I'm not really sure when I will leave Cambodia. Bill will probably have to stay through March and truthfully I'm afraid to leave for a number of reasons. One is that I still worry about his health and the second is I worry the times I don't go with him on the scooter that he will get in an accident (or mugged) and be left for dead (when he leaves the apartment). After prayer 😇 each morning I make him text me each time he arrives at one place and then again when he leaves that place then text when he arrives at the next place, over and over again, etc., this goes on like this all day long 🙄. He is very good at doing this as he knows how worried I get and stay worried all day [but the alternative is me going with him and sitting around at meetings and stores!😨 ]. I do need to get home to the US but I don't want to leave him here without me (or without Kenny here). There was a little gal here that got dragged off her bicycle (late at night) cuz 2 guys were grabbing (stealing) her purse < I use a backpack or pockets for my stuff so I'm safe (hopefully). It really is a safe country but there are still some not so nice people around. Anyhooooo . . . needless to say I worry and my imagination goes wild!
Last week we had an unreal experience (truly one of the worst in my whole entire life). A cute couple (our age) from Idaho we're visiting their family here in Cambodia and wanted to go see the farm. Bill and I got a TukTuk and picked the couple up and headed out to the Farm. We had only gone a few blocks when we needed to pull over so the husband, Bart, could jump out and throw up a little. Bart had gotten food poison the night before and his stomach was still a little queasy.
We stopped and got him some Ciprofloxacin and the pharmacist also gave us this liquid calcium/vitamin mixture that was supposed to coat the stomach. Bart only drank a tiny bit of the mixture and then took the Cipro (he was supposed to wait 15 minutes after the mixture [but didn't] 🤔).
As we traveled out to the farm (it takes about 30-45 minutes to get there) we had an enjoyable time talking, visiting and sharing stories - we really got along well with both of them (which is always rare to find couples that you both like 😜)!
As we got closer to the Farm (crossing over the Mekong bridge), I was telling a story and Bart kind of started having a goofy looking smile on his face (like a drunk). I asked, "Bart, are you ok?". Then his wife asked the same thing but Bart was unresponsive. Then all of a sudden his head slightly tips over a bit and he passed out. If that wasn't bad enough then a volcanic stream of brown liquid literally spewed out of his mouth and nose like a waterfall. It just shot out like a faucet in the sink pouring down on his lip and chin. TALK ABOUT BEING TOTALLY FREAKED OUT. The poor wife (Joanne) is yelling his name and saying, "Call Collin!!! Call Collin!!! (her son)". She hadn't brought her phone with her and we didn't have Collins phone number so Billy emailed him on his phone.
During this whole time, Billy, who is sitting next to him, is shaking his shoulder and I am trying to find a pulse on his wrist (to no avail) then calling his name and shaking his leg. Joanne is just frantic and screaming his name over and over again and telling him to wake up and we are all just helpless. I am thinking we should continue to the farm (5 minutes away) so that we can get help and a car (and people that speak Khmer and English) and take him to a hospital or doctor.
This carry's on for about 2 minutes - I know this seems like a short amount of time but it felt like 20 minutes, especially when I thought this person was going to die right in front us. So after this short (long) time all of a sudden Bart just snaps out of it and wakes up. He was a little disorientated and realizes he has thrown up on his shirt - only liquid but about a gallons worth. Needless to say, we were all sooooooooo relieved. Joanne slowly helps him get out of the TukTuk and goes to the rail (looking out at the river) and rest (and spits).
When he got back in the TukTuk his lips were a little blue. We tried to get him to take deep breaths and sip on water. We took him to the Farm and him and Joanne rinsed out his shirt and we put him back in the TukTuk and showed Joanne the readers digest version of the farm. Then we took off and went back home. He was a bit better and the color came back into his lips by the time we got home. I was worried and kept checking him the whole way home afraid he would have another "episode" before we got there.
He is all is better now! But - OH MY GOODNESS - we were totally powerless that whole time - TOTALLY. There was absolutely nothing we could have done had he not snapped out of it and being in Cambodia we didn't have access to . . . anything (besides prayer/blessing). We were in Ta Kmau (province of Kandal), which is only 7 miles from Phnom Phen but it is rural and takes a half hour (or longer) to get here from anywhere - traffic bumper to bumper! We had no idea where a doctor could have been found let alone a hospital and we couldn't have even called an ambulance. It scared me to death. I thought I was going to witness a death.
Pictures of them (not of the incident 🙄)!!
https://jamie5663.blogspot.com/2017/02/soul-sister.html
Soooooo you can see my hesitation leaving Bill here without me in March. If there ever was an accident or emergency he would just die on the side of the road (and if I stay, I'd at least be close by 😌 ). Like I mentioned, each time he goes out on his Moto without me I am on pins and needles until he texts me when he arrives and then after he tells me he's leaving I wait impatiently until he texts again to let me know (just a little psycho)!
Once Kenny gets here I'll leave but we're not sure when that will be. I think I'll fly into Marcie's to help them before the baptism (April 8th) for a week then on to StG. I just found out that Robbie wants to bless his daughter so we might end up flying to SLC then flying to CA then back to SLC.
I need to get home to clear out the St George house and make a bunch of trips up to Alpine to unload, sort and organize and pack the bottom garage at the Alpine house. The packing out and unloading is going to be a nightmare and the time is ticking.
P.S. Joanne is Kristine Jenson's (close) COUSIN!
Collin and Rosemay are Kenny and Lindsay's good friends.
