Cambodia:Episode Four

by Nik Munirah Nik Mohd Nasir

Thursday 3 August 2006
To Kampung Speu

Today’s journey was expected to be a longer one which is why we had to set off early. In addition, our medical supplies were depleted so one of us had to wake up earlier to run off and get the supplies.

Kampong Speu is situated east in Kampong Cham, near to the Vietnam border. One of our guides, En Raihan, who is also the Mufti’s son told us many interesting stories. He had the opportunity to study in Malaysia for a few years before returning to Cambodia. He once told us that both his parents had actually walked all the way to Vietnam on foot which took them 2 days and 2 nights during the Pol Pot terror era.

In fact, the previous Kampong we’ve been to was actually his father’s kampong (Kampong Potien). When we had lunch at his father’s house (his father wasn’t at home though), he told us how his father had made a vow if he were to survive the Pol Pot era, he would dedicate his life for Islam. Indeed Allah did allow him to survive that era and true to his word, he worked hard to teach his people about Islam. En Raihan recalled having to wake up in the morning to his father’s lessons, with students filling his entire living room. When a lesson had finished, a new batch of students will then come in to take the previous students’ place.

Today, 80% of the religious teachers all around Cambodia were actually ex-students of En Raihan’s father. Isn’t that amazing?

It just shows that if you have set your target for something and work really hard for it, and it is purely for the sake of Allah, Allah will surely help you. Victory is not determined by man, but it is a gift from Allah, if He so chooses to give it to them. Just like when we study for exams. We can study until we could write back the whole Kumar and Clarke medical textbook from our memory but if Allah does not will for us to excel in that exam, we won't.

We strive hard and work to achieve something because Allah asks us to, not because that striving or that work itself will determine the end result. The end result is beyond our power. Instead, it is Allah's.

Things were a bit out of control during the registration. Probably because the mosque area was smaller and there is no proper waiting place for the villagers to wait whilst waiting their turn. So everyone sort of flocked around the registration table, everyone wanted it to be their turn. We were given special instructions to give priority to the elderly villagers first or mothers with a small child.

The temperature was pretty hot-the sun, the vest and all this people surrounding us, and I really mean surrounding us (my partner at the registration remarked, ‘So this is what it felt like to be ‘hot stuff’! ) It was really hectic, rushing through the usual ‘Ngengke’s and ‘motom’s (At this point, I am used to the blank stares and laughter at my attempt of speaking their languange) and taking their blood pressure as well. It must’ve been after 30 patients that I felt my ears are ready to pop off! And my arms too, from pumping the sphygnomometer. (Alhamdulillah I didn’t get any nightmares of giant blood pressure cuff chasing after me)

But I am having fun. It was nice to meet all this villagers, and they are all so nice as well. I met another lady who could speak Malay as she worked in Malaysia before. Apparently she was a relative of En Raihan. (En Raihan sure has a lot of relatives around in Kampong Cham!)

Day 2 in to mobile clinic and we are all hanging in there...