June 2011
7 posts
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And so we part?
I have so much left to tell you about Cambodia and so many pictures left to post, but today is my last day in the country and I’m going to cherish it (also, let’s be real, I’m still finishing my final article).
Tonight I’ll celebrate my almost birthday with my Cambodia crew and by tomorrow, if all transportation and border crossings go according to plan, I’ll be in...
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Tuol Sleng: How can humans do this to one another?
In his eighties, Chum Mey’s eyes are the milky hazel of a man who has seen many things in many years. A small man with a powerful presence, his eyes emanate a silent strength and a dignity that might have been lost in other eyes that witnessed the same atrocities he did.
Our group seized the rare opportunity to put a face to one story about the Khmer Rouge when we were given a tour of Tuol...
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“Dear Family,
I wish I had the chance to meet you. Mom says you were pretty...”
– A message written in the guest book at the Tuol Sleng prison.
As a group member read this aloud, silent tears streamed down my face and I tried to focus my camera out the window in order to steady my hands. How many families have this story, be it from Rwanda, Germany or Cambodia?
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Still Sad in Cambodia?
“I will tell you about the sad story, but I am not a part of the sad story,” our guide said, struggling to stand on the bouncing bus ride, his voice muffled by the honks and chaos of Phenom Pehn traffic. Our group was on our way to see the killing fields, a Chinese Cemetery that was converted to a mass execution and grave site, and Tuol Sleng, a high school that was converted to a torture base...
