s-1
| I left Cambodia for Thailand when I was 29 in search of a better job, but also to escape my fragile situation at home. |
s-2
| A well-connected friend who already lived in Bangkok told me to come here, assuring me that there was a job here lined up for me, so I took the bus from Pratabong with a group of friends until we reached the border of Thailand. |
s-3
| In Cambodia I was earning half of what I earned when I arrived in Thailand. |
s-4
| At home I used to make cookies and sell them at the market. |
s-5
| My parents taught me how to cook them and I did it until they passed away. |
s-6
| When I arrived here in the beginning I was doing unskilled labour, mostly cleaning. |
s-7
| It wasnt until years later that I started cooking. |
s-8
| I worked for 10 years for the same restaurant until I opened my own food stall. |
s-9
| I have one daughter who is 10 years old and lives with her relatives, 40 km away from Bangkok. |
s-10
| I take the bus every weekend to see her. |
s-11
| She used to study here but I was too busy with work to properly take care of her, so I decided it was best she moved in with her father. |
s-12
| I send her an allowance for her studies and clothes each month. |
s-13
| I used to visit home once or twice a year but now I only go every two or three years because its too expensive to travel, and every time I go back to my hometown I have to spend a lot of money on presents for my relatives. |
s-14
| I have six brothers and sisters, all married with lots of kids. |
s-15
| I have my own business now so I dont think I would want to move back and my daughter is still studying so I wouldnt be able to leave her. |
s-16
| Also, since she is Thai, she doesnt know the Cambodian dialect so she would have a hard time adapting. |
s-17
| I would like to go back more often though only to visit, not to settle down. |
s-18
| I miss Cambodia and my family especially, but I have to work. |
s-19
| Although things are improving and Cambodia is developing a lot right now, I have been absorbed by the Thai culture. |
s-20
| My life in Thailand is definitely better than the one I had in Cambodia. |
s-21
| I love Bangkok, shopping, watching movies and especially Thai soap operas that make me cry. |