Epilogue

It's been 4.5 months since the day we left Chi-Phat.
132 days since we marched down the village's only road, as every delegation did before us - but for the very last time. Everyone was crying and non of us wanted to be the first one to step his foot on the slow wooden-boat that was set to take us all away for good. Heart-breaking is not a a a strong-enough-word to describe...

Since then - we all had traveled half the world or so and had powerful experiences, we all got back home, and most of us even got a job by now :) A lot had happened since, but still - when we met for the first time in Israel - the conversation naturally tended to the subject of Chi-Phat.

Now I want to re-raise a question that I asked in my first blog, some 7 months ago.
I wondered whether it's good that an NGO is coming down on such a remote community in the middle of the jungle, teaching them English, exposing them to computers, and asking them to take part in the only alternative they had ever had for their regular daily life? wouldn't it spoil something of the uniqueness of those people?

Since Cambodia was the first Asian country I visited, only after traveling in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Nepal I could see that everywhere around Asia everyone are trying to westernize their way of living.
The style of music and the combination with English words in their songs and even in the Language.
The passion for the holy triad: cellphone-TV-computer, exists even in the poorest villages.
A way of dressing that totally contradicts the modest traditional dressing.

Once you have seen a different way of living you cannot avoid COMPARISON to it.
Once you have seen an alternative for your way of living - you might like or not like it.
You might want to change your life in some ways to be "like the other". and you know...the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

So after playing the anthropologist I would just say that it doesn't matter.
Westernization is inevitable and "locals" cannot, and won't, ignore it.

Chi-Phat had televisions and cellphones before we came. they knew computers exist.
So yes - we have sinned for teaching some of them how to use the internet (and even noticed that the village's genius Googled the word F***), and we have sinned for exciting them to join us in our activities, and we had definitely sinned for teaching them another language and exposing them to different manners of behavior, teaching them how to teach younger kids and so and so...
We changed something in the way of living of some people in the village, but we gave them a whole year of fun and experiences, and by the way we strengthened their friendships . that's all.

We offered an alternative. Some decided to join and some did not.
But if you had only seen the smiles on the faces of those who did...

So now we are all here, feeling proud for them, for our\their community center is full with learning, friendship and laughter. But there's a hole. The same hole that they have back there.
We learned different manners, different language and songs, and ate new foods.
They also gave us an alternative, and we decided to join...

Our beloved friends in Chi-Phat! we think about you every day and miss you very much...