I am going to Cambodia. In preparation, I'm reading a novel about Cambodia entitled, The King's Last Song. Although it doesn't seem to be on anyone's A list, I'm enjoying it quite a bit since it takes place in modern-day Cambodia and during the reign of Jaravarman VII. Jaravarman VII built many of the temples in Siam Reap.
You will have to excuse my horrible ignorance about Cambodia's recent history. I remember during the height of Vietnam war protests, in 1970 after Kent State, the news that U.S. forces had been bombing Cambodia for several months broke. I still have the button, "If You Liked Vietnam, You'll Love Cambodia."
And then of course I've heard the stories about Pol Pot. My neighbor Ernst employed a few Cambodians and their stories were of harrowing nighttime escapes with bullets flying. And I refused to see The Killing Fields as way too disturbing.
So, I missed Cambodia's 23 years of warfare. While I was marrying, starting my career, and raising children, a generation of Cambodians never learned to read.
My next book about Cambodia is an eye-witness account about a girl who grew up under the Khmer Rouge, so stay tuned. Thank goodness a few people learned to read and write.
All of this is by way of preparation for some fundraising I will be doing in advance of my trip. A friend of Naoko's volunteers at The Small Art School in Siem Reap. I plan to volunteer a bit when I am there and also to donate some money to the school. To that end, I will be doing a soapmaking workshop and hopefully also a sushi party.
