Kent in Kampuchea

Hey.  After a long break from the blog, I'm back, and it's time to go to a new country.

This summer, I'll be working in Cambodia.  The details of my project are largely confidential, so I'll have to get my work-related information screened before I can share anything.  All I can say for now, in this forum, is that I'm going to Cambodia to work with a non-profit that does some incredible work to benefit the people of Cambodia, as well as the people of several other Asian countries.  If you're curious about what I'm doing, and can't wait until I can get permission to post something official, you're welcome to call or email me and I'll answer all your questions.  I promise.

But, I can say a few things about Cambodia itself.  I won't actually be in the country until early June, but since I'm letting everyone know that I'll be keeping this blog going while I'm there, I thought it would be nice if there was something about Cambodia to whet the appetites of any preliminary visitors.  So, a few facts in preparation.  Cambodia is here:

This is the southeast Asian peninsula called Indochina.  To the east of Cambodia is Vietnam, to the north are Thailand and Laos.  Farther southeast, the Philippines and Indonesia spread over the water toward Australia.

Cambodia was settled first by Indian merchants (India is due west) in the first century A.D.  For that reason, first Hinduism, and now Buddhism, dominate the religious landscape of the country.  The Khmer language is also more like Indian languages than those of China.

And, speaking of the Khmer, "Cambodia" comes from the word "Kampuchea," which means something like "Land of the Khmer."  The Khmer Empire was the great empire of Cambodia, from around the time of the Fall of Rome until Columbus got lost on the way to India.  Still today, by far the largest racial group in Cambodia are the Khmer, and Khmer is the official language of the country.  The Khmer were phenomenal builders, who built the extensive man-made lakes and canals that make the country a major producer of rice, as well as one of the most extensive temple networks in the world, including these, the famous Ankor Wat and the ruins of Ta Prohm:

Now, Cambodia is rebuilding from the Vietnam War era.  During that period of turbulence for America, Cambodia was rocked by first the terrible reign, and then the ongoing threat, of the infamous Khmer Rouge.  Finally, the Khmer Rouge is being brought to justice, and the people of Cambodia are moving past that dark shadow in their history by holding trials for the guilty participants in court and moving forward in their constitutional monarchy.  Cambodia is shaking off a modern history of civil wars, landmines, and poverty to emerge on the world stage, in a period of growing stability, as an agricultural producer in its corner of the world, an international exporter of fine textiles, and a democratic society that is gaining its feet and putting together what it can offer to the world.  I'm excited to be going over to be part of that emerging society.