No doubt that Cambodia is a poor country. After years of war and the four tragic years under the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot’s leadership which killed estimated 2 million people, Cambodia which was once an artistic and religious power, is now in the process of rebuilding.
Riding on the back of the tuk tuk, I was going to the River Tonle Sap. I have been visiting all the temples in Angkor Wat for the past 3 days. I needed some changes.
On the way to the Tonle Sap river, my tuk tuk stopped for gas. I noticed a military SUV with a pair of loud speakers mounted on the top. There were some announcement came from the speakers.
“What are they saying?” I pointed to the SUV and asked the tuk tuk driver.
“Oh, they are getting these kids to go to school to study at night.”
“But today is Saturday and it is a weekend.”
“That is why they are only going to school at night and have the day off to help with the family business.”
Cambodia needs a lot of foreign investment. However, most of those are concentrated in the tourism industry. Cambodia needs to build its infrastructure such as roads, telecommunication, and most important of all, Cambodian kids need education.
On the tour boat at the Tonle Sap river, I had a few kids following my boat. They put up a victory sign and said: “Good Luck. Mister. One dollar .“
I handed out a few one dollar bills to them. “Go to get a book with the money.”
“Good Luck. Mister. One dollar .“
Study in Angkor Wat
Study in Angkor Wat
Classroom right in front of the ruins in Angkor Wat
Classroom right in front of the ruins in Angkor Wat
I want to go to Harvard
