Kids in Cambodia
Note to admin: as Marvin points out, there are lots of expat / mixed families here these days. I wonder whether the K440 overlords would give consideration to the idea of having a 'families / parents' sub forum? Yes, there are Facebook groups such as CPN that have some good info, but one has to wade through multitudinous posts selling used breast-pumps and tampons to get to it and they tend to focus more toward short term expats than folk such us.
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
Caleb, don't know who you are but there was no need for me to call you a twat i I take it back.
- Phuket2006
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without a good education ( does not HAVE to be an expensive one) and good grades, they wont get a chance for higher education (if they dont have money, need good grades to get a scholarship) and with out that, a good job, UNLESS your family has connections.
Feel sorry for expats in Cambodia that are in Cambodia cause they cant afford to be elsewhere..
Bring it on usernameavailable
Feel sorry for expats in Cambodia that are in Cambodia cause they cant afford to be elsewhere..
Bring it on usernameavailable
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
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Slavedog's suggestion is a good one IMO.Phuket2006 wrote:without a good education ( does not HAVE to be an expensive one) and good grades, they wont get a chance for higher education (if they dont have money, need good grades to get a scholarship) and with out that, a good job, UNLESS your family has connections.slavedog wrote:Note to admin: as Marvin points out, there are lots of expat / mixed families here these days. I wonder whether the K440 overlords would give consideration to the idea of having a 'families / parents' sub forum? Yes, there are Facebook groups such as CPN that have some good info, but one has to wade through multitudinous posts selling used breast-pumps and tampons to get to it and they tend to focus more toward short term expats than folk such us.
Feel sorry for expats in Cambodia that are in Cambodia cause they cant afford to be elsewhere..
Bring it on usernameavailable
And, I would also like to hear more from UNA about his experience here.
இ லொவெ ம்ய் டௌக்ஹ்டெர்ஸ் மொரெ தன் அன்ய்தின்க் இன் தெ வொர்ல்ட்
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"And, I would also like to hear more from UNA about his experience here.*
Glad to oblige salvajeuno. But please help out a bit. What are your particular areas of interest?
Glad to oblige salvajeuno. But please help out a bit. What are your particular areas of interest?
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You mentioned you don't believe there's a future in KoW. Could you say something about how Cambodia has changed since your arrival and why you believe there's no future?usernameavailable wrote:"And, I would also like to hear more from UNA about his experience here.*
Glad to oblige salvajeuno. But please help out a bit. What are your particular areas of interest?
I'm interested in your "experience of family" in your wife's village.
How have you and your wife worked together in raising your children; culture, values, goals, etc.
And last but not least... any stories about your life that you feel may help someone starting out on the journey.
இ லொவெ ம்ய் டௌக்ஹ்டெர்ஸ் மொரெ தன் அன்ய்தின்க் இன் தெ வொர்ல்ட்
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When I talk about the lack of a future in Cambodia I am referring to that with which I am most familiar-rural Cambodia. Many families or single male members in our village have left their small farming plots and left for work in Thailand because they couldn't manage to break even. In the case of families that have left they frequently leave babies and children who are too young or weak for the rigors of field or factory work with grandparents. The latter cannot control them so the kids rum free and are truant from school. Grandpa and/granny don't much care since they have little or no education themselves. Sometimes families sell their land dirt cheap so that they cam afford the trip to Thailand, pay the exorbitant broker fees and maybe have a little pocket money left over. Not infrequently, if they come back, the kids that went with the parents or the parents themselves have picked up a yama habit in Thailand.
Also there are no price controls om crops. Farmers are visited by Vietnamese middlemen only and have to accept the price they are offered. It is a take it or leave it situation. Those same middlemen also pimp foreign seeds which they claim require copious amounts of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. I talk about these issues even though they have little direct impact on me but because they have started to create a sense of hopelessness which pervades the whole village. I'll return to the other issues you raised and elaborate on this one after a while. If I try to answer all your questions in one fell swoop, my.thinking decreases as my rate of writing increases.
Also there are no price controls om crops. Farmers are visited by Vietnamese middlemen only and have to accept the price they are offered. It is a take it or leave it situation. Those same middlemen also pimp foreign seeds which they claim require copious amounts of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. I talk about these issues even though they have little direct impact on me but because they have started to create a sense of hopelessness which pervades the whole village. I'll return to the other issues you raised and elaborate on this one after a while. If I try to answer all your questions in one fell swoop, my.thinking decreases as my rate of writing increases.
Last edited by usernameavailable on Sun Feb 12, 2017 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hello usernameavailable.
I couldn't agree more with you.
The "hollowing out" of communes across the country and the departure of males, and often their female partners, to take up work, either legally or illegally in Thailand has now been going on so long that the social consequences now far outweigh any gains.
The effects of this "Hollowing Out" and departure of male heads of households is only seen by those such as yourself who are permanent residents in a provincial commune or those similar to myself who constantly return to such communes.
The former strong Khmer concept of a strong family all mutually supportive and caring for and about each other is being torn apart across the country.
These are issues seldom seen or understood by the majority of the expat community living mainly in the urbanised areas of Cambodia and mostly keeping the company of other expats.
Thanks for raising the issue and I, for one, look forward to you further posting to forum. Let's just hope we can keep the idiots and morons from polluting the thread.
OML
I couldn't agree more with you.
The "hollowing out" of communes across the country and the departure of males, and often their female partners, to take up work, either legally or illegally in Thailand has now been going on so long that the social consequences now far outweigh any gains.
The effects of this "Hollowing Out" and departure of male heads of households is only seen by those such as yourself who are permanent residents in a provincial commune or those similar to myself who constantly return to such communes.
The former strong Khmer concept of a strong family all mutually supportive and caring for and about each other is being torn apart across the country.
These are issues seldom seen or understood by the majority of the expat community living mainly in the urbanised areas of Cambodia and mostly keeping the company of other expats.
Thanks for raising the issue and I, for one, look forward to you further posting to forum. Let's just hope we can keep the idiots and morons from polluting the thread.
OML
slavedog wrote:Note to admin: as Marvin points out, there are lots of expat / mixed families here these days. I wonder whether the K440 overlords would give consideration to the idea of having a 'families / parents' sub forum? Yes, there are Facebook groups such as CPN that have some good info, but one has to wade through multitudinous posts selling used breast-pumps and tampons to get to it and they tend to focus more toward short term expats than folk such us.
Good idea slavedog. Let me give it some more thought - I see no obvious reasons why not. I will sort something out during the week ahead.
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Yes of course... take your time as I will most certainly have more questions as we go along. I have a feeling this could be a very informative and fun thread. Thanks usernameavailable!usernameavailable wrote: I'll return to the other issues you raised and elaborate on this one after a while. If I try to answer all your questions in one fell swoop, my.thinking decreases as my rate of writing increases.
இ லொவெ ம்ய் டௌக்ஹ்டெர்ஸ் மொரெ தன் அன்ய்தின்க் இன் தெ வொர்ல்ட்
[quote="spitthedog"][quote="Marvin"]My mum & dad did tell me i was an accident though. (probably a result of too much Double Diamond bitter)[/quote]
Aah good old Double Diamond. My first beer!
Aah good old Double Diamond. My first beer!
I agree with Username, rural society is pretty messed up. I'll add that traveling abroad for work is a relatively new factor, and it was messed up far before this. I have never lived in the province, however I have employed dozens of poor people over the years. Most come from what you might called troubled homes (that's one reason they are pleased to come and work for us). I don't get too involved in all of this but occasionally my wife will tell me a story or two. last night over dinner I learnt that one of our employess, one of my favourites as it happens, has no idea who his father is, same as his (half) sister has no idea who hers is.
The idea that Cambodia has a traditional society with deeply routed moral values is utter nonsense. people here would love for us to think that but look a little beneath the surface and it's clearly not the case.
The idea that Cambodia has a traditional society with deeply routed moral values is utter nonsense. people here would love for us to think that but look a little beneath the surface and it's clearly not the case.
TheGrimReaper wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:45 pmSlavedog, you do not belong on this forum as you talk too much sense.
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This quote seems to me like a good starting point. When my mother-in-law went to school some 65 years ago, she was one of only five girls whose parents allowed their daughters to attend school. Their parents were afraid that if their daughters became literate they might learn to write love letters and ruin their chances for an arranged marriage. In her days the daughters were obliged to marry whomever their parents told them to marry. NO exceptions. Today a girl in our village may refuse a chosen partner one or two times. A third refusal and the young lady runs the risk of being labeled "kaa Chas houa" (too old to get married). Of course today many but not all children attend grade school at least. So on the surface it would appear that education has helped improve young people's lives. But a realistic appraisal reveals the change is not all that significant. Young ladies in general usually attend school only until the third to sixth grade. They are expected to master basic math skills and sufficient literacy to enable them to manage a household. It is in short preparation for their duty to become marriageable. To be sure children from families with higher education encourage all their children to complete as much education as possible. This is not done out of a love for the pursuit of knowledge but to make them employable in a higher financial bracket, thus sending more money home and also become more appealing to a potential spouse. These parents with such aspirations are rare. Most parents here were children during the Khmer Rouge regime and grew up when schools were closed. I think many of these parents who survived on a diet of watery rice porridge occasionally enriched with a small amount of salt or prahok, probably suffer from a lack of cerebral development; a high correlation between brain development and good nutrition in the early years is common knowledge in the West.rural society is pretty messed up. I'll add that traveling abroad for work is a relatively new factor, and it was messed up far before this.
What else has changed? In my mother-in-law's time chol mlop ( to enter the shade ) was practiced. This custom required a girl to be keep indoors in her room if she had one after her first period. Meals were brought to her and all necessary functions were handled indoors, presumably to whiten the skin to make her " more attractive." To my knowledge this custom disappeared many years before I arrived here. The main reason for its disappearances is that it is not economically feasible. A poor rural family needs everyone to work in the fields, babysit or to cook for the family not to have the family wait on the girl hand and foot.
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Your description of a young girl’s education 65 years ago and the “no” exception rule about being obliged to marry their parent’s pick sounds similar to Indian culture ( arranged marriages ) 65 years ago and even now in some areas. The fear of an education that may result in love letters is also similar to India. If the young person doesn’t have to follow the arranged marriage path then they would call the alternative “a marriage of love”. So, now in your village, at what age are young ladies encouraged to marry?
You also spoke about some parents desire to educate their children to complete as much education as possible as a way to earn more money for themselves and as a way to provide more support for their parents. I’m close to three Khmer families of different economic levels and they all feel a duty to care for their parents but these families live in cities. Are the children with a six grade education expected to provide for their families as well in your village?
I enjoyed the “to enter the shade” story!
You also spoke about some parents desire to educate their children to complete as much education as possible as a way to earn more money for themselves and as a way to provide more support for their parents. I’m close to three Khmer families of different economic levels and they all feel a duty to care for their parents but these families live in cities. Are the children with a six grade education expected to provide for their families as well in your village?
I enjoyed the “to enter the shade” story!
இ லொவெ ம்ய் டௌக்ஹ்டெர்ஸ் மொரெ தன் அன்ய்தின்க் இன் தெ வொர்ல்ட்
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