Flying

Atlanta in Georgia, got stuck for another 9 hours sleepingover

Sovannaphumi Airport

My first flight to America was one of the most disastrous moments I have ever had in my life.

It was 6 pm August 13^th, 2010, and I was at home preparing to leave for the airport. Many of my friends were coming wanting to see me off at the airport. The damn pouring rain stopped their will and kindness. It was bloody flooding everywhere in the city. It was like we were living in the floating village. After that, I decided to come with my family leaving them at my home due to difficulty in transportation. It was sad, wasn’t it? At the airport, departure time was close, and therefore I needed to leave without a proper goodbye to my family. Well, at least they didn’t have time to be sad as I did on the way.

My first flight was from Phnom Penh International Airport to BKK (20:25 to 21:30). Over there, I walked, ate, and did some mighty sleep (afraid I might wake up late because I have no alarm clock with me). It was extremely boring transiting for like 8 hours. I was also nervous about my next flight since it is my first time flying alone. As a result, I swallowed my pride and began talking to an American man. He was very kind and helpful. I spent another 6h35min for my flight from BKK to TOKYO (5:40 to 14:15) [Tokyo is 2 hours later than BKK]. My next flight was in 50 mins. That man assisted me till I boarded. He taught me a lesson. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People will help you if they can,” he said. Well, I guess it doesn’t always true because I also meet some mean people here, especially black people. I am not racist or whatever, but this is what I have met.

Then it came my flight to America. It took 12h 54min to fly from Tokyo to New York (15:10 to 15:04). I was quite nervous since I have another flight in 1h20min. I heard that the custom check was very time consuming and hence I may miss my flight. The plane landed in New York 15min earlier, and I was very thankful. Nevertheless, I didn’t know what the hell they were doing. They didn’t let us leave the plane for like 1 hour, so I was pretty sure that I am going to miss my next flight. Meanwhile, my nose started bleeding. That’s crazy. After leaving the plane I went to take my luggage. I wondered where the custom check was. I thought I hadn’t been to custom check yet, but in fact I did and it was pretty easy. My next flight from New York to Atlanta was delayed due to weather. I was supposed to leave at 16:35 but it was changed to 19 or 20 something minutes. I was a bit dizzy because of jet lag I presume. People there were saying like “FUCK, SHIT, DAMN, ASSHOLE” to the flight attendance when they apology for the delay. This is the first thing I have ever seen. Cursing the attendant is weird and is also an experience I never ever see. I guess this is the most enjoyable flight I have. You know why? I was sitting next to a guy named Mark. He was born in America and originated from the Philippine. He was very kind and hot of course. He gave me the contact and told me I should call him out when I visit New York. That was wicked.

Here it comes another crazy part. My flight to Bloomington was gone, and so I have to catch another flight on August 15^th, 2010 at 8:24 am. Damn! I have to wait another 8 hours in the airport. It was scary. Seeing those black people I dare not to talk to them. They are just too mean. And to kill my time, I am writing this hoping you guys enjoy it.

Sorry I don’t have any good or exciting photos to share because I was so dizzy.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Centre

As a documentary filmmaker in the 1990s, Rithy Panh realised the utter lack of audiovisual resources in Cambodia and decided to start an organisation to collect as much of the Kingdom’s audiovisual heritage as possible.

Rithy Panh’s dream of gathering the resources convinced Ieu Pannakar, who was the head of the Department of Cinema within the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts at that time, to jump on board. The two men established the Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center in December 2006 with the support of the Ministry of Culture and many other institutions.

“Bophana was the name of a young woman detained in S-21 during the Pol Pot Regime,” said Chum Noi, public relations officer for Bophana.
“The centre was given the name Bophana to bear witness to the dignity and courage of this woman.”

Aiming to preserve and present the remaining pictures, movies and songs from the last 150 years of Cambodia’s history, Bophana has around 30 staff members who have helped collect and protect more than 2,000 documents produced by Cambodians and foreigners.

The centre improves the quality of the documents, digitizes them and adds them to its expansive computer database, which is growing bigger by the week.

The overriding purpose of the collection is to provide free access to Cambodians and foreigners who wish to explore the audiovisual memory of Cambodia and learn more about the country’s past glory and terror.

“All the documents can be viewed freely in three main languages: Khmer, English and French. Therefore, people can search for their desired document easily,” said Sim Sok Thida, a research analyst at the Center.

“Bophana has been working collaboratively with other audiovisual archive centers in America, Europe and Asia to gather the remaining Cambodian documents from those countries and get authorization from the owners to present and provide people access to those files,” said Gaetan Crespel, the archive manager at Bophana Center.

He added that the center has also been cooperating with the Cambodian Film Commission in training Cambodian people in film and audio-related technical work to ensure that they are capable of taking care of documents, as well as improving their own ability to produce photos, film and audio files that will ensure that people do not forget what is happening today.

“I often visit the center when I am free from my studies since I can find so many important documents that aren’t available anywhere else,” said Nem Lorn, a student from Human Resource University.

“I can gain priceless knowledge, especially in art, civilization and history. I hope more Cambodian youth spend time here to explore their past.

“I am sure that the center is going to be here for the next 10 or 20 years to serve the public,” said Crespel.

“We still have many more archives that haven’t been digitized and shown to the public yet.”

By Mesa Lang

The Good News Corps

Founded in 2002 by the International Youth Fellowship Educational Foundation, the Good News Corps (GNC) has become one of the biggest overseas volunteer programmes for international students who wish to broaden their views of the world and set an example for a new generation of youth to engage in improving their society.

The Good News Corps, whose motto is “exchange your youth for their hearts”, creates opportunities for students to go overseas for one year in order to engage with every part of a foreign culture: language, cuisine, music, architecture, sport and traditional performances.

In the past eight years more than 2,000 students have devoted one year of their lives to serve in over 80 countries around the world. But while Cambodia has received many volunteers through the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), this will be the first year that Cambodia sends volunteers abroad (the deadline for applicants is July 23). “This is the first time that IYF in Cambodia is cooperating with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to send Cambodian youth to the United States of America and South Korea,” said Y Sengly, the program manager for IYF in Cambodia.

Through activities like visiting hospitals and retirement homes, youth and community outreach programmes and journeys to remote areas, volunteers are able to deeply touch the lives of others.

By Mesa Lang

The Beach Clean Up Project

The Beach Clean Up Project, which is organized by ENRICH, a group of English-speaking youth at the Institute of Foreign Languages, was started to celebrate World Environment Day. This year 47 volunteers came together to spruce up Ochheuteal beach in Sihanoukville on June 5 and 6.

The efforts were not only meant to clean up the beach, but also to spread information to local youth and vendors, as well as tourists about the impact of pollution, and to encourage them to play more active roles in protecting the environment.

Project participants also designed posters and logos on rubbish bins and then celebrated a hard day’s work by playing beach games and joining in other team-building activities.

“We believe that this campaign encourages a better understanding of the environment among the people we reach out to,” said Sarin Sirivudh, the co-facilitator of ENRICH. He added that people involved can go on to set up clean-up projects in their own communities.

“This is a great opportunity to socialise with people,” said Hang Sopheak, a participant from the Royal University of Law and Economics.

“I believe that I will be able to learn skills such as leadership, communication, problem solving and teamwork from my peers.”

ENRICH provides participants with both memorable experiences and an opportunity to improve their understanding of environmental issues, problem solving and teamwork.

By Mesa Lang

Going abroad for the experience of a lifetime

Because of a shortage of jobs in Cambodia, more than 50,000 Cambodian workers have travelled abroad since the country began to encourage workers to go to work in places like Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan as housekeepers, construction workers, factory laborers, fishermen, fish cutters, shrimp peelers, and a variety of other manual-labor jobs.

Although the majority of Cambodians who step on a plane to work in a foreign country will be employed as low-skilled laborers, there is a growing number of Cambodians who have gone abroad to hone their professional skills in highly skilled jobs such as marketing, development and public relations. There are only a small number of Cambodians who have found professional success abroad; however, they prove that hard-working Cambodian students can develop the ability to work on an international stage.

“Whatever other people can do we can do,” said Chiv Sunheng, a graduate of the MBA program at Pa??asastra University of Cambodia and Junior Riparian Professional of the Mekong River Commission based in Laos. “When we study something must work hard to make sure that we understand and remember it. If we are not sure about our ability we will feel reluctant to look for a job and sit for interview,” he said.

As Cambodia becomes part of a globalized world, it is nessesary that Cambodians have the skills to perform and communicate on a internationally competitive level, and Cambodians have begun to bring their skills abroad and show their skill to the outside world.

Touch Yin Mony, a graduate from Royal University of Phnom Penh and a former intern at the European Parliament at the office of German representatives in the public relations section, stated that the experience he gained from his working environment abroad has given him priceless knowledge.

“I observed how powerful and influential work and tried to learn from their actions. I also built more personal networks worldwide, and I learned social and negotiation skills,” said Touch Yin Mony. He added that he was able to hone his negotiation skills when he had to handle difficult people in a professionallism and respectful manner.

Thoughworking abroad is a fantastic learning experience, the cultural diversity and high expectations are challenging to many Cambodians working abroad.

“You may have to face some challenges while working internationally, especially problems with languages, culture, different policies and competitiveness,” said Kim Sambath, a 21-year-old student in Limkokwing University’s Creative Technology program and a creative designer for Alvade and Creata project for McDonalds. “You need to get accustomed with the situation so that you can break all your obstacles,” he said.

In order to perform well in an international organization, Cambodian students have to be well- prepared academically and also socially. “We should be more social so that we can get to know many people around and share out ideas and comments, he said. “Ask yourself what is the job of your dreams and then start to improve yourself to fit the requirements of international companies in that field. Do not miss a chance to grab the opportunities in front of you. If you fail, try it again. Believe in your dreams and always say, ‘Yes, we can,’” he exclaimed.

World Camp 2010

The International Youth Fellowship (IYF) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport is going to launch World Camp 2010 from May 16th to May 20th, 2010.

Established to cultivate leaders of the next generation under the motto of “Change, Challenge and Cohesion”, World Camp is a component of the IYF global youth organization that identifies the youth as drivers of change.

Thousands of students from every corner of the world and walk of life participate in the World Camp every year. The program has experienced remarkable success in South Korea, USA (Hawaii), Austria, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico, Ghana, Kenya, Togo, Tanzania, Rwanda, and many other countries.

IYF World Camp is scheduled to be hosted by 30 countries for 2010, and Cambodia has been selected to be one of these countries. Naga World and National Institute of Education will be the venues inviting more than 1300 Cambodian and foreign participants to exchange experiences and ideas.

“IYF has been here in Phnom Penh since 2004, so I believe we are ready to embrace this opportunity to host the World Camp and showcase Cambodian culture to our family from other countries,” said Mr. Ha Cheol, Country Director of IYF in Cambodia.

He added that IYF World Camp, aims to broaden the hearts and minds of the youth so that they can see other cultures and freely interact and make friends through fellowships, seminars, lectures, concerts, cultural performances, academic workshops and mini Olympics.

The World Camp in Cambodia will also be marked by the presence of the President of IYF Mr Doh Ki Kwon, South Korean Ambassador to Cambodia H E Mr Lee Kyung-Soo, and Cambodian Minister of Ministry of Education Youth and Sport H E Im Sethy to give a congratulatory address. The event’s keynote speaker is Pastor Ock Soo Park, IYF Chief Advisor, who will take the stage to deliver his message on education.

Beyond that, IYF Good News Corps Overseas volunteers, which includes students doing volunteer work in over 80 countries, will share their experiences in their overseas immersion through world culture exhibitions allowing other members to experience different cultures without having to leave the country.

“I never realized that there are people in every single corner of the world suffering hardships until I joined the Good News Corp of IYF,” said Kim Tae Hyun, a volunteer Korean student living in IYF Cambodia. Joining diversified but likeminded students at World Camp, we together are capable of sparking change and improvement.