Lately, Cambodia just feels like it's lost its spark, you know? First, it was the crackdown on online scams, with one compound after another shutting down. Then came the clean-up of all sorts of shady businesses, and now even the casinos are starting to close their doors, one by one. Places that used to be buzzing with lights and people at night are slowly going quiet. The streets feel a lot emptier now.
But who remembers how full of ambition we were when we first came here? Dragging our suitcases, telling our families, 'Not many chances back home, I'm going out to make something of myself for a few years.' Some even thumped their chests, promising, 'Don't worry, I'll work a few years, make enough money, and then I'll be back.' Back then, everyone thought Southeast Asia was full of opportunities, that if you just worked hard, you could make big money. Who would've thought? A few years later, we haven't made enough, and the opportunities are just drying up.
Before, walking down the street, you felt like a gold prospector, standing tall and proud. Now? More like a transient, not knowing where to go next. It used to be your company chasing you to work, your boss worried you'd run off. Now, compounds are closing one after another, projects are falling apart, and casinos are following suit. Lots of small shops here are seeing their business drop too. You don't even smell as much motorbike exhaust anymore.
The most heartbreaking part is for those who haven't made any money. When they first left, they told their families everything would be fine, they'd be back in a few years. Now, years have passed, they're scared to call home, scared to face their families. It's not that they don't want to go home; it's that they don't know how, they've lost face. All those big boasts they made? They've gone silent now.
Cambodia's lights are still on, but the ones that used to be 'ours' are dimming, one by one. Streets that were once bustling with people are now eerily quiet. Those who came across the sea full of ambition, from 'I'm going out to conquer the world,' have turned into 'Where do I go next?' After this round of clean-up, how much further can those pushing these schemes in Southeast Asia go? Nobody knows. All we know is that for some, their youth might truly be left behind in this foreign land.
