Until a few years ago I knew nothing of Cambodia. If you asked me to find the country on a map I may have pointed to the continent of Africa. I would not have been able to tell you that Cambodia rests between Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. I did not know that it is a kingdom with an active king or that the country has existed for around 2000 years. Then I took a Human Geography course. I did not retain details from the history of Cambodia, but two pictures did stick with me. A room filled with skulls and a wall of individual’s pictures; all from victims of the killing fields. Our YWAM contact, Chris, filled in the gaps as he briefed us on the history and culture of Cambodia.
Khmer Rouge Victims
The people of Cambodia, also known as the Khmer, experienced much war from neighboring countries. In 1941 they were colonized by the French until WWII when the Japanese took control only to loose the country to France after the war. In 1954 Cambodia gained freedom from France, but by the early 1960’s Vietnamese troops at war with the US began to move through Cambodia. The US began bombing Vietnamese troops in Cambodia without warning the king. More Khmer civilians were killed in the US bombings than Vietnamese troops. About this time the communist Khmer Rouge started to power. The Khmer people were not happy with Americans so they began joining the Khmer Rouge giving Pol Pot (Khmer Rouge leader) more power.
In 1975 the Khmer Rouge took over the capital city, Phnom Penh. In a single day the entire city, all residents, were evacuated into the country side. After our drive through the city, I cannot imagine such a mass exiting of people. Pol Pot hoped to become the fastest communist agrarian society and in order to achieve his plans he forced all citizens to work in the rice fields. The Khmer Rouge killed doctors, educators, government officials, and religious officials, because they were believed to have been corrupted by Western thinking. Private property and money was illegal. Families were separated and put into camps containing men, women or only children. Work days would last 14 to 16 hours and workers would only be fed a cup of rice a day. During the Khmer Rouge Rule 1/3 of the population of Cambodia died or were killed; 2 million people. The Khmer Rouge tried to invade Vietnam in 1978 and within a month lost power. Vietnam set up a new government, but Khmer Rouge resistance fighters continued to fight and place land mines. The Khmer Rouge finally disbanded in 1998 and in the year 1999 Cambodia experienced peace for the first time in 30 years. Had I grown up in Cambodia I would not have experienced peace until I reached 18 years of age.
Khmer Rouge Party Members
Religion in Cambodia is mainly Buddhism, but it contains traces of Hinduism, Animism and Ancestor worship. They believe everything and everyone has a spirit, including trees, rivers, rocks, etc. They also pray to deceased ancestors.
As a result of Buddhism the head is considered most sacred and the feet the most profane or dirty. We were encouraged not to touch anyone on the head and to be careful about not using our feet to point or move things. “Saving face” is very important to Cambodians so it is important for us not to embarrass or disrespect people. When speaking eye contact shows that the person wants either to fight or romantic attraction, so it is important to look away on occasion. Chris highlighted the fact that Cambodians talk quietly and don’t draw attention to themselves; I should not have any problems there.
Monkey from the Park. Don’t be decieved by the cuteness- they are actually rather aggressive.
This afternoon I went for a walk to the grocery store. The money system is crazy, because the prices are listed in US dollars. The ATM spits out US dollars, but some places only take Cambodian Real. I watched as a woman took a stack of Real out of her purse to pay. She must have put 20 to 30 bills on the counter. I looked at the register to see that her total in US dollars was $2.65. The exchange rate is 4,100 Real to $1 US. It’s going to be fun to convert that ratio in my head. For the first time in over four months we are back to driving on the right side of the road. It seems odd and out of place to see the steering wheel on the left hand side.
