Ran Ren

My name is Ran. I was born in 1999. Nowadays, I live in Phreah Srei village, Snoeng commune, Banan district, Battambang province. When I was young, I lived in Boeng Trokuon Village, Boeng Trokuon Commune, Thmorpuok District, Banteaymeancheay Province (Near Thai border). During that time, I could not study in my village because there was no school and it was the poorest areas too. We didn’t have enough food. Sometimes we had only porridge. Sometimes when we didn’t even have porridge, we drank water instead. My parents and I worked very hard to get two or three pieces of bread. Because of hunger, my father had no idea how to find a job. He was so stressed and he was always drunk. He had never helped us. When he was drunk, he always used violence with sticks, wires, chains, rocks, knives, to my mother and me. Sometimes he did not allow us to eat anything. My mother always tried to help me but she was not stronger than my father. During that time, many people wanted to help us, but no one was brave enough because when someone tried to help, my father would use the knife to threaten them. We cried all the time. Day by day, we lived without food and were unhappy, so my mother and I decided to leave him and go to Thailand. When we went to Thailand, we had many problems too. Sometimes we had no food. Finally, my mom and I got a job and we had food to eat. After that, a neighbor who lived near us in Thailand went back to Cambodia. They told my father where we lived. For 5 days more, he arrived in Thailand and he found us. He said he was sorry for everything he had done. Then, we lived happily together. 

Unfortunately, my mother was so sick because she got pregnant. We took her to the hospital and then the doctor said that she was very weak and skinny. We had to spend the money that we had saved to pay the doctor and do a blood test. When we got the result, I was so shocked because she had HIV. Then my father and I did the blood test too. My father was negative, but I was positive. I was so upset and I cried for many days. I asked myself why this has happened to me. This remains as a very bad memory for me, one I have never forgotten, especially recalling how my mother was so skinny and weak, while I had to work with my father in order to survive. Three months later, we had a new family member. It was my brother. His name is Rith. I decided to stop working with my father because I had to help my mother and my brother during that time. My mother was so weak and she could not take care of my brother alone. Until I was 10 years old, we came back to Cambodia because my father was homesick. When we arrived in Banteay Meancheay Province, no one wanted to talk, help, or even say hi to us. So my parents and I decided to move to Snoengkert village, Snoeng Kert Commune, Banan district, Battambang province. It is a place where I could start studying Khmer when I was 11 years old. I was very happy, but happiness didn’t last long as we could not get enough food to eat again. I had to work hard to help my parents. After school, I went to work as a cleaner, waiter, and construction worker. I always picked up cans and bottles when I walked to school or went back home.

   Unluckily, the landowner did not like my family because they knew we were very poor, especially my mother and I had HIV, so the landowner always did bad things to us such as throwing our chicken, using bad words, watering the bad water near our house, and telling us that the landowner needed the place where I lived to grow their crops. Also, I had no friends at that time because they were afraid of HIV. They hated us and no one to hire my parents. My parents had no job; they were very weak and old so they just caught fish, mice, birds, crabs, and snails, and found vegetables to eat and sell. During that time, I could not study anymore. I stopped studying English and Khmer to find jobs. Luckily, Teacher Sophea Chhum found my family. She always tried to motivate me and shared her love, and her care for me. So, I went back to study. Many months later, my mother got so sick again. I had to take her to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital, no one cared about my mother. When the doctor came, he just told us to wait. My mother and I waited from morning to evening. They still did not care about us because we were poor. They just gave my mother paracetamol. My mother was very bad. I had no idea what I could do more to help her. 

At that time, I was asked permission to study for many days. Teacher Sophea came to visit us and she told Teacher Joji about our situation. When teacher Joji heard about us, he told us to move to another village in Snoeng called Phreah Srei. He came to visit us and bought a lot of food for us. When we lived there, TASSEL Teachers always provided rice to us and then, my family was supported by Teacher Tammy. Teacher Tammy always shared her love and cared for us. Because of TASSEL Teachers and Teacher Tammy’s help, my family and I have been able to change our lives.

I have been a TASSEL student for 9 years and now, I am an English Teacher at TASSEL.  I have been working with TASSEL for almost 2 years. Now my life is better because of Tassel, Teacher Joji and Tammy.