A wonderful afternoon can be described as one that is filled with joy and peace. It can be productive and energizing as well. Some people like to take a nap during the afternoon, while others like to enjoy refreshing drinks or dessert in order to be able to move around and stay energized, which was the case for our interviewee, Nop Cham. When we met him, he was enjoying his afternoon tea with his wife, with the songs of the birds chirping throughout the field. He began telling his story.
I am a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime who has been through suffering and affliction. He recalls the hardship that he and his people had to go through in order to survive on a daily basis. The Khmer Rouge would force them to plow the land from dawn until dusk. He would work his life force away until they would tell him to stop and then they would provide the laborers with meals that wouldn’t even be able to satisfy an infant. He described how they would feed them porridge that would mainly consist of water and a couple grains of rice. He remembered that he would always be hungry even after meals. He told us his story with sadness filling his face, which highlighted the trauma of the atrocities that still resonated for him and his family and other Cambodians.
I then concluded the interview with gratitude for the opportunity to learn about his perspective on our unforgettable past.
