Core group of opposition protesters in Freedom Park in Phnom Penh
After more than 2 years in Cambodia (cumulative), I will leave Cambodia in early January for a new job in Bangkok. I will do so with conflicting feelings. Recently I've realized that it's time to leave Cambodia. Professionally, I am ready for new experiences and more responsibility. On a personal level, I have become increasingly frustrated with some of the day-to-day hassles that come with living in Cambodia, some of which seem to be worsening (traffic). When my tolerance for these difficulties was not improved by travel outside the city/country, I knew it was time to consider my next move. I've always tried to avoid becoming the 'angry expat' cliché (anyone who has lived abroad in the developing world will know this stereotype): why stay and bitch when you can easily leave, unlike locals who will struggle to obtain a visa even if they can afford to live abroad?
I am looking forward to living in a bigger, more modern and international city. But I know that I will miss Phnom Penh and I will face similar issues in Thailand. Certainly, I will miss being able to travel into 'the field' and work directly with target populations. The atmosphere at my next job will be more corporate and the organization works almost exclusively on a policy level. It will not be a very immersive experience, and I do not expect to learn as much Thai or make as many local friends. From my previous experiences in big cities, I know that they can be incredibly isolating at times. Making friends is very easy in Phnom Penh, and you run into the same people all the time.
While I anticipated having mixed feelings about leaving Cambodia, I could not have foreseen the daily protests that are now occurring almost directly outside my apartment building in Phnom Penh. Trying to pack or read materials for my new job is difficult when the walls shake due to the bass from nearby speakers. The constant activity around my house has also made it difficult to come and go on my motorbike, and there is always the possibility that the government will intervene or more aggressive protests will break out. But apart from how the protests disrupt my schedule, I am glad that Cambodians are finally speaking up against corruption, impunity and the deplorable wealth gap (there are now thousands of Range Rovers and Porsche SUVs clogging the city's narrow streets while real wages for ordinary Cambodians have stagnated). When I first arrived in 2011, almost no one spoke about politics. Many of my friends asked me to not say the Prime Minister's name out loud in public. When I returned in late summer 2012, I was hoping the overall economic/political situation had improved in the year I was gone. Instead, there were fresh accusations of land grabbing, environmental destruction and politically-motivated arrests. Through my work, the more I learned about the country, the more cynical and resigned I became. But now there is less fear and change seems possible, even likely. This does not mean that I endorse the opposition. As a rule, I don't put much faith in any politician. But I am happy to see that a real opposition exists.
More than anything, I hope that peace will prevail in the end.
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