I went to Cambodia with my cousin to help her get a job teaching english. I was there for 2 months and stayed in Phnom Penh and Sen Monorom, Cambodia. This is video from the trip. We were able to start a volunteer school to help provide a place of teaching for volunteers to teach education to the villages without schools or teachers. We hope to continue this idea and to grow it more and more everyday. The goal is provide education to anyone and everyone that wants to learn in the whole world. With a platform like D.Tube I will work to provide videos of learning that will be put out and accessible to anyone with internet access. Hoping to start a community of teachers and volunteers that have the same visions and goals of a higher level of thinking for everyone!
While I was in Sen Monorom I wrote my high school I had went to about my time there, this is it :
"My birthday was January 10, and on that day I found out my cousin, Lexi, was leaving the AV to go to Cambodia on January 15 to find somewhere to teach English. Her parents did not want her to go alone so they asked if there was any way I would go with her. I had never been out of the country and I did not have my passport, but jokingly I said that if I could get my passport before she left, I would go to look after her and make sure she is safe. Well my aunt made some calls and somehow got me an appointment on January 13 at the Los Angeles Passport Agency, after they told me there was no appointments available for two weeks. So I left for the 9 am appointment, and it happened to be so rainy that day so the traffic was horrific, and I got there a little late, but they let me in and told me to wait. So once I had my name called they ran all my stuff and then told me come back in two days which would of been too late, but before I could say anything the guy at the window read my address and said, "Oh you came all the way from Antelope Valley? You know what? Come back today at 3pm and I will have it ready for you." I was shocked; I never heard of being able to get your passport the same day, so it was all just feeling like it was meant to be, like God had a plan for something, so I just continued with it. So I went back at 3 pm the same day and by 5 pm I had my passport and decided I guess I am leaving in two days to Cambodia with a bit of a laughter not knowing what I was really getting myself into. So I said my see-you-laters to all my business partners, friends, and loved ones and of course they were all in shock. My parents are divorced and I hadn't seen my dad in a while and he was too busy for calls because he was in meetings so I told him through text message, which I don’t know if it was the best idea; he kind of freaked out and thought I was in trouble with the law or someone, because he said who just decides they are going to Cambodia out of nowhere lol. So basically it all just happened… there was no plan at least not my plan.
The next day was the 15th of January and Lexi and I left from LAX to Taipei, Taiwan, and then to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where we stayed for a week. It is insane the way they live and how busy and hectic Phnom Penh is. Example: how everyone rides motor bikes, some with four people on one motor bike, no helmets, and some of them with maybe a 9 month old baby in the front, then the father, then like a 2 year old baby and then the mom behind that toddler - all on one motor bike and they would go any way they could: on the sidewalks, on the other side of the road, all over; it did not matter. There seems to be no rules when it comes to driving. The way we would be transported was by a tuk tuk driver which is like a cart that is pulled by a motorbike and that is how a lot of the people would try to make their money. We arrived in the evening so we decided to go out and check out the city. My cousin has very red hair so she stands out, and we had so many tuk tuk drivers trying to get us to let them be their driver; it was so bad that two of the tuk tuk drivers started fist fighting over being able to drive us; it was a totally new world to me.
Arriving at a small restaurant on the river walk, I experienced how many young kids are starving and put to work. It was unbelievable; I saw first-hand such horrible things brought to our attention by Ashton Kutcher about the human trafficking and exploitation of children in Cambodia. The sights were the most disgusting and saddest things I have ever witnessed, because the young kids have been so conditioned by their horrible surroundings that they do not even understand that they are kids or what they are doing. They are just used like they are nothing by horrible people and you want to help, but there is so much of it going on that there is nothing really you can do. Some of the kids would come up to sell you bracelets. I ended up buying around 10 bracelets a day the first few days. I felt like I was helping, because the little girl said she was starving and then after I bought the bracelets she went and got food so that made me happy. Later I witnessed kids take the money from bracelet sales straight to an older person who would go buy cigarettes with it or pocket the money and make the kids go back to work.
I spent the rest of the days visiting the Royal Palaces and temples which really to me are just empty gold buildings that they use to make money while the kids that could use them for shelter just slept outside of them on the streets. I also visited and learned about the Killing Fields, a place where millions of Cambodian men, women, and children were killed in an attempt to restart the population to be undedicated so the royal family could keep them as slaves. In the middle of the Killing Fields, which now are dug up graves, is a tall building stacked with the skulls of all the people that were killed. A very deep and unbelievable sight to see, it really allows for the vision to set in as of how many people were actually beaten and killed. The worst was some of the graves that had wooden fences and trees around them with the thousands of bracelets that the kids who were killed were wearing - the same kind of bracelets I was wearing that I bought from local children. So it really was an image that hit me real hard.
After that I went to the Russian and Central Markets where they sell most of their goods from clothes, electronics, to food. The conditions were so hot and crammed together, the food with flies and dirt all around - the hygiene is just horrible, but they are just trying to survive. All the women are treated horribly and are the ones that are made to do most of all the work. During the exact time and day back home in America, there was a protest for women's rights so it made me think about how bad the women are treated here even much more.
After the first few days and experiences, I did not want to leave my room at the Intercontinental Hotel and I would not let my cousin go out, because I was afraid she would be kidnapped into human trafficking and that caused major fights between us. I was ready to go back home and got my first taste of understanding why people say “God blessed America.” I never realized how much I had taken for granted and how much I really appreciated everything and every opportunity we are given in America. To be honest I felt like the biggest spoiled brat, because of how much opportunity and privilege I let go to waste. So many kids and adults never ever get even a little bit of chance or opportunity I have been given, so that was my first big awakening.
Finally came the day before we were supposed to leave to go to Siem Reap, because I told my cousin there is no way I am letting her teach in Phom Penh and thankfully she agreed. So I did my research and was ready to go, but then at the last minute she had been doing research on her computer and booked a bus for us to go to Sen Monorom, which I freaked out because I had no idea of what it was like there. But I had no time or really choice; I had to go with her. So the next day we got on a small turismo van (like the white ones we used to use to travel for Paraclete baseball) and got sardine-packed with a bunch of people; unluckily I had the last seat in the very back and every time they slammed on the brakes the baggage packed all the way to the top behind me would come crashing down on top of me and I had to stack it back up for the 5 hour ride. They drive with apparently no laws, with all one way roads and just pass people on turns and before hills; it was the scariest drive of my life. I thought we were going to be in a head-on collision like twenty different times.
Thankfully we finally arrived safely to Sen Mononrom, which they call the lonely planet. We had booked rooms at a place called the Nature Lodge, but had no ride to get there. Looking for a taxi, a man who spoke some English came up to us in a white Honda Civic and asked if we needed a ride. We were a little unsure, but since we already came this far, we said, "Yes please to the Nature Lodge" and he drove us. He asked us what we were doing here and my cousin mentioned she was a teacher looking to volunteer as an English teacher. The man who name is Mr. Vanleang became very happy and said "Oh my prayers have been answered" and we smiled, and he continued by saying he works with the villagers. He provides tour guide services with the villagers and the elephant communities and that he was once a poor boy from one of the villages. He also mentioned how he has an idea of finding volunteers to help teach the kids and adults at the Potang Village English to give them more opportunities to survive and make money…especially the kids so that hopefully they can live a much better life than that of their parents.
We arrived at the Nature Lodge and took his email and told him we would email him about a day tour for the next day. The Nature Lodge was an open place with bungalows spread out. There was only wi-fi at the main lounge area where they sold food. My bungalow was a cool experience raised up on stilts with a small porch and a hammock hanging on the front where I could watch the sunrise or turn the other way and watch the sunset. The inside included a medium sized bed with a purple mosquito net that draped around and a small bathroom on the side. At first sight it seemed like a dream place, so amazing. As the sun went down and became night things would change. The bungalow had lots of openings, the roof to the wall had a two foot gap allowing for the wind (which blew harder than the wind in the Antelope Valley) to blow right in making it cold and with the loudest noise making it almost impossible to sleep. The worst part was I had many creatures that would come out to visit. First was a frog that jumped on my bed and when I tried to get it off, it looked at me like it wanted to attack and then jumped and urinated all over my floor. Shortly after I got the frog out of my room, a sooooo humongous lizard or gecko appeared on my ceiling. I would call it a dragon, and no matter how many times I would scare it away it would return and by morning, would bring its friends which would make calls that sounded like raptors from Jurassic Park. The next night I had a mouse that tried to climb onto my bed, but thankfully I had a mosquito net. The amount of appreciation for that mosquito net cannot be put into words. Finally one night I thought I was in the clear, all the creatures were gone; I would use the light from my phone to check. Everything seemed good and it was middle of the night and I had to go to the restroom. I checked everywhere the ceilings, the floor, and then into the bathroom the same and everything seemed to be clear. I finally let my guard down and was about to use the restroom. I opened the toilet seat and the biggest yellow frog came jumping out right at me and scared me back into my room. It was then at that moment I realized how blessed I was to be from the California where I have never experienced so many different kinds of animals in my room and how easy it was for me to go the bathroom in the middle of the night without any worries. There was also no hot water - only cold showers so I then learned how much I took a warm shower for granted.
We went on two different day tours with Mr. Vanleang, visiting the Bousra Waterfall and a coffee plantation. He drove his car through a river where he stopped in the middle and begin to wash it. On one of the best days of my life, we went on to see a jungle elephant with which I was able to swim. I even climbed on top of the elephant and gave it a bath. After all of this, Mr. Vanleang wanted us to visit the Potang Village, where he hoped for my cousin would teach. Initially, I was not having it; I was planning on going back to America at the end of the week, and my cousin was planning on staying for a year. All the village kids came running up, playing, and holding her hand, and I could tell she was wanting to stay. All I could see was indigenous people and village men that didn’t treat the women very well at all, and I was very worried. Plus all this was on our own with the villagers, no organization, and no project: just us and the villagers so if I was to leave, there is no contact, but this man Mr. Vanleang who seemed good, but I do not just trust anyone very well. So I did not know what I was going to do, but I wanted to go home. Thankfully I had met amazing girl back home before I left, and she told me I should stay at least two more weeks, so I agreed.
My cousin decided to teach at the Potang Village for a year and I told Mr. Vanleang I would stay for a while to make sure she was safe. The villagers were very happy I was staying and asked me to be a part of a rice sacrifice. Being in private school my whole life I was always taught to stay away from the idea of people that believe in rituals and sacrifices, but I wanted to experience it. My cousin had no part. First they had me go into their hut and climbed up an old wooden built ladder that led to a platform which contained all of their bags of rice they stored. There were two male villagers, the homeowner whose name I do not know, Mr. Wyn and his wife, Mr. Vanleang and me. So the five of us surrounded a bowl of rice with a candle in the middle. I’m not sure what the candle was made out of because it was so smoky that the whole hut was smoked out. Behind the candle was a piece of bamboo that they had split down the middle half way making into two piece at the top and then the two pieces they had shaved into a hair-like look and they called this the spirits in the wind. Next they took two chickens which they had sacrificed and took some of the blood and had me mark the big storage bags of rice while they talked in their language. They took some of the chicken and the rice and had me cup my hands and put the chicken and rice in my hands while chanting their rituals to the spirits; they pushed my hands to my mouth and basically made me eat it. Next they poured what they call rice wine into a bamboo shot glass and once again while chanting their rituals had pushed the glass to my mouth and had me take the shot. I do not really drink anymore, but I still know alcohol and this was one of the strongest alcohols I had ever tasted – much like a potent whiskey. After that they continued their chants and smiled. I then felt as if I was one of the villagers; I had been completely accepted into the village. I climbed down holding the sacrificed chickens by their feet and once I got to the ground I passed the chickens to one of the daughters of the villagers who took them to get rid of them. In the village, they seem to have the daughters do all the cooking, cleaning, and other tasks. I tried to explain to my cousin what I experienced, but it was much more than what I could put into words. Being a part of their ritual and feeling the energy was a once in lifetime experience that many people would be scared to be a part. I am so thankful that I was chosen by the people to be part of the ritual, because I found out it had been a few years since the last sacrifice of the rice. I guess it’s a very big deal and they only do it when they feel the spirits have sent them someone that will help them - what most people believe as an angel. The whole village community enjoyed a big party where everyone ate and drank rice wine and made music by taking cooking pots and banging them on the outside making noises. To me it never made any kind of music, but the people loved it, and this went on for a long time. Meanwhile people took turns drinking fresh rice wine out of bamboo straws straight out of the big ceramic pots. All the villagers have been extremely welcoming, and never once have Lexi or I experienced a problem. They call Lexi “teacher teacher.”
Finally the night was over and we were able to go back to town and go to sleep for the last night at the Nature Lodge. The next day we moved to where I currently reside now which is Phanyro Guest House. I was so thankful and happy because it has hot water, wi-fi in the room, a tv with one American movie channel which is playing The Revenant as I’m writing this email (amazing filming in this movie by the way) and basically an enclosed room keeping most of the critters out. I still have a few geckos but nothing compared to the dragon that was at the Nature Lodge, and I have been told it’s good to have the geckos in your room because they will eat the bugs. I could do without them, but you cannot win every battle. After settling into our rooms, the next day my cousin and I were volunteered to go on a two day, one night trek into the jungle. It was the hardest thing I have ever put my body through due to hiking up and down the jungle hills, drinking rice wine at night to stay warm, sleeping somewhat in a hammock in the cold jungle, and having to wake up the next day to hike more. But I have to say it was also my most life-changing experience - seeing all the beauty of the jungle, the waterfalls, elephants, and experience this with the village tour guides.
I met another person who was from originally a journalist from Europe, but then moved to Takeo, Cambodia and set up the trek with a group of his people and he believed in a lot of the same things about energy as I do and he had also started a school in his town of Takeo so it was all just kind of the right place at the right time type of feeling. Once we finished the trek we came back to the village and then finally back home [to my room] where I was able to rest and thankfully take a warm shower and have wi-fi. The following days we started teaching the kids from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. They can only have class in the evenings because during the day they have to help their parents with daily chores to survive. At first it was only about 20 kids than it began to grow and grow to around 50 kids some nights. We have now divided them into two different classes the younger kids first and then the older kids after. They have no school or classroom so we were able to make a deal with one of my friends in the village (Nara, a village leader; I made a fishing video of him one of the first days when I first got to swim and wash the elephant in the river. You can see the video on youtube.com/mainstreamfishing ). He has four kids he wants to learn as well so he allows for the classes to be held in his house. I built some wooden benches for the kids to sit on and we got some paper and pens for them as well. I cannot take much credit for the teaching though, that is Lexi - she has really put in amazing work and doing amazing job at teaching them English. She had already volunteered in Zimbabwe, Africa for a year after high school so she is very good with teaching the people that do not know English at all. Being such a high demand, (the adults and kids here really want to learn every day if they can) we started teaching a class in the day time at Mr. Vanleang's small office/family restaurant where he manages his tours. Lexi teaches English to the adults that come at 1 pm and then the kids at 3 pm while I try to teach them how to use my computer after. Then at 4:30 pm we ride motorbikes 18 kilometers to the Potang Village to teach the 5 pm-8 pm classes. The road is long, some parts paved, some parts dirt with pot holes, and there are not really laws on driving - just try to avoid getting in an accident.
During the day time we are somewhat free to do what we need or want. Being good on the computer, I have helped with creating a website and social media to help the villagers and the tour services they offer gain more exposure and hopefully produce more tourists, jobs, and money for them to survive. The website I built is MondulkiriTour.com, I also made the logo for them, a banner for the office, some flyers, Instagram account which is @MondulkiriTour, got them on TripAdvisor and Google Maps. I am working on another website for one of the family member’s tuk tuk tour company and helping with the Phanyro Guest House owner to help him with his websites, TripAdvisor, and getting his guest houses booked. They seem to be behind in the technology so I try to help as much as I can with that. Seeing how much I can help with the computer and after talking with Mr. Vanleang, we came up with an idea for a Volunteer School. It’s a building, like a classroom that will belong to really no one but the Potang Village and provide a place for volunteers to teach the kids and adults in the village giving them the opportunity to learn and better themselves. There are some schools in the city, but after visiting what they call state schools and taking them new books, paper, pens, and balls, I saw that they do not receive really any money from the state and the kids that go there are supposed to be the kids that are not as poor as the kids in the Potang Village. When I visited the school, the kids’ clothes were all filthy and they had no water... no water... we went and got them a container of water to help some, but still it’s very hard to understand kids trying to learn or better themselves and they do not even have water to drink. We asked where the money is for the schools, but they say they ask, but it somehow gets lost along the way and ends up in some official’s pocket. There is lots of corruption in the government here as the same as anywhere, but here you can see it right away.
At Potang Village they have been trying to get funding to get something like a classroom built from the government or anyone for four years, and no one wants to help them, because then it takes away from them being village people. The projects and other private tours believe they will be losing money because the village people will be able to communicate with the tourist making them not much of villagers, and therefore they think that tourist will not want to pay them to come see a village where the people are educated. So understanding all of this I decided to take it on myself to move forward with a school. With a gofundme.com page, supportive family and friends, and the amazing communication of the web, social media, and Facebook, I was able to raise the little money needed to build the classroom that they been trying to get for four years in just nine days! I’m very happy to be a nexus to the villagers and make this happen.
The amazing people that love and trust me are making this happen. Today I was finally able to withdraw the rest of the money and give it to Mr. Vanleang to get the materials to get started. So now I plan on helping my friend Nara build the classroom from the money we raised and give my cousin a classroom for her to teach the villagers in. So today was a great day, like a milestone for me. I never ever would have thought I would be doing anything like this or if anyone told me even two months ago, I would thought they were crazy. It’s an unbelievable and amazing thing how God works and how he will use your energy to help so many people. The biggest thing I have learned is to just let go and be open minded; you’re not in control of anything - God is in complete control. You may think your controlling the situation or making the right choice, but really there is a much greater plan at work then you can ever envision. I’m so thankful for everything I have back in California for the education I was given, the amount of safety that is provided to my family and the ones I love. The things I have taken for granted go on and on and on from the food which I miss so much and hygiene to the police and doors and windows, like the place I stay now even though is very nice compared to everywhere else, does not have windows only bars with a screen. They start fires and burn a lot of brush and leaves to keep away the mosquitoes and bugs and will smoke out the whole city and the smoke will come into my room making it hard to breath and sleep. There are no windows to close to keep the smoke out. My bed is not the best, but I say ninety percent of the people here sleep on a wooden platform or bamboo or luckily get to sleep in a hammock. It is truly amazing how much we take for granted and how much God really has blessed America. The opportunities we all have is a million times more than most of the world. I’m the first to say I wasted a lot of opportunities being a spoiled American kid not caring, but this trip and experience has changed my life forever. Now all I can do is continue to share my experience and I will continue to keep posting pictures on my Facebook and Instagram (@blakestorie) of the classroom we built. This changed my life forever and I hope when I am done here, it will have changed a lot of lives for the better as well. My message to the my Paraclete Family is just to be thankful for everything we have because it’s not something we should feel we deserve, but because of many people that have amazing hearts, energy, souls, and worked very hard to earn it is why we have what we have. Not everyone in the world has the same; they may be different or have different beliefs or customs, but they all have a heart, an energy, and a soul and a want for a better life for themselves and the people they love..."
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