Bang
The year is 1971. Somewhere in the U.S, you are born. At the same time, half a world away, a baby Cambodian is born in the town of Battambang, his almond eyes glowing with spirit and life. What, if by a stroke of fate, you would have been born to his parents, and he to yours?
He would get vaccinated for polio; you wouldn’t, and you would develop the debilitating disease at age four. He would grow up in a solid home in a good neighborhood, while you would be raised in a one-room thatched hut next to a rice paddy. He would go to school, and play with his friends, while you would be forced to slave in the fields by the rouge government that murdered your older siblings. He would eat nutritious meals with his family every day, while you slowly died of starvation.
He would go to college, while you faced discrimination because of your exaggerated limp caused by polio. He would find a stable, well-paying job in a respected profession, while you would get hired to clean the toilets in the men’s room of the only bar in town for four dollars per month. He would leave his job for a better one, with a higher salary. You would borrow money from your only remaining brother to buy a motor scooter to ferry tourists around town. He would occasionally get stuck in traffic on the way home from work, while you would find yourself staring down the barrel of an AK-47 held by a Khmer Rouge guerilla intent on stealing your only possession, thankful that the only reason he didn’t shoot you already was your wretched polio hobble.
Yet, you would persevere. You would teach yourself English, borrow more money to buy a second motor scooter, and continue to work in the bar when you could. Because you are one of the only kids in town that knows any English, the United Nations delegates you meet in the men’s room would ask you to translate for them when arranging their late-night concubines. You would save enough money to buy a small house, and rent out one of the two rooms. You would finally meet a nice girl, marry her, and become the father of two beautiful children. You would find happiness.
You would be Salone, our driver in Battambang, and you would have an amazing story to tell.
Enjoy the Battambang Photo Gallery.
He would get vaccinated for polio; you wouldn’t, and you would develop the debilitating disease at age four. He would grow up in a solid home in a good neighborhood, while you would be raised in a one-room thatched hut next to a rice paddy. He would go to school, and play with his friends, while you would be forced to slave in the fields by the rouge government that murdered your older siblings. He would eat nutritious meals with his family every day, while you slowly died of starvation.
He would go to college, while you faced discrimination because of your exaggerated limp caused by polio. He would find a stable, well-paying job in a respected profession, while you would get hired to clean the toilets in the men’s room of the only bar in town for four dollars per month. He would leave his job for a better one, with a higher salary. You would borrow money from your only remaining brother to buy a motor scooter to ferry tourists around town. He would occasionally get stuck in traffic on the way home from work, while you would find yourself staring down the barrel of an AK-47 held by a Khmer Rouge guerilla intent on stealing your only possession, thankful that the only reason he didn’t shoot you already was your wretched polio hobble.
Yet, you would persevere. You would teach yourself English, borrow more money to buy a second motor scooter, and continue to work in the bar when you could. Because you are one of the only kids in town that knows any English, the United Nations delegates you meet in the men’s room would ask you to translate for them when arranging their late-night concubines. You would save enough money to buy a small house, and rent out one of the two rooms. You would finally meet a nice girl, marry her, and become the father of two beautiful children. You would find happiness.
You would be Salone, our driver in Battambang, and you would have an amazing story to tell.
Enjoy the Battambang Photo Gallery.
posted by Scott and Lynn at 9:50 PM
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