Last summer I was fortunate enough to spend five weeks in Battambang, Cambodia with GapGuru, where I spent the majority of my time helping to provide supplementary education to children in a local village. Along with two other volunteers, my partner and I designed workshops for the children to participate in. We focused our activities on STEAM, encouraging the children to participate in hands-on learning highlighting a different aspect each day. I think the children’s favourite workshop was the one centred around Art where we encouraged their creative flair by asking them to create snakes out of colourful paper rings and a lot of double sided tape. Whilst on my program I had countless incredible experiences and opportunities.
One of the highlights was the week we spent volunteering on an Animal Conservation project at an ethical elephant sanctuary at the beginning of our trip. Despite the fear of bugs and slipping in the mud, there was no feeling cooler than walking through the jungle alongside an elephant. During our stay we had various responsibilities such as preparing food for both the elephants and monkeys at the sanctuaries and helping with the upkeep of their habitats, which involved quite a bit of weeding and shovelling poop. Whilst this is not how I’d usually choose to spend my time, any hardships paled in comparison to how rewarding the work was.
The hub was bursting with life and the in-country team were extremely welcoming, especially Dan who was always up for a game of volleyball or pub quiz night. During our stay there were also groups from Australia and America. It was so interesting to compare differences in culture and interact with people from different walks of life. As our weekends and evenings were free to spend as we wished, my partner and I along with some friends we made at the hub were always looking for fun things to do. During the evenings we’d often share a TukTuk to a local hotel and enjoy their outdoor pools. As quite a competitive person I particularly liked the pool that had a volleyball net across the middle.
On the weekends we took trips to some of the other areas of the country. The hub team was really helpful in helping us organise transportation and hostels, and it was comforting to know that they were only a phone call away if we needed them. We visited both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, ensuring to explore the night markets, museums and of course the famous Angkor Wat. The in-country team was our strongest touch point to Cambodian food, culture and language. Our Khmer lessons at the hub were invaluable when it came to our ability to connect and talk to the local people. It was heartwarming to see how they genuinely appreciated our efforts to speak to them in their own language, and we had so many opportunities to learn from everyone we met.
One of my fondest language lessons came from our group leader at the elephant sanctuary. She’d enthusiastically shout “Let’s go!” (តះទ! – taoh tow!) in an attempt to motivate us for a shift of poop scooping under the harsh midday sun. We adopted this as our rally cry throughout the trip whenever things began to get a bit tough. Another gem was a phrase used to say thank you, which directly translates to “thank you big big” (ឣរគុណធំធំ– au kun thom thom) which was gifted to me by the sweet lady who managed the drinks stall I visited to get my daily fix of Thai tea. At a restaurant in Siem Reap, after we’d finished our beef Lok Lak and expressed our gratitude in Khmer, the friendly owner taught us how to ask for the bill (សូមវិក័យប័ត – som let loy). I think it’s beautiful that we were able to pick up these little linguistic souvenirs and keep the memories that came along with them. Learning and sharing the local language was an adventure within itself.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to spend a significant amount of time with such amazing people in a truly beautiful country, and it’s an experience that I will treasure forever. Connecting with people from completely different backgrounds forever shifted my perspective of life. It’s become very clear to me that only staying in a familiar environment will limit my journey of personal growth and highlighted the importance of breaking out of my comfort zone.
In committing to the role of a global citizen, I was able to see the real and lasting change that it can bring to people’s lives. It was an honour to contribute to the amazing work in Cambodia and I hope to continue pushing for a better world for everyone. Seeing the smiles on the faces of children we worked with, building relationships despite our differences in language, and witnessing the appreciation from the local communities gave my trip profound purpose and fulfilment. It’s a reminder that there’s incredible beauty in dedicating your time and energy to make a positive difference for other people.
Ray Lewis – Volunteer Cambodia, Summer 2023
