Global Explorers Blog: Cambodia
The Story of Chhouck
Just because you are an orphaned baby elephant with three legs and one prosthetic doesn't mean you can't enjoy life!
After having his foot caught in a poacher's snare, Chhouk was discovered by a conservationist in the Cambodian wilderness, malnourished and barely able to stand. Due to illegal poaching, Chhouck is one of only about 300 Asian elephants left in Cambodia today.
After being transferred to the refuge center and being fitted with a prosthetic leg, Chhouk has gained a new lease on life. Visit him at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Refuge Center just outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a dose of inspiration, or if Cambodia is too far away, check out this video of the inspirational elephant!
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by Administrator · September 17, 2010 · cambodia
You’re Going to Cambodia! How Does it Feel? — Part 1
As many of you know, Global Explorers was awarded the fortunate opportunity to allow thirty students the chance of a lifetime to travel to Cambodia this June thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State. A whopping 298 incredible students applied from across the nation in hopes that they would be able to take part in this immersive adventure. After months of preparation, application madness, lengthy interviews and the grueling process of having to choose a limited number of participants, Jordy was finally ready to inform the lucky thirty students that they had been selected to take part in the American Youth Leadership Program. As you can imagine, the student’s elation was overwhelming!
To launch our first series of student blogs, Jordy offered the AYLP team the chance to write an entry, if they so desired. The question – a seemingly simple one: What does it feel like to be chosen to participate in the American Youth Leadership Program to Cambodia? The response – some exceedingly vivid descriptions that only the happiest of students could have concocted. This week we will be putting up some of the entries we received – here are two of them:
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by Administrator · March 23, 2011 · cambodia, state department, students
You’re Going to Cambodia! How Does it Feel? — Part 2
As many of you know, Global Explorers was awarded the fortunate opportunity to allow thirty students the chance of a lifetime to travel to Cambodia this June thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State. A whopping 298 incredible students applied from across the nation in hopes that they would be able to take part in this immersive adventure. After months of preparation, application madness, lengthy interviews and the grueling process of having to choose a limited number of participants, Jordy was finally ready to inform the lucky thirty students that they had been selected to take part in the American Youth Leadership Program. As you can imagine, the student’s elation was overwhelming!
To launch our first series of student blogs, Jordy offered the AYLP team the chance to write an entry, if they so desired. The question – a seemingly simple one: What does it feel like to be chosen to participate in the American Youth Leadership Program to Cambodia? The response – some exceedingly vivid descriptions that only the happiest of students could have concocted. Earlier this week we put up the first part of the student blog series with entries from two of our awesome AYLP participants. Here are another two excellent entries that we had to share with you:
Share on Facebook Post to Twitter Posted by Administrator · March 25, 2011 · cambodia, state department, students
Cambodia AYLP: Why I do what I do
All year long I wait for it. It’s a feeling like no other. It’s the feeling of getting out into the field with students and experiencing the genuine rewards that come with an authentic cross-cultural travel experience. It comes from seeing the smiles, hearing the laughs, developing the bonds, feeling the energy and learning from each other on a deep level. I feel so blessed to have just had the chance to travel to Cambodia with 29 of the most amazing students, 5 of the most inspiring teachers and 3 of the most talented colleagues I could imagine as part of the American Youth Leadership Program with Cambodia. What I just did with all of these wonderful people was nothing short of life-affirming.
We developed lifelong friendships and opened doors to personal discovery that can only come from sharing an immersion experience with each other. We experienced personal connections to other cultures and our natural environment and showed ourselves what we’re really made of – even if it meant using squat toilets and bucket showers! We played impromptu soccer games in the pouring rain with cows running across the field, started more sing-alongs with the locals than I can count, rode bicycles alongside ox-carts and ate things like tarantula legs and crickets. We had the time of our lives and we’ll never forget it.
