Honestly where do I even start. My days in Siem Reap flew by. When I first started I was disorientated and it took some time to find my footing. But over the weeks I came to find myself making a home away from home. I had a favourite breakfast spot where they started making my latte when I walked in the door haha. I perfected maneuvering through traffic on foot or on a bike. I even had a small exercise plan where I would run along the riverside in the "cool" mornings (27 degrees maybe) and wind down my evenings with a yoga class. The hot temperatures became only bearable with multiple showers each day and laying naked in your room trying not to let an inch of your body touch anything else. (True story)
Despite the amazing experience I had and all the wonderful things I did this little town/city masks many of the problems that Cambodia has. Poverty is a large issue with the Siem Reap Province being the 3rd poorest in the country. I found this surprising since it has one of the largest tourist attractions in SE Asia- Angkor Wat. Education is very limited as well since 80% of the population lives in rural areas where resources and communication is very limited.
Domestic violence and sex trafficking is also a dominant issue in this country as well. One evening when I was attempting to find raffle items for my attempted fundraiser I walked into a rather sketchy looking bar. When we left I mentioned that to the other volunteer I was with and she did not see what I had, young Asian women dressed in short skirts, revealing tops and lots of make-up. This is NOT a normal look for the women in Cambodia, it is possible they had been sex workers. Another evening while crossing the bridge to my volunteer house I saw a white older man sitting and talking with a young and beautiful Cambodian girl.... Again it was likely a paid encounter. There were many of these encounters that I witnessed and you would only see if you were aware of the problem. I can never be certain of what really happened between these people and I can only speculate but it is a true and sad reality for many women in this country. With a lack of resources, employment and education in the countryside women seek money in the only ways made available to them. These issues stress why the work of Rachna Satrei is so great and why they are needed. I was very happy to be involved with an organization working towards helping the women of tomorrow to build Cambodia's future.
Cambodia has an extremely rough and tough history behind them which falls in the not so distant past. This country's development and future is dependant on tourism and the garment industry. They currently have a bilateral trade agreement with the US to trade clothes. Cambodia has a chap labour force and an abundance of workers- again many are women and are given poor wages with rough working conditions. The tourism industry is very much dependant on the political climate of the nation which is still uncertain. They are far from democratic though attempts at a multi-party system have been made. From this you can understand the struggles Cambodians live with everyday and the u certainty of their future.
Despite all the sadness, hardship and horror Cambodia has been through they seem to be very positive people and want to look towards their future rather than dwell on the past. This may have added to my over-all experience. They cannot hide the past but they can share their stories whether through words, or by their lack of limbs. (Many war victims would walk the streets in Siem Reap asking for money or for you to buy something since they could not work. They had lost 2-3 limbs during the war.)
Siem Reap was my home for 5 weeks and when it came time to leave i was not ready. As I packed my bag and looked around my temporary home tears filled my eyes. I spent my final evening with staff from my organization where we exchanged gifts, laughs and experienced some LOCAL food- aka food from a table under an umbrella. It was an unforgettable night, where I felt so much love and appreciation.
Will I be so lucky with my time in Vietnam? Time will only tell...
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