My Contribution

I guess I'm very much inspired by all your reviews and here is my two cents worth.

Recently, I went to Cambodia. Yes, it must the Humanities teacher in me that made me want to visit our neighbours. With every trip out to our ASEAN neighbours, it never fails to help me gain perspective as a person and allows me to thankful for what I have. It is not a CIP trip but I do understand now why so many CIP trips are carried out there.

I went to Siem Reap's countryside and learned that the farmers there earn less than USD1 per day. They contend with a life with no electricity, no fresh water and no fast track information from the internet. They looked filthy perpetually and the children are running around comfortably with mucus hanging from the nostrils and are either topless or bottomless. However, they seemed truly happy, running after our four wheel drive, shouting "Hellos" and "Byes byes". As I watched them, I wonder, what happens if they become ill? How can they improve their lives if they have such minimal education?

Bidding goodbye to the laidback lifestyle in Siem Reap, I arrived in Phnom Penh. It was shocking too see that Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota four-wheel drive vehicles rule the roads alongside with the Tuk tuks. It makes me wonder when all the money went to? There are people in the countryside suffering, struggling to make a living. Yet the capital is filled with people who probably became well off because of their connections with the government. It disturbs me that this country has received so much help from the NGOs around the world but internally, their own people are not taking an active role.

Ms Tang