Joel Chunum Khmer

Sewsaday Joel Chunum Khmer Ner dang ochnear

Happy Khmer new year everyone


the whole country has been on holidays and only really just started getting back to work this week. and what a week it's been. full on back into lessons, Dorm service is back on. but I'll try and keep this chronological instead of getting ahead of myself and into the present.



Saturday before last, I hired out a 100 cc moto, and drove with Vitou to Kampong Speu. about an hour to an hour and a half away. It was good to get back to Kampong Speu. I met the 6 dorm boys who all live in one village and got to go to all their houses and say hello to their families again. Something that I think is worth while doing.



spent some time there playing Khmer traditional games, I left there just before Khmer New Year. which started on Tuesday, and I left Vitou's house Monday morning. So it wasn't into the full swing of things. but yer, spent the day catching up on some sleep, recieving random messages and loving the delicious food that Dany cooked for us.

one especially cool thing happened. I got talking to a guy there, and gave him a BEC card and my phone number. now he is a student at the BEC studying with Josh on Saturdays and Sundays.

It was really funny, Vitou's nephew (in the photo above with Vitou's sister in law) had a phrase that he enjoyed saying. and I'm pretty sure Vitou taught him. He kept saying "Chum Reap Sewer da Jonno" (which means formal hello to Grandpa Jonno) and clasped his hands together Khmer style and all. Vitou's family thought it was hilarious.



It was good to go back to all the boys families, in the picture on the right you can see So Chet knocking some coconuts down for me and Vitou. So Chets family is so lovely. everyone in Cambodia is extremely hospitable. They're so nice, sometimes it makes me feel uncomfortable.

I had my first hot shower in months at Vitou's house. His Dad's clever man, he heats up all the pots in the sun so the water is warm at night time. when I say shower I still mean I was in a sarong under the stars, trying not to feel uncomfortable with the stares I was getting at a white man in the provinces having a bath.

On Sunday night, Vitou invited all the boys and their families over to have dinner with us before I left. they all brought a COUNTRY chicken. Him would have loved it. And me, Dany and Saory went shopping to buy all the needed vegetables. we feasted. It was delicious. Except Rottanna kept trying to feed me pig intestine. I had never eaten pig hoof before Khmer New Year either. anyways, didn't get sick, so nothing to worry about.

But all good things must come to an end, Monday morning it was time for me to go. I woke up at 4.30 AM, and had a bath. this time a very cold one. It wasn't a bad ride. I left early so I could drive the moto for a long period of time so it wouldn't over heat. and I got to see the sunrise on the way. it was a beautiful veiw from the Kampot mountains over Cambodia with the sun rising and all. I whistled and sang for about 2 hours non stop. It was great aye. here are a few photo's I took on the way.

So after about 3 hours I arrived at K's house, where we had quick stop. had lunch, and continued on our way to Ren's house. My plans changed at Vitou's house. I planned on going back to Phnom Penh, hiring a big moto or catching a bus to Ren's place, but I ended up deciding to take the small 100cc moto to Kampot. which is about 300km from Phnom Penh. I got to Kampot no worries. but a little moto like that isn't designed to go that far. So on our way to Ren's house we had a problem. K had a go at driving, cause I was feeling pretty over it by that stage, and he knew the way. and just as we re - entering civilisation we had a bye gong. we were coming into a small town not too far from Ren's place (not that we knew that, neither of us had been there before) and we had a flat tyre. The amazing thing is, we pulled up, and Both me and the father were just like, so what are we going to do. when we heard someone yelling "Jonno, K" Chantrea, an x dorm student was serving food at a shop, and she called us in and gave us free drinks. she also helped K find a place to fix the moto. While we were waiting there, Theung, a dorm student, walked up, followed later on by Sokha, and Thyda. small world aye. It was amazing how we got to see everyone just because of a flat tyre. and than Chantrea directed me and Kbraham the rest of the way.

After me and K arrived, we had probably only been there for about an hour when the Ren, Thyda and Sokha's work manager arrived with her husband. we were all greeted traditionally with coconuts, given a delicious meal, and a few hours later went on a boat trip. Was really cool i really liked it aye. This was the first time I had seen the ocean since leaving Australia in November. could have possibly been cooler if we didn't run out of fuel and have to turn around early. but still really enjoyed it.

The next day we went to a river. and a zoo. first time I had been to a zoo in Cambodia, and the second time I had been swimming. was great.

the only thing I was spewing about was when we arrived at the zoo there was a sign that said, Khmer $1.00, foriegner $4.00. I felt racially persecuted. so me and Graham (a guy from the US who happened to be staying at Ren's house as well) had to pay up.

I found out something pretty cool at the zoo. my year is the year of the monkey. Fate seems to have it, I'm always going to be a monkey. Right is a demon (yes its a Khmer Demon on the year of the monkey, bad luck, not an angel for good luck) riding the monkey. The girls also thought they had a statue of me dressed up nice. It seems I can't escape the monkey factor.

me and the other half of the Nutter family (sorry real family). And Seda, the manager of the organisation where the girls work.

After the zoo we went to a river. Like I said we all had a good time. except Graham, the managers husband got really sick. me and K had to carry him, to the tuk tuk, and from there to a dodgy, out in the bush Khmer doctor. many adventures. the poor guy was in a lot of pain, had really bad migranes, was spewing up the pain was so bad. he eventually recovered.

This is the river we swam in. nothing to fancy. Tourist police charged me and Graham $1.00 to get in. white skin isn't cool. we went on a rickity bridge, like what you see in the movies. this is K hanging on for dear life.


That night Thyda made dinner for us. seriously, would have cost us, if we went to a fancy restaraunt about $50.00 or $60.00 per person in Australia. easily, probably more. Freshest sea food ever aye. and cooked over coals straight onto our plates.

Sokha, she cracks me up aye. here she is doing it country khmer style and having snooze.

oh and I took 3 passengers on my moto numerous times out in the provinces. is the norm out there!!

the next day, after the terrible illness with Graham, he and Seda had to go home, and me and K had planned to keep going that day as well. but before we left we went for one last swim, they showed us this really cool creek. there was a waterfall there. it was just like a creek near my home, anyone from QLD, I'm thinking of stony creek, when you walk up the creek a bit. was so cool.

could see the fish swimming around it and stuff aye. K was probably the best swimmer, and than Ren, but I had to help Sokha and Theung at the river because they weren't confident enough to swim across it themselves. so because I've been blessed in growing up where I grew up I've been swimming well for years. Ren's sisters came with us, and there is a photo here of me swimming with no shirt on. that's because I scared her sisters. they thought I looked like a ghost. I thought it was hilarious. because I'm so white. she said that when I'm on land or sitting on a rock or something she's not scared of me, but when I was under the water she always ran away.

After our swim me and K had to go. we had to get back to his place before night time. It was on the way back that we had our second flat tyre for the trip. lucky we were practically pulling into K's driveway when it happened. I also stayed at K's place for 2 nights. was great. it was the third time I had been to K's house. got to see all his family again. They were so welcoming, we were only going to stay there for one day, but his older sister asked if we could stay longer so she could make a special lunch for us and invite all the family. I felt really bad taking K back to Phnom Penh during Khmer new year, he needed to stay for to see his family. so we agreed to stay at his house longer.

we had many, many adventures at k's house. but I'm running out of time to write this blog so I better get a move on.

the next day we had to go.

heres a picture of me on that little 100cc moto. $4.00/ day I thought it was a pretty good deal.

so on the way back home I gave K the camera. he's a pretty good photographer really. we had to stop for about half an hour to let the moto cool down, so it wouldn't get overheated. and than we had another flat tyre. so in total I think it took us about 4 and a half hours to get back home to Phnom Penh.

so thus ended the province trip of myself and the father Kbraham. reaching Phnom Penh to the sight of a very overloaded cattle truck full of pigs. the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of Kampuchea. This isn't a boring place by any stretch of the imagination.

we spent most of the afternoon at the BEC, talking with Josh and Sarlah, K missed his "wife" so much he had to email her asap. and I had to check over all my emails, many emails, especially about my trips abroad. Now is probably my chance to quickly give my apoligies to anyone who was worried about my trips to the provinces. sorry mum and Dad, and everyone else who was worried. sorry Raju.

Anyways, when me and K finally arrived back at the dorms that night, the only students to have returned at that point, we were greated by Brother Him and Theavy. Him said he was planning on going to Brother Long Ang's house and me and K had already hired another moto, because we were planning on riding it up to Kampong Thom to visit Vitou and Dany. when we finally did get hold of them however we found out that they were still in Kampong Speu so we decided to go with Bong Pro to Brother Long Ang's house.

what an adventure. we woke at the crack of dawn, It was 4.30 AM when I got up the next morning, after a quick shower we all jumped on the moto and I drove us to Prey Veng (which means long forest). Prey Veng province is about 100 km out of Phnom Penh. as usual, I gave my camera straight to the father Kbraham, as when I'm riding the moto he is the cheif photographer. here are some nice photos of the sunrise as we were driving.

typical story, we arrived at brother Long Ang's house to be welcomed graciously by his family. promising to cook some food for us. we went out into the dried rice feilds to catch frogs and crabs to eat. we walked back into Long Ang's place with one big crab, one small crab, one big frog and one small frog. We decided there wasn't enough for us to eat them.

I love province food. Long Ang's sister made us some delicious food. And we indulged on plenty of fruit. such as the delicious Cambodian mango's that I eat so often.

would like to tell you about an incident that happened the day before yesterday. I was in the boys dorm with Meng Him, the dorms manager. preparing for a lesson, and talking with Him (?). when one of the girl dormers rushed in and said something in Khmer, too quick for me to understand what exactly she said, except someone was sick. Me and my Bong Pro (brother Meng him) went next door to the girls dorm, where one of the girl dormers Sophea was lying on the floor, with about 4 other girls around her trying to help her. she seemed dissoriented, confused, and in a lot of pain. there seemed to be somthing seriously wrong with her. Him emmedietly asked me to go grab a moto, and me, Sophea and one of the other girl dormers jumped on the moto, and Him and His wife Theavy jumped on a second moto, and off we went to the nearest Khmer hospital. by this time Sophea was starting to have mini fits. She was saying things that I couldn't understand in Khmer, which I don't think would have made sense. starting scratching at my back, and really tensing up, as if in a lot of pain. I'm not sure if you have ever had the experience of taking 2 passengers on a 100cc moto, one who's very sick in the middle of Phnom Penh busy hour traffic. However, we made it safe and sound to the Khmer hospital, after I tucked her arms under my arm pits so she couldn't wave them around to much or fall off to easily. When we got there I and the other girl carried her into the middle of the 3rd world hospital. and put her on a bed. some nurse gave her a few injections with a needle, no one was sure what she was giving her. I've spent a bit of time in 3rd world hospitals with some of the dormers, and I can tell you now, there not pretty. this particular one was built of the living room of the doctors house. The nurse was untrained (as was the doctor more than likely), and the doctor wasn't home and wouldn't be back for a couple of hours. one thing that the nurse must have given her (either in the drip or that she had, or as a direct needl) was some sort of drug to make her quieten down. I could see this wasn't going to help her too much. I really didn't like the situation we were in. I stayed at this hospital for probably about 2 and a half hours, until we decided that the problem wasn't going to be fixed. I told Brother Him I thought it was a good idea that we take her to a western hospital. there is a good one that is cheaper for locals that I have been to several times before called Nagar clinic. not too far from the BEC. So we carried her back out to the moto, and off we went again. when we arrived, the story was much better here. we had internationally trained doctors immediatly take her to her own private room, where they took proper care of her. the situation was critical enough that Sophea had to stay over night in this hospital.

Sophea is now back at the dorms, healthy and well, feeling a little weak from the whole encounter.

and now the BEC is flat chat again, our days are once again filled with teaching, so we don't really have time to do too much else. I do have some sad news, and that is the Bremners are flying back to Australia on Saturday. We'll miss them here at the BEC, and so will the rest of the people who were involved with them here in Kampuchea. We're having a good bye Celebration for them on Friday night.

however, my mum is actually going to come and stay here for 3 and a half weeks. It will be good to see Mum again, let her see the work being done here. How important it really is. one of the most important jobs in the world I think, and God has blessed me with the honour of being able to do it. and you too. where ever you are. you can further spread God's Glorious name.

I hope you enjoy the photo's ( and a note for Ben, in case he doesn't know, click on the photo's and they'll come up bigger :D)

thank you for taking the time and effort to read such a long winded blog.

Please remember to Keep the work being done here in your prayers. the feilds are indeed ripe for the picking in this country. God Bless.

Love in our soon returning King, the saviour of all of us, and our brother

Brother Jonno Nutter

the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever