Prem volunteered at Aziza's Place from June to August 2009. She took over as the E3 teacher and had a great time teaching the kids about fables from all over the world. During her volunteer time, she introduced the kids to the sounds and dance moves of Michael Jackson, a legacy that lives on to this day. Prem and her partner Kalle returned for a visit to AP in December 2009.
How did you find Aziza’s Place?
I found Aziza's Place on the Idealist.org website
What brings you here? What is your motivation to come?
I want to do something more for the less privileged than just give donations or handouts. I want to give something of myself, be it my time, my experience, myself. My motivation to come was the children. Making them feel good makes me feel good and I needed to feel that (does that makes me selfish then?).
What are you doing or did you do at AP?
I taught English to the 3rd grade class but I also spent time with the kids. Talking, playing games, dancing. We had lessons in sign language which we all enjoyed.
What preconceived ideas of Cambodia did you have before that have been changed since being here?
I had no idea it would be expensive. Accommodation, food, books. People always trying to make a buck off you. You really need to incorporate yourself into the local life; to live with the local people and learn from them the best way to go about doing things. I was lucky to share a flat with some locals. The other thing I was amazed at was the number of luxurious SUVs driving around town (Phnom Penh)! Other than that, I had no pre-conceived ideas about Cambodia. I knew it was a poor country rifed with corruption.
What advice would you give to new volunteers?
Leave your expectations, egos and pretensions behind. Come here with an open mind, heart and spirit. Your heart will go out to the people especially the children. Embrace them.
About you:
What did you do before coming to AP?
I work as a Executive Assistant/ Coordinator in Sweden and took a year off to come to Asia.
What are your plans for after AP?
I would like to do one more stint at AP in November/December 2009 before I report for work again. I aim to keep on doing volunteer work. Once back in Europe, I am hoping to do an English teaching course that would enable me to earn my keep whilst volunteering. That's my retirement plan.
What is something unique about where you come from? How is it similar or different from Cambodia?
I live and work in Sweden but was born in Malaysia. Sweden is a developed country and people are more or less privileged and materialistic. The same can be said of Malaysia. In both these countries, one gets very much caught up in the rat race.
The Malay race looks very much like the Cambodians. They share similar words for example, we have the word 'pasar' and Cambodians have 'psar' which means market. There's also 'bubur' (porridge) and 'kampong' which means village in both languages. I am sure somewhere in the past, they shared some kind of history together.
What’s your favorite memory at AP?
The children's expressions when they watched Michael Jackson dance for the first time.
How did you find Aziza’s Place?
I found Aziza's Place on the Idealist.org website
What brings you here? What is your motivation to come?
I want to do something more for the less privileged than just give donations or handouts. I want to give something of myself, be it my time, my experience, myself. My motivation to come was the children. Making them feel good makes me feel good and I needed to feel that (does that makes me selfish then?).
What are you doing or did you do at AP?
I taught English to the 3rd grade class but I also spent time with the kids. Talking, playing games, dancing. We had lessons in sign language which we all enjoyed.
What preconceived ideas of Cambodia did you have before that have been changed since being here?
I had no idea it would be expensive. Accommodation, food, books. People always trying to make a buck off you. You really need to incorporate yourself into the local life; to live with the local people and learn from them the best way to go about doing things. I was lucky to share a flat with some locals. The other thing I was amazed at was the number of luxurious SUVs driving around town (Phnom Penh)! Other than that, I had no pre-conceived ideas about Cambodia. I knew it was a poor country rifed with corruption.
What advice would you give to new volunteers?
Leave your expectations, egos and pretensions behind. Come here with an open mind, heart and spirit. Your heart will go out to the people especially the children. Embrace them.
About you:
What did you do before coming to AP?
I work as a Executive Assistant/ Coordinator in Sweden and took a year off to come to Asia.
What are your plans for after AP?
I would like to do one more stint at AP in November/December 2009 before I report for work again. I aim to keep on doing volunteer work. Once back in Europe, I am hoping to do an English teaching course that would enable me to earn my keep whilst volunteering. That's my retirement plan.
What is something unique about where you come from? How is it similar or different from Cambodia?
I live and work in Sweden but was born in Malaysia. Sweden is a developed country and people are more or less privileged and materialistic. The same can be said of Malaysia. In both these countries, one gets very much caught up in the rat race.
The Malay race looks very much like the Cambodians. They share similar words for example, we have the word 'pasar' and Cambodians have 'psar' which means market. There's also 'bubur' (porridge) and 'kampong' which means village in both languages. I am sure somewhere in the past, they shared some kind of history together.
What’s your favorite memory at AP?
The children's expressions when they watched Michael Jackson dance for the first time.
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