Cambodia 2012 Testimonials

“Service is the best thing we can do to make a difference in the world.  The hands-on experiences of this trip were unique and eye-opening.”  -Mallory Leonard

“One person might not be able to save the world, but one can certainly change lives.” -Mecham Groneman

"I have a much better attitude toward work, people, life, etc.  I want to continue to volunteer at my service site even though I am done with the local service requirement.”  -Hannah Kriesel

“Youthlinc has set my life in a new direction. I know this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”  -Rebekah Meads

"We gave them things that we take for granted, but for them, we performed miracles.”  -Mecham Groneman

“I look forward so much to the next time I can volunteer, both internationally and locally.  Our time in the village was the best two weeks of my life and the most meaningful service I’ve ever done.”  -Quinn Olpin

"I don’t speak Khmer, but I could tell by the looks in the mothers eyes how happy they were that people who don’t even know them were helping their children have a chance at a better future.”  -Emily Sorensen

"I have learned the importance and joy of serving others.  The service we provided in Cambodia was life-changing and has inspired me to continue volunteering.”  -Sarah Menlove

“I saw a boy who was looking for food scraps.  I gave him my leftover breakfast bread.  Instead of eating it all, he walked over to his brother and split it.  They are such a humble people.”  -Carina Ream

"To treat everyone with utmost respect and to love them as individuals-- this is the best service anyone can give.”  -Ben Lindstrom

St. Patty's Benefit Concert for Cambodia!

Are you often bored on St. Patrick's Day, and wishing you had something to do? Do you get bored just listening to your iPod or the radio, and want to find another way to hear awesome music?? Are you interested in hearing awesome local musicians, all while helping others in need?!

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Cambodia team has a solution for you--

 
COME TO OUR ST. PATTY'S BENEFIT CONCERT
March 17th at 7:00pm

Bring on the heat! Our Friends & Family Cambodia team gets fired up at their 1st meeting

What a great meeting!  Saturday night marked the first team meeting for the 2012 Friends & Family trip to Peak Sneng, Cambodia. We had a grand ole time getting up to speed about the projects we'll be working on in Cambodia, the fun we'll be having visiting Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, and signing up for committees.

The F&F team texting their committee choice to Justin

We have a strong group so far, but due to the scope of the work we'll be doing in Cambodia, we are opening up the team to continued enrollment!  Here's a list of our projects:

• Installing water filter systems at people's homes
• Repairing the floor, roof, windows, doors, and windows at the Primary School
• Repairing desks, tables, and chairs at the school
• Building a garbage burning pit and a compost pit
• Liming and painting the Primary School
• Providing livestock to a group of women interested in personal enterprise
• Doing oral histories on the local people
• Working at the local medical clinic, teaching health lessons, and providing desperately needed medical supplies
• Working in the school garden and implementing new and improved techniques for more successful and sustainable gardening efforts
• Teaching English lessons at the local schools
• Doing cultural exchange activities at the high school

We'll be working hard for the next several months to prepare for our trip-- putting supplies drives, fundraisers, and learning about Cambodia and how to be successful there.


This trip is shaping up to be amazing and we invite anyone else that is interested to get their application in to Miriam as soon as possible! Read more about the trip in our blog and apply now! And of course, as the Team Leader, let me know if you have questions. 

Check out an "Airport to Airport" presentation about our upcoming trip.

Youthlinc Cambodia F&F 2012 on Prezi

Plus, here is a video of last summer's team in the exact village we will be going to.  Enjoy!

To sleep or to eat Cafe Rio? The (crazy) Cambodia Retreat

On January 6th the Cambodia team slowly piled into Kelly Mattingly's warm and inviting home, unaware of what we would experience over the next 17 hours. With name tags placed squarely on our chests, we formed new friendships and renewed old ones as we chatted with one another. The pizza soon arrived, and we converged on it like a pack of ravenous wolves- or better yet, hungry teenagers.

After dinner we piled into the front room for a team meeting lead by our faithful leaders, Kelly and Stephanie. We then split into committees and discussed the goals for each committee as well as fundraising ideas. Reconvening, we pooled our ideas and came up with some promising plans for raising funds for the wonderful Cambodian people!

By the time our meeting ended, the clock was ticking onward, and some people began to feel the affects of their long and busy weeks. As some of the team resolutely headed off to bed, others were equally firm in their goal to win the bet with Kelly.

"What is this bet?" you may be asking yourselves, dear readers.

At our December meeting Kelly promised to give a $15 dollar Cafe Rio (yumm!) giftcard to any-and every- person that could stay awake longer than her. For many of the team, their competitive side got ahold of them and they loaded themselves up on Dr. Pepper and tried everything they could to get Kelly to sleep, to no avail.

As the night grew later, the team separated into groups. Some people chatted lazily in the front room, others played card games, a few went outside and danced in the snow to stay awake, and some watched a season of The Office.

By 5:00 am, most were snuggled in their sleeping bags, lining several of Kelly's rooms from wall to wall. Their were only eight or nine crazy stragglers that still held out hope that Kelly would sleep. And trust me, they were crazy (was there something to do with kitchen appliances and logging tools?!)

Alas, none of those poor people won the gift cards, for Kelly never slept. As the other half of the team (and probably the wiser half) awoke, we piled into the kitchen for a tasty breakfast.

Now was the time for the service project! We decided to make reusable sanitary pads, of which the young girls in Cambodia are in dire need. A member of our team and the community health committee, Rebekah, amazingly headed up the project. She put together instructions and made several of the sanitary napkins herself beforehand.

Creating a sort of assembly line, we got to work and proceeded to cut, pin, sew, and iron many of the pads. Some even took pads home to finish!

By the time we leave for Cambodia, we are aiming for 500 pads. That way, each school girl can have two.

As we left Kelly's house, a little tired but still happy, I think it's safe to say we were all a little sad to go. Through our retreat, the Cambodia team became just that: a team! I, for one am excited to see how we grow and thrive as we prepare for our trip this June!

Why Cambodia?

A lot of people have asked me why I chose to go to Cambodia.  There were several reasons.  First I wanted to go somewhere to that I could be involved with affecting positive change. Second I had always wanted to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia is pretty close.  Third I knew the Team Leader and her husband from high school and thought that would be fun (getting Rich and Bonnie who had been on my Kenya team in 2001 was an added bonus).

When I got over there though the reasons stayed the same but I had never imagined what a difference it could make in my life or how much I would really love it.  The town we were staying in was surprisingly modern in a lot of ways...but as soon as we crossed over onto that dusty red bumpy road it was like transcending time.  Oxen pulling wooden carts, people carting large bundles of sticks on their bicycles, children running around naked, people carefully working in the rice paddies trying to grow enough food for their families and to sell (rarely were they able to do both).  Houses up on stilts to protect from the monsoon floods, no shoes, fruit stands, gasoline in old soda bottles, all of the children smiling and waving everytime we drove by.  From what I have read now about the Khmer Rouge time period, it seems like the people who survived reverted back to the way of life in the early 1970's and haven't moved forward in time since in these rural villages, out of necessity, inability, or limited resources I would guess.  This is a country full or resilient people determined to survive.  It was a privledge to help them in any way we could.

It was incredible to watch the giving of something as simple as a chicken, pig, or cow; a water filtration system, clothes, a stethoscope, or books make such an impact on their lives.  These are sustainable things that can change their family and individual lives for the better.  It was incredible to watch the people in Peak Sneng see what we were doing and immediately decide to jump in and help as well, becoming invested in improving the school and their children's futures.  It was incredible to watch our team change and to change myself.

During our last team reflection Kyler and Annalisa had us write a poem reflecting on our experience.  This was my poem (which included a common logo we saw around town):

I came to Cambodia to be myself.

I left here SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

SAME SAME BUT BETTER.

Thanks for reading about my adventures.  If you are interested in reading more about our trip from my view please check out this link to a list of Cambodia Youthlinc posts on my personal blog.

“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!” Anne Frank

Megan Hall - Team Cambodia

Megan Hall is a student at Brighton High School, where she's on the swim team. She volunteers at the University of Utah Emergency Department. She helps at the registration desk talking to families as they wait. She chose this volunteer opportunity because she's interested in healthcare. She says that she's most excited about experiencing Khmer culture when we are in country. She's in the microfinance group and she is currently working on the logistics concerning building a garden space at the school we will be visiting in Cambodia.

Logan Gaykowski - Team Cambodia

Team Cambodia's newest featured participant is Logan Gaykowski (on the left in the picture above). Her main local service site is The Children's Center. The Children's Center is committed to providing comprehensive mental health care to enhance the emotional well being of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families (www.tccslc.org). Logan says that her favorite part about her service is helping and playing with the little kids. She also volunteers at Real Life SLC. Logan's favorite food is Italian, and she is a talented cellist. Logan also loves to ski, play tennis, play soccer, dance, and swim. Her life motto is "Be Happy!".

Reflections from February meeting

I can't believe it's almost time for the March meeting! I'm sure our flight to Cambodia will be here before we know it. We'll be experiencing all kinds of new things, and on that note, here is a quick snippet of a hilarious activity about tasting "Cambodian food" put together by Max Poth:



Thanks to Nicole Ledford for the video!

Gabriella Kinikini - Team Cambodia

Team Cambodia's first featured participant is Gabriella Kinkini (on the left in the picture above). Gabriella is majoring in Nursing at Westminster College. She currently volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club of Salt Lake City, and she says she loves getting to know the kids. "Her life Motto is Don't worry, be happy!" and she loves sushi. She loves bobsledding and running. If she could have a super power, she would want to fly!

Team Cambodia January Retreat!

Chum Reap Soo-a!

Last night we held our combination January meeting and retreat at the YouthLinc office. It was a great chance for all of us to get to know each other and set goals as groups. There was lots of delicious food (Thanks so much for the delicious egg rolls and spring rolls, John! And thanks to everyone else who contributed food!)


We started off by re-introducing ourselves and highlighting some of our local service sites. Some of us are volunteering with the English Skills Learning Center, some of us with the Christmas Box House, and some of us with YouthLinc's own local program, Real Life in SLC.




We had a quick language instruction course by John and Wade, and we all had a chance to practice some words. It was wonderful to see all these people trying these words for the very first time. Khmer sounds very different from English, but it's not as complex as you might initially think and it's very fun to learn (see/listen for the pop quiz at the end of the post!).




We learned what committees we will be working in for the trip. I am in the health promotion group and so I will highlight my group this month. Our Mentors are Rich, Bonnie, and Jill. Rich is a practicing pediatrician, Bonnie is an IV therapist and nurse, and Jill is a neuro rehab nurse at IMC. They bring a wealth of medical knowledge to our team. I really appreciate the way that they lead the team because they made it very clear that this is our trip and they are just here to provide expertise, but we are the ones that need to plan our health promotion lessons. There are many health topics that we hope to teach in Cambodia, and among them are: maturation, hygiene, women's health, and HIV/AIDS education.


After we finished up with our groups, the craziness began! First we played two truths and a lie, wherein we learned about people being cheer squad captains, losing teeth, and drinking curdled milk/cow urine delicacies!


The next game we played was "never have I ever" which resulted in many near concussions and a few interesting moments where it was revealed that several men had worn dresses and high heels and some women shave their face (it's okay, YouthLinc is a safe place and we don't judge).


The final game we played was a talking super fast game that resulted in hilarity.

All in all, good times were had by all and to finish this post up I have a pop-quiz for Team Cambodia!

The following three items are audio clips of phrases we learned at the meeting, and so your job is to figure out what they mean (type the english translation corresponding to audio file 1, 2, or 3 in the comments below) and you will get gloating rights for the next meeting! Also, I will update this post as soon as people have guessed the correct answers so you can have them for future reference.

Here they are! (realize they are intentially speaking slower so that you can hear each sound)

Cambodia Day 2

August 17, 2010

Today I had the opportunity to see two sides of poverty in Cambodia. I woke up early so I could go to the Tonle Sap, Cambodia’s largest lake. During the dry season the Tonle Sap drains into a tributary that feeds the mighty Mekong River located miles away. Once the monsoon season begins, the Mekong becomes bloated and actually reverses the flow of the tributary filling the Tonle Sap. The lake can raise as much as 40 feet in a single wet season.

The ebb and flow of the lake maintains a current of life for over 2000 people. The communities of the Tonle Sap float along the lake and live from its waters. Seeing how these people live reminds me of the floating town of Belen in the Peruvian Amazon. The roofs of many of the house boats do not reach above 4 feet. The people work, eat, and play from the lotus position.

It’s amazing to see how well people have adapted to life on the lake. They are resourceful and are constantly working on their boats, fishing nets, spears, and other needs. It seems as though the lake provides them with enough in terms of food. However, it is evident that education, health and sanitation, and lack of resources are major problems in the area.

The other half of poverty I experienced was the rural poverty that permeates the nation. The majority of Cambodia’s population lives in rural regions. Driving in a tuk-tuk through the country side is like being in a movie. The land is flat and checkered with squares of rice fields; some patches swell with water, while millions of lime green blades fill the others. Storm clouds fill the horizon and the hard packed red dirt road is lined with people coming to and from Siem Reap: walking, or on bikes or motor-scooters. I must have passed hundreds migrating to and from the small city.

When I arrived to the future Youthlinc site of Peak Sneng, I met with community leaders and establish a partnership to help them improve their quality of life. In our 2 hour discussion, the aftermath of Cambodia’s history of violence form Khmer Rouge became more and more evident. The rule and fighting of the Khmer Rouge left an entire generation without education, which is now the community’s top priority. Access to medical care is also a major problem; it generally takes at least 2 hours to get to the nearest hospital. Many of the poorest families do not even possess basic agricultural knowledge to grow their own crops.

There are many needs and many ways that Youthlinc could help this community become more self-sustaining. I am still amazed by the resilience and humility of this people. They are so kind and eager to lend a hand and share a smile. The future teams that come to Cambodia will gain so much from the rich, full lives that fill this country.