The housewarming party...

I know I am behind on the blog but please bear with me...









     I woke up early and being a Sunday, went to watch my friend Veasna play drums at his church in the market. He plays the drums, somebody plays keyboard and someone else plays guitar as the congregation sings hymns. I actually attended church last week when both John and I didn't know Veasna played at a church - we thought he simply played music in a market! Last week several people from his church asked me to return this week because an American pastor would be here for the service.




     The service was nice again - maybe about 30 people, mostly young people - under 25. The pastor/preacher, Dennis from San Jose, is a Korean who came here as a missionary about 9 year ago. He returns every year and supports local students so they can attend high school and they live in a guest house that has been converted into dorms for the students. After the singing, Dennis gives the sermon in both English and Korean and a young woman then translates into Khmer (Cambodian). Dennis makes sure to single me out to introduce myself to the congregation - I am the only Westerner in attendance this week. After the service he comes over and introduces himself and asks if I will be around next week. I am not sure but give him my phone number. He says only 3 people said they will be around since it is the Cambodian New Year break and he doesn't know where or when the service may be.


     After that I head to Café Ph'ka to have a drink and use the internet. I stop on the way at the pork sandwich stand - not sure what happened to the girl who use to sell them but this new guy does just as good a job with the sandwiches! Actually today I see I can buy a half a sandwich. A whole sandwich is 3000 riel ( 75 cents) but today I see a guy buy half a sandwich (half a baggette really) for 1500 riel ( 37.5 cents). Good thing to know...


     As I arrive at Café Ph'ka I hear someone yell to me from across the street. It is Veasna who is sitting and talking to the woman who runs a stand across the street from his café. I walk over and talk with them and he then reminds me that his place doesn't open until 12pm on Sundays. It is only 1030am! He laughs as I say I am sorry and he says John is already there and has been for over an hour. Within minutes Ann from France arrives also - seems Café Ph'ka will be busy today.
I head down the hill and to the back porch and join John, Ann joins us momentarily. Veasna's cousins, Sreysros and Sreyneng are busy baking things in the kitchen. Within 30 minutes another 6 westerners arrive - so much for the 12pm hour they open. This is by far the most relaxing place to chill out, enjoy a drink or pastry and use the internet in all of Sen Monorom. I stay until about 3 pm then head back to my guest house.


     Veasna tells me this is the last day I will see his cousins - they are heading back home for Cambodian New Year and may not return before I leave in late May. Seems their family may need them to work at home for a while (on a farm it sounds like). I am saddened by this because the two girls have not only become some of my students (along with Veasna's girlfriend, Lina) but they have treated me like family. They always great me with a bow and call me teacher, often have made me special dishes to try, and have kidded around with me every time they see me. Outside of Veasna, Sochea and a few of my students - I feel closest to these two girls. Hopefully I will see them again before I depart for home in May.


     After I return home and get washed up - Sochea arrives and picks me up for a trip to his village. He has invited me to spend the afternoon seeing his home, meeting his family, and attending a house warming party he was invited to.We head to his village which is about 20 minutes away.
We arrive in Pulont and he brings me to his in-laws house. I am introduced to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, brother in-law, sister in-laws (3 of them), wife and two daughters (ages 2 years and 5 months). They have me sit on a mat in the parents home and they make me a cup of instant coffee while they all watch me. When I ask if they are having coffee - Sochea says they had some earlier - not sure if that is true or they are treating me to coffee because I am a guest. I talk to the brother in-law for about 10 minutes (he speaks some English) before we head out to see the village.


     Sochea brings me to see the place he teaches English class in after he finishes work each day. He then brings me to a few farms where I take pictures of the old style Bunong huts. We then head to an area that has some water buffalos grazing behind some houses. I see one of the girls who attended my English classes at the boarding school the first week I arrived, named Bun. I greet her and she says hello and tells me she is fine in English when I ask how she is. She then asks Sochea who I am - she tells him she recognizes me but she doesn't know from where. He tells her I am an English teacher at the boarding school - at which point she lights up and says she remembers. I haven't seen her in 3 weeks but now she remembers. She smiles then introduces me to her mother (through Sochea) and points to her house and says that is where she lives. This is only 7 kilometers from Sen Monorom (about 4.2 miles) but without a vehicle/moto going to high school from here is not possible.  We ride around more of the village and see more homes, farms, and the community lake. We then return to Sochea's house where he changes into nicer clothes before we head to the party.


     We arrive at the house warming party around 630pm. Seems it's common for Bunong to throw a big party when they move into a new home. They invite just about everyone in the village to attend. The catch is the participants are suppose to give money to the new home owners as a gift - so poorer Bunong won't attend the party because they don't have the money to give as a gift. Sochea tells me he normally wouldn't attend but thought I may enjoy it so that is why he is going - for my benefit.
The party is held in a giant tent next to the new house. There are about 15 tables set up and a huge sound system playing loud music. They have people catering the party and the food is excellent. Sochea and I sit down at a table with 4 women and 4 men ( I gather these are the men's wives but they are all together on the other side of the table from us and don't really talk to any of the men all night). The men seem fascinated that I am there (I am the only Westerner at the party) and Sochea must constantly explain to people who I am and why I am there (he got permission for me to attend). The men seem to enjoy trying to get me drunk. Raising their glasses they say "cha moi" which means cheers and then take a swig. They will do this whenever someone takes a sip of beer which can mean 10 times  of "cha moi"per beer. They are not big drinkers so when someone signals they want me to finish my glass of beer I oblige and finish it in one gulp - they look shocked and do their best to finish theirs. I see again that Cambodians in general are not big drinkers and after 2 - 3 of these weak beers they are drunk. Actually after a few beers some of the guys start breaking out dance moves which is funny to watch. Guys dance with guys and girls dance with girls - no dancing with people of the opposite sex here.


     The caterers bring out plates of food that look great. One appears to be squid with rice and vegetables, another BBQ buffalo and a third baked buffalo with veggies and rice. To be honest, the squid dish is one of the best dished I have had here in Cambodia - I ask if they have a restaurant but Sochea doesn't understand my question. The waitstaff is dressed up - the girl who brings rice to the table looks like a princess with a beautiful brown dress and her hair done up in curls (nobody here in Sen Monorom puts their hair in curls - everyone just wears it straight). There are also young children who are going around picking up the beer cans and garbage - as the Cambodian way goes - you simply throw your empty cans or trash on the ground or under the table when you are finished. These kids will then wander around and pick up the trash. The other thing is you sit at whatever table you want, but your table will not be served food until all the seats are filled. Once your table is done eating and people start to leave the wait staff goes over and clears the table then physically removes it from the tent!


     After many beers (Cambodia beer and Black Cat) and some great food I watch as a few of the men and the father of the new house dance in the middle of the room. Sochea introduces me to the local traditional healer and is wife - he is an old man of maybe 60 - 70, and practices animism and prescribes local herbs to people with health issues. Seems many of the Bunong don't use modern medicine but actually go to traditional healers who use plants, roots, etc. to heal many ailments. Sochea says it is good for minor ailments but he recommends if you get malaria or something serious to go to the hospital - I would agree with him.

     About 830pm we decide it is time to go. Heng's husband (Heng is away translating for the week) tries to convince me to stay until midnight and drink with him and his friends but I know Sochea still has to drive me home so I decline. We go and say goodbye to the host family. I have given them a calendar with pictures of animals as a small house warming gift. The father seemed shocked to receive a gift since money is all anyone usually gives. Sochea also gives his an envelope with our money in it (I gave $6 - Sochea said that was an acceptable amount, not sure what he gave). I ask if I can take a picture of the family on this special occasion. The father is more than proud to be in the photo, the mother not so much. The oldest daughter, who looks to be about 18, is all dressed up in a formal dress while the other family members are dressed up but not to that extent. The family poses for a photo. The father also wants a photo of him and his wife so I gladly take another. I thought he would request copies from Sochea but he didn't. He just seemed genuinely happy I had come to their party.


     We drive back to Sochea's house and a relative is holding his oldest daughter who won't go to bed and wants her father to bring her to the party to dance. Sochea says maybe after he drops me off he bring her. She accepts that answer and we drive towards Sen Monorom.


     As we drive along the dusty dirt roads with only a headlight to see by Sochea says he thinks he is a little drunk. Really? 5 glasses of beer in 2 hours (probably about 2.5 cans in total) - seems hard to believe. I ask him if he wants to pull over and rest for a while. He says he is ok if he uses both hands to steer the moto. Hello - I thought that is what you are always suppose to do!?! After the 20 minute drive we arrive at the guest house and I say goodnight. Sochea will call me 20 minutes later and say he got home safely. He also tells me a relative brought his daughter to the party for a few minutes so she could look around and dance a little.


     I plan on bringing my camera memory card to a photo shop and getting the pictures developed of the host family. Then I will have Sochea bring the pictures to the family  - seems in many of the villages most people don't have cameras to take pictures of important events.


 Overall it was a very good day.