Oh Cambodia..

Last night, I was helping a few of the eighth grade boys study for their exam tomorrow morning. We were practicing present, past and past participles such as be, become, became..ect. As 8:15 rolled around, the boys announced it was time to go into their rooms so they began to escort me to mine. Along the way, a bunch of the kids were escorting Emily as well when all of a sudden, shrieks from some poor animal came roaring across the field. Several of the kids grabbed me (and Emily) and told us to hurry, directing us towards the kitchen/area where the animals are kept.

There, before my eyes, several of the older boys whom I dearly love, where knelt over a screaming pig, knife in hand, blood oozing and gushing out everywhere as the poor creature fought with it's last remaining strength til the end.

It felt like the longest five minutes of my life as it's blood curdling screams and cries pierced my heart. The poor little pig, which would likely be my dinner tomorrow. Come to think of it, I probably ate its sister or brother for lunch today. I'm not normally a die hard animal fan, but "watching" and hearing the poor pig succumb to its death was not on my agenda for that day.

The kids around me were enamored. Smiles were displayed across each of their faces as they pushed me closer for a front row view of their idea of entertainment. They couldn't just make the death happen fast--they had to watch it slowly breath it's last right in front of them. Oh I am definitely not in America anymore, where we allow our animals a humane death with little pain. Here, a knife to the throat does the job. This is life in Cambodia. I've forgotten how in America we treat our pets and animal friends with some sort of decency. Here, I watch my precious little boys catch frogs, put them inside plastic bags and then chuck them as far as they can, checking each time they land to see if the frog has died. Oh life here in Cambodia!