Rainbow Aura of Cambodia
Photo © by Bruce Sharp, 1991 bsharp@aol.com
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Through my experience, life in Cambodia was not easy. I was brought up in the country side. I never had any toys to play with. Instead, I ran around and played w/ kids my age which I supposed had enhanced my communication skills. When I was old enough for first grade, Cambodia turned into a battle zone--where no where could be considered home. For years, my parents had to convince me that the terror was real. From a very young age, I learned to care for my families and run hard for our lives. My family, like many families, kept as close to each other as possible and we ate all the little things that we could get our hands on. Nothing else matters because that was all we got. Our journey among thousands of families were hard, exhausting and dangerous. All the belongings disappeared, either we traded among others to get food, or we lost it because we had to leave it behind. My family and I journeyed from place to place until we got caught. There were some calm moments; during that time, my dad and other men were forced to work in a factory cafeteria. They had to serve all the KR and all the civilians who went to collect their one meal a day. I had visited him a few times when my grandmother sent me to collect our share. The cafeteria was two to three miles away and I walked on bear foot. Whether it was on a sunny day or a rainy one, off I went. Some days, when they didn't have any rice or meat, they gave me a bag of salt. Many nights passed where my family and I cuddled up close and tried to sleep. We would hear foot steps about our place, someone would be taken away and never come back. For several months, we were captivated like animals. Life was a nightmare. Finally, one night, we broke free and joined many other fugitives. During our travel, my younger brother got really sick and he passed away. He contracted the small pox and it got worse from our malnutrition state which took him to his grave. As we travelled with other people, we all agreed to hop on different buses which had claimed to take us to the US. After a few hours ride, all the buses drove into a forest in the Dankret Mt. and they dropped us off at the bottom of the mountain. We asked where should we go, the tour guide would tell us to go straight and point the people toward the middle, bottom of the mountain. From there, our lives were up to Fate. Some people walked on mines that were hidden underground; many got shot as they tried to climb up the mountain. It was the only way out. There were so many soldiers with rifles and machine guns targeting at us from every direction. It was impossible to imagine any way out. Many crippled and wounded people were left behind as their love ones ran off. It was a place where survival was made for the fittest. Through it all, my family kept an eye on one another and as Fate allowed, we were lucky to stay alive. When we emerged from this deadly mountain trap, we went back to our old home and found everything all torn to pieces as a ghost town. From there, we traveled into Thailand's border and stayed at the refugee's camp for a few months and moved on to another. Then,we were sponsored into the United States. By this time, I had reached my adolescence age. We owed thanks to the Vietnamese soldiers who had risk their lives in order to get us out of the Dankret Mts. Even though we have our difference-- due to our ancestors ignorances and power battles--I still hope that Vietnamese, Thailand and Cambodia--can one day be friends. No dominance intention, but just friendship. The world would be a better place if we're all friends. As the saying goes, 'One branch alone can easily be broken, but many branches together will be much, much stronger.' Now, since I've been living in the US for more than half of my lifetime, I have learned to understand a great deal through my education and experiences. Life wouldn't be a life without a struggle--just some are harder than others. It's just the way life goes. Depending on one's determination and actions, one can overcome all that or at least given credit for trying. I always believe, one can make a difference, at least for him/herself. As I made friends with other Cambodians in the US and listen to my family's experiences and many others. I wanted very much to help Cambodia. Cambodia is apart of me and in spite of this, I tend to do lots of research on it. This is how I came about the idea of creating a homepage regarding Cambodia. Thanks for reading. Best wishes be with you, Kady |
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