From 1975-1979 many people in Cambodia suffered and died during the Pol Pot Regime. Cambodian people died from starvation and many people were brutally killed. This recent example of killing is very disturbing for all of us. This is the first time we have been so close to such sadness. We read some essays from a book called “Children of Cambodia’s Killing Field”. A 14 year old boy writes in his essay:
“My favorite sister, Sinuoen, continued to get weaker and weaker. Her skin was sticking to her bones, and she had lost her long black hair. I think this was the hardest time of all for me. It was my responsibility as the oldest male to protect my sister. My mother would be counting on me. But there was nothing I could do. And one day, as we sat together in the hut, Sinuoen put her head on my lap and said, “Kimny, I don’t know if I can live any longer. Can I have a spoon of rice?
My heart was breaking. It was such a little thing she asked. But we had no rice. I got up and brought her our last cup of water. She looked into my face for a moment, and then she sipped the water. She put her head down on my lap. And then she died.”
Our takeaway from this part of our trip is simply how lucky we are to live in a free country. We realize the contrast between our lives and the lives of the many people who suffered in Cambodia during The Khmer Rouge Regime. We will never eat a grain of rice without thinking about Kimny and his sister Sinuoen.
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