Cambodia Travelogue - Afterword
August 27th, 2006 by Sarin
In using this space for closing notes and thank yous, I would like to thank many people who have made this trip a reality and a once in a lifetime experience. First, I would like to thank my friends in Cape Verde, the Peace Corps volunteers and locals alike who understood my intents on leaving the Peace Corps early. It was a decision that affected many things and maybe it was selfish on my part, but as one volunteer reminded that while many volunteers join the Peace Corps go to escape, they realize they left many problems behind. Hence in my part, the time was doing more harm than good. A big thank you to my host country friends, who quickly interjected to make sure that I go learn about my family and me before anything. Life is short, and the few months I gave them they were more than gracious enough to have. They probably will never read this, but they knew I was very thankful for the time they gave me and was relieved that me leaving was going to be worthwhile. On a side note, I did feel that once I came back home, I felt that I should return to Cape Verde, to finish the job I had just left.
Many thanks to my mom for taking me into a step back into time. To visit the house where she was born and raised seems so surreal to me. My aunts still there, living the same life, generations old, giving me a true rough traveling experience, that no tourist could ever have. Seeing my cousins, so happy to see me without ever knowing me, I enjoyed their company showing me around. Big thanks to Bunthok, who I spent the most time with, teaching me more about Cambodia than anyone else, and helping me understand east and west. His presence, my right hand man, without him I would have been confused more than ever. And thanks to all in Cambodia who welcomed me as I never left.
In indirect thanks, the people of Cambodia have come a long way since the horrors of 40 years ago. As the country is opening up to more and more foreigners, it is important that they keep up with this growth to reverse the slump of years past. Tourists, who may not have come 5 years ago, are coming in record numbers, I myself included. Thanks to all for keeping the peace and keeping the progression forward. While Cambodia is not entirely free of landmines, their presence has been decreased dramatically and the infrastructure is rebuilding itself today. Do not be afraid tourists, do not worry about landmines, but get here before everybody else does. Also Cambodia, expect Peace Corps in service, next year.
Some people have asked me how I came to this country, and if my visit to Cambodia helped tie up any loose ends. Well, I’d like to close this out with what I got out of my conversations with my mom, once I got the whole gist of the Khmer Rouge story.
My mom was forced to labor under the Khmer Rouge regime. At this time, she was single, and my cousin Bunthok, was just a baby. After some organizing in Phnom Penh, right after Year Zero, she was sent to work building the runway in Kompong Chhnang (every single man and woman were forced into labor). After the 1979 intervention by the Vietnamese, in a period of anarchy, while some chose to return to their homes, several thousands fled Cambodia, fed up with the country, marched to neighboring Thailand. After a week of diet of water and berries, thousands crossed the border into Thailand in the province of Trat. The Siam were very uninviting at first, but the United States had quickly set up a refugee camp right at the border.
In a radius of about 3 miles, refugee Cambodians lived a life to themselves away from Cambodia and with some help from Thai natives. My mother, a tailor teacher was given an income of less than a dollar a day. For months she had smuggled a Swiss Rado watch from Cambodia and quickly sold it in Thailand for extra income. She claimed it was enough for her to buy an extra meal for herself in the duration of her stay.
A little after this time, the United States began accepting refugees to be immigrants in the states. Specifically, families with kids. During this time, my father was a primary school teacher, and it wasn’t long before he met my mom and knew it was a good idea to set up a family to be accepted to immigrate to the Unites States. My brother, born in 1980, me in 1983. Not too long after I was born, the United States had accepted my parents wish to immigrate and we were in the next in line to be sent to the states. After 3 months in the Philippines to learn English and time for the US to prepare our logistics, the US set us up, along with hundreds more refugees, a place to stay in South Providence. Our refugee status gave us one year of rent and welfare status for the first year of our stay. Since many Cambodians were centralized in one area, a local temple was constructed and a new home away from home was set up.
In the end, my family quickly worked up the ranks, and was stable enough to leave South Providence in 1992. Since then I have resided in Cranston, the border town, where my parents still live now. My parents have returned to Cambodia once before I made the trip in 2006, with the only difference that in my trip, I had never been to Cambodia before, ever. All is well, in the family, myself, and the country that is ours. Just like Angkor Wat, it will forever stand tall.
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This has nothing to do with your post, but I was checking out your links, and was hoodwinked into clicking on the one reviewing your new Starbucks coffee fave–ouch! Stay away from the conservative blogs! “Plus, you don’t need to be multilingual to order anything; or have some illegal immigrant put 5 gallons of cream and 17 tablespoons of sugar in your coffee.” I can’t read stuff like that before noon, man…. Anyway, when are you going to start posting again?? I’m sure you have SOMETHING to say…