This past July I volunteered for 10 days in Cambodia through United Planet, one of many non-profits that organize volunteer trips across the world. I learned more about the country and the people than I could have ever learned on a sightseeing-only trip. By creating relationships with the people of Cambodia, I was able to gain a connection to the country unlike any other place I’ve visited.

children playing outside the English school

Once you’ve decided to going on a “volunteer vacation”, ask yourself these questions – what are my interests? What country do I want to visit? How much volunteering per day do I want to do?

If you choose to go through an organization, be sure to do your background research to avoid getting scammed. In most circumstances, you will pay a flat fee which often includes airport transfer, lodging, and some meals. For me, this was the best choice. I was already nervous about traveling to a country by myself, so having some of those details taken care of let me focus on what I was there to do. My trip was 10 days, but most organizations can hook you up with anything from one week to one year. This is a great option if you’ve considered joining the Peace Corps but just can’t sign up for a two year commitment away from family and friends.

There are critics out there who claim that voluntourism doesn’t actually benefit the communities and that volunteers cannot make a difference in just one week, but I disagree. There’s no right way to make a difference, and there’s no formula for how long it takes to make a difference.

For more information and resources on volunteering nationally and abroad, check out Idealist and Transitions Abroad.  There is also a great list of Voluntourism Guides and Books at 52PerfectDays.  Verge magazine is another great resource, a magazine dedicated to “travel with purpose.”

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Ryunosoke Satoro

$2.50 breakfast at the Temple Club. Amazing. A picture is better than a description…

We went to the Bodia Spa and got a 1 hour massage, body exfoliation, and 1 hour facial, AND a pedicure. Amazing.

July 13

We dug at ditch at Khmer Chewy Khmer today and saw a crab. It looked just like a crab from the east coast, but it was in the dirt in Cambodia. It was strange.

We went back that night and taught for a bit. Everyone knew that it was my last night there, so Phaly’s wife made us a delicious meal and we had a dinner party! We had eggplant, rice, and homemade French fries. I can’t even describe in words how amazing Phaly is for what he does for those children and the people of Cambodia. The teachers there are volunteers that often drive hours to teach for hours after working all day. He inspires everyone he meets and has such a passion for making his country a better place. There aren’t many people in this world like him, and he is a person that I will never forget.not the best picture of me & phaly, but the only one I have

July 14

Last day in Cambodia. We had breakfast, then everyone left for Khmer Chewy Khmer. I rode a bike into town and putzed around for a bit, then went back and got one last tuk-tuk ride to the airport. I was really sad to leave.

Off to Bangkok!!!

Photo Credits:  Abbie Mood

This time we weren’t supposed to go to the school because the king was coming, and of course, Phaly wanted us to see the king. The staff at the Shining Angkor didn’t know anything about it, so Kristen and I went on another adventure into town. We looked around and went to the Lucky Mall, a big flashy mall that has no place in Siem Reap. It was nothing special that’s for sure – we got some gelato, but decided to stick to the markets for our other shopping needs. We walked back to the hotel, which wasn’t too bad, but was still a bit farther than I expected.

We went to the school tonight and a teacher didn’t show up, so I was the teacher. We talked about same vs. different, conversational skills, and fill in the blank. Even though I’m a teacher in the States, it was a little difficult to jump into teaching there.

July 10

The Khmer Rouge is still on everyone’s mind in Cambodia. At some point during the day, every day, someone brought it up. Today we found out that Phaly’s father was killed by the Khmer Rouge in 1977. I can’t even begin to imagine the devastation and destruction that caused a country to still be recovering from something that happened 30+ years ago.

We were really tired from our work at the school this morning so Kristen and I went to the Blue Pumpkin for some ice cream and to lounge in the “aircon” (it’s Australian) on daybeds, which are like futons. It was amazing.

on the daybeds – ahhhhh

That night we took a couple books, some coloring books and crayons to the kids at the orphanage. Their eyes were huge when they saw the gallon bag of crayons I had brought with me. At the end of the night, the kids tried to give the stuff back, which made me and Kristen really sad (of course we let them keep everything).

coloring with the kids

July 11

It’s Saturday! Time to visit the infamous temples! A very exciting part of the day was when we got to ride on an elephant. It took a minute to get used to the rocking as he walked, so just a tip – if you have motion sickness, you should not ride on an elephant. on the elephant! and yes, they are treated very well, i checked

It got very hot. I was very dehydrated and very gross. I took my first midday shower of the trip, and couldn’t have appreciated it more.

We went to a monk chat at the Singing Tree and learned about Buddhism from a real monk. The best quote of the night, “Destiny is like your shadow”.

Got back to the guesthouse in time to see the Angels beat the Yankees 10-6!

Photo Credits:  Abbie Mood & Kristen Ihde

Phaly told us not to come to the school this morning because there was a huge parade celebrating Angkor’s Wat’s 1 year anniversary for being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He was so proud of his country and the history and he thought it was more important for us to see that then help him at the school. We ate breakfast and wandered over to where the parade was supposed to be. Sure enough, there were TONS of people lined up. We decided to try to find the front of the parade to take a picture, but the parade started moving. 6 km later we were at Angkor Wat! Meng (the other country coordinator besides Sam) later told us that he was very concerned about us because apparently we were supposed to be stopped at some checkpoint, but no one stopped us so we kept on going and ended up all the way at the temple! We walked with locals, school children, and monks.

part of the parade

After the tuk-tuk ride back, Kristen and I rented bikes and rode over to the Artisans d’Angkor, which is a craftsman shop that supports local Cambodians and teaches them painting, stone carving, and wood carving. This is the same day that Kristen and went for a bike ride in search of Wat Damnak and Wat Bo, which we eventually found. Yes, we got lost, but we did get used to riding around the crazy streets of Siem Reap, which is an achievement in its own right, trust me.

That night we had dinner at our favorite place, Cambodian Soup, and the drinking game was invented. Turns out that men tend to travel in pairs (or threes or fours) in Cambodia, therefore, one was required to drink whenever we saw 2 or more guys together. We could have drank a lot, but I’m pretty sure we kept it down to like 3 drinks, plus a coconut. Did you know that coconuts are pH balanced like our bodies, making them the ultimate electrolyte replacement drink?

July 8

My butt hurts. I blame the maladjusted bike that I ventured out on yesterday with Kristen.

all smiles the day before!

Today was the day the hard labor began. We were moving dirt to fill in a hole to level out the ground for a new classroom at Khmer Chewy Khmer. It was very hot and very humid. Phaly gave us a break and we walked over to his mother’s house, the over to his cousin’s house. He was so proud to tell us about his land, his country, and his people. When we got back, we moved some cement from a pile near the walkway to a pile behind a classroom. He was concerned that the children might hurt themselves on it. As we were moving the cement, we disturbed a scorpion family that was living under it which Phaly scooped up and tossed into the rice field.

That night we went to the orphanage. The orphanage itself has two bedrooms (one for boys, one for girls), a kitchen, and living area, plus some play space outside. When it came time to leave, there were no adults around and we weren’t sure what to do. It was then that I learned you cannot trust the cell network in Cambodia. I finally got in touch with Sam who told me that we could leave, that the older kids would take care of the younger ones. It was another lesson in how different this country was than the United States.

Photo Credits – Abbie Mood

“And that’s your first experience with burning trash,” Sam said as we were riding back to the hotel. Sam, the United Planet country coordinator, had just met me at the airport and we were in the tuk-tuk on our way back to the hotel. For the millionth time over the past several hours I asked myself, what am I doing here?

I had been anticipating my trip to Cambodia for months. I was going to be doing some volunteer work, organized by the non-profit United Planet. I thought that I was just going to be volunteering at an orphanage and teaching at an English school, but I was in for so much more!!!

I should start by saying that it takes a really long time to get to Asia. It turns out that the Pacific Ocean is really big. The biggest consolation is that no matter how far you are going, you get fed on international flights. Even during a 45 minute quick flight, you get a sandwich! And the food is good. I have found that if you get a vegetarian meal (or another special meal, such as low calorie) you get your food first. My only complaint is that when you get the vegetarian meal they assume that you are super healthy and you get extra fruit instead of a cookie or piece of cake for dessert.

Back to the tuk-tuk ride. It took about 20 minutes to get to the guesthouse that I would call home for the next 10 days. It was beautiful and the staff was so friendly! I did notice that there was no air conditioning in the lobby, but the rooms had it, so I was very thankful for that. After my orientation, I tried to take a quick nap, but overslept and almost missed meeting Erin (another volunteer) and Sam for dinner that night! We had dinner at a restaurant on Pub Street in town, which would turn out to be our favorite restaurant in Siem Reap. I was amazed that I was full off of curry and rice for just $3!

our group – Meng, me, Erin, Kristen, and Merrill

July 6

Everyone is here (Erin, Kristen, and Merrill) and we met for breakfast at the guesthouse. Today we were going to visit the two volunteer locations and get adjusted to our new surroundings. First, though, we went to a monk blessing at a nearby pagoda. The temple was so beautiful – the inside was painted in amazing, bright colors describing the story of Buddha. We presented the monks with baskets and received our blessings.

We visited the Imagine Angkor Foundation and met the children at the orphanage. There are 13 children there, and they share 2 rooms filled with bunk beds. They were so happy to see and play with us! We stayed for a bit and then we were off to Khmer Teaching Khmer English School. We met the Director, Phaly (Pauli), who is the most selfless man I have ever met. He has turned his home into a free school for children to learn English. Private English classes/school cost $5-8/month, which most families cannot afford. The teachers are past students who have volunteered to teach there, and some have moved away from their families, or travel a long way each day to meet that commitment. Many of the students are interested in practicing their conversational skills, and hearing native pronunciation of English words. Their goal is to learn English to be able to work in one of the hotels in Siem Reap or become a temple guide.

That day we also did a little bargaining at the Old Market and felt a little guilty going back to our air conditioned rooms.