Uk Sivutha, Teacher
When I was young, I wanted to study so that I could become a teacher. I had seen that teachers were well educated, dressed smartly, and did not have to work very hard. But Cambodian tradition was very strict in those days. My parents were afraid that no man would want to marry me if […]
Chhuon Leang Vuoch, Teacher Hok Chhay Sreng, Military Policeman
When my father returned from studying at a military school in Indonesia, he was promoted to the rank of major in the military police. My mother was a teacher in Phnom Penh. They met before my father went to Indonesia. After he came home, he proposed to her. In 1974, father was transferred to Battambang […]
Chey Phon, Teacher
My father died of old age before the Lon Nol regime took control of Cambodia, so my mother sold mats to support our family. But it wasn’t enough, so two of my brothers went to live at a pagoda where they became monks. When I was five years old, I began living with them at […]
Lao Um, Teacher
My father was ordained a monk when he was young and taught in the monastery. Sending a son to the monastery was customary among older people. They felt that becoming a monk was a way to get an education, and that women would easily agree to marry someone who was educated enough to teach at […]
Mei Monyroath, Student
I was the oldest son in a family of six children. My father Mei Sam Aol was a government nurse at a hospital in Phnom Penh; because he was a kind man, he sometimes treated people without asking them for money. My mother Men Malin was a primary school teacher. In the beginning of 1975, […]
Som Sila and Lam Séna, Students
All of the children in our family studied hard, and we all liked science. My oldest brother Som Sila had a PhD in economic engineering from Yugoslavia and my second brother Lam Viry had a master’s degree in civil engineering from Russia. My third brother, Lam Séna, earned his MD in France, and my adopted […]
Phin Ratha, Student
I was born in Takeo Province, but during the Lon Nol regime, my family fled to Vietnam because it was not safe in my village. However, the Vietnamese authorities sent us back to Cambodia. We lived on the river in Phnom Penh along with many other refugees, and relied on the Red Cross to live. […]
Lao Sunthareth, Student
I grew up in a middle class family; we had a car. My father Lao Chheng Sorn worked in a laboratory at a private hospital in Phnom Penh and earned six or seven thousand riels a month. His salary was high enough so that his father, nephew and niece could come to live with us. […]
Chem Hing, Driver
When I was young I did not a chance to get an education. Although my siblings went to school, I stayed at home and worked as a farmer to support my family. I also took care of my sick parents. My husband Chem Hing came from Kandal Province. One day, he went to visit his […]
Em Phal, Typist Sar Son, Film Technician
My sister was very beautiful and the tallest of the four daughters in our family. My mother loved her the most of her six children, and took Phal with her wherever she went. When Phal was young, she studied at Rokar Kaong Primary School and played volleyball. She dropped out of secondary school and moved […]