man was making small ox carts for sale and another had a large tree trunk which he was carving with many different animals and birds, it was beautiful. We returned home and I had a simple lunch, a sleep and then some Khmer with Ratana and my two evening classes. I had a wander round the supermarket for a few oddments and after a simple dinner had an early night.

Thursday 18^th December
I had a fairly normal day today, Mass, breakfast with the community, then English class at the hotel and then a few jobs with Ratana around the town and some lunch. I taught again in the afternoon and in the evening Ratana, Pharoth and I all went for fried rice and then home.

Friday 19^th December

               Friday is the day I get a lie in because Mass is in the evening, so after that and English class at the hotel I went for a swim. Ratana and I went for lunch and then I had some business to sort out. I have had quite a lot of worry about my passport for the last four weeks or so. I had to renew my visa and a travel agent in town had been recommended to me as being able to do it, so I trusted that and gave him my passport to get it done. Then every time he said it would be ready, it was not, every day it was not back from Phnom Penh, everyday he said it would be here tomorrow. I was getting anxious that he had stolen it or sold it and now time is getting short to get a new one. Yesterday we went to him, he had promised, yet again, it would be here, it was not. He said tomorrow, we had some strong words, ending with him giving me $500 if the passport was not in by today, and I had $250 off him as a deposit. I also spoke to Sarom, Daly’s husband, who is a policeman. He paid the travel agent a visit as well. So today at 1.00 pm we went to get the passport, wonder of wonders, he had it, but the visa is not done, so all this time and nothing done! I got the passport back and the money I had given to him, and the fine for late visa, $5 a day, in all $200, then we went to another, more professional looking agency to get the visa done. It has been quite a worry, but now all is sorted and I feel much happier.

Seaside here we come!

After Mass in the evening we set off for Sihanoukville or Kompong Soam as the locals call it. In total we were 9 people, 6 girls, one lad, Ratana and myself. Fr Panus took us from the church to get the bus, the 8.30 pm hotel overnight bus.


This is a standard coach with seats taken out and beds put in, they are narrow, but surprisingly comfortable, however there are no seats, so you do have to lie down. We all got settled and moving, we had a snack and settled down for the 12 hour journey through the night. The driver made a couple of stops, in the pitch black, for free loos in the bushes, very native! We also stopped in Phnom Penh, where there was a loo.

There was just about enough room for me to lie full length in the bed, it was actually very comfortable, if a little difficult to turn over.

Saturday 20^th December

Outside the Church before we set off for the beach.

We arrived in Kompong Soam about 8.00 am, I think we had all rested, but not slept very much, some of the road is very bumpy. We went to the church and dropped our bags and found our rooms and had a little movement and also some breakfast we had brought with us. 

This is the view from the Church centre where we are staying.










About 9.00 am on a beautiful blue morning we set off for the beach, Fr Son, the priest was in a hurry but took us some of the way and then we did the rest by tuk-tuk and moto to a lovely spot of the beach.



















The beach here is rather like in Italy, you rent a space for the day, so we got a nice spot under a large tree, 2 tables and ten chairs and settled down. 






























The six girls had never been to the seaside before, so it was great excitement, trying the water and running from waves. They all changed into shorts and tee shirts and we went in and enjoyed the sea, water temperature about 27C and air about 30C, so it was lovely. They swam and had water fights, we rented a ball and then two large rubber rings that they fought with, it was great to watch and to share with them. They were also quite amused by the very small swimsuits of some of the tourists, who honestly would have been better covered up! 

































Ratana and Kimseak went off to the market to buy lunch and came back with 1 kilo of giant prawns, some squid and a few other bits, it was all so fresh and beautifully cooked, a real feast. 















Swimming and playing in the water is hungry work, so after prayers, it was all hands on to the table for the food.











In the afternoon we had a three hour boat trip round two of the nearby islands and stopped to do a bit of fishing, they nearly caught something which brought great excitement. 

The equipment was very expensive and complicated, an empty plastic bottle with fishing line wrapped round it, a weight and a hook and some squid as bait, simply drop it in the water. The secret seems to be to know where to drop it!

End of a great day at the seaside.

As we came back the sun was setting over the water, very beautiful, although sadly right at the end it went behind the clouds, so we did not see it dip into the water. We found a place for dinner, seafood fried rice, seafood pizza and pasta, very good and enjoyed by all. 

Then back to the church. As there was no time for Mass tomorrow, I said Mass for our group at about 8.00 pm, just the nine of us, very peaceful end to a lovely day. We all had an early night.

This may be the only Church in Cambodia that survived the Pol Pot era, it is lovely.










Sunday 21^st December

Fr Son very kindly did breakfast for us, he is Cambodian, but has spent many years in France and in Quebec, so likes good coffee, bread and cheese. He did fried rice and noodles for us and some lovely warm bread. After goodbyes and thanks to him, we set off for the bus station which is really near the church, just a short walk.

While waiting for the bus I noticed a slightly different take on a tuk-tuk, a small car converted into one. Kompong Soam is very hilly and the motorbikes struggle with the hills, so I guess this a very good solution.








Our bus was at 8.30 am, we finally got going about 9.00 am and the first part of the journey was very good. 

The road is good, the scenery quite rolling, so we made good time to Phnom Penh, arriving about 1.00 pm. We sat in the bus station and had a pastry roll which is steamed rather than baked and filled with pork and hard boiled egg, very tasty. I thought it would translate very well into a bacon and egg pastry, maybe I have spotted a gap in the market? 

The bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap left at 2.00 pm and from the beginning was rather slow, we went to some hotels to pick up and then just out of the city we stopped for a short break, we picked people up so the middle of the bus was also full, then we started to drop people off, all of which takes time. So the six hour trip became eight and half hours, we finally arrived at Siem Reap at 10.30, so 13.5 hours in total, very long and tiring in the end. The youngsters were great, no complaint, Cambodians do three things when travelling, they sleep, eat and talk, pretty much one or the other the whole journey. It was a long trip, but really enjoyable for me to be with them and for them to be in the sea and in the boat. They said the best bits were swimming and playing in the water, the boat and the fishing, when they asked me I said the best bit was seeing them doing these things for the first time. The total cost $475, not bad for 9 people considering all of the above. Thanks to St Edmund’s Parish and Fr Mark for their generous funding of this venture, I hope you enjoyed  sharing the pictures as well, maybe remembering your own first visit to the sea.

Monday 22^nd December

               I was fairly exhausted this morning, but managed to get to the 6.15 am Mass, then after breakfast and teaching English at the hotel I went along to the Church and did some cleaning up in time for Christmas. Those of you who know the Church may remember the road down the side of the property, I decided to clean the verge, pick up the rubbish and clean the grass from the gutter. I did about half of it before it got too hot, I will finish it tomorrow. After lunch and a rest, Ratana and I went to the see the travel agent who still owes me $50, what a surprise, he did not have it!! I taught in the evening and then Ratana and Pharoth and I went for dinner and a wander in the night market. I bought a few things, time now for me to buy gifts and souvenirs for home.

Tuesday 23^rd December

It is still very difficult to think of it as Christmas, first it is hot and also I do not have a great deal to do or prepare as I would at home. But the church has been decorated in the last few days in a big way. 

The Vietnamese community go in for big cribs and lots of lights, anything the big hotels can do the Catholic Church can do better, seems to be the word. It looks great, perhaps a bit OTT, but it encourages people off the street to look and at least they get the message about the birth of a baby of some great importance. 

I also spotted a large hanging I bought here nearly 10 years ago on  my first visit with a group from Bury St Edmunds made by the children. Some of you may remember it, certainly your names are here on your hands.

Some simple pictures all along the garden wall also telling the story.

I taught my last class at the hotel this morning, I found a simple cartoon story of the Christmas story and went through that with them and encouraged them to go to the church and have a look one evening. I finished the clearing work of the gutter and it all looks much better, I hope that Pola will try to do it once a week and keep it well cared for, eventually it rubs off on the locals. Many other people sweep their bit of the street and makes a huge difference. I had lunch with Ratana and then went to get some Christmas paper, had a sleep and taught my evening class. My classes are nearly at an end as I have some visitors after Christmas and in the last couple of weeks I am going to do a little travelling.

               I wish you all a very happy Christmas with many blessings for you and your family and loved ones. It will be different for me, but no less enjoyable. Those who go to Midnight Mass, I will be joining the Khmer community here for morning Mass just as you are coming out at about 1.00 am, which will be 8.00 am here, I will be praying for you, please remember me. I also wish you a very happy new year with many blessings, peace and laughter in 2015. Many of you know by now that I will be returning on 13^th January and taking up a new appointment at St Mary’s, Great Yarmouth, on the east coast of England. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin my new work, you are most welcome to come and visit.

I will write about my travels in due course to keep you posted on other beautiful parts of Cambodia not yet visited.

The crib at St John's, Siem Reap.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS