I have saved this post for last because it was the hardest to write. As soon as I learned that I would be travelling to Cambodia I started doing research. I was quickly reminded about their very bloody past. RECENT past. The Khmer Rouge killed 1/4 (roughly 1.7 to 2.5 MILLION) of the Cambodian population from 1975-1979. During my life time.
I went to the Killing Fields the first full day I was in Cambodia. My visit colored the rest of my trip. As I looked around at the people after my visit to this mass grave, I realized that there aren't a lot of elderly in Cambodia. It is a very young population. In my guide book, it said, "if an elderly person asks you for money.... just give it to them. They have been through h.e.l.l." I balked at that initially. I am NOT one to just give money to a person.... but... after my visit to the Killing Fields... I did just give them money.
There are many many "killing fields" all over Cambodia that have a series of mass graves. Choeung Ek is the best (that's not saying much) cared for. Most mass graves in Cambodia are inaccessible because of land mines.
I talked to a couple of older people during my travels and they said things like.... "before the war, people were much nicer".... "before the war things didn't look like this". It shocked me that war was so close to the people and so recent. I was also struck by the fact that most people I looked at in Cambodia had a loved one that was affected by this mass genocide.
Martin and I went to church on Sunday and as we were walking into the chapel I happened to look in the gym. On the floor the of the gym was a body draped with a white cloth. It shocked me at first. There were people gathered around the young dead girl and weeping. She had died of cancer. It made me contemplate all of the experiences I have had in Cambodia regarding death. The Cambodian people are very close to death. They care for their dead from the time the die until they are buried or cremated. If the family is rich, they have them embalmed and keep them in the home for a few weeks while people come and pay their respects.
I also had my dear friend Karl Savage on my mind... It was coming up on two years since his untimely death. All of these tragic deaths were swirling around in my head and I realized that the God that I believe in is much much bigger than death. God must have such a different view of death than I do. Death can't be the worst thing to happen to a person. I know my mind is not able to comprehend what happened in Cambodia. But as I age, I do hope to grow closer to my God so that when I do have to walk through death with a loved one or myself I will do so with grace and presence.
I went to the Killing Fields the first full day I was in Cambodia. My visit colored the rest of my trip. As I looked around at the people after my visit to this mass grave, I realized that there aren't a lot of elderly in Cambodia. It is a very young population. In my guide book, it said, "if an elderly person asks you for money.... just give it to them. They have been through h.e.l.l." I balked at that initially. I am NOT one to just give money to a person.... but... after my visit to the Killing Fields... I did just give them money.
There are many many "killing fields" all over Cambodia that have a series of mass graves. Choeung Ek is the best (that's not saying much) cared for. Most mass graves in Cambodia are inaccessible because of land mines.
I talked to a couple of older people during my travels and they said things like.... "before the war, people were much nicer".... "before the war things didn't look like this". It shocked me that war was so close to the people and so recent. I was also struck by the fact that most people I looked at in Cambodia had a loved one that was affected by this mass genocide.
Martin and I went to church on Sunday and as we were walking into the chapel I happened to look in the gym. On the floor the of the gym was a body draped with a white cloth. It shocked me at first. There were people gathered around the young dead girl and weeping. She had died of cancer. It made me contemplate all of the experiences I have had in Cambodia regarding death. The Cambodian people are very close to death. They care for their dead from the time the die until they are buried or cremated. If the family is rich, they have them embalmed and keep them in the home for a few weeks while people come and pay their respects.
I also had my dear friend Karl Savage on my mind... It was coming up on two years since his untimely death. All of these tragic deaths were swirling around in my head and I realized that the God that I believe in is much much bigger than death. God must have such a different view of death than I do. Death can't be the worst thing to happen to a person. I know my mind is not able to comprehend what happened in Cambodia. But as I age, I do hope to grow closer to my God so that when I do have to walk through death with a loved one or myself I will do so with grace and presence.
Many different places around the grounds where you could stop and listen to a first hand account from a man who had survived the Khmer Rouge. |
They had boxes of clothing and bones. The workers gather the bits of clothing after each rain and put them in this box. |
They dug up all of the bodies and just left the land hallow. It was very eerie to look out over the land and see so many depressions in the ground. |
There are no words. "Items" that were picked up after the last rain. They just sat them on top of the glass box that they needed to be thrown into. The cord was used to bind wrists. |