The You's and I's

This week consisted of spending time at Koh Kong Island, or Conservation Cambodia. The projects that are happening down there are truly amazing. They are even beginning to get international attention from scientist. Full disclosure I don’t know much about the conservation aspect. I know what they are doing, but I don’t know the logistics. When anything scientific comes to the table I tend to zone out.

What I do know is education. With the major work that has been done in the conservation aspects of the island it has encouraged the presences of education on the island.

While spending time on the island, I kept finding myself having pity for the people on the island.

They wake up.

Sit outside on their front porch.

Go to bed just to do it all over again.

But who am I to judge the quality of a day spent? To be quite frank, I resented myself for my judgmental thoughts. I think it is easier to neglect someone else’s position in the world than to understand it and immerse yourself into their thoughts, their definition of what life ought to be (SYNERGY Day anyone?!).

You realize that this simple island life is all they know.

Just recently did the people on the island begin to sell and trade goods. With the prominent presences of Western volunteers, locals started to realize if they sold candies, soda pop and chips on the island, they would get service, because the closest market was a two hour boat ride away.

Brilliant.

With the international recognition, locals are beginning to marvel in the idea of them being game players in this world. That their small representation that is colored purple, pink, green or yellow depending on what map you buy is worth something – it means something. It means their stories are worth more than they ever imagined before.

How lovely!

I spent the majority of the week on the island observing the English lessons that have been created. Now that the people of Koh Kong know they have a purpose and that they are capable of being a part of Common  

Wealth society there has been a great demand of English language lessons on the island.

At 11AM students around the village gather everyone up and make a quick walk to the two room school, where only one classroom is allocated for use and the other stores some garbage and extra desks. It is an exciting day when the boy students have to go and grab an extra desk or two because that means more students are coming to the lessons!

After an hour of lessons school is over.

The coolest part is the students then congregate on your front porch and you get to spend the rest of the day giggling along with their screeches as they run around.

My personal favorite pass time is playing their version of rock-paper-scissors. Only I thought originally that the scissors represented the number two and the object of the game was to get the highest number … well its not. But it explains all of the pointing and laughing at me.

Then once 8PM rolls around it is time for the adults, usually the parents of the children, to have their English lesson. The best part of this, having the student and the parents share a common experience. The even better part of this, when students come to the adult lessons because they are that eager to learn.

It is probably one of the more inspiring things I have seen in my twenty-so years.

It is quite possible that I have painted this picturesque portrait of an island where English is welcome with open arms and they want to become a huge economic player in the world, but I will admit that is not the entire situation. Like any country who’s main language is not English of course there are going to be people who don’t feel there is an importance for it- and that is fine.

I don’t think that our roles here should be to assimilate cultures into a Westerner box. I think our place lies in encouraging and helping the development of life.

If parents rather their son spend time on the water and not in school, then so be it. I only hope that their son becomes the best damn fisherman of the island so that he can live a healthy, prosperous life.

I think it is our job to foster and enhance the idea that there is a place for every village, every individual in this crazy world.

You and them and I and we. We belong everywhere.