Country of Contrasts

Of the many destinations on our itinerary, Cambodia was the one that I was both least unsure of and the one that I was most excited about. Throughout our stays in Singapore and Thailand, many of us responded to the (minor) lack of creature comforts by comparing what we had to deal with at the time to what we expected to deal with in Cambodia. Expectations turned into reality when we left Bangkok on June 10. As we approached Phnom Penh International Airport aboard Air Asia, we eagerly looked out our windows to catch our first glimpses of a World Bank-designated Least Developed Country (LDC) - the poorest of the poor nations. It was through those windows that we saw the first of what would develop into a reoccurring theme: Cambodia is a country of contrasts. In the midst of rice paddies and poorly constructed shelters stood large, multistory homes that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. Next to open, undeveloped plains towered modern office buildings and next to an international airport lied what appeared to be unattended swamps.

Once we landed on the ground, the contrasts continued. Walking along Sisowath Quay in search for dinner, we witnessed a growing and even booming city. Mopeds flew by at literally every angle possible, attractive restaurants lined the streets, and container ships plowed through the branches of the Mekong River. Yet as we sat down for dinner, we were approached by children no older than ten years of age begging to sell us books so that they can help to pay for their education. While it is unlikely that education was the final destination of any money that they earned (we discovered that apparently all little children selling books in Phnom Penh have a teacher who goes by the name of Popi), conversing with the children enlightened us to their financial struggles. The children's English was spot on (better than most Cambodian adults - indicating to me that Cambodia's education system (home or in school) was gearing up for global trade) and their sales capabilities were remarkable. Still, it was hard to not be discomforted by the fact that even in a bustling city with great potential (the average GDP growth of the Cambodian economy since 2000 years has been 6%), children still beg you to buy their books or little trinkets they've made at home.

For me, the core of the contrasts hit when we toured the Killing Fields and S-21. The latter of the two was a detention center used by the Khmer Rouge to torture and kill the enemies of Pol Pot and the "new" Cambodia. The Killing Fields is what resulted when S-21 fell behind the pace of the genocide. Without going into too much detail, the pain that Cambodia had gone through (beginning only 36 years ago) became immediately clear when we found ourselves staring into a glass cabinet filled with skulls belonging to men, women, and children who did not survive the Khmer Rouge. Walking through Phnom Penh, one could see that in some ways, Cambodia has moved on - its industry is flourishing and its growth rates are decreasing, but in others, the nation has not. This was made apparent to me when a Khmer woman (not to be mistaken for a proponent of the Khmer Rouge) who was holding hands with her children, burst into tears in front of a case of bones and clothes belonging to the victims of the genocide. It's clear that the wounds are too fresh to be forgotten. Aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers are still sorely missed. Yet only a few miles from the Killing Fields, merchants clamor in large markets and tuk-tuks swarm the streets searching for tourists.

Now that we are in Siem Reap, more contrasts have appeared. Grand hotels with flags from nearly every country adorn the roads and large supermarkets loom over the traffic, but only a few minutes from the touristy area exists severe poverty, a poverty that is hidden by smiling faces and enthusiastic hellos. Similarly, the temple remains of what was once a great empire of extensive regional influence puncture the skyline of what is now one of the least influential and most easily forgotten nations. Perhaps these contradictions are only growing pains that will fade as the Cambodia is integrated in the global market, or perhaps these contradictions are the fissions in the national foundation that will persistently prevent Cambodia from once again taking its place as a regional power. As the recent economic crisis has thrust forward many countries of the developing world, the answer to the above question may arise sooner than we expected.