By Benji Feldheim
Staff Writer
Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Illinois, USA)
Sovatha Ann's family said he looked like a bear.
Ann sent a picture of himself dressed in a winter coat, boots and hat back to his parents in Phnom Penh, the capital of the southeast Asian country of Cambodia. They were surprised to see him bundled up for the oftentimes harsh Midwestern climate.
Facing cold, snowy winters after growing up in a tropical climate was one of many differences the 27-year-old graduate anthropology student encountered upon coming to DeKalb in 2003 to study at Northern Illinois University.
Ann is among seven Cambodians living in DeKalb to earn postgraduate degrees - three of whom, including Ann, are studying anthropology with the hopes of returning to Cambodia to help strengthen cultural and educational programs there.
Pisith Phlong, 27, of Phnom Penh and Socheat Nhean, 26, from the Kampong Speu province about 24 miles west of Phnom Penh, are studying along with Ann to help the country rebuild after years of tyrannical rule and civil war during the 1970s and 1980s.
While the country has grown considerably in areas of education and development in a short time, Cambodians still struggle with being behind countries such as the U.S. as far as options for research-based studies, and early education relying more on verbal repetition than on books and critical thinking.
“People don't know a lot about Cambodia past the Khmer Rouge,” Phlong said. “Many people are scared because of that. It's a narrow perspective, because now it's different from what happened. I'd like people to open their minds.”
The Khmer Rouge was a military ruling party held responsible for the genocide of around 1.5 million Cambodians through torture, starvation and forced labor between 1975 and 1979. While the party was overthrown, fighting continued between Cambodians and Vietnamese until 1991, when a cease fire was declared.
As the nation rebuilds, students seeking postgraduate studies often look abroad, and the number of Cambodians coming to DeKalb has increased from one to seven since 1995.
Their work is cut out for them to overcome vast cultural and educational differences between the U.S. and Cambodia - along with the obvious weather change.
Nhean is compiling information on the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge by interviewing surviving victims and former Khmer officers.
“I have to work closely with people there, and that's why I study anthropology,” Nhean said. “My hope is to learn skills here that will make my work even more effective when talking to the survivors in Cambodia.”
Nhean arrived in DeKalb in March to begin studies early for the 2007 fall semester. Aside from getting used to how Americans speak English - he said Americans pronounce words differently from the English he's been exposed to - Nhean had to learn how to navigate American traffic while on foot.
“I didn't know where to cross the street,” Nhean said. “I had to look around, if I didn't see people cross I didn't do it. I would wait almost 10 or 20 minutes before crossing the road.”
Phlong said he misses the smiles on the faces of Cambodian villagers in the countryside, but greatly appreciates the number of articles and books in the student libraries and online that are available to him as a student. Specializing in archaeology, Phlong looks forward to returning to educate people about Cambodian culture while practicing field research.
The accessibility of professors has greatly helped his transition to American life, Phlong said. He describes the feeling as “warmth” in knowing that professors keep office hours and are willing to give guidance - a practice not often seen at Cambodian universities.
Ann was surprised to find out how much reading he had to do as an NIU student. He did find solace from the Bishops, a family of four in Sycamore who have helped him adjust since he came to DeKalb. Russell and Erika Bishop, along with their sons Scot and Chad, went to Cambodia this past summer to participate in Ann's wedding.
“I was so proud of Scot, he stood up at the wedding and he was real sick from adjusting to the food,” Ann said. “Students should be warned that it's not easy to study here. They have to be ready for a different world. There I'm a fish in a small pond, but here I'm a fish in an ocean. I was one of the top students in my college, but when I got here I wasn't ready for all the readings.”
Ann taught English in Cambodia and is looking forward to returning and strengthening teaching programs there, including curriculum and faculty standards.
All three students expressed gratitude toward Judy Ledgerwood, associate professor and chair of the Anthropology Department. Ledgerwood has pushed for more Cambodian students to do postgraduate work at NIU since she joined the faculty in 1996, in order for them to return and help the country grow.
“The education system is getting better, so the more that go back and teach, the better the ones that come out of the systems there,” Ledgerwood said. “Students are coming here better prepared now than when we started.”
Benji Feldheim can be reached at bfeldheim@daily-chronicle.com.
Ann sent a picture of himself dressed in a winter coat, boots and hat back to his parents in Phnom Penh, the capital of the southeast Asian country of Cambodia. They were surprised to see him bundled up for the oftentimes harsh Midwestern climate.
Facing cold, snowy winters after growing up in a tropical climate was one of many differences the 27-year-old graduate anthropology student encountered upon coming to DeKalb in 2003 to study at Northern Illinois University.
Ann is among seven Cambodians living in DeKalb to earn postgraduate degrees - three of whom, including Ann, are studying anthropology with the hopes of returning to Cambodia to help strengthen cultural and educational programs there.
Pisith Phlong, 27, of Phnom Penh and Socheat Nhean, 26, from the Kampong Speu province about 24 miles west of Phnom Penh, are studying along with Ann to help the country rebuild after years of tyrannical rule and civil war during the 1970s and 1980s.
While the country has grown considerably in areas of education and development in a short time, Cambodians still struggle with being behind countries such as the U.S. as far as options for research-based studies, and early education relying more on verbal repetition than on books and critical thinking.
“People don't know a lot about Cambodia past the Khmer Rouge,” Phlong said. “Many people are scared because of that. It's a narrow perspective, because now it's different from what happened. I'd like people to open their minds.”
The Khmer Rouge was a military ruling party held responsible for the genocide of around 1.5 million Cambodians through torture, starvation and forced labor between 1975 and 1979. While the party was overthrown, fighting continued between Cambodians and Vietnamese until 1991, when a cease fire was declared.
As the nation rebuilds, students seeking postgraduate studies often look abroad, and the number of Cambodians coming to DeKalb has increased from one to seven since 1995.
Their work is cut out for them to overcome vast cultural and educational differences between the U.S. and Cambodia - along with the obvious weather change.
Nhean is compiling information on the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge by interviewing surviving victims and former Khmer officers.
“I have to work closely with people there, and that's why I study anthropology,” Nhean said. “My hope is to learn skills here that will make my work even more effective when talking to the survivors in Cambodia.”
Nhean arrived in DeKalb in March to begin studies early for the 2007 fall semester. Aside from getting used to how Americans speak English - he said Americans pronounce words differently from the English he's been exposed to - Nhean had to learn how to navigate American traffic while on foot.
“I didn't know where to cross the street,” Nhean said. “I had to look around, if I didn't see people cross I didn't do it. I would wait almost 10 or 20 minutes before crossing the road.”
Phlong said he misses the smiles on the faces of Cambodian villagers in the countryside, but greatly appreciates the number of articles and books in the student libraries and online that are available to him as a student. Specializing in archaeology, Phlong looks forward to returning to educate people about Cambodian culture while practicing field research.
The accessibility of professors has greatly helped his transition to American life, Phlong said. He describes the feeling as “warmth” in knowing that professors keep office hours and are willing to give guidance - a practice not often seen at Cambodian universities.
Ann was surprised to find out how much reading he had to do as an NIU student. He did find solace from the Bishops, a family of four in Sycamore who have helped him adjust since he came to DeKalb. Russell and Erika Bishop, along with their sons Scot and Chad, went to Cambodia this past summer to participate in Ann's wedding.
“I was so proud of Scot, he stood up at the wedding and he was real sick from adjusting to the food,” Ann said. “Students should be warned that it's not easy to study here. They have to be ready for a different world. There I'm a fish in a small pond, but here I'm a fish in an ocean. I was one of the top students in my college, but when I got here I wasn't ready for all the readings.”
Ann taught English in Cambodia and is looking forward to returning and strengthening teaching programs there, including curriculum and faculty standards.
All three students expressed gratitude toward Judy Ledgerwood, associate professor and chair of the Anthropology Department. Ledgerwood has pushed for more Cambodian students to do postgraduate work at NIU since she joined the faculty in 1996, in order for them to return and help the country grow.
“The education system is getting better, so the more that go back and teach, the better the ones that come out of the systems there,” Ledgerwood said. “Students are coming here better prepared now than when we started.”
Benji Feldheim can be reached at bfeldheim@daily-chronicle.com.
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