- January 12, 2015
- 10:45 am
- Eman El Bakry
- no comments
Day 6: Cambodia, it has Been an Honor.
A few more hours left in Seim Reap before we are off to Bangkok, Thailand for our stop. To end our visit in Cambodia, we visited an organization called EGBOK Mission, which was a very inspiring story. Ben Justus, the founder of the NGO was fascinated by Cambodia and its history and visited for a few months which turned into 4 years now. Ben found that he can turn his passion for hospitality and pass it on. EGBOK supports young adults who are in some of the worst living conditions and takes them in, trains them on how to become hospitality professionals and guides them through the first steps of a career in that industry.
I was really happy to see Ben and his team’s passion and dedication. These people flew thousands of miles away from their homes and families and took on a very tough project because they wanted to make a difference in the world. They could have donated money to an organization but they believe in “teaching a man how to fish”. When EGBOK brings in their students, they teach them the attitude before the skill. They transform their lives first before training them to become hospitality professionals. When you imagine that these students come into EGBOK not knowing how to hold a toothbrush, and seeing them later serving tourists in five star hotels ,meaning they must have the highest standards in understanding hospitality, you really appreciate the dedication of this organization.
I encourage you to visit their website and learn more about their story and what they do. They are very happy to see volunteers willing to help each year. www.EGBOKmission.org
Unfortunately we could not meet any of the children because they were on their internship program but I really wish we did and interacted with them. Again, before we left Chicago we had seen a short video about the NGO EGBOK and how it has positively impacted the residents of Cambodia and provided them with a better future both for them and their families. Being able to visit the organization and see the reality of it is much more powerful.
As with Vietnam we mustn’t forget what this country has gone through and is still going through, and actually many have no idea (including myself before this class). It was very difficult and emotional to listen to some of the personal stories that the people of Cambodia who lived through the Khmer Rouge genocide, or starvation, or illness… Especially after seeing the “Killing Fields” which was created as a reminder of the tragic events.
So what can we do? Yes we were all affected by what we have seen but how can we help to make the future for those countries a better place? These are the questions that we keep discussing and after those trips, we can see that there is so much to do and a lot of opportunity. EGBOK is one of them. Old Market Artisans of d’Angkor is another NGO that trains Khmer people the arts of wood and stone carving which we visited. These are just two examples but it definitely was refreshing to see that it’s not so scary to be in these places and there are ways to help. I thought to myself that it’s not just Cambodia and Vietnam that need help, there are so many opportunities to make this world a better place, so many countries that are still developing and have a long way to go. It puts things into perspective for you and in the decisions you take for your life.
We were at the airport again ready for Bangkok. It was especially hard for me saying goodbye to Bhuntin our tour guide. This man is one of the strongest men I have met and I will remember him forever. He will push me to be a better person and every time I want to give up he will come to my mind and I will keep going. I will remember his smile which had so much suffering underneath it but also so much hope and he smiles because he won’t accept that things won’t get better. Bhuntin definitely left an impact on every single one of us.