Hayley Carter

Hayley trying her hand at traditional Khmer music, with

instruction from Chanty.

From November 2010 until January 2011 Aziza’s Place was honored to have Hayley Carter come on board as a volunteer. Hayley provided incredible support to the AP team, using her Human Resource skills to support the staff during a time of management transition. She taught the three levels of English to AP residents, guiding the children to create interesting projects and a collated case study of South America, and also taught English classes to the house-mom’s. With her warm and down-to-earth personality Hayley quickly and easily fit into the AP team.  She headed back to the UK in February to continue working in the field of Human Resources. She is missed by all of us – we look forward to seeing her again sometime soon!
 

How did you find Aziza’s Place?

Through Outreach International

What brings you here? What is your motivation to come?

I wanted to do something different, step out of my comfort zone for a while and see some of the world, but have more focus than travelling. The idea of doing this whilst being able to help in my own small way just felt right.

What are you doing, or did you do at AP?
I taught English to 3 classes each day (E2, E3, and E4), and provided HR support, including advising the management team following some organisational change, reviewing the induction process for volunteers, and identifying the core values of Aziza's Place through activities carried out with the full AP team - staff and children.

What preconceived ideas of Cambodia did you have before that have been changed since being here?

I didn't have any expectations before I arrived - mainly because I didn't have a clue what to expect! The popularity of Justin Bieber was definitely a surprise though, and you really can't fully appreciate how enchanting Cambodia is until you're here.

What advice would you give to new volunteers?

Don't panic, take one step at a time and just go with it, especially if you've not done anything like this before. Spend a few weeks just getting used to everything - get your bearings, learn a few key Khmer phrases and start to get to know the kids - they really help you feel at home. When you're leaving you'll be wishing you had longer so don't waste time missing home or being overwhelmed, just relax and enjoy it!

About you:

I'm 26, from Manchester, England. I have one older brother, am a big fan of The Killers and Robbie Williams, and before coming to Cambodia, the longest I'd been away for was 2 weeks.

What did you do before coming to AP?

I was an HR Consultant in England.

What are your plans for after AP?

To spend a month travelling around South-East Asia, and then return home. After that my only plan is to work out what my next move is. I'll continue working within HR as I really enjoy it, but my experiences out here have definitely made me think about what options are available for me. Maybe I'll return to Cambodia!

What is something unique about where you come from? How is it similar or different from Cambodia?

Manchester has worse weather - non-stop cloud, wind and rain with about 2 months of sun each year if we're lucky, and is mostly known for having the best football team in the world, Manchester United. There are no motodops, but lots of traffic rules, cars and traffic jams, and there are no rambutans! Like Cambodia, it's full of friendly people though.

What’s your favorite memory at AP?

There are so many that I treasure - Ream's excited reaction to seeing escalators for the first time when we took them skating on Christmas Eve, having a really girlie chat with SreyPov whilst sharing a hammock on a field trip, SengKry showing me how to pick and eat various exotic fruits, getting E2 to march and chant to wake them up before English class, constant banter with E4 about anything and everything, sharing iced coffees, chats and laughter with the staff, and many many more - I could never choose one favourite one, sorry!