"In 1995, my family moved to the forest, to an old village that my grandparents abandoned during the Khmer Rouge genocide. We needed to go there to claim the land back as our own. My parents took my brother and I with them to build a small house there. Other families had to do the same, as no one had returned to this area after fleeing it during the genocide. The house was made of straw and palm leaf walls. We did not have enough rice when we stayed there so we would grow some vegetables like potatoes and forage for wild vegetables to eat instead of rice. In the daytime we entered the forest to look for plants and fish to eat but at night time we were scared because the forest was full of wild animals like tigers and snakes.
We raised two dogs to protect us at night. They both really loved their master. Even though we were poor at that time, our family was very happy.
This is a memory we will never forget."