Seen it.

Grammar lessons for small children happen daily. It is the constant correction by adult figures that shapes childhood language acquisition. I saw it, not I seen it. I wrote, not I written. These statements seem to stand out to the adult ear. They are almost unpleasing phrases as our ears are not accustomed to their utterances. We immediately correct. The corrections continue until the foundations of language are cemented. From here this author could take you on a journey about teaching ESL in a foreign nation, but that is not the focus. The focus is on sight. Using that phrase, "I seen it," is like a rock in your shoe. One must address it. So as a child would say, "I seen Phnom Penh."

What exactly has this author seen? Well, life in Kendal, the province which surrounds PPenh, is drastically different from what lay within the city boundaries. Outside of the city one will see traditional farms with one story raised houses, to save possessions from the floods of rainy season. Water buffalo graze on the sparse yellow grass and workers dot the rice paddies laboring in the hot sun. Yet when one steps inside of the Phnom Penh bubble, you will find luxurious air-conditioned cafes boast $5 dollar meals (when most day laborers earn one a day), Range Rovers meander through a swarm of motos, and the highest concentration of luxurious homes Cambodia. [Take note that this author is not including Shinoukville or Siem Reap as they generate most of their wealth from tourism.] Two worlds exist. Clearly funding is held up somewhere. It seems an unspoken statement, because all words have been used up. Nothing changes even when the brave few cry out for justice.

Take some time to please read this article on the dispersal of wealth. With a better understanding under your belt now of life in this place, take some time to give thanks for the comfort and consistency of your homeland. Please join with me in praying for this city. Let us offer up prayers for a new leader to be installed. Maybe then this country can slip out of the word "potential" to try on "achieved". Now you have "seen it" too, so please pass along the request of prayer.