After more than a month in our charming little village, we had a new destination: Phnom Phen. we went to the big city for two reasons: a. we needed the big city, b. the big city needed us.
As for us needing the city, well you can guess what that's all about - we love our village dearly, but the idea of a vacation in a place with running water and electricity, with the opportunity to eat western food - all this was just too much to refuse.
As far as the city needing us - and it is written more for the sake of the word-game than anything else - we had an opportunity to take part in a good deed organized by the Israeli Embassy, so it was natural that we would jump on... On the Occasion of the Israeli 61st Independence Day, the embassy has decided to side track from the usual champagne drinking sort of events, and tried to do something different: they have adopted a center for street children in Phnom Phen. The center is one of several operated by the very impressive Krousar Thmey organization. The embassy wanted to make the center more "homey", and so decided to donate a play ground for the children. We couldn't resist the opportunity to spread our love for Cambodia outside of Chi-Phat, so we joined by donating a new and very fancy door to the center, and working for to days on painting the walls of the center in cheery colors.
The ceremony at the end of our work was very impressive, and the children loved what we have done. you can read more about it here.
But Phnom Phen also gave us an opportunity to see a side of Cambodia that we have only just heard about so far. It is a Cambodia of hardship and pain. To start with, of course there were all the street children that we were working with, each with their own hard story, stories that we do not know, but can imagine. And then there were the times we were trying to enjoy the city life, but time after time faced the bitter truth of the sex industry. In a painfully "in your face" sort of way, the stories of the sex tourism in this country came to life. In almost every club we have been to you could see young Cambodian women trying to survive, by offering themselves to tourists, and them gladly taking part in this party of employment and degradation.
When we first thought of building this project here in Cambodia, we knew that we wanted to give as many people as we can a chance to escape this fortune. Seeing this grim picture in such vivid colors, reminded us all again that what we do here is more than teaching English and computers. It is trying to give the people of this lovely village an opportunity.
Coming back to the village, with brand new computers and more equipment that we will use to help this happen, gave us a true sensation of coming home. And as you know, there's no place like home.
As for us needing the city, well you can guess what that's all about - we love our village dearly, but the idea of a vacation in a place with running water and electricity, with the opportunity to eat western food - all this was just too much to refuse.
As far as the city needing us - and it is written more for the sake of the word-game than anything else - we had an opportunity to take part in a good deed organized by the Israeli Embassy, so it was natural that we would jump on... On the Occasion of the Israeli 61st Independence Day, the embassy has decided to side track from the usual champagne drinking sort of events, and tried to do something different: they have adopted a center for street children in Phnom Phen. The center is one of several operated by the very impressive Krousar Thmey organization. The embassy wanted to make the center more "homey", and so decided to donate a play ground for the children. We couldn't resist the opportunity to spread our love for Cambodia outside of Chi-Phat, so we joined by donating a new and very fancy door to the center, and working for to days on painting the walls of the center in cheery colors.The ceremony at the end of our work was very impressive, and the children loved what we have done. you can read more about it here.
But Phnom Phen also gave us an opportunity to see a side of Cambodia that we have only just heard about so far. It is a Cambodia of hardship and pain. To start with, of course there were all the street children that we were working with, each with their own hard story, stories that we do not know, but can imagine. And then there were the times we were trying to enjoy the city life, but time after time faced the bitter truth of the sex industry. In a painfully "in your face" sort of way, the stories of the sex tourism in this country came to life. In almost every club we have been to you could see young Cambodian women trying to survive, by offering themselves to tourists, and them gladly taking part in this party of employment and degradation.
When we first thought of building this project here in Cambodia, we knew that we wanted to give as many people as we can a chance to escape this fortune. Seeing this grim picture in such vivid colors, reminded us all again that what we do here is more than teaching English and computers. It is trying to give the people of this lovely village an opportunity.Coming back to the village, with brand new computers and more equipment that we will use to help this happen, gave us a true sensation of coming home. And as you know, there's no place like home.
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