Day 2 - Facing the Past

Bloggers: Andrea S., Ayaka Y., Emi M., Aaron P. and Cameron W.

Today was an extremely interesting and memorable experience where we learnt the history of the Khmer Rouge from approximately 40 years ago here in Cambodia. Being in the same place where thousands of victims of the Khmer Regime died was an experience that was unexplainable.

 We first visited the interrogation prison, S-21. In the rooms where the prisoners were locked, there were photos of the prisoners who were once trapped. Seeing the actual photos of the victims was very shocking and brought us to the reality of what actually happened. 

  Following the prison, we visited the Killing Fields where those imprisoned in S-21 were brought for their actual executions. The memorial tower here, known as the Stupa, is where remains of the victims, unearthed during the first exhumation of mass graves in 1979, are preserved. The skulls were all damaged in different ways, which showed the individuality of each skull, and the reality that this execution was not just an event in history, but was something that happened to civilians that are just like us.

Overall, it was really a meaningful beginning of the day. By experiencing the somber history of Cambodia, we gained more insight into Cambodia’s culture.  Not only do we understand Cambodia more thoroughly, we also admire Cambodia more for it's strength and spirit needed to rise up from this tragedy.

 After a brief period of relaxation back at the hotel, we went on a sunset cruise on the river. It was a rough trip on the way down to the boat, as the road was muddy, and many of us had our shoes caked with mud by the time we even got to the boat. The trip on the river was relaxing, people interacted with each other and had lots of fun just joking around and listening to music on the two-hour ride. When we arrived again on the dock, we went to the night market to do some shopping. There was so much to look at and to buy, and with a little bit of bargaining between the sellers and ourselves, we often managed to get a good deal for a few things to take back home with us.

The day was full of events, both enjoyable and emotional; and to think, it’s only day two of our stay in Cambodia and while today we faced the past, we’re now looking forward to the future and the adventures that are ahead of us.