Royal university of Phnom Penh Institute of foreign languages Department of English

Cultural studies 1 Semester 2: 2002-03

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF LIVING IN COUNTRYSIDE In the world, every country is divided into two, city and countryside. Everyone, live in one country, has their own decision whether they decide to live in city or countryside. Fresh air, quiet place and healthy are people want; all those things are found in countryside. However, living in countryside also has advantages and disadvantages. In Cambodia, people living in countryside can make they think of the environment, fresh air, and beauty of nature view or good scenery. Of cause, there is no pollution from factories, industries, and vehicles; therefore, they dont worry about the traffic jam at all. Most of the villagers are farmer, their living depend on grow crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. There is much chance for people to growing; for example, rice growing, they can grow rice in raining season called wet rice, and in summer season called dry rice. All most villagers are living in extended family, it easy to help each other, their life live in tradition standard is very cheap, so they dont have to spend much money. They have good relationship with their neighbor and more helpful. In fact example, my grandparents live in Kom Pong Thom province. When my grandparents had Pchum Ben celebration, their neighbor always help to do everything like cooking, washing, and preparing everything, etc. They are more helpful if we compare with some relatives. They are not help only one celebration but also other celebration; especially, my grandfathers funeral. Even some villagers are poor, but they dont steal everything from their neighbor, so living in villages have safer environment and happy life. The last important point is a good place for keeping traditional activities and Khmer traditional festivals. Why I said like these? Because only villagers still wear traditional clothes; girls

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Royal university of Phnom Penh Institute of foreign languages Department of English

Cultural studies 1 Semester 2: 2002-03

who havent get marriage, she have to keep Khmer traditional such as she isnt allowed to have a good relationship with a men who havent get engaged with. Moreover, she hasnt allowed having boyfriend, she or he can marriage with a boy or girl that her or his parents find only. Village is the root place for all traditional festivals, too. Because some Khmer traditional festivals is only celebrated in village not in city, for instance, after harvest they sing and dance to harvesting celebration. Furthermore, traditional festivals happen in the villages first, because person lives in city has influence from foreign culture. All in all, living in the countryside make their healthier and save up wealth. In contrast, if we look at developed countries, people want to live in countryside because it has good environment, no pollution, although there are a lot of factories or industries. But for poor countries or developing counties, they want to live in city rather than live in countryside especially in our country. At first, education system isnt enough, children can study only senior high school, and high school exists in provincial town only. There isnt enough school to educate people and the lack of qualified teachers for some school because of the lack of budget; therefore, domestic violence happens very often in families because of the lack of education and poor families. In rural areas, road condition are not good, not enough transportation, none investment, no factories or industrials; thus, unemployment rate is so high. Villagers depend on farm only and sometime when they grow crops; it hasnt enough water to supply because it hasnt irrigation system and water near their farm, so they have to carry from river or lake. Especially, they always prone to natural disaster such as flood draught. As the result they

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Royal university of Phnom Penh Institute of foreign languages Department of English

Cultural studies 1 Semester 2: 2002-03

are still poor. Second, health care isnt completely good. In some areas doesnt have hospital, they treat their disease by use traditional medicine when they have problem with

their health. For some areas, it has healthy centers but it hasnt enough medical supply, although it has one or two hospitals in provincial town. Third, it isnt many media system, so they dont know what happen in the world and in their own country. At last, most people dont want to live in countryside because it is so quiet no entertainment place and no interesting job; besides these, they dont want to make their life living in the boring place. In conclusion, I think that living in countryside is good if the government tries to change some lack parts such as build more school, university if possible, send qualified teachers to teach. Government should care about people health, build more hospitals, and provide medicine to make sure that it enough or not. The most important, the government should construct infrastructure because in countryside have a lot of beautiful place; for example, Siem Reap province have a lot of wonderful temples. If the road easy travel, foreigner can make their journey very easy; therefore, government can get budget from tourism. On the other hand, the government must do something to attract foreigner to invest in countryside for eliminate the poverty. I hope, the government will be thinking about this problem soon.

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