In the summer of 2008, I spent three weeks in Siem Reap with Journeys Within Our Community. Working as a member of an eight-person team, I volunteered with a number of JWOC projects, including the Clean Water Project, the Village Microfinance Fund, and the English Language schools provided...
JWOC has provided me the opportunity to not only travel to Cambodia, but to help others in need. The experience has been both exciting and eye-opening. Everyday I would learn something new about the people or the culture of Cambodia. I came to Cambodia not knowing anything about the people...
I came to Cambodia through the summer academic trips program that West Point has. I knew that I wanted to do a service trip in a faraway foreign country. I would say that I was a little disappointed with the amount of work which we got to participate in, but some of the blame for that...
I came to JWOC with very little understanding of Cambodia as a whole, what the situation was like in Siem Reap, or what to expect from the volunteer program here. After spending more than two weeks working with JWOC and its various programs, I will say that it is one of the most interesting...
Honestly, my trip to Cambodia would have never happened if it weren’t for Angelina Jolie. I have been her biggest fan for as long as I can remember and learned of her many trips to the country. I made my first trip to Cambodia a volunteer vacation through JWOC and absolutely loved every...
Joining Journey's Within our Community for two weeks was one of the best experiences I have had in a long time. From the moment our plane landed in Cambodia, I immediately knew I was in for a different experience. For two weeks, we visited several of the JWOC projects and got to know...
My name is Alexis Costales and I came to volunteer with JWOC along with 11 other Loyola Marymount students, staff and faculty. In a total of two weeks time I was fortunate to meet the crux of JWOC and see first hand what smart and genuine effort can produce. Three mornings were allotted...
During our time in Siem Reap, our group had the opportunity to work on JWOC’s recently acquired property which will be the future site for their community center. The center is located next door to the Journey’s BandB. When we arrived, the house (which is being transformed into a community...
Journeys Within has given me an incredible opportunity to travel much differently than I have before. I have been fortunate to understand the culture from the Khmer people themselves. Rather then being limited to the privilege of guided tours and hotel views, I have been introduced to...
Here, men are so shy. There’s no doubt that I have probably noticed this more since I am a woman. On my first day at the Wat Thmei language school none of the men were comfortable talking with me! We attended three different classes across three days and they all started out the same....
I simplified the training modules for the micro-lending program. Keeping in mind that the borrowers are the targeted audience, I selected basic terms and phrases that they would understand. I tried to emphasize creativity when selecting a business. I noticed that many borrowers stick...
My name is Farah Srichandra and I am Junior, Biology major at Loyola Marymount University. My volunteer experience through LMU’s Alternative Breaks in Siem Reap, Cambodia was both an unforgettable and rewarding experience. During my two-week stay, from May 14 to May 27, I had the chance...
I felt privileged to meet with the monks at Wat Chork. We got to see where this group of monks live, study, and worship. We visited Wat Chork early in our trip and came back multiple times which allowed us to develop relationships with some of them. Most of the monks I spent time with...
For my special project assignment, I was placed with a group of two other volunteers and a scholarship student to work on researching potential business opportunities for JWOC in the local community. Our goals was to find a business opportunity that would both benefit the community and...
Prepare to take a step back into the tenth century. Angkor Wat’s magnificent construction draws you in and once you have the opportunity to walk around the site it is hard not to feel as if you were an ancient Khmer. The whole experience will leave your eyes dazzled and your heart pumping....
Our names are Liron and Nitzan, 24 and 21 years old, from Israel. We have been traveling in Southeast Asia for the past three months; we already have been in Thailand, Laos, Nepal and Burma. We looked for a way to combine volunteering in our trip, and Cambodia seemed like a good place...
