Come learn

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 by JWOC at Wat Thmei and Wat Chork. The Journeys Within Our Community program afforded me the opportunity to explore a foreign country, immerse in a culture far removed from my own, and meet an exciting and motivated group of people, while at the same time participating in a rewarding and productive volunteer project. During my time with JWOC, I participated in one of the most innovative and exciting projects I could have imagined, a complete immersion in the nearby Veal Village for a forty-eight hour period. Our group was split up into two groups of four, with my group assigned to Veal Village and the other group assigned to nearby Tropeangses Village. These villages exist on the extreme edge of sustainable poverty, they are truly struggling to survive and provide a better life for their children on a daily basis. Each group was synched with an interpreter, and provided with bottled water and a food resupply plan. Within the villages, each group was further split, with two to three person teams pairing up with a village family for two days. My family, a multi-generational family of five, was extremely accommodating and gave me new insight into the mindset of the local people.

While living in Veal Village, my group was tasked with conducting oral hygiene training, an extremely rewarding project as we distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste provided by another JWOC contributor, and taught the village children how to brush their teeth, hopefully instilling a beneficial life-long habit. In addition, with the help of our interpreters, we walked throughout the village, talking to dozens of families and almost one hundred school-age children. We conducted a survey designed to gauge interest in free English classes at the new JWOC Community Center, the classes being one of JWOC’s many exciting upcoming projects. The results of the survey allowed us to glimpse the importance of education for the village children, many want to attend classes, but currently cannot because of the costs associated with government schools and their responsibilities at home. By providing free classes nearby, Journeys Within Our Community will aid these children by helping them escape the cycle of poverty currently existing in Veal Village, and I felt like I really was helping JWOC help the kids succeed.

In addition to an interesting and rewarding volunteer experience, JWOC provided a great overall Cambodian experience. The staff and all of the personnel were extremely helpful, Jesse and Melissa were awesome to work with, providing direction and resources while still allowing the eight of us to work together to solve complex problems and work to improve the JWOC projects. The scholarship students, interpreters, and especially the monks at Wat Chork were all incredible, and working with all of them made the trip one of the best experiences I have had. I’m excited to see what is in store for JWOC in the future, with such a solid foundation I believe they will continue to be extremely successful in providing benefit to the local community and volunteers alike.

- Neil Mittel

July 2008

One experience that I found very valuable was the 48 hours that we spent in a poor local village. It was interesting to be able to catch a greater glimpse of the life of the people in this village, who do not even have a right to the own land on which they build their homes. I was inspired by the level of dignity and grace that some of the families brought to what appeared to us a desperate situation. Getting to know those families has been my best experience in Cambodia.

I also enjoyed teaching at the language school. The dedication of the students to learn English and improve their lives was impressive, the grace and cheer with which they went about it was inspiring for me.

This is the fifth time that I have had a voluntourism type experience, and I love it every time. I think that the people of Cambodia are the most genuinely kind people of a country that I have ever met. JWOC really seems to be making an impact on the local community, but what is more important is that despite having found ways to help people on a large scale, they still have a touching personal feeling for individual hardships that individuals and families go through, and do their best to help people live joyful lives.

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 and valuable experiences I’ve ever had. Coming from a military background, I didn’t quite understand how an NGO did business or how one could impact a community in need. Teaching English classes at Wat Chork, seeing micro finance in action, and embedding into the Weal squatter village for 48 hours broadened my horizons and afforded me a greater well of experiences on which to fall back.

Journeys Within Our Community is a very effective organization that is continually expanding its outreach into Siem Reap and other Southeast Asian countries. I was impressed with both the permanent staff and the corps of volunteer scholarship students that aid the programs. The amount of difference that a small donation to JWOC can make in Cambodia is astounding. Resources used effectively are allowing many Cambodians crammed into the edges of emerging tourist destination Siem Reap to break out of the cycle of poverty that gripes the majority of the populace here. I honestly feel that my time helping with JWOC’s programs has made a difference in many people’s lives and that JWOC as an organization will continue to do so in the future.

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 part of the trip. I couldn’t believe just how beautiful the people and the country were.

I would have to say the best part of my trip was having the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Cambodian lifestyle. For three days and two nights, I lived with a single mother and her two daughters in a poor village. Besides immediately becoming attached to the family, I also fell in love with the rest of the community. Every single person was welcoming and their actions during my stay were all so genuine. Starting from five in the morning, everybody was awake and smiling; children were running around ready to get on with their daily lives. It was such an interesting glimpse of how different their lives were compared to my own and I was completely shocked to see the degree of motivation and dignity within each family. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

The numerous activities JWOC arranged ranged from visiting the infamous Angkor Wat to teaching English classes. Although living with Cambodians who were just struggling to get by day-by-day was only a minor part of my travel, it had the biggest impact on me. This trip made me realize just how big of an impact little actions can make on people’s lives. Overall, my travel to Cambodia is definitely one of the few trips that I would like to experience again. I love it!

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 the scholarship students overseeing the various projects: Clean Water, Language Schools and Micro-Finance program. I was so impressed with the scope of programs that address such crucial areas in Cambodia. One of my favorite volunteer placements was teaching at Wat Thmei. Working alongside the teachers, we got to read stories, practice grammar and pronunciation. The best part of classes was just getting to know the kids, sharing our stories and hearing about theirs also. Before we knew it, we were alternating words in Khmer and English. I really looked forward to going to Wat Thmei in the afternoon. One of the students won the hearts of all the volunteers. She brought us personalized bracelets with our names on them. She said it was a gift for us. Witnessing the grace and dedication of the students was the best gift I could have received. For me, it represented that JWOC time and resources were invested in the right place: the people of Cambodia, the youth that can pass on the information and work ethic for future generations. My experience volunteering through JWOC has undoubtedly changed me and I plan to keep in touch with the organization. I'm excited to see how it will continue to develop.

One of my favorite moments of this trip, and probably one of the greatest moments of my life, was when I was taken to see the water wells of the Clean Water Project. I was taken by one of the university scholarship students riding on the back of her motorbike. Having never ridden on a bike before, I thought I would be a bit apprehensive about getting there. Yet, not one moment did I feel unsafe. Feeling the cool air as we rode for about an hour on the countryside was an amazing sight that most tourists don’t get the chance to see. I couldn’t believe that just days before I was sitting at home in the U.S. We drove far from the main town where tourists tend to stay. Although the village that we went to had rarely seen foreigners around their area, they still welcomed us with open arms and big smiles.

I was able to see about six of the water wells that JWOC had installed within the last month. Providing clean water to communities that normally drink and cook with water invested with bacteria and waterborne disease, JWOC has given new life to these people. The scholarship students as well as the staff are so dedicated to not only the work they do, but the people they serve. Their open hearts are evident in their commitment and it’s no surprise Journeys Within continues to succeed. I hope they continue to change the face of tourism.

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. In the beginning you really had to initiate the conversations but it was really great to see these same individuals become more comfortable with speaking English. The students really enjoyed working on their pronunciation, so much of my time spent here was going over how to make some of the simple sounds we native speakers can make so easily. One sound in particular was the t- and th- sound. Many of the students would say “three” and “tree” as the same word and they were so happy when they actually learned how to say the two differently. I’m sure I looked pretty goofy standing at the front of the class demonstrating where their tongue should land when they say these words but it was tons of fun and so rewarding to share in their excitement.

I will never forget how eager the women in the class were to ask if I had a boyfriend. When I answered yes they were that much more excited about it. The series of questions often went as such: Do you have a boyfriend? Are you married? Do you have children? Why don’t you have children? This may not be considered a great conversation starter back home in the US but it was often a great one here and led to some neat conversations with these students. I’d say just about everyone asked us this.

Overall my experience here at Wat Thmei was amazing. I enjoyed getting to know the students along with the Khmer teachers. In the end I even gained a pen pal! Her name is Ek Chakriya (surname, first name) and I really look forward to keeping in touch over email.

Lynda Villagomez

Loyola Marymount University student

Los Angeles, CA

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 to typical businesses such as recycling and selling groceries. But to emphasize innovation and sustainability, I mentioned as an example a business where tourists can get their picture taken in traditional Khmer costumes. I kept the main information on the slides, and took out some of the fat. I hope that these new presentations will draw the audience’s attention and guide the borrowers to successful business paths.

For the micro-lending, the students drive their motorbikes into the villages to collect the payments. It is convenient for the villagers who have to stay home to run their business and look after their children. I went to collect the loans with Ra Ya. The first family we visited greeted us warmly. They invited us inside their homes and offered us chairs to sit on. This welcoming interaction was great. The borrower’s husband was a tuk tuk driver so he spoke English. He was interested in where I was from and whether or not I went to school. Likewise, I was interested in getting to know more about them. The students visit their assigned borrowers weekly, so there is a strong sense of trust between them. This is one of the factors why I think the lending program is a great success. Ra Ya respects the borrowers because they work diligently and repay their loans. The same can be said for the borrowers who respect her. One of the borrowers was not able to pay this week due to a medical expense. Unforeseen circumstances do happen, and it is difficult for people to save money for events like these. They are used to living on a daily wage. So JWOC is working on this problem. I am hopeful that this program will be able to decrease the number of defaulters and continue to grow strong.

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 to travel to many villages with Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC) and the university students from JWOC’S scholarship program. During my two week stay in Siem Reap I worked on the layout of an organic garden and courtyard at Wat Chork Buddhist Temple. My take on this project was to plan a blueprint of a 25 meter by 2.5 meter garden in the central quad area of the pagoda where students, monks, and teachers could have a central meeting area. We picked to plant flowers such as marigolds, which are commonly used to give offerings to the monks and for the temple. The purpose of the organic garden is to plant vegetables and flowers which the temple community could use on a daily basis. The students could in turn sell the flowers, grow their own food, leading them one step closer to becoming self sufficient. My work primarily consisted of closely observing and assisting our volunteer coordinator Melissa in a variety of procedures including planning an organic garden, purchasing flowers, and setting up compost stations at the pagoda.

It was a true gift to be able to learn one-on-one from excellent leaders about all steps in the process of building a sustainable non-profit organization. The men, women, and children I met at the squatters village were badly in need of clean water, and I am grateful that we were able to help them. They were also lovely hosts and were excited to show us their culture. As they showed me where they worked and lived, I was often struck by the fact that their health is important not only to their quality of life, but often also to their ability to provide for themselves and their families. It was at these times that I realized the importance of JWOC’s mission. The staff at Journeys Within Our Community in Siem Reap were hard-working, welcoming, and totally committed both to caring for the Khmer community and to helping us volunteers become comfortable in a foreign environment. Time and time again they went out of their way to share their own personal experiences along with the rich history of Cambodia. In addition to the volunteering aspect, I experienced enormous personal growth, now I can put a human face on the issues of poverty and global health inequity. Yet this volunteer work was only a small part of my journey through Cambodia. I had the opportunity to experience what so few foreigners ever see: the traditional life of a modern Cambodian family. I didn’t just travel to Cambodia, take a few pictures in front of a few historic monuments, and write off my visit as complete. Instead, I got to see part of the real Cambodia

Ultimately, what I took away from this experience was so much more than just an advanced understanding of the Khmer culture. In this end, this experience clearly reaffirmed to me how important education is for the growth and advancement of these communities. Learning about the Khmer way of life gave me a different perspective on how to view the world. Without LMU’s Alternative Breaks, I cannot imagine how I could possibly have seen and learned so much as an undergraduate about solidarity, Khmer cultures, and my own desire and ability to make a difference in others’ lives. I hope to one day give more to the underdeveloped world and make a significant contribution towards their advancement, access to better health care and reduction of poverty.

—Farah Srichandra, Loyola Marymount University Student, Journeys Within Our Community Volunteer 2008

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 were 18-24 years of age and were incredibly friendly, curious, and down to earth. Some were more eager to practice their English than others, as their English levels spanned from giving you a quiet shy stare, to some monks who were inquiring about US politics and even interested in learning more languages. Getting to walk around and talk with the monks as they gave us a complete tour of the temples enhanced the intimacy of my experience there. They explained the story of Buddhism as it is displayed artistically in one of their worship temples. I got to hear about the alternative life style of a monk, as it is very different than the average life of a Cambodian citizen, which includes their sacrifice of dancing, alcohol, contact with females, no dinner policy, no killing of any living being and how all these sacrifices will bring them closer to their Buddha and allow for less distraction during meditation. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the monks, hearing about their stories of pre-monk hood and exchanging both Khmer and English lessons with each other. We got the honor of having the monks shave our head as they do to themselves every 15 days. It was a surreal experience being that immersed in such a foreign culture's long time religious tradition. I would not trade my experience with the monks with any other, and can truly call some of them my friends.

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 help raise funding for JWOC and at the same time giving the scholarship students real life work experience as they would manage the business. Our targeted industry was recycling, and for several days we went out into the local community, with a scholarship student as translator, to interview locals at various levels of the recycling chain to discover potential market entry opportunities. This was a type or service I had never before experienced. Being given the opportunity to utilize the business skill set I have been developing in college while pursuing my BBA and BSA was an empowering and new experience. As a result, my view of service and its role in my future life has been greatly reshaped. Through these experiences I now realize the synergies that exist between my desire to serve the community around me and my studies of business. No longer do I view these two pursuits as endeavors that are mutually exclusive. I now hope to pursue a career path that will enable me to fuse my love for business and passion to serve, a desire that has been greatly fueled by my two weeks in Siem Reap and experiences with JWOC.

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. Another one of the great aspects of the temple experience is the diversity in temples you get to experience. The large and regal Angkor Wat all the way to Ta Phrom with its beautiful integration of trees intertwined in the temple stones.

However always important in a tour is your guide. The guide was selected by JWOC and it was just yet another example of JWOC making a good experience, great. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the temples but it was his sincere passion for the subject that stood out to me. His commentary was presented with a strong sense of pride for his country and her history. Therefore his heartfelt presentations made you feel connected to the community with a people that might have otherwise seemed foreign.

When I think of JWOC one thing comes to mind. Community. Yes it is one of the words that make up their name but it is also their mission. It is a virtue that they excel in. Anyone can travel to Cambodia and visit the temples but JWOC allows you to experience Cambodia as a Cambodian, as a guest not merely a tourist.