The photo is of my grand niece's netball side during half-time of a game that I watched with my sister and nieces. I enjoyed watching it and being with my family. I also just enjoyed being out under blue skies in the cool of a late afternoon. It was a simple experience but an enjoyable one that captures part of my Australia, a friendly and strong Australia.
In Bangkok, you so rarely get such a blue sky and outdoor life is not easily enjoyed with all the traffic, roads and big buildings surrounding you. In Australia, we can take for granted so much that is good about what we enjoy.
As I went home to Australia, another member of my family moved to this part of the world, coming to Cambodia to volunteer teaching poor children in a rural area. A powerful experience, Ican see from her Facebook sharings. My hat goes off to her for doing what she needs to do in life to be true to herself and her choices for a better world.
On my return to Bangkok, I read her second week sharing to family and friends about her time there. It was poignant, describing the poverty, the situation and the children coming to the school where she is working. Cambodia has much to recover from following the ruthless genocide that occurred under the Khmer Rouge. That is true. But I wonder how it will ever recover while the country continues to have such a corrupt government and while the people remain what I would name as unable to act against such a government for themselves?
For me, the latter is a key to understanding the ongoing poverty in a country despite enjoying the many outsiders, NGOs, Church mission agencies and other governments that have come to its aid for the past nearly 40 years. Reality is if the people do not act for themselves, they will always depend on what outsiders can do for them and not move on as they best could. The outsiders are good people, doing so much good and this is not to be denied. My relative in Cambodia would share this hope of autonomy for its people that she now serves as she is both good and smart.
A key to any country's development is their people taking their own responsibility for themselves and moving on along a forward path they choose. Good education empowers people for such a path in life but this is not the only ingredient needed in a Cambodia. As well, the people have to move beyond a given culture, a given way of religion, a given political narrative that seemingly act together to keep them yes, good natured, but also far too docile and so undertrodden to the benefit of those few greedy ones who hold the power. You do not want people to lose their good nature but neither do you want them remaining passive agents being walked upon by corrupt holders of power in their country.
I have two homes - Thailand and Australia. Each has its narrative. Each has its own strengths and points of wonder and beauty. I learn from both. What I learn helps me see Cambodia as I see it and understand it. I speak as an outsider on this one but as an outsider with a local insight that I offer here in good faith. God bless Australia, Thailand and Cambodia.
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