The Power of Education

     Education is the life-line for children in Cambodia. Education is the key that unlocks a door of possibilities for their future. It guides them through life and is with them every step of the way. Children at CPO hardly have anything. They live in a small dorms with 9 to 17 other people. They have no parents to guide them through life, and the conditions in which they live are definitely not hygienic. Although these children don't have much, they bring happiness, knowledge, and excitement into the classroom. The Cambodian kids love to go to school and learn. School is the their escape from all of the difficult things going on in their lives. All of the children are eager to learn each day and don't want to leave school. When I was teaching in a level 3 classroom I was instructed the teach pronunciation. I had the class read sentences that I was writing on the board and I told them how to pronounce them correctly. Class was almost over but the children wanted to continue reading the sentences, even after class time had ended. It surprised me so much because in America, students want to leave school and try to get the teacher to let class out early. However, in Cambodia the children always want to read one more sentence and keep learning. The students eagerly shoot their hand up when asked a question and compete to get called on.

     Whenever I walk into the school my heart is filled with joy. I get to see these incredible kids learn English which will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Almost any well-paying job in Cambodia requires you to speak English. These kids that live in the orphanage don't have money to support them the rest of their lives. They need to get a good job in order to live on their own and possibly even raise a family one day. In the couple of days I have taught at the school I have learned that education is so much more than just going to school and learning various things. It's more powerful than the ocean. It can stop wars, create peace, and improve a country. Education is why I am here helping these children, and even writing this blog. It can create a bond between two people that will never be broken. Parents in Cambodia and this village area don't realize the power of education, they want their child to live for now and help support the family. Many don't want their child to have the only key that will open the door to a better future. This is astonishing to me because I have so much support from my parents and sister with my education. I couldn't imagine them not thinking about my future and knowing the potential I have.

Dancing in the Rain

A spider web clutches onto my hair as I pick up another piece of trash. My legs are sore from crouching, my knees are sore from kneeling, and my back is sore from bending, but I push all of the aches aside and keep working. I peer out from under the stage and see the trees rattling from the huge gusts of wind. The sky is getting darker and layers of clouds are starting to build up. Bye hot weather hello rain, we welcome you with open arms. I resume my work to find picking up one piece of trash reveals 10 others that I hadn’t seen before. I sigh, but work as efficiently as possible so I can get the job done. I move to the next section under the stage just as I hear a loud crackling from above. I look out and quickly realize that it’s only the rain. I see everyone rushing under the shelter to be protected from the mighty downpour. I glance over at Zoe and we both rush outside. We lift up our arms to embrace the rain. I notice that the other student volunteers have come out on the rain as well, however I don’t see many children. I beckon for Sarat, one of the boys at the orphanage, to join me. After a few moments he hesitantly walks out with a volleyball. Sarat tosses it in the air and slaps his hand against the ball, it comes hurtling at me at an impressive speed. The two of us hit it back and forth a few times before we start playing soccer, or how Sarat likes to play, kick the ball at me as hard as you can. Other children and student volunteers join us and we switch from soccer to monkey in the middle to volleyball again. I had the most incredible time playing in the rain with all of the children and, most of all, I loved seeing the smiles on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes. While I was playing in the rain I realized that life will never go as planned, unexpected things will always show up and be present, but its important to cope with what is thrown at you and make the most out of every situation. Sometimes the most amazing times are from going out into the unknown and traveling beyond the fence that blocks you from experiencing new things. Life isn’t about shutting down whenever unexpected, new or things you don’t like come along, its about learning how to dance in the rain.

So Close

 For this blog assignment we had to answer a few questions. The first one asked if the experience so far had been difficult or easy, and why. So far my experience getting ready for Cambodia has been fairly difficult. I have had to study hard for the Khmer quizzes because the very first one didn't go very well. I don't like not doing well on anything, so the first quiz score upset me quite a bit. However, I picked myself back up and started to study and practice the language. It wasn't just the fear of failing that motivated me to practice though. I thought about the kids and how last year in Nicaragua I didn't practice Spanish as hard as I could have, which made it incredibly difficult for me to connect with the kids.  I really don't want that to happen again and know that I will be able to have a deeper connection with them and be able to help them even more if I practice hard and am able to understand and speak some Khmer. Although the language takes constant studying I am determined to learn it and that has made it a bit easier.

    Going into this trip I have many many fears. I am afraid that I will not be as impactful on the children and their lives as I am capable of. I know that these children have a hard life and I it saddens me to see people, especially children, live in those conditions. I want to do everything I can to help the children out. I want to leave Cambodia with the children remembering me and them being happy because I did make such a big impact on them. I want to help the children in any way possible and have them make a deep connection with me, it scares me that this may not be the case. To overcome this I will do anything anyone asks me to, whether it's cleaning some rooms or reading to the children, I will always be there for them and try to have as much fun with the children as possible. Another one of my fears or something that I'm dreading is leaving the children. I hope to make a very deep connection with the children on this trip. However the whole time I will be dreading the end and leaving the incredible children.   Although this will be at the back of my mind, the kids in Nicaragua taught me to live in the moment, so I will try to push the thought aside and enjoy my time with them.

    One of my personal goals for this trip is to understand how lucky I am. Last year Nicaragua opened up my eyes in so many different ways. Although I am more aware of what is going on in this world I don't think I would fully understand how some people's lives are unless I had the opportunity to see it firsthand.  Every one of these trips I take I hope my eyes will open farther and farther so that I can see the world more clearly. I want to be the most grateful I can be and understand that I am incredibly lucky, but I can only do that if I continue to venture out and experience new things. Another one of my personal goals is that I hope to learn more about myself. I am still young and I know that I have my whole life to figure out who I want to be, but Nicaragua has shown me a different part of myself that I would like to rediscover in Cambodia. I never knew I could fall in love with children that I had only met a day or two ago, I want to find that loving, carefree part of myself again. Even though I can let loose and have fun fairly easily, this is different. I felt as though the children had opened a door and a new person had walked in but it was still me. I want that same person to come back while I'm in Cambodia and this time, stay.