Yesterday we visited the Killing Fields, a grim reminder of Cambodia's tragic modern history which still lingers in many people's memories. While there we had the girls jot down some of their thoughts and emotions, which we collected and later shared at our evening meeting. We thought we'd share their responses with you:
• “I want to remember the Killing Fields not only because of the souls that were lost, but for remembering this in history. If we forget why the Killing Fields are so quiet and still, we might make the same mistake.”
• “I thought that the heavy grey sky and constant winds appropriately set the scene for the historic sight. The piles upon piles of skulls, each with holes where the eyes should have been, seemed to all be staring at me when I entered the memorial building. Afterwards, while walking through the grounds, I felt the intensity of the number of dead.”
• "What shocks me is that the events that took place here were so terrible and senseless, yet so much order and planning went into them. The Killing Fields are a sickening reminder of the evil that one group of humans can inflict upon thousands of others with full awareness but no conscience.”
• “It is hard to believe that we are in the place where so many people were brutally murdered. I can’t even begin to imagine how the people who were brought here felt. It is hard for me to imagine the individuals whose skulls are stacked here. I wish I could learn more about each person who suffered through this terrible mass murder.”
• “Today I saw the teeth still attached to a skull, and a button from a man’s shirt sitting on top of children's bones. Being at the Killing Fields makes the horror stories from the Pol Pot regime seem incredibly real to me. It’s upsetting and terrifying but I’m glad we came here because I think that it’s very important to be aware of the horrifying realities, past and present, that are all over the world.”
• “I can’t quite grasp that we’re here, at the Killing Fields, where thousands were murdered for the most horrible reasons. It makes me want to do something, to turn back time maybe, or to meet the families of those who were killed and do my best to understand their grief.”
• “I wasn’t sure what to expect but being here has made me more interested in the stories of the genocide. Seeing all the skulls was the most shocking because it shows you exactly what people went through. I’m glad I got to be here and see the Killing Fields and I think people should come if they can.”
• “Coming to the Killing Fields brings an even stronger feeling that Cambodia deserves so much better. How something so horrible and ugly could happen to a group of people who are so nice and welcoming in such a beautiful country is a mystery. I can’t possibly grasp how an event like this could happen without intervention for so long, or how someone could kill for absolutely no reason. Being here makes me even angrier that the genocide in Cambodia is not widely taught in the US.”
