Today, young couple may resist not to have baby so soon or be on family planning to avoid having too many babies. But not my grandparents, at the time family planning concept did not exist yet, who have eleven (11) children!

Seeing how challenging my sister is in raising only two children, I could hardly imagine how challenging my grandparents would have faced in raising all children. However, different era constitute different scenarios of how kids are raised. I could remember once time, when I was only 4 years old, I visited my grandparent’s home, some of young aunts and uncles at that time was in silent mode because my grandpa was standing in front of them with a thick stick to punish their misbehave (a common traditional way in disciplining kids in Cambodia). Unfortunately, I was accidentally hit one by that thick stick when I could not wait to cross his way to backyard. It reminded me always not to go into middle way of any violent act otherwise we would also be accidentally targeted. He taught me the first lesson!

With tireless effort, all his children are now independent. They all are married with son and daughter and some of his grandchildren even have their own children making himself become great grandpa. Believe it or not that I could not remember all name of my relatives namely young generation-cousins. A great moment of life is when all this extended family reunion together at his home. This is such a great extended family which I am proud of his legacy.

The legacy here refers to the great responsibility that he has been carried out throughout his lifetime in order to manage and guide through his children life path. One of best example constituting himself a great responsible person is when he is in critical stage of losing memory during his old age, which everyone said so but I do not believe this, he did try to travel along to Phnom Penh to discuss my engagement and send me off to Japan for continuing my Master degree. At the night I was on the plane, he was packing his clothes and about to leave by saying again and again that: “I have fulfilled my responsibility,” recalled my mum telling me this amazing story referring his aging effort to come celebrating me before I departed to Japan. I am so thankful for his warmest effort and again this is the second lesson in life of being responsible person.

Have a safe trip, my dear granddaughter!

Although you are now leaving me and everyone, your legacy will be remembered. I am proud to be your granddaughter!

Memorial Selection:

My grandparent attended my sister's wedding in 2007

My grandparents and parents in my engagement in 2010

Buddhist Ceremony (Sankatean) for my grandpa prepared by all his children.

Kathentean for my grandpa in 2011

My grandparents together with my grandpa's brothers and sister

I do not know how this life chapter began, but this is how it starts:

Two years ago during this time, I was hardly preparing myself to say “GOOD BYE” to my beloved family, colleague, and friends, yet it was an exciting moment to land in Japan, the country that always dream to visit during my childhood.

Temporarily stayed in a small box-size room at Sinjuku Washington Hotel, where the most crowded area i have never seen, I was completely bored and I counted down the day I could readily settle to my school. Located in an isolated rural area, International University of Japan have been commonly called by its students as “International University in Jungle” or “I and U in Jail.”

Actually this tale is true. While the Shinkansen officer announced that “soon we will arrive Urasa (the train station near my school),” my tear nearly dropped unconsciously because I did see my university surround by a ranges of mountains and forest. If it is not a jail, then it should be an abandoned forest. I feel so pity to myself when thinking of my two-year life in this area. Even worst, my first arrival to the school was welcomed by a green snake which quickly moved from side walk to grass field, and a number of frogs and scorpion who we might see them on our room’s wall, near our bed or even near the window.

In spite of this, I started to realize that life at IUJ is a precious moment of my life chapter. If it is a jail, it is just a jail in Paradise, if it is a jungle, it is just a jungle of love, friendship, and another great life test. It is not only the academic test, but also the test on how to live in diversity and multicultural community. Meeting a number of students from nearly 50 countries is just like we ourself traveling to these countries since we could learn and understand each other’s culture and their way of life. What a funny life is if we also need to queue in a crowded shared-kitchen waiting our turn to cook. Though the kitchen is small, it could accommodate a crowded chiefs who apparently talked to each other, yet we can hear different sound of languages and accents. From spicy to curry smell, we sometime shared food and party together at Cafe No Problem or our dorm lounge.

IUJ in early winter taken from my dorm’s window, photo taken by Sopheap Chak

Japan’s weather is changing quickly but there are four constant seasons which help us to release every moment when thinking back of our home. From hot summer to fall, a great start is seeing the first snow during winter, but it lasts long until we eagerly smile for spring.

My two year stay in Japan is a great memory for me with all kind treatment from friends and Japanese community. Thank everyone for making great pages for my life chapter.

]]> http://sopheapfocus.com/index.php/2010/07/life-chapter-iuj/feed/ 6 http://sopheapfocus.com/index.php/2009/12/2009-new-year-wish-and-resolution/ http://sopheapfocus.com/index.php/2009/12/2009-new-year-wish-and-resolution/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:14:17 +0000 Sopheap Chak http://sopheapfocus.com/?p=280 Continue reading →]]> “As life goes on I’m starting to learn more and more about responsibility
I realize everything I do is affecting the people around me
So I want to take this time out and apologize for things I have done
And things that have not occurred yet
And the things they don’t want to take responsibility for,”
lyric from “Sorry, Blame it on Me”
by Akon

It has been my first time ever to write such a personal resolution for year-end. Maybe new environment, situation, and people surrounding me make me think. The above Akon’s quote help to express my feeling!

My only New Year Wish:

Please do not take my friend’s life*! His two young kids’ need him to call them ”Son”!

*Sou Saren, an active co-founder of Youth Network for Change is now at critical stage for live survival after car accident.

My 2010 Resolution:

1. Strengthen Youth Network for Change on two main themes: Youth and Civic Responsibility ( of course with cooperation from all my active friends)
2. Keep advocating for Freedom of Expression through blogging and social discussion
3. Start my career with good governance, poverty reduction, peace and human rights analysis ( Teaching maybe a part of my carrer interest. I start to love teaching though i hate to do this job when i was in high school. I remember one of my Khmer Literature Teacher asked me to become Teacher, then i harsly replied him “Sorry, No”)
4. Try to balance my social and family time managment (I asked my mum why she did not cry when I visited home after my whole year stay in Japan, she said “nothing is strange between when i was at home or in Japan! Sorry, i rarely spent time at home, Mum)
5. Reread my favorite quote once a day: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” Another new quote taken from my friend, Tharum’s facebook status posted “I won the nickname the great communicator. But I never thought it was my style that made a difference– it was the content. I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things.” ~ Ronald Reagan – 1911–2004.
6. Should be more matured (my brother, Ou Virak, chatted with me and said that I am too naive!)
7. Stop comment sad things on Facebook while i feel bored (my brother, Sophy, asked me what wrong with me, I said nothing I just want to post something to attract for his reply. He said “Crazy”!)

My 2009 Reflection:

1. Learn to live apart from my beloved family, friends, and country: I always wish i could travel around the world, studying or working for a few period oversea. But when time arrived that i was selected to study in Japan, my heart was mixed with sad (in leaving my beloved surrounding) and joy (of staying in the country i dreamed to visit the most). I still miss my every weekend’s meeting with my Youth Network friends, some weekend’s extra work staying at office alone or with other co-workers, my mummy’s cook and special desserts, time with my sister, my brother and papa complains of keeping them waiting so long (when they picked me up), last but not least my comfortable room with loud music turned on. I have to admit that I miss all of them badly until now.
2. Workaholic is a bad habit, but still good to me: Some people like to drink so much, but they do not get drunk, while I was really drunk with work though i did not drink. My first half year in Japan was not easy since i could not adapt to the study environment. It does not mean the study was hard, but i could not keep myself free without doing something related to my work. So I kept mailing around asking my former place if i can be useful asset for their work allocation (of course without paid). After awhile, I have become the Guest Commentary and recently i am invited to be contributing author for Global Voice adding up to my last academic year in wrap up my thesis. Many work i can load, the more catalyze to push me work more hard. Without such load, I will become procrastinator.
3. Leave comfort zone and take adventure: I like reading news, but I dislike to read history. So I found myself busy in traveling around to expose to new culture and daily livelihood in Japanese communities. I like school visit program which i can capture new idea and civic educational tool to share with my Cambodian fellows and blog readers. For party, I found it fun during the first semester, but then i tried to avoid it since i found it irrelevant. Some friends said that my second home in Japan, beside the dormitory, is study room. I cannot deny this accusation. Sorry IUJ‘s friends for my absence in many parties.
4. Love will not hurt if we understand love: I do believe that “love = mutual care, give (with no benefit oriented thinking), being a trust partner.” It apply to all kinds of love including parents‘ love, friends, and life-partner.

If i would miss anything, i would glad if my friends can recall for and advise me!

I do not know what to answer my friends asking how is my senior project for an Economics degree. Once i told them that i am stuck with it, they did not believe me! It is very hard to convince them. They keep thinking i was one of top students in the class. The more they said that to me, i feel even shameful to myself…What can i do if i really feel stuck with it?

Hi friends,

 I am currently travelling to Canada for a training on International Human Rigths System. It is such a great opportunity for me to attend this course to which I can learnt the best practice and mechanism, so that I can use it to improve human rigths respect in our nation, Cambodia.

 Traning alone is just the theory. Take it into action will prove such theory. Also, keeping it in oneself is just keeping money under the pillow. We need to utilize and share it for the sake of human resource development. Then, I will share you all how the training is being conducted, what are the lesson-learnt and how we can apply in our nation.

“Sharing Culture”

My training is started
14 June 2007

My training on International Human Rights, invited by EQUITAS, have been started.

The goal of the training is to strenghten the capacity of human rights organizatioin to undertake human rights education efforts aimed at building a universial culture of human rights. There are 8 stream to be covered:

Stream 1: Introduction; Stream 2: Starting from where we are; Stream 3: Buliding a Global Culture of Human Rigths; Stream 4: Seeking common ground; Stream 5: The Global Human Rigths context; Stream 6: Human Rights Standards and Mechanism; Stream 7: Monitoring and advocacy; and Steam 8: Education Evaluation.

There are 166 persons out of which 130 are participants coming from more than 60 countries including South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Caribean, Central Asia, Canada, and USA.

See more