Cycling the Angkor temples.
What were your reasons for volunteering abroad?
I wanted to visit Cambodia to see Angkor Wat but also have a more meaningful experience by volunteering my skills as a qualified teacher.
Why did you select one a Soconomist program?
The Soconomist programme is good value for money, they focus on skills-based volunteering, they combine volunteering with sightseeing, and it's easy to customise your trips with the dates and itinerary you want.
What was your favorite part about your placement and the children you worked with?
The school is about 20 minutes outside Siem Reap in a village surrounded by farms and fields, very peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap. It's amazing that just half an hour from one of the busiest tourist hubs in Southeast Asia you can find children who have no opportunity to interact with those tourists. I realised that's why it's so important to send foreign volunteers there, to give those children the opportunity to engage with foreigners and build their confidence communicating with them. Cambodia suffered so very much from being isolated, and I get the impression that this generation would like to make the society more internationalist so that history does not repeat itself.
What makes the Real Cambodia Experience program “real” and unique from other volunteer programs?
I can't comment on how unique this program is, as I haven't tried others. Of course this was a unique experience for me and I will never forget this holiday. I got to know more about real life in Cambodia (real life means in the countryside as this is still a rural economy) as well as the history of the ancient Angkor civilisation, so I felt I had a much more rounded experience than most tourists would get.
It was hard to see children hassling tourists outside temples when I wished that those children could be in schools like the one I was teaching in. But I am glad that those were not the only children I met, so that I did not take home the impression that all children in Siem Reap are desperate and virtually begging.
Journey to school with Poleak our coordinator.
In what ways did the local staff support you during your stay?
We had a guide who took us around the temples (by bicycle!) and was also our coordinator at the school. He was an amazing young guy, exactly the kind of person this country needs for its future development. It made the trip so much easier that he was there to support us with both the tour and the volunteering.
Is there anything you wish you could change about your program?
Nothing. I'm glad I signed up for three days rather than one day of volunteering, as this gave me enough time to form relationships at the school and have a deeper experience of it.
Describe a day in the life of a volunteer teacher in Cambodia.
Teaching starts at 8.30 a.m., so I had to get up very early to make the journey from my hotel to the school, in a tuk tuk. I taught three lessons in the morning, subjects were English and Math. At break time, I spent time with the kids in the playground. They were all very curious to meet and speak to a foreigner. They were so polite and gentle too; I remember thinking how much time and effort we make trying to instill this kind of culture in kids in Western countries, who have so much more than these kids!
Introducing my class to the selfie stick!
For lunch, I sat with the teachers, which was nice. None of the teachers speak English really, even the principal, so I could see yet again what a big impact my small contribution was having. Teachers in Cambodia are paid very little (around $50 a month) and often have to take second jobs just to survive. So Soconomist aims to build up the school in order to guarantee these teachers a better and more secure future too. In the afternoon I played games with the children. At 4.30 p.m. I got the tuk tuk back to my hotel and rested. I was completely exhausted after my day, but looking forward to going back the next morning!
What did you enjoy doing outside of your placement?
I think I enjoyed getting to know our coordinator the most. I asked lots of questions and learnt a lot about how ordinary Cambodians of his generation see the past and what kind of future they want to build.
What was your hotel accommodation like in Cambodia?
The hotel was basic but comfortable. I didn't expect 5-star for the fee I paid!
Math lesson.
How have your experiences volunteering in Cambodia stayed with you after returning home?
I've been talking to other people at work about it and I wrote a blog post on our company Yammer site. I'm hoping I can help this organisation now I'm home with some marketing. And I've booked another trip with them, this time to Philippines. Personally, I think I knew what to expect. I started my life after school with three years of volunteering with different target groups in Europe. After that I lived and worked in Egypt and India, training local teachers. But I went on this trip with my partner, who is Singaporean and has never been exposed to life in a developing country. I saw a big impact on him when we returned; for example, he became much more interested in current affairs and people in need. I do think that 50 percent of the impact of volunteering is on the volunteer too. It can be a transforming experience in terms of how we see the world.