"Life is tough, but darling so are you." Stephanie Bennett Henry. In 1975, Cambodia was controlled by Pol Pot during his regimen 1.7 million people died from being executed, overworked, or starved they were put into mass graves known as killing fields. Everything was under a strict rule even the rice fields had to have a certain checkered pattern in them. Living under his regime was torture all the educated were tortured and executed, children were taken away from their parents to fight for Pol Pot. The country was put into chaos because Pol Pot was taking out all of the educated so he could have an uneducated society that he could mold and form into what he wanted them to do. They did this by closing schools, businesses, and killing all the educated. They took over a high school and made it a secret prison. They called it S-21. At S-21 many were interrogated, tortured, and executed, out of the thousands and thousands of people that were brought there only seven survived. They were innocent people tortured till they gave a false confession. Then they were taken to the mass killing field were a blow to the neck was given ant that was it. These people did not deserve this but the paranoid leaders thought everyone was a spy for the CIA or KGB. But in 1979 Pol Pot fled from the forces who captured Phnom Penh letting Cambodia be free of his tortuous regime.
Cambodia's culture is very religion based. There are many temples for Hinduism and Buddhism throughout the country. Cambodian's try to show a lot of respect to others. When meeting someone they greet with Sampeah, this is when they press their palms together and bow. The higher the hands are and the lower the bow the more respect is shown. I find it very cool that there is a way to show more respect to different people by doing a different bow, unlike how in America where we only have a handshake. Cambodia is said to have a collective society, which is when groups are valued over individuals. I think this is cool because it is different then what is in America.
Cambodia's recovery has been rough. All of the educated were taken out when Pol Pot was ruling and he left the country in a pretty bad state. But just like Stephanie Bennett Henry life was tough but Cambodia was tougher and they will recover and rebuild. Fortunately my life has not has tough and hopefully will never be but fundraising always represents a challenge to me. I am doing fine this year and I am selling sweatshirts to my hockey team as a fundraiser. Through all my fundraising this year I learned that people were a lot more generous when they know that their money is going to a good cause. It was really heart warming to see people donate then add a little tip when they knew where their money was going to a good cause. All in all, fundraising has showed me that there is good in people, and learning about Cambodia has taught me that no matter what you can always learn and recover from your past.
