LMU Alternative Breaks Volunteer - Carol

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.

LMU Alternative Breaks Volunteer - Farah

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

LMU Alternative Breaks Volunteer - Kyle

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.

LMU Alternative Breaks Volunteer - Mark

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.

LMU Alternative Breaks Volunteer - Chris

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.