Life-Changing Cambodian Volunteer Vacation

I am so grateful and fortunate to have had the opportunity to go on this trip. It was life changing, life altering and one of the most valuable experiences of my life. Of course I am now seriously considering doing this kind of thing for the rest of my life as a "full time job". I will never forget it and I will never fully recover from the mind-blowing experience this trip was. I loved every single minute. It was great to have a small group of 4 people, because each of us got to know one another really well, and it made the experience that much more powerful. We all agreed we couldn't imagine doing it with a larger group. It was intimate and deep because of the smallness of our team, and gave us each the opportunity to connect with Dine and have a chance to personally learn from him. Thank you for all of your hard work ensuring this trip was more magical than I ever, ever imagined. --Elizabeth Kiester

Fierce Pride

Today we met the recipients of the wheelchairs our group built earlier in the week. One was a woman now in her mid-40s who had contracted polio about a dozen years ago. She couldn’t walk but could move around on her hands with amazing efficiency. I was walking around taking pictures, when she came over to me and started pointing at herself and at me and at an infant being held by a someone across the room. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted or what her connection to the baby was. Grandmother? Aunt? She vaulted herself into the wheelchair and kept beckoning to me and speaking in Khmer. I finally understood that she wanted me to take a picture of the baby. I learned from the APDO staff that the woman (the “lady in red,” we called her) had desperately wanted a child and, against the odds, had finally had one. I think it’s glib to say that people all over the world are the same, because we – especially we privileged Americans – are separated by all kinds of boundaries and differences. But recognizing the fierce pride and love in her face as she watched her daughter, and knowing that I feel exactly the same emotions about my own 16-year-old daughter – well, culture and difference just melted right away. --Barbara Presley-Noble - Click here for pictures.

Warm and Open

This trip has been amazing in so many ways! The first thing that I noticed about Cambodia was how comfortable I felt. As soon as I got here I wanted to walk around and see everything and I think I felt so comfortable because of the people – they are so warm and their faces are so open. I work for a technology company and have many associates that work for me that get excited about the little things. When we release new products, they giggle and laugh just like the children did when I showed them my digital camera and ipod. It was a way to connect with them without using words. I won’t forget that new excitement. --Erica Anderson

Volunteer Vacation - Incredible Learning Experience

Before we started teaching I was absolutely terrified. I had no idea what they were going to ask me, and 17, if they would even accept me as their teacher, especially since I am younger than about 90% of the students! However things were made remarkably easier by two things: firstly the fact that we had a book to teach from, and secondly because of the students incredible want to learn! Although they were shy at first, by the end of class they were calling out answers and reading out-loud at the front of the classroom.

Questions and Answers

They clearly wanted to learn English if they were willing to come to this school in the rain everyday! However, my favorite part of teaching was having the students ask me individual questions. It took some prodding in the beginning, but eventually everyone, (including the monks) were asking me about my home life, my family, and they even asked me to simply read from a list of words. What felt most rewarding was being able to answer their questions and the looks on their faces when I did. --Kate

Volunteer Travel to Siem Reap

We visited the micro-library in a small village several kilometers outside of Siem Reap. A lovely 18 year old teacher. As word spread that visitors (foreigners!) were at the library, more & more kids ran to the library; first peeking through the bars on the windows, then slowly inching their way in. The little boy shown here was a star reader of the group, tearing through this book. Erica brought out her digital camera and giggling all around as they saw their own pictures – then even took their own. Then, the ipod was revealed and Apple could not have asked for a better reception. The visit ended with group photos in front on the library – the boys standing far from the girls. Some things are universal across cultures. In all, a wonderful visit. --Elizabeth McNamara

Beautiful and Terrible Volunter Vacation

The cultural experience in Cambodia has been a journey through an unknown world to me. Beautiful and terrible. Pain plays an essential function, it gives us something in which to measure our joy. Understanding sadness means we know how to laugh. I am grateful to my entire group for our experience. --Nicole Gabriel