cambodia

i am getting really anxious and excited already to go to cambodia in january next year.
it seems like so far away but i know the time will go quickly.

im so eager to go away on my own and get a new perspective on everything...

im doing a 5 week overseas action program with world youth international.
www.worldyouth.org.au
my friend went to nepal for 3 months with WYI and said it was the best time of his life.
i hope i can get that much from it.

i will be working in a rural village somewhere near siem reap, with a group of up to 12 other Australians. we will have a community development project to complete, with only about 4 weeks in the village. the last program group built classrooms in a rural village and our project will be something similar. it is such a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people who have faced such a conflicted past, and little hope for the future. from what i have read about the country, the people are relaxed and friendly, and it is heartbreaking to think of the impact the countrys recent history has had on generations of helpless people.

we are so fortunate to live and grow up in such a beautiful country; without war, mass neglect and abuses of human rights, and with so many opportunities practically thrown at our feet.
i think so many people take for granted what they have in their lives, and would learn from a glimpse of 'the real world'.

so that is my mission: to see and experience life through the eyes of another. we will spend half our time in homestay, and the other half in basic accomodations with the group. it will be a really valuable experience and one that i hope i can learn and grow from... i think sometimes we need to go outside of ourselves and push the boundaries, to really have a look at who we are on the inside. that is one of my ultimate goals for the trip - to 'find' myself and develop a better sense of myself.


my plan is to then travel around cambodia and thailand, as much as time permits because i have to get back for uni. a rough idea of where i will be going...
cambodia
sihanoukville
siem reap (angkor wat, tonle sap lake)
batttambang
phnom penh (elephant project if i have time!!!)
thailand
chiang mai
koh samui

....
a site i found really useful and interesting in my research on the country was:
http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/banyan1.htm..
from which i took this quote..

No tree can survive when cut from its roots. But the roots which sustain the tree may destroy the foundation of all structures in their path. It is this which must be remembered, when the seeds are sown.