Crazy (to us) Fact: We’ve finished almost one week of in-country orientation!
Fast Fact: Our YAGMs have already done 10 hours of Khmer language study (with almost 40 to go – see facebook for a picture of them hard at work!).
Fun Fact: The YAGMS have either participated in, or cheered on fellow YAGMs in, local, outdoor, line dancing.
Interesting Fact: The image on the Cambodian flag is of Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world. It is also the only national flag in the world that has a symbol of ruins on it.
As orientations go, the one for YAGM Cambodia is long. Three and a half weeks long, actually, and it’s all because of language. While they won’t be learning to read or write Khmer (many of their service sites will help with that), they will learn to listen and speak, which will be invaluable to them.
But, a longer orientation means being able to take our time with other things. And this week’s focus is Cambodian history! Monday we learned about pre-Angkor and Angkorian history (4200 BCE – 1431 CE) and then took a trip to the National Museum to see the art and artifacts from these periods. Yesterday we covered the Cambodian Dark Ages, the French Protectorate, and the beginning of independence (1432-1965), and then visited the Royal Palace (which was built during the French Protectorate). Today, we studied the Khmer Rouge (most deeply felt from 1975-1979, but which held onto a UN seat until 1992), and tomorrow we will spend a full day at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Friday we cover post-Khmer Rouge to present day.
As with most places in the world, history is incredibly important to the people here and understanding who they are, how they view the world, and how they live. And with Cambodian history, we experience both phenomenal heights in the temples and civilization of Angkor, and the depths of killing their own people in the Khmer Rouge. It’s a fascinating history, and it is sure to have made an impression in the lives of anyone who walks it. So if you know a YAGM, make sure you ask them about it.
Next week’s focus: culture and religion!
YAGM Cambodia 