Cambodia's Kids

With more than 6 months of this trip behind me, I'm still eternally grateful that I'm able to find something new and amazing every single day of my travels. But not until my time in Cambodia was I truly shaken to the core with emotions that I hadn't the slightest sense I would get to experience, which came in the truly rewarding feelings I felt while volunteering and doing some good in a place that truly needed it. In Siem Reap, with a few friends I met, we took a trip one day to an English school the guys had heard about. I will keep the description as short as I can, as we are in the process of building a proper website for this cause as soon as we arrive at home and have the time and resources to do so. And I am not writing this to try to gather donations from any readers. I will be doing that when I get home and the website is built so I can do it more effectively.

The founder of the School For Children of Cambodia (SCC) is Mr. Ross. Since the early 90's, he has been building schools from the ground up and educating (with the help of volunteers) local children whose families cannot afford to send them to public school. When the children reach the sufficient level of education to pass their exams, and enough donations are collected to build the appropriate school environment, Mr. Ross hands the school over to the government to be run as a free public school for the children. It is an amazing and self-less cause, and I was immediately awe-struck when I saw how much good this man was doing for his country, asking for nothing in return. Along with the half-dozen orphans he cares for, local school kids arrive at his house in the late afternoon everyday to receive supplemental English lessons. This is where I spent everyday since my first there, alternating between playing with the kids, teaching their English classes (which was made easier because the kids were all so eager to learn), and building desks and chairs for them. Unfortunately, there's no Ikea in Cambodia, so it was a matter of using raw materials and rudimentary, dull, and rusted tools. But the jobs got done, and with a very kind and generous donation from my family we were able to build more desks and purchase more supplies for the classrooms.

In a country that is constantly ranked as one of the most corrupt in the world, it is rare to find people and causes that can be said without a doubt are trying to change things for the better, without putting anything in their own pockets. Even the 'high-and-mighty' NGOs are not without dirty hands. But this cause is one of those diamonds in the rough, and I believe that with work like this, Cambodia will eventually change and reach its true potential. It may take up to two generations for this dream to be realized, but I am hopeful, and determined to be a part of that positive change.

Alright enough ranting about 'the cause' and get to what this blog is really about; my adventures and experiences around the world. My two weeks in Siem Reap were spent at, and bicycling between, the very quintessential backpacker guesthouse (The Garden Village), Mr. Ross' English School, and Pub Street. I met countless other travelers, some just passing through, and many who were also volunteering their time for various organizations in and around Siem Reap. I had low expectations for Cambodia, thinking that I wouldn't spend more than a few days there to see the major tourist attractions. At the end of two weeks, I was very sad to leave, but knew that with the limited time I had left I needed to move on. But my work is not finished, and I have been hatching plans on a daily basis to make as big of an impact as I can utilizing my most valuable skills (teaching English not being one of them).

I think the combination of traveling alone, and having low expectations for both Vietnam and Cambodia, ensured that I would see these countries in a different light than most of my friends previously had, and developed what I expect to be a life-long connection, as well as memories that will be reshaped and refined as I visit these countries again in the future.