In this interview, we hear from Jared Wright. Jared is working as a Peace Corps Education volunteer in Cambodia. What Jared shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Jared talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Jared’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Education volunteer in Cambodia?
Firstly, living in Cambodia, and teaching my Khmer teenagers English, has been one the most fruitful experiences of my life so far. I teach 6 days a week – Monday through Saturday, and I ride my bicycle for about 10 minutes to my school. It’s very hot in Cambodia. I’m usually sweaty when I arrive at school. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, one of my counterparts teaches me Khmer. I’ve learned enough Khmer to communicate with my students about their lessons and homework, as well as basic conversations with other people.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Cambodia?
I don’t recall how I learned about the Peace Corps, but I know it’s interested me since my time in college. After I graduated with my first Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and my second Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville, I worked as a lab technician for many years. I began to think about the Peace Corps again as a 30-year-old.
The Peace Corps is an opportunity to see another country and its people and learn their language, culture, and economy. In the education sector, it’s also an opportunity to help kids that are likely poor, and hopefully inspire them enough to go to college and achieve their aspirations.
On December 31st, 2023, I decided to submit an application to the Peace Corps.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
My host mother and my host father take great care of me. I have two host sisters too. There is a market nearby, and I can shop there for anything that I need. My host parents are farmers as well, so there are cows, pigs, and chickens walking around the backyard. Before coming to Cambodia, I’d never laid in a hammock, and now I enjoy laying in one of the hammocks and reading a book. My bedroom is also very comfortable, and I spend a lot of time reading, writing, and relaxing there.
In Kampong Chnnang, which is a nearby provincial town, there is a gym, and I ride my bicycle there sometimes. Another place that I visit often is a cafe; it is the only place nearby that has an air-conditioner and a Wi-Fi connection.
In America, I lived in a city, Madison, Wisconsin, and I rarely ever saw a starry night. Now, I sometimes look up at the starry nights and always see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, and the Milky Way is usually visible, stretching across the sky.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
Yes, I have so many new life-long memories. I remember, the second week in Cambodia, my host brother invited me to his house with his friends. Once I arrived, they asked me to choose a song on YouTube and sing it into their microphone. I chose “Feeling This” by Blink-182, and I treated the next three minutes as if I were at one of their concerts. They seemed to enjoy the song too, as they quickly started playing the air guitar with me.
Another memorable experience was the first time that I visited a Wat. I sat down with my host mother, and host father, in front of a Buddha statue that was adorned with lights. Everyone sits with their legs pointing away from the Buddha statue as a sign of respect. There were detailed paintings on the walls and ceilings of various characters worshipping Buddha. The paintings must have taken many years to complete. It was the most dense place of human creativity and articulation that I’ve ever seen.
Then, the monks arrived, and they began to chant. Most of the monks looked to be teenagers or in their early 20s. After the chanting finished, one of them pulled out their iPhone, and a little later, after people were leaving, that monk took a selfie with his friend. I laughed at the similarities between the teenage monks and everyone else. We left with everyone else.
On a more serious note, I’ve seen an enormous amount of poverty in Cambodia. 75% of Cambodian people live on less than $3 per day. I’ve seen houses made from dry wood and sticks. At the market, some sellers have begged me to buy from them. The wealth inequality is visible too. In Phnom Penh, there are sports cars parked by the curb, next to children as they beg for Riel at the sides of cars that are stopped at a red light. There are no government welfare programs or assistance in Cambodia, and people are left to fend for themselves.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in Cambodia?
The heat and humidity have been difficult to acclimate to. Most days, the temperature is between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius. Rainstorms start and stop suddenly as well, and I’ve learned to keep a poncho or umbrella with me. Something else that’s surprised me is the new types of fruits and foods that are grown and eaten in Cambodia. For example, I ate dragon fruit as a snack once during PST, and I really liked the taste, and the peel looked cool.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Education projects?
My secondary project is focusing on renovating one of the main classrooms. I haven’t started writing the grant request yet, but looking forward, the greatest challenge may be the construction part of the renovation.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
At school, there is a garden, and some students have taken the responsibility of tilling and planting flowers. I don’t know much about gardening, so I’ve watched and tried to learn from the students. On Tuesday afternoons, I sometimes teach English lessons to the 7th graders, and on Thursday afternoons, I tell students that they can come to the English club if they’re available.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Education volunteer in Cambodia?
Be brave. You are embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey, and you will change in unexpected ways. Maybe more patient, maybe more kind – you’ll likely be sad sometimes, and you’ll want to return home, but you will have stories to tell, and even more adventures to live. Take lots of pictures. Bring a journal, and write down your thoughts and experiences from time to time.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
Pre-Service Training (PST)
Pre-service training, which takes place for the first ten weeks of being in the country, trains the volunteers to speak the language and do the job they’ve been assigned to. During PST, my cohort and I were taught strategies to teach writing, reading, and speaking English. Also, the Peace Corps hired a team of LCFs, which stands for language and culture facilitators, to teach us Khmer when we were not learning how to teach.
In weeks 7 and 8 of PST, my cohort and I were divided into groups of 3, and we worked together to create lessons for elementary and high school classes. This period of PST was called “Practicum”, and it was the most stressful period of PST for me because I’d never stood in front of a classroom and taught English before, but I made it, just like you will too.
The most emotionally impactful part of PST was visiting the Tuol-Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh. For those who don’t know, the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s was a very dark period of Cambodian history, and the Peace Corps staff made sure we understood what happened so that we could be sensitive to those who experienced the Khmer Rouge first-hand.
In PST, you’ll get to know your fellow cohort better, and if you are an introvert, like I am, try to be social and trusting with your fellow cohort and everyone that you meet. You all are in a new environment together, so be gregarious, and focus on the positive aspects of everyone’s personalities.
In-Service Training (IST)
After 3 months at our site, last January, I attended IST, which stands for In-Service Training. This training is two weeks long. I learned more Khmer, including a few lessons about the alphabet, slang, and how to say Khmer sentences that are called relative clauses.
We also met the representatives for Empowering Youth in Cambodia, which is a non-governmental organization that provides free school classes to teenagers who cannot attend regular school for any reason. One afternoon, we also met the Charge d’Affaires, Bridgette Walker, from the United States embassy in Cambodia.
My cohort and I were also given the opportunity to listen to musicians who performed traditional dances and songs. I think that was the most unique part of IST, for me, because the male and female dancers wore monkey and wolf masks to tell a story throughout their dance.
The Peace Corps did an amazing job using the time during our training to teach us Khmer, how to teach English and more about Cambodia’s ancient culture.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Cambodia volunteers?
Bring cash. The Peace Corps stipend is enough to live comfortably, but if you are an explorer, you’ll want to spend money and travel. Additionally:
- flashlight
- multiple phone charging cables
- portable battery pack for a smartphone
- an electrical socket adapter that will fit the outlets in your country
- a stainless steel water bottle
- isopropyl alcohol (as an antiseptic)
- q-tips
- journal
- caffeine tablets
- sunglasses
- sentimental pictures
- 3 – 5 books
11. How has learning the language been?
The language in Cambodia is Khmer. The adjective and noun structure is the opposite of English. So, for example, if I say, “this apple” in English, in Khmer, they would say, “apple this”. This is tricky to learn at first, but after a little while, speaking in Khmer becomes easier. The Peace Corps staff will give you dictionaries and other books to help you learn common phrases. Before leaving America, my advice is to learn a few basic words before leaving, but in PST, you will be taught the language of your country.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
12. How do you think your social media contributes to your mission?
I post pictures on my Instagram for my friends back home. On Facebook, I’ve just begun asking students to add me on Facebook, and I will write English lessons for them to read while they are scrolling and browsing. I hope doing that will help them learn bits of English while they’re on Facebook.
If you want to record videos and post to Instagram, be sure to check the Peace Corps media rules. Some great videos might be about your site, parts of the country that you visit, or any emotional struggles during your service. Before I left America, I searched through YouTube for videos about those topics. They helped to calm my nervousness.
13. Any last comments you’d like to pass on to future Cambodia volunteers?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Jared’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Cambodia Government.
