May 28, 2006
A Weekend Full of Fruit
Emma and I just got from our second day-trip travelling to the Kandal Province. It was our first time outside of Phnom Penh so we were really excited to go...even at 7 am in the morning!
DC-Cam set up the whole trip for us. We went in conjunction with a few people who had to go to the provinces to do interviews in the Muslim communities and the DC-Cam film team. The DC-Cam staff was incredibly accomodating and helpful. The whole trip was covered by DC-Cam: the transportation, the food, etc. I heard Youk (the director) joking about how much the DC-Cam team liked to snack on these trips, and he wasn't joking! I ate so many different kinds of fruit this weekend, some I didn't even know! We ate bananas, mangos, jackfruit, pineapple, watermelon, and some green apple-like fruit. Emma and I had a great time getting to know some of the staff better as well.
We picked out a list of former perpetrators and victims in the Kandal province before we left. All we had to do was stop in the village, ask where the people lived, and go to their houses or farms. No appointments or warnings were necessary.
In all the places and houses we visited, no one acted offended or surprised at our visit. The Cambodian people are so welcoming and open. They would run to bring us chairs or mats, and offer us tea and fruit wherever we went (sidenote: I did drink the iced tea offered to me by an old man, because I decided stomach sickness would be better than being rude, sorry mom!)
I was able to interview nine different people over the past two days, using an interpreter from DC-Cam. Emma got some incredible photographs as well. Our project is really coming together, and it's only our second week here!
After talking to the Cambodian peole, the victims and the former Khmer Rouge, I can say that the upcoming trial is incredibly important in Cambodia. Everyone I talked to wanted to see these leaders convicted (although one man, a devout Buddhist, said he didn't want them punished, only forgiven.) Everyone also told me that they thought the Cambodian children should learn about it in school, because they don't understand the scope of the suffering and they need to learn about it in order for it to never happen again.
Tomorrow we are meeting with a Cambodian man who was a victim during the Khmer Rouge. I found him through the guestbook at the Tuol-Sleng (S-21) prison. He wrote a long and interesting comment and left his e-mail address so I e-mailed him and asked if we could interview him. He seems very excited.
Tuesday and Wednesday, Emma and I are tagging along with DC-Cam to a meeting with all the NGOs (international and national) operating in Cambodia. It should be very interesting, as well as a great place to get contacts. We already have appointments to meet with UNHCR, MSF, and CARE so far.
Emma and I are also starting Khmer lessons on Tuesday. Oh! And we moved to John Vink's house on Friday. It is extremely nice, we even have a cook that has her own menu!
So far this trip has been incredible, and I can't even express how grateful I am for this opportunity. I'll keep you updated!
Posted by laraf at 06:55 AM | Comments (0)