"Redemption of Man" by Toots - from The Anjali House Writing Project - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Master Link to All Project Related Posts

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

Toots, like all the work shop participants, is just starting to learn English. Unlike European languages, the structure and grammer of the Khmer language does not share Latin roots with English, making it very hard to master.  Of course the reverse is also true.

My thanks to Toots, a pen name to protect her privacy, for allowing me to share this very moving story with my readers.

"Redemption of the Man"

by Toots

 

   Five years ago there was a small village that has a lot of people living in it. But in the village was one family which was very poor. They had many children. The husband did not have a job. He was always fighting with his wife for money to buy wine to drink with a friend every day. Their life was very hard. They had six children.

   The woman was very afraid of the husband. The woman wanted to run away and took her six children. They went to their aunt’s house in Phnom Penh. The aunt wanted to know about the husband and asked the woman about her husband and what he did with her and her children. The aunt got very angry. She wanted to kill the man. The aunt said: “you

can stay here, when he comes here, I will kill him. You don’t have to be afraid.”

   Two weeks later the man was coming to Phnom Penh. He wanted to say sorry to the aunt, but the aunt didn’t forgive him. The aunt spoke with the woman, the woman said: “I have pity for him because I know that he has changed his attitude and that he doesn’t drink wine anymore.” One son came to the mother and said “I want to have a father. Mother where is my

father?” The mother didn’t say anything.

   One time, the father came again and he prayed to the aunt and the mother to forgive him. Then they forgave him and the family went back with the father. Now they live happily ever after and the children can go to school. The man has a job and he has a lot of money. Last year he went to build a big house for the family.

 

Toots, age 15 - we have no bio data on this author.

"Destroyed by Fire" by Peter. - A Wonderful Poem from the Anjali HouseWriting Project - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Master Link to All Project Related Posts

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

My thanks to Peter (all writers are using pen names to protect their privacy ) for sharing this very moving poem with us.  Peter, as are all Anjali Writing Project participants, is in the opening stages of mastering English.  

"Destroyed by Fire" 

 by Peter

Big fire has arrived

One night animals were running

The trees were dead

The leaves were dry

Fire becomes hotter

Fire was strong

Forest was a disaster

Water is hot

Animals can’t drink

Animals with wings fly away

One night fire becomes stronger

everything has gone.

Peter, age 16 author supplied data

Last year I went to celebrate the water festival with my cousin and my friend. We went there by bicycle.  When we arrived there we were tired and we bought a bottle of water to drink. Next we started to see the racing boats. Then we went to the supermarket to play some games there. At night we were hungry and came down and bought fried noodle to eat and then we went home. On the road the bicycle broke and the mechanic shop was closed. We didn’t know what to do and we just walked with our bicycle home. Finally I arrived home, took a shower and ate dinner. I felt tired because I had to walk the bicycle but I felt happy that I had joined the water festival.

"Good Friends" by Kent - From The Anjali House Writing Project. - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

My thanks to Kent (a pen name) for allowing me to share this intriguing story with my readers.

"Good Friends" 

 by Kent

 

   One hundred million years ago, there were many people who

lived together in the forest. There were three men. They were Jon, Peter and Jack. Every one was strong.

   One day they discussed with each other to go to the forest

to hunt the animals. During their hunting of the animals, there was a tiger coming. A tiger wanted to kill them for food. And then they saw the tiger. Jon said, “Oh! Tiger! We must run away. ”

   But Jack said, “No, we shouldn’t run away. We must go to

kill this tiger. Because this tiger used to kill people before.”

   Peter said, “Okay. I agree.”

   While they were speaking, the tiger ran into them. Three of

the men cooperated to kill the tiger. Soon the tiger died.

   They took the tiger to their village, and they shared the meat

with the villagers. Since that time those three men were all good friends.

 

Kent, age  16 -  there is no biographical data for Kent but I think you can sense determination and high intelligence in his picture.

"I Love the Circus" by Chelsea - A Story From the Anjali House Writing Project Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

My thanks to Chelsea for allowing me to publish this very interesting story.

"I Love the Circus" by Chelsea (13)

 

   Yesterday I went to the circus. It was very fun. When I went I walked around and saw the pictures of that circus. When I saw that it was 7:00 I knew they were going to start to play. This is my first time there.

   It was a story about a boy who the villagers did not like because he could not speak or hear. They made him sad. He prayed to the gods. The gods said “Do you want to be a girl like your mother?” They turned the boy into a girl. She was the most beautiful girl in the village. But still they killed her, because they thought she was bad. When she died, the gods came andsaid “Why did you do this?” and they made the girl live again as a boy.

   To show this story, the actors jumped with the fire light. They danced with the music. They jumped high from the see saw onto a big mat. And they stood on top of each other.

   After they finished, they stretched. Then I asked them some questions. “How long did you study this?” I asked.

   Two men said they learned this for 7 years. Two other men said they learned this for 8 years, and another man said he studied for 10 years. The two women both studied for 9 years.

   I also asked if they will do this for a long time. All the men said, “No! When I have a wife, I will stop.” But the women said, “I am not thinking about a husband. But when I am 30 I will stop.”

 

 

Chelsea, age 13 -Author supplied data 

 

In my family there were four people. Me, my parents and my brother. One day my parents had a fight. Then me and my brother ran to my grandmother’s house. Then I went to live with her when I was 7 years old. Now I am 13 years old. In my grandma’s family there were 7 people. My uncle, aunt, their two children, my grandma and my sister. When I was 13 years old my grandma died. I was very sad. When the funeral was finished I went to live with my uncle and aunt. I hope one day I will live with my good family again.

"The Accident on the Beach" by Sarah - from The Anjali House Writing Project - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

"The Accident on the Beach" by Sarah. (This is a pen name to protect the author's privacy)

 

Last week, there were two teenagers, a boy named Maranith and a girl named Kaknika. They were good friends. They were on a beach. At a beach they saw lots of people visit there. There were old and young people. Maranith and Kaknika were playing games with children at the beach. Suddenly, there was an accident. There was a little boy drowned in the sea. People on the beach were very, very afraid. When Maranith saw that the boy was drowning, he went into the sea to help the boy. Then everyone on the beach was very happy, because the boy and Maranith were okay. After that, they had a party for Maranith. Finally Maranith and Kaknika got married.

 

 

Sarah, age 13 

Author supplied data from Sarah (as stated and required under Cambodian statues, all authors are using pen names) Please read her biography.  

   I have a big family. My mother took me to Phnom Penh when I was 5 years old. I stayed in Phnom Penh for four years. I stayed in an organisation. In Phnom Penh it’s beautiful and there are a lot of modern people.

   At night I couldn’t sleep because there were many noisy sounds. In Phnom Penh there were a lot of poor people too. The teachers were strict. I had to study hard, but they were also friendly. There were many gangsters and there were a lot of accidents. I was happy to come back to Siem Reap.  

"A Kind Man and an Orphan" Sonya. - from The Anjali House Writing Project

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

Sonya's story (all writers are using pen names) helps us understand Anjali House and its wonderful work.

"A Kind Man and an Orphan Kid" by Sonya

   One day, one boy called Kim walked on the street and was crying. But then his luck changed. He met one foreigner and his name was Sam. He is a manager of one organization called Anjali House in Siem Reap. He is a very kind man. He always helps the kids who have no family or are poor. When he met the boy he asked him about his family and his relatives. The boy said he had no mother and father because they died from illness and because they had nothing to eat. After he heard the boy’s story he had much pity for him and he asked the boy to go to study and live with him. The boy was very happy and went with him.

   After he stayed there for one month he looked a lot better. He had good clothes, he had something to eat, place to stay and he also had a lot of friends there. Sam is a good person. He helped Kim to study from start until finish. Kim is a good boy. He studied very hard and when he was 18 he finished high

school and continued studying at university. Sam always helped him and other kids. Four years later Kim finished university and his hope was to work as a doctor because he wanted to help people like Sam had. He studied and at that time he also tried to help himself by working a part-time job. He didn’t expect

Sam to help with everything because he had a goal and hope.Eight years was not so long for him.

   Then one day was the day he graduated. He finished and he went to work as a doctor. He was very excited and happy. Sam was also very happy because the kid that he tried to help got success in his life. He didn’t want to get anything back from Kim. After that, Kim went to work as a doctor and he helped kids and old people. He never forgot how Sam helped him and kept him like his father. The last words he said to Sam were ”Thank you.”

We do not have any biographical data on Sonya.

"Helping People" a Beautiful Poem by Donna from The Anjali House Writing Project

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

In the poem "Helping People" we see a wonderful open hearted expression of compassion.  Themes of floods recur in the works of the workshop participants.  I am honored to share this work.  Like all participants, Donna (a pen name is used in all posts to protect the privacy of participants) is in the opening stages of learning English.

"Helping People" by Donna

When I travel to this country

I see floods come up and I feel unhappy

I see the water in their houses

People are moving their house; they help their child to go

away

I am still sorry for them and afraid

I want to help them, but I don’t have money

Now I have money, I can help them

I am still happy when I see their problems decrease

People can build their houses

Their child can study.

Donna, age 14

One day I went to an exhibition with the Anjali group and the teacher admired my work. This was the 6th time that I got a compliment for taking photos. I felt very happy. This was the first time that I heard some people from Unicef say to me that I am good at photography. When I heard that I felt very happy because they gave me a big hope.

Feel free to comment on any of the project posts. 

I am very proud to be hosting this event.

"Friendship" by Max - A post from the Anjali House Writing Project

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information

"Friendship" by Max

 

   One year ago, there were two friends. Their names were Dararand Socheata. They are always helping each other when they are having a problem, like when Darar went to school he walked on the road next to the school. He saw Socheata crying in the garden and he went to Socheata and asked him what happened.Socheata said, “Yesterday I went to the market to buy some vegetables. After I buy some vegetables I came back to the house to cook the food for my grandmother. When the

food was cooked, I gave it to my grandmother. When my grandmother ate the food she became sick and my mother blamed me and fought with me and said Socheata, you always make everybody say you are a jerk.”

   Darar told Socheata, “When your mother blames you, you need to say sorry to your mother and explain to her what happened with your grandmother.”

   Socheata told Darar, “I can not because my mother said I can not stay in the house.”

   Darar said, “Socheata, I will go to your house with you to ask your mother.”

   When Darar went to the house he saw Socheata’s mother.Socheata stayed in the room when Darar talked to his mother. And Socheata talked to his mother, too, and said, “I am very sorry that my grandmother was sick. I am sorry, Mother.”

   And his mother said, “I am sorry, too. Son, I love you. Do you want to eat some rice?”

 

 

 

Max, age 17 (pen name)

 

Six years ago my school had a study tour. We went to KulenMountain. There were 34 people. We went by bus. When we arrived there we swam, we enjoyed singing and swimming and they took a lot of pictures. We were very happy. After we swam we had lunch in the forest. After we had lunch we relaxed. At 1 o’clock we climbed the mountain, we prayed to the god to get good luck and we played around the pagoda. After that we went to the hotel and we had dinner in the restaurant. After we had dinner we went to Sixty Road and played some games. At 11 o’clock we came back to the hotel and went to sleep. In the morning at 7 o’clock we came back home. We were very happy.

Mel u 

"Life Can Change" by Carmen - An Anjali House Writing Project Story

I found Carmen's story very moving.  Read with the care and respect it requires, it brings out much of the anguish and hopes of the children of the survivors of terrible years of the killing fields of Cambodia.

Like all the authors, she is in the opening stages of learning English. 

Sue Guiney's Introductory Post  - contains important links 

My Overview of the Project

My Q and A with Dana Hui Lim author of Mother and the Tiger- A Memoir of the Killing Fields. - essential background information 

" Life Can Change" by Carmen

 

   Ten years ago there was one big family. They were a rich family. In their house there was a grandmother. Her name wasPov. The father’s name was Litto. The mother’s name was Soy and they had a son named Sokthai. Sokthai was a good student. He studied hard. But then his father started to drink wine andSokthai didn’t study hard any more. He was too lazy to go to school. He always went to play games. His mother worked

hard.

   One day Sokthai’s father went to drink wine. When he came back home he was drunk. He started fighting with his wife for their money. Grandmother said to her son, “Can you look at your wife. Your wife is always going to work. You have to go to work like your wife.” Sokthai felt sad. He went to drink wine like his father.

   When he travelled from the shop that sells wine he saw his friends. He said hello to his friends, but they didn’t say anything to him. Sokthai got very angry with his friends. He started to fight, and he killed one of his friends. Then the police came to get him to go to the prison. He had to stay at the prison for 5 years.

   When the grandmother heard that news, she got sick and she died. The father thought, “I have to change my bad ways.” Finally he changed his bad ways to good ways. He went to work and after five years his son came home from the prison. Now they are very happy. They live and love each other for the rest of their lives.

Carmen, age 14 (author supplied data-all authors are using pen names to protect their privacy)

 

One day I went to the market in my village not in Siem Reap. I went there to buy some food. When I arrived I had an accident with a motor. That motor hit me and I hurt my head. The man who drove the motor gave me some money to buy a tiger balm and I said thank you to him. That time I was hurt very badly, but I took the money that he gave me to buy a tiger balm. I took it to play a game called Pushing Shoes. I lost the game.

When I went back home my mother asked ‘where is the food?’,and I said I lost the money. She said some bad words to me and she gave money to me again. The next day I told her about the game I played and she got very angry with me. I promised her that I would stop playing that game in my future.