Pursat, the home of....

...well I am still trying to figure that out I'm afraid. So far all I've really seen is the inside of my hotel room and a few choice places around town. Oh yeah, and the school. But first things first.

It took us about 6 hours to arrive in Pursat, including a lunch stop in Battambang. It's very hot here. Please remember that as you read the rest of this. It is also absolutely gorgeous. Not in a postcard perfect kinda way, but in an untapped potential kinda way.

I met my tour guide, who is a student and works for the NGO(Non-Governmental-Organization) The Cambodian Rural School Project, which is the middle man between the donors and the schools. After a quick tour around the town and dinner, I was sent to my room, around 8pm. Not cool.

Quick background for those of you not following the story from the beginning. I decided to go to South East Asia(specifically Thailand and Vietnam) to have a break from life, to volunteer, to give back etc. Then, since I am such a good geography teacher, I looked at a map and saw that Cambodia is right smack in the middle of those two countries. Cambodia is also the location of a school that my dad's cousins had created in their name to boost the education system. I told my uncle of my travels and he insisted I go visit. I expected him to suggest I visit, but I did not expect him to pay for the trip himself or to have me also visit Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh as well. So my uncle, with the help of his son and a Cambodian travel agency created a 5 day itenerary(full of English speaking drivers, personal tour guides and 5 star hotels), so I could experience Cambodian history, culture, and take a gander at the school. The school has relevance, because of Cambodian's recent history. The Khmer Rouge, led my Marxist inspired Pol Pot took control of the Cambodian government in 1975 and led the most brutal, vicious and successful genocide any country has ever seen. Not in scope, but in success, his tactics were even greater then Adolf Hitler. He was even more successful, because Vietnam was the only country aware of the brutality occuring. Unfortunately for the Cambodians, they were involved in their own dispute(the Vietnam War) and could not give them their full attention. The UN was detrimental to the situation, as it did not do its research properly and gave the Khmer Rouge a seat on the security council, which it retained until the mid 90s. The Khmer Rouge, in an effort to maintain power, ripped families apart, and insisted they all work in labor camps. They attempted to brainwash the children, and use them as spies against their "treasonous" parents and families. They even changed the meaning of the word family, to simply mean spouce. They destroyed the education system, using many of them as killing fields(think concentration camps). By the end of their vicious dicatorship, the entire country was home to one highschool and not a single University. So in an effort to help, in 2003, a school was erected in my families honor. Now on with the story...

I went downstairs around 9am to eat breakfast and we were off to the school. After traveling about 25 minutes, past the city, through the town, around the village and down a red dirt road, we finally arrived.

We were greeted by the principal. We were told that there was a school break, from April 5th-April 20th, but most of the students had not returned from break. There are about 250 students at the school. I saw around 30. They were with the school's sole English and Computer teacher. When I tried to converse with him, anything past how are you? he looked at me as if I had three heads. The classroom had a single computer in it, where one student was learning how to type properly. The rest of the students were following the directions of the teacher. When I arrived chaos ensued. Well, really it didn't, but class was essentially over for the afternoon. I was given a brief tour and history of the school. I was shown the old school house, which unlike this one made of cement, the old school house was made of wood(and termites are a big issue here). They have one solar panel giving them limited electricity, and have no running water. They have a "clinic"on property which as some nurses, but no doctors. This clinic serves the entire village. There is another school, a secondary school being built which is funded by a Japanese donor. I then was able to give out the school supplies that I had bought them. I bought enough notebooks, and pencils for each student to have one. I asked if there was anything more that I could do, especially with textbooks, but the guide insisted that was fine. The history teacher in me, thought I needed to give them something educational, so I also bought a globe. We took a few pictures, then the kids scurried off home for lunch. We left shortly after, as there was not much else to do.

I have spent most of the rest of the afternoon, except meal times in my room, because its the only place that has a strong enough fan(there is A/C, but I haven't felt the affects of it yet!) for me to cool down. While its not as hot as Thailand was, I had gotten used to the heat. I have been in A/C for the past 3 days, and before that was in Vietnam which was more then 10 degrees colder, with a breeze, so I simply cannot take the heat.

Now, I'm here. I've been talking alot with the tour guide and driver, and they keep mentioning(although not in a pity me way) how they are a "poor" country, a developing country. I see a myself in a small city/town, with all the benefits of "industrialization" and none of the drawbacks. They all have basic infrastructure, most own cell phones(most of them better then mine!!!), many have cars/motorbikes, most houses(especially in the center) have TV's, they have access to computers and internet, they all have shelter, clothing and food. I don't see this as a poor country. I really don't. They are not lacking in medical supplies(although their dental program could use a little work...) or government programs. Even in the country, they have everything that they need, and many luxuries as well. The only thing missing is some sky scrapers, big business and maybe some more air conditioning. They are made to believe that they are poor because they aren't swimming in money. But what does money bring? Money separates families, creates foes of friends, and fuels individualism. Here, 20 people ride on the same truck to get from one place to the other, and don't mind it at all. Everyone knows everyone's name and they all work together. They don't see each other comepting for jobs, for land, or for wealth, they are all in it together. I think we should be learning from them, not the other way around!

Yes, some may call me an idealist who romanticizes "primitive" cultures into idyllic places, but if I could live in a town like this, with all of my family and friends around(who speak my language fluently!!!!), without the desire for wealth and land, and could simply be happy now instead of ensuring a financially secure "later" I would do it in a heartbeat!! Although I would request airconditioning in the deal!