Projects
|
FAQ
|
Announcements
#Gained a sense of calm and courage #The children's pure love #Felt deeply moved and grateful
I couldn''t refuse the children''s continuing beautiful flower gifts, so I filled my hands with flowers, haha. It felt like I received all the flowers I would ever get in my life that day. That day I was given the biggest and most precious garland in the world.
Sharing meals of love and hope with children in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Jo So-jin, gap-year participant / 4-week gap year
|
# I wanted to break out of this life, have new experiences, and find happiness.
Hello. I''m Jo Sojin. When I was 21 I went abroad for the first time with my university''s international volunteer group. It was my first overseas trip, and I was so happy that my first step was a warm act of volunteering. Since then I''ve traveled a lot, and although people say that when you turn what you love into work you may grow to dislike it... I used to work in the travel industry but I''m taking a break from work now.
To be honest, the reason I chose the gap year project was partly a feeling of wanting to escape, but I needed a breakthrough at that time.As I grew older year by year, I began to have doubts about life. I had always taken the honest path rather than shortcuts,and I started to wonder whether such a life was truly a happy one, and how one should live to be happy.
I was tired of living the same life every day and just wanted to get out of this stifling routine. After I started working I developed ailments I didn''t have before and life became uninteresting. I wondered what I was working and stressing every day for.I wanted to escape this life, have new experiences, and find happiness.
For me, travel isn''t just going somewhere to have fun; leaving home itself is what travel is.I looked for a gap year because I wanted to travel and do good deeds — to be happy, to find that happiness.I chose a gap year project.
# I wanted to feel that I was a warm person who could give love.
I prepared for departure step by step as the gap year program guided. Accommodation for the project was already arranged, and I packed personal items depending on whether they were necessary.However, I personally prepared the itinerary I would spend while in Cambodia.
To be honest, I didn''t set any grand goals before leaving. I just wanted to give the children a little of my love, and by giving them love,I wanted to feel that I am a warm person who can give love to someone.
# I was given the biggest and most precious garland in the world.
If I had to pick the most memorable episode: one day I was sitting to the side to play with the kids. Then a child picked a flower from somewhere and gave it to me and another volunteer. Their pure heart was so beautiful that I took the flowers with both hands and, having nowhere to put them, stuck the flower in my hair. The flower in my hair... that was the start of the garland.
One or two children at a time brought flowers from somewhere and placed them directly into my hair. At first there weren''t many, so when they put them in my hair I just laughed and kept saying "thanks" and "beautiful." But as time passed, the amount of flowers and grasses grew, and they put plants in my hair that I had no idea where they''d been broken off from, haha. I was so grateful for the children''s pure hearts in giving me these beautiful flowers, but my hair — already a huge flower-holder overflowing — became impossible to manage.
I couldn''t sit any longer, so I stood up.I couldn''t refuse the children''s continuing beautiful flower gifts, so I filled my hands with flowers, haha. It felt like I received all the flowers I would ever get in my life that day. That day I was given the biggest and most precious garland in the world.
Even the children who were shy at first came to take my hand and ask to play as time passed. I was so grateful to the children who opened their hearts. On the last day the children wrote farewell messages letter by letter on my clothes, which was really moving.
# People I met locally
My roommates at the accommodation, Cambodian university student volunteers, and friends I ate with at the lodging.
I was the only Korean, so at first I was busy adapting, but as time went on we would check in with each other in the morning and later even went out together to have fun.
# My gap-year tip
(Language)
It depends on the program, but the project I joined didn''t require using a lot of English, so it wasn''t a big problem.
(Accommodation)
Don''t expect very good facilities. Still, they cleaned well, and the water pressure wasn''t too bad.
(Meals)
If you can''t live without Korean food, larger supermarkets sell Korean instant noodles and similar items, so you can use those. But it would be good to be a little mindful of food smells for friends from other cultures. Other than that, the accommodation meals were generally acceptable, so don''t worry too much.
(What to bring)
Be sure to bring sunscreen. Shampoos and other toiletries are sold in Cambodia, so you don''t need to pack a lot from Korea.
(For prospective participants)
There are exactly three things I''d like to say to prospective participants.
1. I hope you won''t be afraid to meet new people and experience new things.
2. Rather than waiting for the children to approach you, I hope you''ll take the initiative to approach them first.
3. I hope you can love everyone equally.
# My personal Cambodia travel destination
People usually go to Siem Reap when they come to Cambodia. I went to Siem Reap too, but I''d like to introduce a place called Sihanoukville. It''s located in the south of Cambodia and has beautiful beaches.
From Phnom Penh you can take a minivan or bus and arrive after about a 5-hour ride. From there, if you take a boat for about 30 more minutes you''ll reach an island called Koh Rong, which I also recommend. Prices on the island are somewhat high, but given it''s an island... it can''t be helped.
# I''ve gained some peace of mind.
Honestly, if you''re expecting a dramatic change, that''s a misconception. But seeing the children''s smiles has given me the emotional space to smile a little more often. And I''ve gained the courage to be able to do things well on my own.
Capturing the growth journeys
of our participants.
