When you are enjoying your X'mas feast over there, don't forget me over here...

Hi, my name is Sangha. I'm a four years old boy who lives in a place called Tonle Sap in Cambodia.

Jie Jie, do you want to buy my pen? It is only one dollar.

I don't go to school. My family is poor. We live in a small hut near the Tonle Sap Lake.

Dad is a landmine victim. Mom, sis, and I have to beg from the tourists daily for survival.

When I turn 6, I want to work in the 'boat industry' like my cousin brothers, Sok and San.

They earn one dollar a day working as helpers on the boat.

Sometimes if they are lucky, the tourists will give them money. And they can earn up to five dollars a day, which is considered a lot of money by Cambodian standard!

This is my neighbour, Pichet. His dad owns a sampan. They make a living by selling canned drinks and tidbits to the tourists.

Pichet is a well-trained stuntman cum businessman. Chasing, climbing, swimming, and selling make up his daily routine.

There was once he fell into the murky water. Fortunately his dad pulled him up in time before the Lake Ghost did, or else he'll be slaving for the poltergeist right now.

Pichet's sister, Pichney, is cute. I believe she will grow into a lovely lady one day. And I want to propose to her then.

This is my Aunt Phhoung. Her husband has left the country for a better opportunity in overseas. She doesn't see him much. She has two little mouths to feed. And another one is on his/her way to this world.

She has no choice but to propel her sampan to chase the tourists' boats everyday. So that she can sell them her home grown bananas and make a living out of it.

The kids will cry. The mothers will beg sell. And the tourists will 'give in'.

Like Aunt Phhoung, many of my cousins and friends are begging selling bananas to the tourists in exchange for food.

Yes, we all know that selling bananas is a lame excuse + cheap disguise for begging. And I'm not proud of what my people are doing. But life is tough over here. We need to eat.

One dollar pleeease... Jie Jie, one dollar!

This is my friend Munny. Like me, he has to beg for a living. If he doesn't make at least three dollars a day, his dad will punish him.

That's why he is very very very 'hardworking'.

He'll beg and cry and beg and cry and beg and cry and beg and cry until his voice turns hoarse and croaks like a frog.

So that the tourists will take pity on him and pay for his green bananas.

This super mean Uncle Nhean who always eats full and got nothing to do. He likes to chase us away from the deck with a long bamboo stick so that we won't 'scare away' the tourists who shop in the lake area.

And thus sometimes some of us will have to go back home cold and hungry. Not everyone of us here is as lucky as Maddox.

He has a famous Hollywood Star mom who adopts him, dotes on him, gives him warm clothes, and makes sure he is well-fed.

As for us here, we have to beg. For food. For ourselves. For our family members. For survival. And we are only kids. Just like your little nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons.

Life is not a boat of roses. Sometimes it will flood. Sometimes it's sunny. Sometimes it will rain non-stop. And sometimes I can see the rainbow...

I can only pray for a better tomorrow. A future with no more begging in Cambodia. For me. For my children. And for my children's children.

- A story told by a kid named Sangha in Cambodia

Disclaimer:
All characters are fictitious. Any resemblance, dead or half-dead or alive, to the characters mentioned in this entry or topics is merely coincidental. If you break a nose or a limb because it, don't come look for Ms Titoki. She won't be online during the holidays. In addition, the author is not responsible or liable for any loss or damages suffered by idiots who cannot distinguish between a fiction and a non-fiction. Have a nice day.