What Covid meant to Cambodia

My last time in Cambodia was in 2019, which was also the last "normal" year the world has had. We have for the most part return to normal. People are back to work, people are back in school, all the hallmarks of normalcy. Unless your work is school...that will never be the same again. 

The ways in which the world has changed seem to me to be minimal, people wearing masks every time they sniffle, maybe people more aware of their own wellness; I think these things are good for society. Other things like some of the changes to education have opened up possibilities for people who might not have fit in with the per-Covid system. Other changes to education might not have been so good in my opinion...I'd really like to teach on Fridays again.  

My seemingly odd desires aside, I fear that we as a global population have not taken the time to mourn. We went from locked down to back to work without processing what we lost. I feel that this goes beyond the people we lost and time we will never get back...We all went through a trauma....and if you ask me are still showing signs of trauma response. I guess we will just keep going and eventually we will forget, or enough new people without the memories of lock down will replace the rest of us...sorry that went darker than I thought it would.  

Throughout the pandemic, I watch Tree from a distance, see him trying to make his way as the world shut down and everyone scrambles.   Tree is an amazing tour guide and has dedicated himself to the job. His training as a guide goes far beyond any other tour guide I've dealt with.  Of course it is a job for him, but it is also a mission. He leads his tours and educates his clients about the history and culture of the Khmer people as well as the current cultural trends and difficulties of the Khmer people.  

It was not an easy time for anyone, but for my people I imagine it was a daily battle.  Tree's only source of income collapsed when tourist stopped coming.  

Economically and socially, Cambodia does not have the means to provide governmental run social support or as we have come to know Covid Relief. I can't say for sure, but I also think that its not part of the Khmer tradition.  

Tree's solution was a two pronged approach, he invested in a tuk-tuk and he opened a coffee shop, two things that the Khmer people needed.  He was completing with who knows how many other shops and drivers, but there seemed to be space for both. He ran the coffee shop in the mornings and worked as a driver in the evenings.  Tuk-Tuks are the primary means of transportation for people who don't own a car or a moped.  These both seemed like solid ideas, and I hoped as I watch on FaceBook that he would find success.  

But as thing go, his cafe did not make enough money to stay open and his tuk-tuk got stolen from in front of his house.  

He was on the verge of complete collapse, with minimal money left he took on any job that would keep him afloat. Tree is a survivor and a fighter, and with a great stroke of luck he was able to book a tour as soon as tourist were allowed back in the country.  

Tree is only on person out of a country of 12 million who are all survivors, who all have lived with the scars of the Khmer Rouge and the hope for tomorrow.