Gender Discrimination

After recovering from the civil war in Pol Pot regime, Cambodia has faced a great deal of problems. For example, there are some problems, such as economic growth, infrastructure, poverty, health care system, education system, and politic crisis.

Concerning with education system, there are many cases that Cambodian people cannot go to school and learn something. Moreover, there are not enough schools, especially in the countryside. Even though a small number of students can go to school, the girls are found fewer than the boys. We usually saw the case in some places, where there was no even a girl in the classroom. However, recently the numbers of girls going to school are increasing remarkably.

In the past, Cambodian people had an idea that the girl was weaker than the boy, so it was no necessary for her to be educated at all. The girl was just better to stay at home and help do house's work. After getting married, woman had a responsibility to take care of the children and to do house's work. Women had no right to decide thing or to deal with any issues, but a person who could decide what to do in the family was the husband. Sometimes there were cases that a husband used violence against his wife. The wife could do nothing, but just kept silent and bear it.

Nowadays, many girls are enrolled in school like the boys. There are a great number of girls enrolling in the university. The women have chances to take a job, to join a community, or to work in the government institution and also to challenge as a candidate in the national election. However, men are still more powerful than women in work or government institution. For example, there are very few women in the parliament, and of course, we rarely find any women who function as a leader.

In addition, many men usually think that they are stronger, have more knowledge and work better than women even though the government has adopted legislation that ensures women right are promoted and protected. The government has also committed to enabling "the full and equal enjoyment of all human right and fundamental freedoms by women and girls is a priority".

In the near future, women are expected to be equal as men like in the United States, Japan and the EU, where women are as strong as men and have their freedom or right to work and join any activities in the society.

Getting Married in Cambodian Culture

Marriage is very important for our life time. So the Cambodians think when they marry
someone, they have to live and do everything for that person to be able to lead a happy life. Before getting married, thinking properly of whom you marry is the most important thing for us. In Cambodia, of course, people generally appreciate your wedding ceremony, but they do not consider divorce as a reasonable way. I mean that it is better not to get divorce if you have any solutions to deal with your partner. In addition, it must be a difficult situation for you to find anyone to get married with you again after your divorce. The majorities of Cambodian people think that someone who, one time, gets divorce can do it again and again. So it is said that you had better not to marry someone who used to get divorce.

How do people think about the traditional wedding in Cambodia? So let find out what kind of wedding ceremony we do in our culture or religion. In the past time, it was said that it look around seven days to hold a wedding ceremony. After that, it has been shorten to three days. Because of something to do with our culture, it was common to do something to show our unforgettable culture on the wedding day. However, in the present time, we spend only one day to celebrate a wedding ceremony. What a unbelievable thing people have shortened seven days- wedding ceremony to one day- ceremony. So I will explain something more about the present-time wedding in Cambodia.

First of all, before getting married, we have a courtship pattern which is conducted throughout the whole country. However, it is said that courtship patterns have differences in some areas. It is common for Cambodian people to get married between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. The girl usually gets married quicker than the man does. After a spouse has been selected, parents will meet each other to talk to reach an agreement and investigate each other to make sure that their son or daughter marries into a good family. When both sides agree to the marriage, presents, usually fruits, have been exchanged. It means that the bride side decided to accept the groom side courtship. Marriage between close blood relatives is also common in Cambodia, especially in rural area.

Holding the ceremony is going to be in next process after the courtship has been successfully completed. The wedding ceremony starts in the bride house in the morning and finishes at night. Early in the morning, there is a march of ceremony in which the bride and groom lead a walk and followed by a number of guests. Everyone needs to hold some fruits, sweets or candies in hand. The march probably begins about one-hundred meters far from the bride house. They all have to walk slowly in traditional dresses toward the bride house with a traditional music playing at the same time. After that, at home the Buddhist priests offer a short sermon and recite prayers of blessing. Parts of ceremony involve ritual hair cutting and tying cotton threads soaked in holy water around couple's wrists. The parents and parents-in-law offer their blessings to the couple. It is a sign showing us that they give the bride and the groom good thing and happiness. The legend of Preah Thaong and Neang Neak is held in wedding ceremony, in which the groom carries the bride's scarf and walks to her room. It symbolizes that the groom is from afar and is marrying into the bride's family. The guests are welcomed and offered rice porridge and some fruits in the morning ceremony, as well. After holing the ceremony all morning at the bride's house, in the afternoon the couple is required to go outside and to be taken some memorial pictures in beautiful wedding dresses. And then, there is a wedding party at a hotel or restaurant where all the quests can have their dinner and enjoy wedding music and song. At the dinner party, the couple can receive presents given by the guests. Both the bride and the groom are required to cut the wedding cake and give a piece of it to their guests. After dinner party, the couple has to go back home, and at night, it is a good time for them to have their wedding sexual intercourse for the first time. It is the last step and clarifies that the ceremony is completely ended.

Overall, it is not easy for anyone to have a good partner and marry his or her. So I may say that getting married is so complicated, but it is exciting and important for everyone through a life time. In my opinion, the most interesting thing of marriage is that it differs between one country and another country because of its culture and religion. For example, marriage in Christ's culture, Islamic culture and Buddhist culture are different. There are various processes of each religion. The couple wears different wedding dresses concerning with each culture. However, a common thing is that getting married is to live together as a family.

People Whom I Respect

I was born in Phnom Penh city in a poor family and grew up there. I am so proud and happy to live with my lovely family. This is because I have good parents and brothers who always encourage me to overcome everything. Even though I am not in a rich family, I think that I am loved by my family members.

My parents are so kind, and also respectful of others. My father works hard to help me and my brothers be able to go to school. He studied hard at school, and he used to work in the government. Because of his effort at work, he was twice sent to study more in other countries, including East Germany, Soviet Union and Vietnam. He is getting older and older and does not look so healthy. However, he is still working in the air force to support the family. He is a quiet man, so he does not talk too much with us. However, I know he loves us and always takes responsibility as a good father. When I look into his eyes, I recognize that he is proud and happy to have me as his son. He can send me messages through his feelings rather than talking too much. Talking about my mother, she is a silent woman, as well. I mean my mother and father have almost the same personality. My mother is weak, so she always moves slowly. For example, she walks and eats slowly. Additionally, the way she speaks is kind of slow, too. Of course, I know that she is tired everyday because she has to get up early in the morning, and then she leaves home for market, where she sells fruits every day to earn money in order to support our living. I remember she said, " I am so happy when I can send all of you to school even though I am tired, or have any difficulties." She added that the most important things for us was to go to school. I was extremely very excited and happy to hear her words. My parents always let me do what I want. As I remember, when I started to play Sepak Takraw in junior high school, my parents told me that I could do it if I continued studying. They gave me hope, so I tried my best. As a result, what I achieved was that I was chosen for the national team.

I think that I am a lucky son to have parents like them. I respect them and will never forget them as long as I still live on the earth. Now, I cannot see their faces, but at least, I can hear them talking on the phone. Their kindness makes me stronger and pushes me to try harder.

When I came to Japan, I thought that it was a good place for everyone to live because here they have everything. However, I was shocked when I saw some news on TV or newspapers showing that there were many cases of murder in families. There are cases where a wife killed her husband or children, or in reverse, a husband killed his wife or children, grandchildren killed their grandparents, etc. I am still wondering why this happens in a rich country like Japan. I think the love between parents and children in Japan is low compared to the majorities of countries around the world. So I really want to know exactly whom Japanese children love and respect.

Finally, I just want to say that I love my parents and my brothers. They always give me strength to do things. They encourage and respect me, and I respect them, too. I am committed giving something back to thank them. I think I have to respect myself, too, and then my family before I can respect others. How can you do something for anyone or be respectful of them if you do not know who you are, in which family you were born, and in which country you are from?

Fathers Should Spend More Time With Their Children

Spending time with children is very important for every father. Children need parents to be with them to take care of them and to support them both morally and spiritually. It is said that mothers are always closer to their children than fathers. This is because fathers are the main people in their family, so they have to work hard to earn a living, rather than just staying at home and spending more time with children.

In some countries, people have such long working hour that they have few hours at home. It means that they have less time to spend with their wives or children. According to an annual work hours' report in 2004 by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), workers in South Korean have the longest work hours among OECD countries. The average South Korean works 2,390 hours each year. This is 34% more hours than the average in the United State, which ranks 7th with an average of 1,777 hours a year. In Japan, ranking number five, the average work hours are 1,828 hours per year, higher than in the United States. So we can say that in developed countries, fathers spend less time with their children compared to developing or poor countries.

However, in Cambodia, the majority of fathers have a good relationship with their children even though they work. In general, they work eight hours a day from Monday to Friday or Saturday. Of course, unlike the United States or Japan, they start working earlier. Usually, they start at seven o'clock or eight o'clock in the morning and finish at five o'clock in the afternoon. A break time in the noon is two hours. Some workers go back home at a break time to have a good lunch with their family, and then they return to work in the afternoon hours. This is an important part for fathers in spending more time with the children. However, some workers have lunch alone at work, so they can have only dinner with their children. Additionally, some people work late at night, so when they arrive home, they probably eat alone and just see their children sleep. Probably, working hard is another factor because fathers get tired and have no desire to talk or do things with their children.

I think that it is so necessary for all fathers to spend time with their children because children really need their fathers to be with them and take care of them. Children may need to talk with their fathers about school lessons or the problems they have. Mothers alone are not enough for children to rely on. Both are very important to teach their children right from wrong. If parents ignore their children, they escape their burden but they make a big mistake, as well. Without having been told which path they should take, children may do something wrong. That's why children need strong support from their mother or father. At least, fathers should spend their weekend time with children if they are too busy with work on weekdays.

The National Health Care System

According to the World Health statistic 2008, in Cambodia, the male life expectancy average is 59, while the female average is 65. Moreover, the probability of dying under five is 82 per 1,000 live births, so I can say that the life expectancy is simply low. Firstly, we should think about the reason why our life expectancy is low. The way of living, food, environment, and of course, health care system are the main factors for our life expectancy. What kind of national health program does the Cambodian government offer to our people?

First of all, in my opinion, there are not enough hospitals, especially in the rural areas. The people there have difficulties finding a hospital in a small village. If they have a serious disease, they have to go to a city to find a big hospital. However, for people who live in the city, they are luckier than those living in the countryside because they can go to any hospital nearby when they get sick. Some national hospitals are large and have a number of doctors and nurses. The majority of hospitals receive funds donated from different institutes or organizations from abroad, such as the EU, the United States, or Japan.

However, there are some cases where illegal conduct is found in the hospitals when doctors ask patients for money before diagnosing a disease and sometimes sell the donated medicines to patients. Because of these illegal cases, the national hospitals have a bad reputation for service or staff's behavior. For rich people, they always go to a private clinic rather than a national hospital because they think that they can get a better service and will be cured faster.

In addition, a health care insurance system has not been created, so patients have to pay one hundred percent of medical treatment or medicine. It is a heavy burden for the Cambodians to pay for everything. Some people may decide not to go to the hospital to consult with a doctor even though they are sick. This is because they are afraid of the medical treatment fee, and they are frequently treated badly when they have no money to pay. I think that it is so embarrassing for us to have such a bad health care system. The payment should not be totally the citizens' burden.

However, in some countrysides, the government set up some projects to give better health care program. For example, the government built local health care facilities in a remote where the people have difficulty to go to a central hospital.

Besides the government, NGOs (Non Government Organization) do many activities to help the people who cannot afford to go to the hospital. For example, many organizations send experts on health care programs to meet the poor people or farmers who suffer from an illness, and then they deal with the problems, such as medical treatments and advices on health care programs.

Even if there are a number of organizations donating funds and giving spiritual and moral support to the poor, they still face many problems in getting a good health care system. There is a lack of medicines, health care facilities, and nurses to take care them. I think that the government should spend more money to create a national health care program, especially using the donated funds to legally help the people in need.

Unemployment Increasing Again In Cambodia

Under the civil war during the Pol Pot Regime, from 1975 to 1979, the Cambodian economy collapsed, and the infrastructure was destroyed. Meanwhile, a great deal of educated and skill full people were also killed. Nearly three million people passed away. They all were important people who played a key role in developing the country. During this period, all the people were forced to work on farms only and could not have another job. For example, people who worked for the government, a company, a factory, in the military, or for other fields were not allowed to do their jobs.

After recovering from the war, the surviving Cambodians returned to their normal life, but everything was not the same because the infrastructure had become worse. All the people started to rearrange it. At that time, the number of people who had no job was increasing remarkably. Some lost their lands, houses and even their relatives, so they had no place to live, no land to grow crops, and no school to go to. As a result, unemployment increased rapidly across the whole country.

Like starting from the beginning, the Cambodian government built the education system and some other structures, as well. People started to go to school, including young and old people. The infrastructure also improved year by year. As a result, people could get a job, and farmers had land to produce food. This was an important factor for Cambodia to decrease the unemployment rate.

On March 16, 1992, the United Nation Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) arrived in Cambodia. In 1993, the United Nations arranged a national election for the first time after long years of recovery from civil war, so the Cambodian people could decide their future. After the election, many factories or companies have been increasing in number. This created opportunities for people to get a job, and the employment rate became to rise.

In 2004, the unemployment rate was 2.50%, and it was a low rate compared to other countries. This rate revealed that Cambodia was ranked 173rd in the world. However, in 2009, unemployment increased again from 2.50% to 3.50%. This was a noticeable increase because the rate was not expected to rise. The number of companies has been increasing recently, so people should have opportunities to find jobs more easily.

To prevent the unemployment rate from increasing, the government should take responsibility to deal with the problem. We have to find out the reason why people are unemployed. It could be because they are not well educated and have not enough qualifications to work. Maybe companies are laying off workers, or it is because of our society's environment.

Dear Admissions Officer,

I am writing to request information about the entry examination for foreign students for admission to Asia University as new freshman in the 2010 semester. Also, please send me information regarding the schedule and requirement for the Business Administration Test.

Presently, I have been taking a Japanese course at the Tokyo Japanese Language Center for almost eight months. After this course, I want to apply for admission to Asia University, so now I am preparing to take the entry examination. I am extremely interested in the Business Administration Program because I read on Asia University's homepage that courses will be specially focused on foreign students . Moreover, students can take Japanese and freshman English lectures for the first year semester. I think that this is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of not only specialty Business skills but also Japanese language improvement.

I am keen to further my education at Asia University.
I look forward to receiving your reply. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Kompheak YIN

The Well-known Monk

In March 11, 1883, a son of farmers was born with an outstanding talent.His name was Chuon Nath, the late Supreme Patriarch Kana Mahanikaya of Cambodia. As a master of Buddha’s teaching, he was very intelligent and well known around Buddhism circles, as well as, Khmer language’s conservation. He dedicated his life to conserving our language, and he achieved a great deal in his efforts, such as putting Khmer language in the form of Khmer dictionary for the first time and writing the national anthems, Nokor Reach and Savada Khmer. He is the most respected monk, known as Samdech Sangha Raja Chuon Nath through his movements, including the protection and conveyance of Khmer history and identity.
In the early twentieth century, Chuon Nath organized some reformist movements in order to develop a rationalist – scholastic model of Buddhism. These movements were so important for Cambodia to keep our language’s identity, culture, and nationalism. Chuon Nath translated Pali and Sanskrit languages into modern Khmer language, which is used in our modern society. Without him, the Cambodian people would have difficulties in studying language because ordinary people cannot understand Pali and Sanskrit languages well, and only the monks would.
Additionally, Chuon Nath was probably the most knowledgeable monk who had derived many understandable words from difficult Pali and Sanskrit words. Another contribution was his effort to prevent the French from using the Roman alphabets to write the Khmer language. When Cambodia was a French colony, France intended to replace the Khmer language with its own language. It was compulsory for us to learn French starting from primary school. This was established by the France while it ruled Cambodia for approximately 90 years. Fortunately, with much hard work of our knowledgeable scholars, Cambodia could protect the Khmer language and use it as a formal one. We are very proud and happy to use our own language rather than French.
Nowadays, we officially use Chuon Nath’s dictionary in terms of formal written forms. For example, it plays an important role in writing a formal letter, book, or any documents in the constitution. Moreover, it is also used for school curriculum. All the students throughout the whole country have an obligation to learn “Pong Savada Khmer” and “Nokorreach.”
“Pong Savada Khmer” is an anthem about the nationality of Khmer. It teaches us about Khmer and about general concepts of the Khmer people. “Nokorreach” -Royal Kingdom (see the inscription in Khmer below) is the national anthem of Cambodia adopted in 1941 and reconfirmed in 1947, around the time of independence from France.
Overall, what we gained from Chuon Nath’ works is a great honor for Cambodia, so we highly respect and appreciate him. Everyone should know Samdach Chuon Nath, the monk who contributed a great deal for the Buddhist religion and Cambodia’s educational system.

Angkor Wat, a Historical Temple

Angkor Wat is a spiritual and magnificent place for all Cambodian people. It is our heart and soul, and serves as a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on the national flag. It was built in the 12th century by Suryavarman the second. It took more than 100 years in order to successfully complete the construction. Suryavarman was a respected and powerful king among the others. He controlled the whole empire and made people proud of him with his reputation when he started to build such a huge temple. Angkor Wat was the best one to represent peaceful and powerful Khmer empire. It was a construction reflecting a significant religious place of Hindu, and related to Vishnu and Buddhist, as well. "Angkor" means a capital or a city with a king ruling his citizens there. "Wat" means a temple, especially related to Hindu during that time. However, nowadays, Wat is known as the worship Buddhist temple or pagoda. There are thousands of Buddhist pagodas called Wat located everywhere throughout the whole country.

A lot of tourists go to Cambodia to visit the world heritage of Angkor Wat, one among the other famous temples in Siem Reap province which used to be Angkor capital during Khmer empire era. It is not so far from the central city to reach Angkor grounds. There are different ways for travelers to go. Some may take a motor taxi, a tuk tuk, or even ride a bicycle. A group of tourists may take a tour bus. However, there are still tourists who walk on foot in order to take time to see the view of the city or beautiful and interesting things all around there.

Looking over the temple, you can see it hidden in the jungle. Tourists can also ride a boat and see the view all around. It is also surrounded by a beautiful large calm lake. When arriving at the front of the temple, you see an entrance gate of the temple. Then, you step onto the stairs and pass over a bridge. After walking a few minutes across the bridge, you see another tall and huge beautiful gate. It is a quite large grounds. I may say that it is a little bit of a long way to walk to the central building of the temple. The building is also surrounded by a long thick wall with beautiful carving statues and pictures showing everything about the historical stories of Khmer empire, such as historical wars between one king and another king, or neighbor countries. You'll recognize that Khmer people used elephants for fighting in war during Khmer empire era. In addition, the most beautiful and well-known thing, Apsara dancing performance carving, appears on almost every wall. It is a dancing performance of Cambodians' heart. We, Cambodian people, dance it to show our cultural and historical heritage to people all around the world.

After passing through the gate,you see two libraries on the left and right hand side. They were built to keep religious books. Right in front of terrace, there are another two small ponds, one on the right and another on the left. You come closer to the temple, go into an enclosure, and see huge elegant towers. Looking from the front, everyone can see top three towers. They are definitely tall and beautiful. You may think that amazing people must have built them. The three of them are the symbol of Cambodia and our spirit.

Moreover, getting up early in the morning and seeing the bright and colorful sunrise floating up over the three towers is quite a good idea because sunrise at Angkor Wat temple is very beautiful. It attracts a lot of people from all around the world to see such a great view.

Angkor Wat plays an important role in attracting tourists to come to visit Cambodia, and it is also as a part of the economic support of what is called the tourist industry. We all love and respect it. It is worth much to us and our ancestors.

My first blog

Hi! I am Kompheak from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This is the first time for me to be represent in the blog. I have been living in Japan for 2years and a half. Now I am a student at Asia University in Musashisakai.