« June 2008 | Main | August 2008 »
July 28, 2008
on the elections
I'm not in Cambodia yet, but I felt like it was time for another entry. As you may have heard, the elections in cambodia went off without violence or controversy, though it seems more a product of everyone understanding that Hun Sen and the CPP are for better or worse the dominant force in the politics of cambodia, and use their incumbency very well (or very poorly, depending on your normative stance) when elections roll around. Finally and most importantly in any political race, when answering the fundamental question of the incumbent, "Are you better off than you were five years ago?" most Cambodians have to say yes. Violence is down, growth is up, and things seem like they're headed towards some form of normality.
I'm coming to Cambodia as an apolitical educator. I have no official position on the state of politics in the country, especially because I haven't visited myself. I don't want to come off like some self-proclaimed expert who never leaves the embassy. I neither want to look down my nose at the problems of cambodia, nor callously ignore them. All I can do is be understanding of the problems that ANY young democracy will have, including the USA. I have always been a student of history, and I learned two very important things about American history at Princeton: 1) that it took a very long time to consolidate a true democracy in our country, and 2) that any 'corruption' we decry today in other countries was probably equalled or surpassed at some point in our history. So an attitude of understanding and humility is really essential.
Posted by flynn at 1:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 3, 2008
"Don't let a monkey steal your sunglasses, Adam."
I'm getting ready to leave Yuma in the next few hours, and though I'll be meeting my parents in San Francisco before I go, it still has the feeling of wrapping things up.
We watched City of Ghosts (2002), a twisty little Matt Dillon movie filmed almost entirely in Cambodia, on Monday night. The fact that it was a crime/noir sort of film did not assuage my mother's worries that her darling son was going off somewhere weird. It probably didn't help that we also watched "The Last King of Scotland" the other night, as well. Now, she completely approves and supports my decision to do PiA, but this didn't stop her from interjecting 'advice' every couple of minutes through the movie:
"Don't lose your passport, Adam."
"Don't make deals with Russian gangsters, Adam."
"Don't go to crazy brothels, Adam."
"Don't fall for mysterious women, Adam."
"Don't get your foot cut off by ex-Khmer Rouge bandits, Adam."
"Don't go to bars run by Gerard Depardieu, Adam."
and most importantly, "Don't let a monkey steal your sunglasses, Adam."
It was funny, and it was true that the film emphasized the ridiculousness of Cambodia (though I've heard that things have calmed down greatly since about 2003). It's a place where I have to have my wits about me, and not take stupid risks (though I'm not going to let unreasonable fear run my life). It can be a tough city for the unwitting. Also, though I can swim I'm not naturally buoyant and she worries about me taking dodgy ferry rides.
I can understand her anxiety. It's got to be kind of scary when you raise your son to go out into the world and seek adventure, and then he listens to you.
Posted by flynn at 11:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack