BEGINNINGLESS, NOW, ENDLESS...: VOLUNTEERING AT ANJALI

It’s been just over a week since I arrived and when I’m riding my bicycle down the unpaved, red dusty roads in one of Siem Reap’s villages, I still can’t believe I’m here. It’s everything I imagined and more. Much more. I’ve seen poverty up close and I’m right in the middle of it every day when I trek out to the Anjali project educating kids who otherwise would have been selling knick knacks to foreigners like me. These children are so adorable and very friendly. On my first day at Anjali I was greeted warmly with beautiful smiles, hellos and even high fives. These kids know that volunteers like me are here to help them and for that they are grateful and show their appreciation. Unlike the other volunteers who focus on teaching the kids different topics per week, I’ve started drama workshops with all the classes. It’s been a challenge the last two days because I don’t always have a Khmer teacher to translate what I’m explaining to the kids and sometimes the older kids lose interest quickly in activities I’ve planned which suit the younger kids so every day, actually every hour, is a challenge. But the most satisfying reward is when you see the kids enjoying themselves and hearing the little ones giggle in amusement. It’s definitely not a walk in the park and I wasn’t sure what to expect while volunteering here but everyday I’m faced with a different challenge, whether it be how to get the kids focused for more than 20 minutes to trying to explain to one of the Khmer teachers what I’d like the students to do. I’m slowly getting used to the fact that I can’t directly express what I’m thinking to the students but I’m learning new ways of communicating which is exhausting at times. I’ve gone from being a ‘talking with my hands’ person to a ‘talking with every limb possible’ person. But as I get to know the kids more it’s so interesting to watch them learn and react to the volunteers. Usually the reaction you get from a Cambodian kid is not one you would get from a western kid. You really get to learn more about the culture here as you watch these kids react to one another and especially when you throw different scenarios at them. Their responses are so unpredictable and when I make it home in one piece after dodging cows, dogs and other motorists, I know why I am here. If I only get through to one kid or make his or her experience at Anjali just a bit better, that’s enough; However from the feedback I’ve been getting from the kids as well as the Khmer teachers, I know I’m helping more than just one kid and this makes me very happy. It makes all the challenges all the more worth it.