September 22, 2010 By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
I was born and raised more than half century ago in the poor Southeast Asian kingdom of Cambodia.
When my parents' financial fortunes took a sharp dive and the family had to split up temporarily to survive, I lived on my own in an empty house, owned a pair of shorts and two shirts -- the second sewn by my older sister. I walked to school barefoot. I cooked rice on a three-legged, baked-mud stove using firewood, and I was scared of the dark. My circumstances had greatly changed from the days when I was driven to a private kindergarten in a black Citroen, attended by some helpers.
'Teacher affects eternity'
I grew up at a time of national insecurity fomented by the Khmer Issarak, the Vietminh, and increasing anti-French colonialist activities. I have written about my elementary school teacher at Russeykeo, a young "progressive" chap whose words greatly affected me. In a leaky, thatched-roof classroom, he untiringly pounded into kids' heads that we are humans, and each of us has "one kilo of brain" that is as good as any other brain, and that "we" are responsible for our future and the country's fate. It was us -- kids in the classroom -- who will or will not make future change happen.
Please click here to read more...
When my parents' financial fortunes took a sharp dive and the family had to split up temporarily to survive, I lived on my own in an empty house, owned a pair of shorts and two shirts -- the second sewn by my older sister. I walked to school barefoot. I cooked rice on a three-legged, baked-mud stove using firewood, and I was scared of the dark. My circumstances had greatly changed from the days when I was driven to a private kindergarten in a black Citroen, attended by some helpers.
'Teacher affects eternity'
I grew up at a time of national insecurity fomented by the Khmer Issarak, the Vietminh, and increasing anti-French colonialist activities. I have written about my elementary school teacher at Russeykeo, a young "progressive" chap whose words greatly affected me. In a leaky, thatched-roof classroom, he untiringly pounded into kids' heads that we are humans, and each of us has "one kilo of brain" that is as good as any other brain, and that "we" are responsible for our future and the country's fate. It was us -- kids in the classroom -- who will or will not make future change happen.
Please click here to read more...
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