This post was going to be about Christmas, New Year, and perhaps the weirdest place I have ever been, but I have decided to hold off on that update due to the current situation in Phnom Penh.
Overall, PP is safe for us. Our neighborhood is far away from Freedom Park, the Capital, and the main protest area. The vibe, however, has changed a bit. There are a lot of armed military, carrying very large guns, standing on various corners, and driving throughout the city, and people everywhere are watching the TV and listening to the radio. We don't need to know the language to know what they're watching. Their faces tell it all.
Normally, I'm not easily shaken, but when I was interviewing potential new students for CWF and asked about a problem in Cambodia, most replied "corruption." Corruption with the police, corruption with business, corruption with education.
Now the corruption turns to garment workers and their wages. This is a local Cambodian issue that has worldwide effects. Because you know who buys this stuff? We do. Nike, Puma, H & M, Gap. Yup. We're probably guilty of shopping here. Yes, we hear about the factory workers, getting low wages and working in poor conditions, but does it really hit home? Not really. I know it didn't for me until right now.
I don't want to worry anyone, but I do want to raise awareness and let you know that the vibe has changed. Hopefully it will go back to smiles on the street and a vanishing of automatic weapons near the playground.
Until then, we'll be safe (we promise) and leave if the embassy tells us to leave. We don't expect it to come to that, but I don't know where this is going. Things are never good when you have a mass amount of people who have nothing to lose plus corrupt government. Only time will tell.
I promise my next post--planned to be in the next few days--will update you all on the holidays and what's in store for us next. Until then, keep an ear and eye open to the news and think about the message it sends when you buy something.
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