The Cambodia Rural School Project
The Shinohara Manabu School
Phay Sarom, a 13-year old 5th grade student at the Shinohara Manabu School.
Phay Sarom is a 13-year old 5th grade student at the Shinohara Manabu School. She is currently ranked number 4 among her 37 classmates in the first semester of this year. She has nine sisters and brothers. Two of her brothers and three of her sisters attend the new school. Her parents are farmers in the school village.
“My father plants rice in the rainy season and makes palm sugar during the dry-season. My family owns about 30 palm trees, which can produce more than one ton of sugar a year.”
“At school, I prefer studying Khmer literature than any other subject in the school’s program. Khmer language is easier to learn and I usually only make small mistakes in dictation.”
“I have difficulty learning math for it is hard for me to understand the teacher, thus making things unclear.”
“When I grow up I want to be a nurse or a doctor because I think that this job can earn more money than other jobs. It is also one where I can save lives of patients in rural villages. Money is not a big deal for me, but the patient’s life is much more important. If a patient is poor, I can treat him and have him pay me later step-by-step after he has completely recovered.”
