From poverty to the realization of the impossible: the life of a Cambodian linguist child after viral fame

PHNOM PENH: Until he was 14 years old, Thuch Salik’s world revolved around the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia, where he had to sell trinkets and souvenirs to tourists to help support his parents.

His home was a shack on the outskirts of Angkor Wat, and he only had time to go to school for half the day. But he loved learning and dreamed of pursuing his studies abroad in the face of poverty and debt.

Impossible as it seemed in 2018, the teenager was transplanted to a high-level school in China last year, the only Cambodian at Hailiang Foreign Language School in Zhejiang province.

He was “a little scared” but knew it was a “brilliant” opportunity.

“When I was in Siem Reap, we didn’t have good livelihoods,” he said. “I could only study at school. And after school, I helped my mom sell things. And I hardly had time to play with my friends.

“Today much more is studied. After school, during my free time, I have many more friends to play with.

It’s a turnaround stemming from a viral video of him and his gift: he can speak 16 languages.

Having taken the internet by storm and with the consequent change in his family’s fortunes, his ambitions go further: Now 16, he hopes to be a businessman and give back to his homeland.

He’s even being groomed to polish up his star quality, on social media and maybe in business one day, discover the Beyond The Viral Video series.

THE WORLD MEETS SALIK

It all started in November 2018 when Salik was speaking Chinese to a Malaysian tourist while selling his souvenir basket on the outskirts of Angkor Wat.

Her interest piqued, she tried to speak to him in French. He responded fluently before continuing in Cantonese and then Japanese. He spoke to her in 11 languages ​​in total. He had learned them for three years while selling his trinkets.

The tourist filmed their conversation and the video he posted made him a global inspiration.

At the time, her mother, Mann Vanna, was selling scarves and other clothing at a newsstand, while her father, an artist, made a living selling paintings.

The donations reached the family and a wealthy Cambodian businessman became their benefactor.

He helped move them into a semi-detached house in Phnom Penh, found Mann a more stable job running a clothing store, and saved the family’s debt of around US $ 60,000 (Singapore $ 80,000).

He also offered to sponsor Salik’s studies after the boy caught the eye of the founder of Hailiang Education Group, one of the largest players in China’s private school sector with more than 60,000 students and teachers from 23 countries.

“In (another) video, Salik said he wanted to come to China, to (study) in Beijing, he likes Mandarin. So these few words touched the heart of my founder, “said Chen Junwei, current president and CEO of the group.

“I wanted to help Salik fulfill this dream.”

But the movement hardly materialized.

WINNING YOUR PARENT ROUND

Chen and several staff members had flown to Cambodia to track down Salik and persuade the family to allow him to study in Hailiang on a scholarship.

“(We brought) a lot of gifts, like our school uniform, bags, a lot of things, and we went to the hotel to meet him and his parents,” Chen recalled.

“We felt that Salik was very smart… very talented at something that not many people can be. Also, Salik’s EQ is very high … Everyone really liked it after watching it. “

However, Mann was reluctant to let him go. She was “scared” and “worried” that he was too young and would “find it difficult to adjust” to life abroad, adding that he was “small and skinny” while China was “very cold”.

She and her husband were also skeptical of Hailiang’s scholarship offer as they found it too good to be true.

Chen and his staff had no choice but to return to China. For the next several months, however, he continued to negotiate with Salik’s parents, even showing them around when they visited Hailiang to see the school for themselves.

WATCH: Cambodian boy who speaks 16 languages: life now, 2 years after the viral video (6:34)

They almost changed their minds, but cautiously decided against it after returning home. However, when he thought his dream might be thwarted, Salik “begged” them to reconsider.

Eventually, the sincerity and determination of the Hailiang team won over their parents. When the move was given the green light, “I was so happy and jumped,” recalled Mann, 37. In May last year, it landed in Zhejiang.

READ: The multilingual Cambodian boy Thuch Salik to continue his studies in China

STEPPED LEARNING CURVE

Salik soon discovered that despite his talent for languages, he had a long way to go in other subjects such as mathematics.

“When he came, he should be in high school. But their standards were only at the elementary school level, ”Chen said. “It was very difficult for him to catch up in high school. But he was very diligent. “

He also had to get used to the cold. “Because the weather conditions changed, there were many times when he clenched his teeth. But (he) adapted slowly, ”Chen observed.

To help him cope academically, Hailiang provided individualized instruction in his first year. “I started to catch up with my studies. Now, a year later, I can study with the other students, ”he said proudly.

The school also arranged for him a life coach to help him fully adjust to his new living conditions. There are even plans to send him to Peking University after graduating from Hailiang.

“We hope that you can continue studying and graduate with a PhD. Throughout this process, (including) your spending on living expenses (and) education, we will fully support you, ”Chen said.

“(With) a kid like him who is so smart … forward thinking and down to earth, I think that if he can complete his PhD in China and return to Cambodia, he could influence the next generation.”

ANOTHER FORK ON THE ROAD

In January, when Salik returned home for winter break, he did not know, however, that he would have to stay in Cambodia due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the freezing of direct international flights for months in China.

Hailiang then arranged for her to continue her education through online classes.

Meanwhile, her fame and “perseverance” caught the attention of local entertainment company First Unite Network (Fun) Entertainment.

The company’s event planning and artistic director, Utdom Sambo, said he also noted Salik’s “persuasiveness,” “good morals,” and mentality as someone who would “educate” and “spread good deeds.” .

“It is aligned with (our) vision,” said Utdom, identifying these qualities as reasons to believe that Salik would be a good “role model” as a member of Fun Entertainment and its Goodwill Youth of Cambodia for the “cultural exchange between China and Cambodia. “. .

So Salik has been taking dance lessons, for example, as the company groomed him to be a celebrity. As you build your local and foreign fan base, you also participate in charity and social activities.

“Salik has also come to the company to learn about various soft skills, such as communication and video editing, as this is where his interest lies,” added Utdom.

“Because of its potential, we believe that you can run a successful business in the future … Live sales broadcasting, even just talking to fans, can do everything really well.

“It will become a rare human resource in Cambodia.”

But his “main focus,” Salik said, is still on his education. He acknowledges that he has “many sponsors” and wants “to compensate them by studying hard to help our country.”

WATCH: The Full Episode – What Happened To Them After Going Viral Online? (47:27)

“If I had to guess, I think I would become a businessman bringing advanced technology and new things from abroad,” he said.

“I will create something … to bring to Cambodia, export and import, (and) also to build Cambodia-China friendship.”

Check out this episode of Beyond The Viral Video here. Also read about whether we should be afraid of TikTok and what is behind those viral videos of children and animals.