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| Other countries zaghareet visited in Cambodia |
| Cambodia (1) |
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| I went on a trip from Egypt to Thailand to Cambodia. All was interesting, but the most disturbing was the Cambodia portion. We went to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor Wat and other surrounding areas. It was fabulous, particularly since SARS has kept tourists away. We had the place all to ourselves. We stayed at Hanuman Guest House, which is the way to go for a low cost cultural experience. In addition to the temples, we also stopped by one of the killing fields there. The stupa was filled with bones from the unearthed. Such a tragic sight. Everywhere in the marketplace were amputees blown up by the mines. Children played in the dirt or hawked trinkets to tourists instead of studying in school. Prostitutes were also rampant- all signs of a poverty stricken society. Our tour guide told us that children couldn't afford to be in school. Although it only cost around $5 per month for tuition, the average Joe only makes $20 per month. An educated person might make $30. In addition to tuition, children need books and an uniform. So, it is very expensive. I read about the high HIV death rate due to such a high number of prostitutes. I asked about orphans. He said that some are taken in by the monasteries and educated. The healthy ones are taken to orphanages and get adopted. Most however are not healthy, so they don't make it. Because Cambodia is filled with corrupt people and the demand for babies is so high, people will often steal babies that are not orphans and sell them into the black market. I was told that few healthy babies are true orphans. When we got to Phnom Pehn, you could see a marked difference in the standard of living. There were actually chunky people there. Still those living in poverty were just as bad as those in Siem Reap- some were worse. I saw more prostitutes hanging off balconies. I found out that it's so poor there that families will basically give their daugthers to flesh traders to avoid having to feed her or provide for a dowry. She works because she has to. She may send her parents home money so that the family can eat. I went to Cambodia on a spiritual journey. It touched my soul in a way that I could never have anticipated. Now I have a longing to help these people in any way I can. i've researched charities and am going to be doing a fundraiser myself for Magic of Cambodia and Save 3 Lives. Magic of Cambodia educates young girls to give them a chance to avoid prostitution and have a marketable skill. Save 3 lives provides mosquito nets for families to keep them safe from the deadly malaria. When people ask me if it was fun, I have to answer no. It wasn't fun seeing the death and destruction that civil war wrought. People with blown off limbs, towers of skulls of the dead, and children playing in the dirt is not my idea of fun. But it was like driving past a car wreck. You can't help but look. You are haunted by the images of what you saw. And hopefully, when it is all over, you are left with the desire to do something to help. | ||||||||||||
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