What is Siam Reap, Cambodia like to you?

What is Cambodia or Siem Reap like to you? How backward is it? What is life like in poverty? Things that leave me the deep impressions other than the heart-rending barefoot school children include simple farmers living in huts, dirt-covered faces of children vending souvenirs, fishermen's families living on the sea, elderly men repairing musical instruments by the side of the road, etc. I was felt for the young children who spent their time picking up scrap boxes and cans, or selling souvenirs on the streets instead of being in school. Their bare feet and tiny frames appear in front of my eyes……. How many of them have the opportunity to be educated? Do these innocent children see their future ahead? Compared to our children who live well, who can have all the ice cream they desire, who spend their time in air-conditioned malls, wear the latest fashion, have all kinds of gadgets, have comfortable cars to ride in, enjoy McDonald’s or KFC as they like ………. What a wonderful life they have! And yet they still complain from time to time. At that moment, I wanted to shout out to our children, that we are indeed well fed and well clad. Think of the people from poorer regions…… they work hard but barely make enough to feed their families…….their clothes are always oversized……. I think it’s time to teach our children to learn not to take things for granted. In fact, I feel most for the children who have no chance to be educated; they will have a difficult future. My eyes have seen the reality of poverty, my emotions stirred and my eyes welled up. Our sense of gratitude gradually wears off when we become more and more obsessed with material pursuits. We become indifferent to others………… Although the scenes from my travels are not all extremely moving, but they were sufficient in changing the way I see things and my attitude toward others.

As our car moved slowly away from town, villages that came into view became simpler and rougher. The countryside was dotted with straw shacks that sent my thought adrift. What is life like in this kind of environment — living in such a small house with only bare necessities? Nonetheless, these children play and grow happily in natural surroundings; their childhood is unrestricted, free. Come to think of it, compared to ours, their life here is actually blissful! I can’t help but ponder about the meaning of life. What comes to your mind when you are told that “The number of children falling into the lake each year is uncountable…..”? Yet this is the situation for the children growing up in the fishing village of Lake Tonle Sap. All their daily activities are done on tiny wooden sampans; the limited space is also the kitchen and washroom…. These vessels are like cradles on the lake, through calm or rough weather, they keep the family afloat. The poverty stricken fishermen do not have a choice in such a country and environment, the only thing they can do is to be strong and face the hardship and life’s challenges, escaping is not an option. Nevertheless, I believe they are psychologically in paradise. This is evident from their smiling faces, despite having to work hard under the scorching sun. When you think about it, isn’t a simple life like this rather “blessed”? Living without a façade, this is real living. As a volunteer teacher, I saw the life of children in the poor country side. Thinking back and comparing to the children in our cities, I can not help but wanting to create an opportunity for our children to get a close up with “poverty”. So after the charity show in Singapore I discussed with Bill and Cindy (my pottery teacher) about organizing a “Children for Children” fund-raising show for students. The aim is to allow children, while learning to paint, to learn to help needy children via artistic channels. When I spoke to parents about this they are fully supportive of the idea! Hopefully through the thoughtful and patient guidance of the parents, the seeds of “sharing” will grow in their young hearts and our children will gradually head toward the path of showing care to others.

As I flipped though the photo album explaining the purpose of organizing the exhibition to the children, telling them how they can help, I saw different reactions and expressions on the children’s faces. Especially when they saw the pictures of children going to school barefooted, vending souvenirs in school uniform, living in huts with bare walls, a string of questions were asked: “Can the students wear slippers to school?” “It’s so dirty to go barefooted!” Older children would wonder: “Why are they so poor?” “Why aren’t their parents able to earn enough money with their jobs?” “Do the children have time to do homework when they need to help their parents with work?”……… Such naïve questions coming from naïve children. Alas, through comparing with how others grow up, my goal of making the children reflect is achieved. After some organizing, the venue and dates for the exhibition are set. Looking at the paintings that the children produced with joy in their hearts, I think to myself that this is an exhibition that will lead us to joy and peace. “A Journey Into Joy And Peace” will be held at Desserts Bar & Studio, Lot K-01-03 & K-01-04, Solaris Mont Kiara, No: 2, Jalan Solaris, from 1st to 29th November. I hope that the children’s voices will be heard through their paintings, and I hope that “sparks of love” will emerge in every person that enters Desserts Bar & Studio when they see the children’s “painted voices”……. No one knows when our lives will end. What “dreams” will we have in this life? Nobody reveals it. Yet, I believe we should play our role and do our work as best as we can. No mater how small our contribution is, at least we have done something for the society. The lovely memories and satisfaction gained can be regarded as the joys and happiness in this life. This will be the most beautiful dream that I can have! To be able to find beauty in this ever shifting life makes me feel fulfilled. At the same time, I hope that the children growing up in hardship will slowly but surely head to other levels in their lives, knowing how to make the best for themselves out of ordinary life. Note: To know more about Cambodia, go to www.schools4cambodia.org / www.colorsofcambodia.org. For details about the exhibition, contact Pei Yeou at 012 - 606 9219.