I have effectively brought the art of slinging to Cambodia. This last week I spent 5 days in Cambodia's southeastern province of Takeo. One project I visited was a dormatory that allows teenagers in isolated villages to attend high school at schools in other districts. The dormatory is run by staff who help educate the teens in vocational skills such as methods in agriculture and livestock as well as basic concepts in health and community building in their free time which go to help support the dorm, but also provides the students with skills they can use to improve their families lives back in their village. The afternoon I was there was hot and dull and everyone was sitting out front on the porch gazing out over the stubbled rice field. I absently-mindedly chucked a few dirt clods into the rice paddy (by hand), scaring up the fish and dragon flies. One of the guys came over and challenged me to throw a dirt clod all the way across the rice field (about 100 meters); probably because Cambodians find my stature of 5 foot 11 inches monsterous (compared to their average 5'6") and capable of inhuman feats. I laughed and said I could throw it twice that far; which was greeted with laughs and skepticism.
Pulling out my sling I casually selected a chunk of hard clay, stepped back and let it fly in a smooth overhand figure 8 and watched as it sailed 150 meters across the rice paddy; exploding on the trunk of a palm tree behind which my company vehicle was parked. After re-starting my heart, I spent 2 hours educating 42 high school guys in the art of slinging, after which I bequeathed them my sling so they could embark on their own adventures in near-distructiveness.
It's quite possible that when I return, they will have evangelized their entire high school of 500 students who will then spread the love throughout their communities... I considered it a good day.
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Spreading the love... Evangelising Cambodian (Read 1416 times)
