All I Heard Was My Sorrow (Khmer)

I thought about writing this book for many years, but did not take the time to do it. Most of my free time was spent providing community services. I was driven to complete this book after I helped an author translate a book from English to Khmer. Due to the complexity of that book, it took me one year to complete. As I worked on this book I learned millions of people suffer from trauma in different countries around the world. My experiences may be different from others', or similar, but these are the experiences I endured. I hope this book will heal the pain and suffering that I could not share with my family, friends, or a therapist. I hope to close the chapter on those unforgettable brutal experiences by disclosing them publicly. My mother is 81 years old and seldom complains of pain. I have developed mild arthritis; I told my mother about it and she said, Keep walking and get rid of that pain. She wants books and an IPad for Christmas and birthday gifts as part of her continued education. Her strong will keeps her healthy and free of pain and other chronic diseases that millions of Cambodians suffer from. I used her advice to achieve my goals and dreams. I learned to set goals that I am able to achieve and practice common sense along with my knowledge. I learned to be a leader who leads by example, not by dictation or humiliation. My authority is a shared authority. I learned that America is indeed the land of opportunity, but I had to seek it. When I failed, I did not give up. I keep going, believing there is a solution for every problem. I am a survivor. I have overcome my fear of losing by allowing myself to lose at the starting line and becoming a winner at the finish line. When I started working as an interpreter, I wished some days I might have the opportunity to manage the interpreter services department. I took the opportunity and suffered physically and mentally. However, my survivor's resilience kept me going. I lost when I started, but now I am a winner. As the years pass by, I am not sure how long I can control my anxiety disorder that developed from the brutal treatment I endured during the Khmer Rouge. Maybe in five or ten years from now when I retire from the work force, the free time will unveil my pain, and I will then be classified as PSTD patient. Until then, I will remain as a survivor in both my homeland and the country I now call home. This book is translated into Khmer for the LEP (Limited English Proficiently.) I hope that after reading this book in Khmer our LEP population will understand that as Cambodian (Khmer), we are suffering from PSTD. PSTD is a silent decease that is passing on to our next generation and it is impacting our quality of lives. I consider myself as an individual who is fortunate and survived the physical and emotional pain from the traumatized experiences. I use this pain to guide my life by providing services to my community. By writing this book I also helping myself healing from all the suffering that I kept in my heart and soul for all these years