Today I am going to Berlin.

Me in Berlin. I spent a whole day on my bike, visiting as many places as possible. (Photo: tourist)

It was an awaited opportunity for me since I knew that I will go there. I went to the train station an hour earlier just to understand how the train system works. Luckily, it was not that complex as I expected. When I sat on the train and it started to move, my heart was beating fast. I was on board in a high-speed train for the first time in life!

My colleagues in Bonn told me that I would have a great time in Berlin and that I’d love it. Of course, I was curiously looking forward to arriving at the capital of Germany.
Five hours and 15 minutes later: I have arrived in Berlin.

After getting off the train, the colleagues of CARE in Berlin picked me up and showed me around the city. I was so impressed by the numbers of tourists who are much more than I expected while the open-air buses for city sightseeing passed by every few minutes.

Berlin is poor but sexy?

The first day I arrived, my colleague in Berlin told me that there is a quote from the mayor of Berlin, Mr. Klaus Wowereit, “Berlin is poor, but sexy” (“Berlin ist arm, aber sexy.”) It sounded amazing and I brood over it. I asked my friend in Berlin “Is Berlin sexy?” She was so surprised and she replied she doesn’t think Berlin so. She asked me instead whether she looks sexy.

What exactly is the meaning? I think the quote is to get the tourists interested to visit the city. As an immediate example, I felt curious to see the city after I heard the quote while I am a tourist–waiting for the weekend to hang out. I was probing for the sites to see how sexy Berlin really is and how it can attract such a crowd of tourists. I felt just couldn’t wait for it.

I found it quite thrilling to be in a city as Berlin that was separated into two parts. I went to see the wall and imagined how a city and an entire country could be divided between a democratic and communist regime. The reunited city, Berlin is now best known for culture, media, politics, and science and is one of the top tourist visit destinations in Europe.

Look at Cambodia: this country is also a target tourist whereabouts in South East Asia. A report from the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism states that the number of tourists was increased of around 12 percent in the first six month of 2010.

The Bradenburg Gate is a well-known symbol for Germany while Angkor Wat is famous for Cambodia. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

The biggest tourist destination is Siem Reap province, best known for historical and natural locations especially temples. While Berlin is popular for The Brandenburg Gate, Siem Reap has the Angkor Wat temple as a symbol of the Cambodian realm.

On bike: Round about

I was anxious to have too little time in Berlin. On Saturday, I borrowed a bike from my colleague, seized a map and carried it off finding places to go.

Berlin is big enough to miss some tourist sites. I went to ask people though their face looks quite serious when I felt unsure about the street. I spent a whole day just on the bike to see as many places, took as many pictures as I could to show people in Cambodia how Germany is. I didn’t feel tired and exhausted since the weather was warm enough for me to explore the city.
It appeared like three years ago when I rode a bicycle to study in Cambodia in my freshman year. I always got sweaty after five minutes: It is so hot and the traffic condition is not good enough to ride bicycle in Cambodia. Most students prefer motorbike to bicycle. A year later, my mother sold a piece of land and bought me a motorbike.

A closer look to the academic know-hows

I’ve never dreamt to go and work in the capital of Germany. One day the government opened their offices for the public to visit. Sunday early morning, many visitors were already on a line waiting to visit the chancellor’s office.

CARE, other NGOs and embassies installed booths and provided information to the visitors at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ: Bundesministerium Für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit).

CARE at the BMZ. We informed visitors about CARE's work and gave them mini CARE packages. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

Although I couldn’t go to the Chancellor’s office, I had a good time visiting various embassies’ and NGOs’ booth, absorbing notions and culture of the world at the BMZ. At CARE’s, I was trying to talk to the visitors in English though some people couldn’t understand. For that, I used body language to make them understand by pointing.

In a bottom line, one week with CARE in Berlin was just a short time, but I demanded to learn more and more. Besides the city exploration, I had been working all days with CARE and I went to visit the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Germany, Deutsche Welle, the Motor FM, the Konrad Adenauer foundation, the CARE street canvassing, the BMZ.

Astonishment in the contemporary era

It doesn’t end there. I also got to understand the German art scene. Germany is also famous in the modern arts and culture.
For example, I went to an art gallery inside a very old building called Kunsthaus Tacheles. All kind of exhibited arts extracted from contemporary concepts that I will need much time to understand each piece of it.

The same day, I was given a chance to see a contemporary arts performance at the Schaubuehne theater where CARE was also there with a small booths to raise some fund for Pakistan. It was quite complicated, but in an educational way that I couldn’t see proper plots and episodes. I was in dense of doubt all the time from scene to scene. I wonder how they could come up with ideas that made me as an audience so frowned.

One week sounds so short, but I did voluminous of works; it was not a waste of time. With the bicycle, I discovered the city as if I was a local inhabitant. That was a wonderful time. Berlin was truly SEXY for me. And now understand what it means: Berlin is an interesting, exciting and fascinating place to visit.

Now, Goodbye Berlin, I hope to come back one day.

Have you been to Berlin yet? If not, maybe this is a place to be considered for your upcoming vacation. Isn’t it sexy?

“I am Powerful!”  What does it mean? Is it a political action? No, it is a new brand of CARE, a campaign that put the focus on women`s empowerment.

The CARE campaign "I am powerful" portrais women from different contries. Here a Cambodian woman shows that with her vegetable garden she can feed the family. (Photo:CARE Australia)

It really caught my attention. Since the beginning of my internship, I saw it many times, both on the CARE website and in many information leaflets.

Women in Cambodian Society

Have you ever heard about the norm and the belief of Khmer people in the past?

Cambodia in the past believed that girls should not study at a high level because the only future they have will be one as a housewife. They should stay at home, learning how to be a good housewife rather than wasting time by going to school. Like an old Cambodian Proverb said “Girls cannot go far away from the stove.”
But still today, it is a common practice in the family that the elder girl’s labor is needed to work at home to support the household and to take care of the younger siblings from day-to-day.

Even though education is free in Cambodia, families who are too poor prioritize their son for education. Because when all children go to school, families have large expenses for school materials like books and pens and so forth.
Look at my family: I have five siblings, among the three sisters. I am the only son who can study in the university with the financial support of my oldest sister. My sisters did quit their studies in order to earn money for our family and to support their brother to school.

For some women in Cambodia in the past time, their responsibilities seemed to be a double burden. They had to take care of everything in the house and help to earn money to support their family. Most of them had to wake up at dawn to prepare for house work, making food, laundry and some other tasks before they left to the rice field and work till dusk.

Majority-Minority

Women are the majority of garment workers in Cambodia. Most of them come from provinces where they find it hard to get a job. So they move to the capital city Phnom Penh to search for work. The average income of a garment worker is about 50 to 80 U.S dollars per month. But, in the city women have to face higher cost of living. Until now, the discussion between garment workers and the entrepreneurs about increasing salaries is still being on the line.
I don’t want to say that working in the factory is bad, but I think we have to share the working place and position. Women should have more chances to work in a higher position and to earn more money.

Women do not only form the majority of garment workers, they also play a large role in migration. Many migrate to other countries to find work, for example as housekeepers. In several cases, some of them were cheated and forced to work as prostitution. As the newspaper Phnom Penh Post writes: “Last month, [an] employment firm was the target of a raid in which officials discovered 232 women and girls living in a squalid condition.”

Breaking the barrier

It seems however, as though the situation is changing. Most parents understand the importance of education and they let their daughters go to school.
Now, more and more women try to break the barrier. They enroll in schools and work in government offices. Women stand to be strong and change their world.

As you can see I'm the only man - the majority of my colleagues are women. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

My current work in the press office of CARE Germany-Luxemburg is a good example. I am the only man among six colleagues within the office. Sometimes, I felt a bit isolated working with a majority of women. Is it because of CARE is working to empower women?

Now you can see the gap of women`s workforce in Cambodia compared to Germany. Cambodian men still have an image in mind of a woman who has to be a housewife and stay at home, whereas men are the ones to work and to earn money. Women receive less education than men. Therefore fewer women work in a higher position.
The situation has to be changed. Like some people said, women are playing an important role in the society. They are the human force for social movement. A Cambodian proverb says: “No water, no fish” brings to understanding “No women, no Men.”

CARE is working to improve the living conditions for women and help them to strengthen their capacity building and economic development.  “I am Powerful” will be a bridge to break gender inequity and gender discrimination. In this context you can also see the video: “I’m a Roma Woman- I’m a European Woman-I’m a Women”.

What do you think women will be in the future? Do you feel you are powerful if you are a woman?

I have never imagined how advanced the media in Germany is.

I was trying to experience in the WDR TV studio to see how I look if I appear on TV. (Photo: Sina Stach)

I was trained to be a professional journalist by German teachers. In my university in Phnom Penh I used media equipment made in Germany, but I have never imagined how enchanting the real technical system and the media studios in Germany are.
Last Monday I visited the studio of the 1Live radio station, a public radio station that broadcasts around the clock, focusing on youth audiences. I tried to compare it to the radio studio in my school, but it is incomparable. 1Live uses digital equipment which is expensive but so much more flexible to use. I was longing to touch every machine in the studio and to operate it for the morning show, I wanted to experience it myself and compare it to my schools’ studio.

But this was not all: The tour brought us also to another newsroom. It was the online department of 1Live radio and it runs the website. A staff said that sometimes they run the news first on the website because this medium is even quicker than radio and it reaches more people.

Luck by chance
After the study tour at the radio station, my German friend, Sina and me were walking down the street for a lunch. I just had a glance around, wanting to see the town of Cologne where I have never been before. Accidentally, I saw the logo of WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) (www.wdr.de) on the wall of a building. WDR is a popular broadcast station in Germany. Since a staff member at the radio station told us that WDR also offers tours for the public, we forgot our lunch immediately and went to the receptionist desk asking how to participate in a tour.

Luckily, we were just in time, the tour was about to start. The staff of WDR showed us around the compound, the studio, the newsroom, the concert hall and told us the history of the station. In between, we had a good discussion with the group members about the station. I really enjoyed it even though it was in German and I did not understand a word. But Sina translated for me in English and I could understand WDR’s work, get to know the place and understand how the station became popular.

The tour guide is showing an expensive camera that used in the studio. For one show, they have to hire around 200 staff to work on it. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

Media: Germany vs. Cambodia
After the tour during a late lunch, I started to think of how the media in Cambodia can be compared to the media in Germany. WDR has diversified its program and TV channels such as WDR1, WDR2, WDR3, WDR4, WDR5 focusing on different target audiences. 1Live radio is also a part of this station. Is its purpose to meet the audience’s needs or to run more advertisements from companies?

I contemplate that most of the media institutions in Germany are not inclined to a political party or the government, but rather serve the public interest, no matter whether they are private or public stations.
Cambodia still lacks professional journalist trainings and ethics. Some media firms are likely to lean to political parties and the government. In some cases, journalists in Cambodia find it dangerous to report sensitive news. Some journalists have been killed without a proper reason. For instance, in 2008, Khim Sambo and his son were shot on the street in Phnom Penh. He was a journalist using a pseudonym in a Cambodian language newspaper affiliated with a major opposition party. He was known as a tough reporter, writing hard-hit articles about government corruption, land grabbing and the political situation. Still, an appropriate reason cannot be found until now.

Several journalists have been arrested and sued for deformation which spoils somebody’s reputation, disinformation and some other reasons.

What do you think about this? Is it because the journalists lack professionalism and ethics to report news? Or is it because they are scared? One reason could also be that Cambodia is a poor country and journalists see their profession as a mere job, without any ethics. If they get paid for writing a positive article about a company or government party they do it because they have to feed their families. I have no idea to make such a guess when a proper reason is still invisible.

However, there is some light in the Cambodian media sky: The Department of Media and Communication (DMC) also known as Cambodia Communication Institute (CCI) is the first and so far only department in Cambodia that trains young Cambodians as professional journalists. Because it was just established in 2001 with less than 30 students graduating per year, Cambodia still needs more time to improve professional journalism. But it is on its way.

Becoming a press officer
Although the press officers of CARE always talk for the organization itself, they always keep their professional ethics as a media person. The media department works with all different media outlets, be it TV, radio, newspaper or the internet media.

For example, recently, the CARE press officers are playing an important role in the media work for the Pakistan Floods.  My boss, the media director of CARE Germany-Luxemburg went to Pakistan two weeks ago and he acts as interview partner for many media stations in Germany. In the office here in Bonn, we are busy answering media questions, writing press releases, coordinating interview requests and writing articles for the website.

Now that I come here to learn and I had an opportunity to discover how the media works in Germany, I hope that I can get those kinds of images to share with my fellow schoolmates and of course people in Cambodia. Likewise, I expect my generation to advance the media in Cambodia so that we get a better standard of information.

Do you know how important the media is in your everyday life? Do you think you benefit from media?

One day after work, I went down the street to the city of Bonn. Just off the central station, I saw a spot of orange color – a group of people wearing T-Shirts in the typical CARE color with the logo showing a circle of hands.

The team talks to the people in a very smooth and joyful way. When I saw them, I remembered the time I volunteered for fund-raising in Cambodia. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

They were standing in front of a booth full of pictures. They were talking to pedestrians and showed them a small box which resembled the CARE Package and a book with pictures. I wondered what they were doing, but I guessed they must be doing some kind of social activity.

At first a woman with a smile came and talked to me in German: “Hello! Do you know CARE?” At first I didn’t understand what she was talking about. I believe she asked me to support CARE and gave me some information about the organization.Her name was Nino, 20, and she studies Political Science in Georgia. She quickly walked toward me and seemed to try to convince me. I said I cannot understand German and suggested to speak in English. At the same time I told her that I also work for CARE as an intern.
Nino introduced CARE’s work to me and showed me the CARE package. She said she came to work here through Dialog Direct, a fundraising agency for non-profit organizations. She called this activity her ‘summer practicum’.

Time to get in touch

The dialoguers are mostly students who work to earn some money for their vacation. When I was there, five students were doing fundraising for CARE Germany-Luxemburg to support poor people worldwide. “There are more of us, but we have only five people working today,” said Nino.

Most students in European countries do not let their vacation go by. They at least find some volunteer job or internship. Likewise, I feel proud of myself that I spend my time doing internships and volunteer work during every vacation. We use our time to get in touch with people. Imagine that the more people you know, the more opportunities and information you can get.

Mike, the team leader said, “I study in Berlin. For my free-time during the summer I work for CARE and other organizations.” The 20 year-old and his team members always smile though many people tried to avoid them. They always say thanks. They try hard not to let the pedestrians walk by.

Mike explains to pedestrians what CARE as an international humanitarian organization is doing. Finally he asks them to support CARE’s work. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

What they are doing is to help people in need, to benefit from work and to experience working in the real world. But, it’s not always easy. Once, I saw a man seriously replying, “I don’t care! I know you care, but I don’t care.” This must be more or less painful for the team member when she tried to talk to that man.

One way, two benefits: raising funds and awareness

The project coordinator, Judith Albert from the CARE office in Bonn said that CARE organizes such a campaign once a year, usually in summer for 10 to 12 weeks. “Because the donors don’t come by themselves to donate money, we need to have such a campaign for funding. CARE needs to find more financial support for our projects. Once the campaign is on the process, CARE will also get a higher awareness and be better known by people,” Judith says. She also called the campaign by it professional name: “Street Canvassing.”
People will therefore know what CARE is and remember the logo and the color of CARE. Personally I remember the image of the campaign. Whenever I walk across the place, I always see the activity of the dialoguers talking to people and remember the orange color of CARE in front of my inner eye.
Launched on 19 July 2010 in Bonn and Aachen, the CARE advertising and information campaign had an information booth and a group of dialoguers to talk to people in several German cities including Düsseldorf, Darmstadt, Koblenz, Neuwied, Saarbrücken and Mainz and Wiesbaden followed by other cities in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg, Flensburg and Kiel.

Recalling the memory

When I saw the street canvassing, it reminded me of when I was in the early age of the university life. I volunteered as a Master of Ceremony trying to speak on the stage at a supermarket. It was the environment week where we exhibited and tried to sell some souvenirs and clothes we made from trash to raise funds for an environment project for a local NGO. I tried to convince people to buy our recycling souvenirs and entertained them with songs to attract them to the event.

I realized now that the job market is complex. Students are challenged to search for opportunities to work. For that, we have to gain experience working in the real world. Cambodia and Germany is divided by a long distance, but I hope that my internship abroad in an international organization like CARE can help me to be an outstanding candidate when I apply for a job and any scholarship in the future.
For now, I’ve already gained a lot from my internship. I experienced working in the real world in the field of humanitarian organization and communication development. Once you have time, you should think of what to do. Once you have the opportunity, you should think about how to help other people who have fewer chances and sometime they don’t even have one single chance. This is a charity to yourselves; this is a charity to your community.

Have you ever thought that helping other makes you happy?

My friend Manika who came from Cambodia with me asked an interesting question: “Does the climate change people’s habits?” She noticed that people in Germany get up and go to sleep later than people in Cambodia do and that the sun in Germany sets later, too.

My friend, Michael said that in front of the University of Bonn, there are often many people sitting around, sun bathing, but now it looks so quiet. (Photo: Chandara Tith)

When I walked to the city with my friend Michael, he told me that the park in front of the University of Bonn was always full of people sun bathing during the summer. But now, less people go there. He wondered if it is too hot for people to do so.

Climate changes the people

Climate change is becoming a topic for many NGOs and people around the world are already experiencing the consequences. And because of that, some people have changed their habits and daily activity. Is it some sort of revenge for what people have done to the environment, the fact that now the climate tends to change people and the entire world?
While the climate is changing, people have to adapt to the new circumstances. For example, in Cambodia, I have to take a shower at least three times per day; sometime in the mid-night when the weather gets too hot. In the last 4 years, I used to sleep well without a fan needed, but now I really need a fan and more showers for comfort. Since then, I started to think “why am I changing?”
Cambodia is characterized to the southwest monsoon which blows as a rainy season from May to October and raises its peak of raining in July and September. The average temperature is 27.7 °C. Despites, November to April is the dry season when most of the places are hot and dusty. During the dry season, we try to wear long sleeve shirts and gloves (for ladies) to protect the skin from the sunlight. People spend more money on electricity for fans and air-conditioners. Most of them don’t like going out during the day time.
Once, I took a course on “Reporting for Disaster” and went to the provinces that are prone to natural disaster. I was guided by CARE Cambodia in Prey Veng province. A place is as dry as dust, no water anywhere. People there told me that it seems like there is no cold weather. They need to adapt to the weather that is becoming hotter and hotter.

Different nature at the same time

Recent years, I heard flood, drought, disease, etc. regularly. On Monday morning of my third week with CARE we received news about the flooding in Pakistan. The flood is wreaking havoc and killed as many as 1,500 people [CNN news August 4, 2010 -- Updated 1939 GMT (0339 HKT)].
In the news, it also states that “CARE is supporting the distribution of emergency supplies and providing aid to health teams and mobile clinics in the affected communities in Pakistan.” You can help by making an online donation.
This is a good example for what I have said earlier. It was the worst flooding in 80 years in Pakistan.

Current situation in Aza Khail Nowshehra. Pakistan floods have damaged houses and infrastructures, many people died. (Photo: SSTD)

These humanitarian crises are increasing more and more. Rain does not come as regular as before. In August and September 2009 within the Kingdom of Cambodia there were floods (in Rathanakiri province) and droughts (in Kampong Speu Province) at the same time. The rain comes less frequently and more heavily, and can thus cause flooding and drought.
The same phenomenon appears worldwide: right now, there are severe floods in Pakistan, China and West Africa while Russia experiences its worst drought where dry and hot weather has damaged crops in many countries in Western Europe. Now, people have to change their living or style of living. Some people who face with enormous disaster have to almost completely change their live.

Me in the middle

In the CARE office, we are very busy with the emergency in Pakistan. The press team is checking for updates and scanning the news. We produce press releases with the latest information on CARE’s response and answer to journalists’ enquiries. CARE’s spokesperson Thomas Schwarz packed his suitcase and is now on his way to Pakistan. He will be reporting from the field once he is landed.
Disastrous pictures are stuck in my mind. I could not forget the image of a little girl crying and all these people walking in the floods in Pakistan and looking so exhausted. I didn’t know what I can do to help them. But at least I can be of help in the office: I prepare a news update for the emergency team of CARE as a summary of what is being reported in the media.
Climate change not only changes the nature and weather patterns, but it can also change people’s habits. Many people are affected by climate change. Especially the poorest are severely affected, like right now in Pakistan. The richer nations only feel the consequences mildly. More or less, climate change changes people’s habits in the entire world.

How about you? Do you feel like you change your habits because of the changing climate?

The United Nations-backed war crime tribunal for the Khmer Rouge Regime has pronounced its first verdict on July 26, 2010. The former leader of the Toul Sleng prison in Phnom Penh, Duch will be sent to prison for 19 years.

Kaing Guek Eav alias Duch in the court on 26 July 2010 (Photo: Courtesy of Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) known as the Khmer Rouge tribunal deals with surviving senior leaders of the regime. People believe it helps to support reconciliation after the enormous sufferings during the Khmer Rouge regime.  Many local and international news agencies are reporting on the first verdict and people are discussing it on the web, for example on Facebook (www.facebook.com). During the day, while I was in the CARE office, I was anxiously waiting for news and following the discussion of the final verdict on Facebook to see the how people react.

Kaing Guek Eav alias Duch, 68, was the chief of the former Khmer Rouge detention center S-21 (Toul Sleng) where people were tortured and murdered. He was charged with Crimes against Humanity, Grave Breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and Homicide and Torture. The court announced a sentence of 35 years in prison, but the years are allotted to reduce 5 years of illegal arresting in the army court and 11 years of time already served behind bars since 1999.

Lively discussions on- and offline

Local news online, Cambodia Express News (www.cen.com.kh) gripped the reactions of people in Svay Rieng Province while they were watching the verdict together.  Most people reacted very emotionally because they could not accept the decision of the court. One of them said this judgment would be more adequate for a thief stealing a chicken in the village and that it was far too mild. Since lots of people died during his regime, he should be sentenced to longer than the 19 years.
Having watched the trial footage of the whole verdict for more than one hour on Cambodia Tribunal Monitor website; I personally saw the court being up to international standards. It must have had a proper discussion before making the decision. The judgment has to be made after a good consideration and tough discussion followed by the international standard so that Cambodian people as victims can accept it. However, they don’t. Throughout the media on the day of the verdict, many people expressed their dissatisfaction with the court.

In the news, an S-21 Survivor Bou Meng, 79 was quoted that the verdict seems to slap him in the face or kick his head. He could not accept it. He was hoping that Duch would be sentenced for life.
I am now in Germany and therefore follow the German and European press. So I read BBC news, reporting this story and giving a summary of the process of the court. It also shows that many people are not satisfied with this verdict.

On Facebook, some young Cambodians said they did not care about the court and don’t want to talk about it. On the other hand, some are interested to discuss about it and contemplate on Duch’s life in prison.
More interestingly, some people said that this is a good chance to promote and advertise Cambodia to the world stage. More and more people will know Cambodia through various local and international media agencies.

The next morning, I grabbed a few German newspapers in the office including Die tageszeitung, Der Tagesspiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, General-Anzeiger and had a look at some other online news; I saw all of them reported about Khmer Rouge Tribunal and showing Duch’s picture. This clearly shows that media is putting a great attention on Cambodia. Because I did not understand German, my colleague, Sina, explained in English what the article was about. And when I was holding German newspaper, I again felt like an illiterate person: I understood nothing, and could only guess what it’s about by looking at the pictures. Although the court did not please everyone, we can at least see that Duch is not a free man. Considering his age (he is 67), 19 years in prison will likely be a life sentence. It is a long period of time as a baby-son grows up to be a man.

Turning memories into a movie

Following the scope of investigation of the court in the second case, a group of 20 students from the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) went to some of those places and produced “Recaptured”, a series of 10 short video documentaries, shot on 10 different locations across Cambodia. I was one of these students. The documentary asks two questions: “How do Cambodians today live with the memory of Khmer Rouge regime?” and “What does it take from not to escape the nightmares but remember at peace and keeping that memory for a better future?” Our aim was to help people from different parts of the country share their memory with each other, and, possibly, find new, better ways of dealing with what happened – allowing them to move forward without ignoring the past.

Leaflet of the documentary "Recaptured", designed by Chandara Tith

What encouraged us for the future productions was the reaction from the people when we went back to four provinces with the finished movie. Many viewers gave us construction feedbacks and appreciated our work. We were happy that the question asked the most was: When will we have that screening again?
I showed some parts of the documentary to my colleagues in the CARE office and they said it impressed them very much. They suggested having another screening for all the staff of CARE another time.
One of my colleagues, Sabine, suggested to me that I should write a short summary of the project and offer it to some of the media in Germany which target young people. I thought it was a very wonderful chance to publicize our work and tell people not only in Cambodia, but also in Germany of the work we have done.

These documentaries result from the ongoing course of Video Production for my bachelor degree in the third year of university. We made it possible through our commitment to work day and night. Though there were several arguments during the project run and it was a challeng for us to handle the equipment and the software.  Here you can see a short video diary that I produced while we travelled and made the movie:

What do you think? I am eager to hear your opinion.

All the best,
Dara

Up to 50 students in one classroom – it is hard to concentrate (photo: CARE)

It is already two months that I have been working for CARE in Germany. The time has gone by really fast. Anyway, I think it was enough time for me as I gained a lot of experience and knowledge about culture, working environment, the way of living, education, transportation and also politics. All this has broadened my horizon and will help me in my professional future. I will fly back to my country with many interesting things to tell my friends and my family.

This is my last blog entry for CARE. You might be reading it when I am already back in Cambodia. For the last entry, I chose to write about education in Cambodia. I have worked as a teacher for the last seven years and this is a topic close to my heart. And I hope that it will have helped you to learn more about my country.

The education among my siblings

I am from a big family, seven sisters, and I am the only one who had the opportunity to study at university. Because of my parents’ financial constraints, they could not support all my sisters until high school. They had to quit after elementary school and come to help the family in the fields. In Cambodia, the traditional farming requires human and animals forces rather than machines. I always think that it is really unfair for my sisters, but we could not find another way. Naturally, parents would like to educate both equally, but if forced to choose one, they choose to educate boys. This is partly due to personal security, girls are also not allowed to travel long distances and live away from their family to attend upper secondary schools. Most of the high schools in Cambodia were built in the provincial towns, therefore girls from smaller villages simply cannot reach them.

Unfortunately not all girls in Cambodia get the chance to go to school (photo: CARE/Fokuhl)

Poverty keeps the children away from education

We cannot deny our bitter history during Khmer Rough Time. The war has hindered Cambodia’s development, especially the education. This was three decades ago, but I have seen that the education system in Cambodia still continues to be plagued by many difficulties, including an acute shortage of qualified teaching staff, poor morale due to low salary levels and lack of suitable teaching materials. Moreover, the number of students dropping out of school remains a big concern.

Even though enrolment in general school is free, there are still a lot of students dropping out every year especially in the elementary school. Reason seems to be poverty. How can the parents keep their children in school with their family income less than one dollar per day? Furthermore, children are often expected to stay at home to look after their younger siblings, do housework or help their families in the fields.
“I will quit the school next year and look for a job in the garment factory to help my family,” said a student of mine responding reluctantly to me when I ask them about their future. Some family are very poor, they can’t even afford studying materials, clothing or a bicycle for their children.

Education doesn’t work well with corruption

Students always say that their parents give them 2, 000 to 2, 500 riels (about 0.5 euro cents) of pocket money. That is enough to buy some breakfast and snacks during the break, but they also have to pay their teachers before they walk into class. Any students who pay are given good scores; those who don’t pay get lower scores. This is unacceptable.

The corruption in school is potentially deteriorating the education system. I find that the education in Cambodia is as poor as most of its population is. I quite often hear the complaints from parents regarding the quality of their children’s education: Their knowledge is far worse than their grades show.
One outrageous example of corruption is that teachers often demand 15 to 20 Euros each semester from any student who wants to get good grades. This amount is even higher if a student fails and still wants to go to study in the upper grade. The other practices which are seen as corruption include selling of exam questions to students or selling of fake certificates of accomplishment.

The corruption not only happens in the general school, it also appears in the higher institutions. Recently Prime Minister Hun Sen called on officials to enhance school quality, particularly at higher education institutions even thought the enrolment rates have been booming in recent years. He complained about master’s and Ph-D program and called them “too easy”. “Some master’s and Ph-D students can not even type on computers.”

I do support what my prime minister mentioned regarding the so-called too easy-to-earn degree. There are thousand of graduates every year, but the qualifications of those do not meet the standards needed in professional life. Their real knowledge is not equivalent to the degree they are holding.

So far, I have been devoting myself to the education for seven years, as now I am 27. I know the government is trying very hard to make the education system better, but it is still not enough. However, it seems to be overlooking the teachers who stand in the front line of education. So to strengthen the education, increasing teacher salaries must be prioritized. Moreover, the teachers have to adhere to their professional code.

A visitor in the Pergamon Museum (photo: Channy Chheng)

Going to Berlin is what I was looking forward to since I arrived in Germany. I come from Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia with over one million inhabitants. I always wanted to know the differences between the cities in Asia and Europe. Berlin is perfect to find out. It is very huge compared to Phnom Penh both in population and surface.

I almost found no time to sit and work in the office as I was supposed to. Besides visiting the historical places, I really enjoyed sightseeing in the early night at the city center. Moreover, I liked to do window shopping in the modern department stores that I have never seen in Cambodia. Every night I always stayed up in front of my computer after midnight checking out the places I was going to see on the following days. Moreover, as I stayed with a German guy, we usually spent some time after dinner discussing everything from the daily life to the economy and politics. This way, I got to know a lot about German life.

Relaxing after six hours on the train

Having a drink with my colleague by the river next to the Museums Island www.museumsinsel-berlin.de was the first thing I did in Berlin shortly after I got off the train. I was a bit tired after sitting on the train for nearly six hours. I am not used to it. The weather felt quite cold to me while as we sat near the river, but the astonishing view of the old buildings, the voices of people from different countries talking and the beautiful decorated tourist boats passing every minute made me forget the cold and exhaustion. “That is the first place from where you should start your journey,” my colleague told me pointing at a huge building on the other side of the river in front of us. Later, I found out that it was the Pergamon Museum. And there were other places that I should not miss, he continued to advise me.

Time travel in the museum

It was Sunday, my second day in Berlin. There were a lot of international tourists doing sightseeing; the young people enjoyed taking photos, while the elders were curiously listening to their tour guide. Big open-air buses driving the tourists passed me every few minutes while I was walking down the street heading to the Museum Island. In Cambodia, tourists normally take tuk-tuks or motor taxi, no double-decker buses. In front of the Pergamon Museum, hundreds of people were waiting; my friend and I had to queue for nearly an hour in the rain. “It is great, I used to see them only in the books,” I told him when I saw a lot of statues on the wall. The architecture of the building in roman style and the explanation from the audio guide of its history made me feel as if I was back in ancient times. I really liked the Pergamon museum. It is one of the best museums I have ever seen.

Two Countries that share a similar history

The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin – a new type of memorial (photo: Channy Chheng)

Cambodia is also a country that has experienced genocide, just as Germany during World War II. A few months ago I went to see the big memorial site in Cambodia, Beung Choeung Ek, 17 km south of Phnom Penh. It is also known as “The Killing Fields”. I was very shocked to see thousands of human skulls piling up in a big stupa – that is a mound or monument built to commemorate the Dead. As Cambodia is a Buddhist country, most of the memorials were built as stupas. Those skulls belonged to people who were brutally killed during the Khmer Rouge regime. According to DC Cam, the independent and nonpartisan institute in Cambodia researching and compiling documentation on the Khmer Rouge regime, more than 1,7 million people died during that time. Here in Berlin, I went to see the Holocaust Memorial, twice. I always tried to figure out the meaning behind the architecture. But I couldn’t, because it was built in a very abstract way. The hundreds of columns in the memorial do not represent anything to me. Do the columns symbolize something for German people?

Up close with the political life

The governmental buildings were my other favourite places. It took me a whole evening to walk around those constructions. I also wanted to see the whole city from the top since my friend had told me that Berlin was the biggest city in Europe. Luckily, I could fulfil my desire when I came to see Bundestag, the Parliamentary House. Once again, I had to queue among hundreds of visitors. Finally, I climbed up the top of the building where I had a wonderful panoramic view of the German capital. In Cambodia, we also have the national assembly, the newly-built seat of the parliament, in Khmer architecture style. It is the biggest one among the government houses. But unfortunately, I can see this building only from outside since it is not opened for the public.

One week has passed very quickly for me. I did not want to leave Berlin. I did a lot of things, saw a lot of places and got to know a lot of people, but I still feel that it was not enough for me. There are many Asian restaurants and I could have all kinds of Asian food anytime I wanted. I could hang out until midnight everywhere in Berlin without worrying. In Phnom Penh, I dare not to stay out late at night. Most parents do not allow their children to go out at night because the security remains a big concern.

Motorbikes are the main transportation in Cambodia (photo: Sabine Wilke)

My mother told me to be highly careful while travelling in Germany, especially whenever I want to cross the road. She doesn’t know how admiringly safe the traffic in Germany is. What she only knows is the complicated situation of the traffic in Cambodia. Traffic accidents are a big concern of the people. Me, for example, I always bear in mind the fear when I am on the wheel. There are many times that I see a traffic accident happening, it is more than common on Cambodian roads. Most of the accidents are deliberately caused by drunken drivers, over speeding and disobeying of rules.

Road traffic accidents remain a big discussion in Cambodia. This year, for example, in August alone, at least 20 people instantly died from traffic accidents in Phnom Penh while dozens of others got minor and major injures. This figure notably increases if compared to the previous months. Every day, three people reportedly die and about 100 others get injured on the roads. This statistic automatically pushes Cambodia to the top of a sad statistic of traffic accidents among countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The components of accidents

The traffic is crowded in Phnom Penh, a small capital with over one million inhabitants. Road constructions do not meet the requirement of the rapid increase of vehicles. The poor condition of the roads, moreover, has subsequently caused trouble for the drivers. I often miss my class because of traffic jams, and I could not speed up as the rule allowed. The diversity of vehicles such as taxis, motor taxis, trucks, tuk-tuks (a motor vehicle with three wheels used as a taxi) and bikes is another reason of accidents and congestions. Wanting to go first and a lack of tolerance, is what the most drivers always seem to think. And this normally produces either an accident or a traffic jam. I do want these drivers to keep in mind the beautiful sentences for secure driving: safety first or even more to the point: less speed.

Many Germans take their bicycle to go to work (photo: Channy Chheng)

Without a license

One more thing is that some people, who have a car, especially those living in the countryside, like to teach their children how to drive instead of sending them to driving school. Some of those so-called learners don’t even know the meaning of traffic signs. I guarantee that what they have mainly learned from their fathers is just how to gear up and down. I don’t want to see those kinds of drivers anymore.

Travellers’ condition

The situation of transportation somehow is far beyond my thought, and I almost do not believe my eyes when I see a small taxi overloading with its passengers up to seven or eight people. Can you imagine the situation? The car is totally packed and no seat belts are there to keep the passengers safe! Sometimes, when a traffic accident happens, the two sides would like to settle the problem or negotiate the compensation on the scene rather than going to the police for help. This way, it is cheaper and hassle-free for both parties to get out of the situation. It usually goes like this: The one who is responsible for the accident has to pay money. But not only to the injured people, he also has to bribe the police in order not to report the case.

What can we do?

Everyone in Cambodia likes to say: Accidents are unpredictable. Yes, I agree with that. They are unpredictable, but nonetheless avoidable. No one wants to meet or create an accident. But it happens just in the one minute while the driver is careless. I do like the traffic law practised in Germany – the strong has to respect the weak. The people who cycle are always prioritized. It is a strong method already to reduce the traffic accidents. Sadly, Cambodia is very far away from this reality.

People gathering to listen to Angela Merkel during the election campaign in Bonn (photo: Channy Chheng)

Half an hour had been gone, and the sound of people murmuring to each other vanished. A voice bursts out loudly, announcing the arrival of the German chancellor. I was standing among the crowds. I used see her face on TV screen and read her speech in the papers, Angela Merkel, now I could see her up, close and personal. I was a bit unluckily, standing meters from the entrance to the stage. So I had to stand on my toes and slightly bent up and down in order to see while she was coming onstage and shaking hands in the crowd.

Different views on the same thing

I told a friend of mine that I wanted to shake hands with the chancellor, and I was serious about this. She just burst out laughing and said, ‘‘why?” I knowingly shrugged my shoulders responding to her laugh. But I actually felt lucky enough, staying in Germany for only two brief months, to see the chancellor: Not only Germany’s first female chancellor but also the first woman to lead a major European country. I did not understand any word she was speaking to hundreds of people in the audience. But I felt really involved when the audience cheered and clapped. I questioned myself whether she was talking badly about her political rivals as Cambodian political candidates always do during the election campaign.

Out of the corner of my eyes, meters away from the stage, I saw a handful of people wearing the same coloured T-shirts and holding banners written in German that I was not able to read. They constantly shouted out in a disturbing way against the chancellor’s speech and so I realized that they came from a different party. I have never seen this situation existing in my country since the election campaigns are different. In Cambodia, the audiences normally are asked to join the campaign in exchanging of favour – a T-shirt and cap, snack and money about 10,000 riels (nearly € 2) – each given by the party.

The election campaign in Cambodia

The fourth general election of Cambodia took place in 2008. And the Cambodia People’s Party (CPP), the ruling party, has underlined its dominance in a landslide victory election winning 90 out of 123 parliamentary seats. I still remember the situation during the election campaign- it usually starts one month ahead of the election day. The noises from megaphones echoing the persuasive words from the politicians are always heard. Everywhere, I got stuck on my way to university because of the traffic jam caused by harsh marches of the party’s campaign. There were hundreds of motors and trucks decorated with banners that had slogans written on them, topped up with national and party’s flags and overloaded with supporters who roamed up and down the city’s roads. Those people dressed in T-shirts and caps adorned with the party logos, stood up in the trucks signalling to the people on the road and singing along the party slogan.

A Car Parade by Funcinpec party during the election campaign in Phnom Penh city 2008 (photo: Keo Kunila)

Favouring and frightening the voters

I believe this does not exist in Germany, but in Cambodia, the eve of the election day is prohibited for election campaigns. But there are some politicians and their henchmen snatching this time to walk around from door to door giving out gifts: sarongs (a loose skirt consisting of brightly coloured fabric wrapped around the body), kramas (long checked scarf wore around the neck), T-shirts, seasoning or money to the voters. They also speak out open threats, gaining votes through fear and favour equally. Giving out gifts gradually became a tradition that every political party always uses as a tool during the election campaign. The party dare to spend thousands of dollars on gifts. The worst of this practice is related to religion: In order to tie up the voters, the party’s activist, sometimes, force its members to take an oath. Since 95 percent of Cambodians are Buddhists, they value these oaths greatly.

Reducing poverty, decreasing the price of gasoline and goods, creating more jobs are always promised by politicians during their campaigns. I am wondering what actions can be taken to address these issues. So far there are still many problems left unsolved, a contrary to what the politicians have said earlier. Do the German politicians keep their promises? If they don’t , what will happen?