Can you believe I am in Cambodia now? I certainly can't, or am struggling to, even though we were hit right in the face with Phnom Penh (pronounced Pnom Pen) yesterday when we arrived mid-afternoon. My good friend Kusuma and I ran to the nearest ATM which was located oh so conveniently inside of a McDonalds type restaurant. What did I find? Oh all the prices in Cambodia are in American currency. ALL. And the prices here are much more similar to home than anywhere else we've been. Perhaps a good reality check for what I'm about to go home to. We also went into a supermarket (a first since I left) and wandered around to see the goods to buy. Turns out there is a LARGE ex-pat population here, and also a significant amount of NGO workers. It's bizarre. Large white men driving around on motor scooters...
We went on a long cyclo tour, then landed at a café to watch a film called Cambodia: The Final Domino or something like that. It was pretty interesting, and in an attempt to not get too political on my blog, let’s just say it recognized the US involvement in the “Secret War” and our support of Pol Pot. Interesting indeed. A wise woman told me, “Colleen, here’s what you need to always remember about history: Who told the story? When was the story told? You never know the whole story!” Thanks Lisa!
This morning we woke early to drive out to Tuol Sleng and to Choeung Ek. Tuol Sleng was a high school in Cambodia that was changed into a Security Prison where 17,000 people were detained and tortured before being taken out to Choeung Ek (or a killing field). They have both been turned in to museums/monuments recognizing the atrocities that occurred here. From 1975 (April 17th actually) to 1979 1 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge, and 2 million died due to starvation and other illnesses. I highly recommend reading “First They Killed My Father.” Informative memoir about growing up during this time period. The part that was actually the hardest for me (besides seeing skulls and bones everywhere at the killing field) was our tour guide. He was born in 1968 and essentially grew up during this horrible period in Cambodian history. Two of his siblings died, his aunt and uncle, and grandmother! Blah. Buddhist people have a hard time talking about atrocities, and so Rieth spoke with a smile on his face… it was so strange. To be completely honest, I don’t think I have the capacity to understand what has happened here.
Tomorrow we fly to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat! I am beyond excited!!!! It’s pouring rain here now, and we are off to a huge family style dinner out in the Cambodian countryside at one of Adam’s (tour leader) friend’s houses. Should be fun!
2 comments:
It's hard to know whether it would have been better to reverse the order of your trip or to have done it as planned. Thailand and Laos were clearly quite different from Vietnam.
You must never have seen "The Killing Fields", a movie about Choeung Ek (or a similar place). Many feel that what happened was a direct result of America's immediate military withdrawl from Vietnam. This is what causes many people to be wary about a sudden/total pull-out in Iraq.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I look forward to hearing more soon. I love you.
colleen, my dear, you continue to fascinate me with your vivid and emotionally charged descriptions. i feel like you are describing an entirely different universe, which i guess, to my mind, you really are! i wonder how motivated you will be to come back and read/learn about asian history. perhaps it is also better that you did not do too much preparatory reading...if you had too many personal anecdotes floating around in your head while looking at these sites, i am sure you would be even more overwhelmed. still, i don't think it takes much to tap into the significance of these places...oh colleen, you are experiencing so much. every future student and friend will learn greater things from you. you have seen a world that most westerners don't even want to imagine. i love you and i can't wait to see you, best friend!! xoxox
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