I volunteered for HVTO for 2 months. I did a variety of jobs for HVTO: working on the website; (lots of) English teaching, alongside a Khmer teacher and alone; and designing and promoting a newly opened shop in a market. All in all I had a wonderful experience with HVTO. The people in the village were incredibly warm and welcoming towards me. My homestay house was nice and clean, and the family were helpful. It was very interesting to be able to experience genuine Cambodian culture - from which I learnt a lot. The countryside surrounding the village was beautiful and it was nice to go for bike rides through the rice fields. My favourite thing about the village was probably the children's reaction towards me. They were always sweet and smiling, and coming up to me at the end of lessons to hold my hand and hi-5 me. The people in Siem Reap city were also generally nice to me, and I often got remarks such as "thank you for helping Cambodia" when I told them I was a volunteer. I think I grew in a big way due to the responsibility I was given while I worked for HVTO. I was entrusted to do a lot of things on my own (such as plan and teach a 4 week adult teaching course alone, with no previous teaching experience.) I gained a lot of confidence from being able to pull this off! I also appreciated the respect Sim Pisith gave my thoughts even though I am younger than him. He listened to my ideas and took them seriously. Overall I learnt a lot from my experience, and I felt loved while I was in Cambodia - the people were gentle and kind towards me.
If you want to ask me anything, don't hesitate to email me at wotsit2004@hotmail.com Date Written: 07 September 2009Testimonial By: Michael Dovewww.idonthaveawebsite.com
Comments on HVTO Free English classes provided me a precious experience; I realized the principle that guides my life: people who have a college education should serve people who cannot go to universities. I had understood the surface meaning of it, but it had not really hit me because in Japan most of people can enter a university. However, people in the village where I stayed cannot go there even they are really smart and hope to go there because of economical reason. Under the situation, Mr Sim Pisith is exactly putting the principle into practice. That is, he has served the children and villagers. Local English teachers also impressed me so much because they keep up both teaching English and schoolwork or farming. However hard the work might be, they would not complain. Additionally, I was astonished at monks’ will to live even they are orphans. (A new project which is to teach English to monks who are like orphans began during my stay.) Generally speaking, children who are under a hard situation tend to take to misconduct; however, they have a strong desire to learn English and a genuine smile. Finally, I received a warm welcome from the villagers and children, especially the host family, so I deeply appreciate their kindness. Thanks very much. I am sure that next volunteers applause the HVTO with one voice. Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Sho YoshinariNo
Angkor home stay and volunteer English teaching was a positive experience for me. My chief pleasure was the students’ enthusiasm for learning English. There is only a single light in the classroom, but at night, their energy lit up the room. I brought a Frisbee from home, and it proved endless entertainment during breaks between classes. I’ll say as warning if you come, and don’t look Khmer, expect to get stared at as if you were an alien by people outside the Meng family. But that’s all part of the adventure. There’s police protection for visitors ,but I thought it was unnecessary. I felt very safe and cared for at the Mengs’. It was neat to eat their wonderful food (I actually gained weight) and see how they lived, if for a short time. The family and the students were a joy during my week’s stay. Thanks again!
Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Clint PeterNo
" Soksabbay Pisith, since the first time I stayed at Phum Sophy I realized that it was a magical place to visit. The freedom that you experience and the contact with nature is a combination difficult to express in words. Also, having the opportunity of living with a family like yours gives a new scope of how a traveller can experience and learn from the Khmer way of life. Orkun Charern Pisith for your attention and Somnanglao from Lok Sak Weing!"
Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Carlos Sanchezwww.tomandoconciencia.org
Dear Pisith, I would like to thank you once again for the wonderful time which you did share with our group as a tourist guide when touring Vietnam and Cambodia in January this year. I would like to thank you in particular for giving me the chance to come together with people in your country and to learn more about their daily life and to get a somewhat closer look beyond typical tourist attractions. Getting clean water is a big problem for these people, and little money is needed to help many families in the years to come. I did entrust you with a small donation to set up a water pump for a comunity of 3 families. Thank you very much for the prompt directing of the money to this project. And thank you for the photo not only showing three happy families but also a big nameplate evidencing with my full name and address in Germany that I am the donor of this small project. Every cent I did entrust you was spent for this project. Thank you once again for giving me the chance to do something really good for people who do badly need our help. The family's expression of thanks makes me happy. Best regards Monika Date
Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Monika Schroederno
From Bragi Jonsson Reykjavik, Iceland 13. Feb Extremely Positive. Words are not even enough to describe how friendly,hospitable and helpful my friend Seaknam and his falmily are. I stayed in their house 3 nights and it was a stay that I will never forget. In his house I felt like one of his family. like home away from home :) Seaknam took me with him to the schools he teaches english in and showed me around in the village and the neighbourhood. I had great meals with his family, hang out in the hamocks underneat his house and saw the daily live in the village by walking around during daytime. I would like you all to take a look at this homepage :http://www.angkorhomestay.com/ If you ever have a chance to stay there GO FOR IT . All the best to your projects my friend.
Bragi from Iceland Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Bragi Jonssonnno
Greetings, "We found Mr. Sim Pisith to be a very informative and helpful tour guide. We especially enjoyed visiting his village and experiencing the every day life of the families there. Because of this opportunity, it was meaningful to us to be able to provide a pump for clean drinking water for some of the families there.
Sue and Mike Henderson Playa del Rey, CA dmhenderson2001@yahoo.com Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Sue and Mike Henderson
If you want to ask me anything, don't hesitate to email me at wotsit2004@hotmail.com Date Written: 07 September 2009Testimonial By: Michael Dovewww.idonthaveawebsite.com
Comments on HVTO Free English classes provided me a precious experience; I realized the principle that guides my life: people who have a college education should serve people who cannot go to universities. I had understood the surface meaning of it, but it had not really hit me because in Japan most of people can enter a university. However, people in the village where I stayed cannot go there even they are really smart and hope to go there because of economical reason. Under the situation, Mr Sim Pisith is exactly putting the principle into practice. That is, he has served the children and villagers. Local English teachers also impressed me so much because they keep up both teaching English and schoolwork or farming. However hard the work might be, they would not complain. Additionally, I was astonished at monks’ will to live even they are orphans. (A new project which is to teach English to monks who are like orphans began during my stay.) Generally speaking, children who are under a hard situation tend to take to misconduct; however, they have a strong desire to learn English and a genuine smile. Finally, I received a warm welcome from the villagers and children, especially the host family, so I deeply appreciate their kindness. Thanks very much. I am sure that next volunteers applause the HVTO with one voice. Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Sho YoshinariNo
Angkor home stay and volunteer English teaching was a positive experience for me. My chief pleasure was the students’ enthusiasm for learning English. There is only a single light in the classroom, but at night, their energy lit up the room. I brought a Frisbee from home, and it proved endless entertainment during breaks between classes. I’ll say as warning if you come, and don’t look Khmer, expect to get stared at as if you were an alien by people outside the Meng family. But that’s all part of the adventure. There’s police protection for visitors ,but I thought it was unnecessary. I felt very safe and cared for at the Mengs’. It was neat to eat their wonderful food (I actually gained weight) and see how they lived, if for a short time. The family and the students were a joy during my week’s stay. Thanks again!
Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Clint PeterNo
" Soksabbay Pisith, since the first time I stayed at Phum Sophy I realized that it was a magical place to visit. The freedom that you experience and the contact with nature is a combination difficult to express in words. Also, having the opportunity of living with a family like yours gives a new scope of how a traveller can experience and learn from the Khmer way of life. Orkun Charern Pisith for your attention and Somnanglao from Lok Sak Weing!"
Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Carlos Sanchezwww.tomandoconciencia.org
Dear Pisith, I would like to thank you once again for the wonderful time which you did share with our group as a tourist guide when touring Vietnam and Cambodia in January this year. I would like to thank you in particular for giving me the chance to come together with people in your country and to learn more about their daily life and to get a somewhat closer look beyond typical tourist attractions. Getting clean water is a big problem for these people, and little money is needed to help many families in the years to come. I did entrust you with a small donation to set up a water pump for a comunity of 3 families. Thank you very much for the prompt directing of the money to this project. And thank you for the photo not only showing three happy families but also a big nameplate evidencing with my full name and address in Germany that I am the donor of this small project. Every cent I did entrust you was spent for this project. Thank you once again for giving me the chance to do something really good for people who do badly need our help. The family's expression of thanks makes me happy. Best regards Monika Date
Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Monika Schroederno
From Bragi Jonsson Reykjavik, Iceland 13. Feb Extremely Positive. Words are not even enough to describe how friendly,hospitable and helpful my friend Seaknam and his falmily are. I stayed in their house 3 nights and it was a stay that I will never forget. In his house I felt like one of his family. like home away from home :) Seaknam took me with him to the schools he teaches english in and showed me around in the village and the neighbourhood. I had great meals with his family, hang out in the hamocks underneat his house and saw the daily live in the village by walking around during daytime. I would like you all to take a look at this homepage :http://www.angkorhomestay.com/ If you ever have a chance to stay there GO FOR IT . All the best to your projects my friend.
Bragi from Iceland Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Bragi Jonssonnno
Greetings, "We found Mr. Sim Pisith to be a very informative and helpful tour guide. We especially enjoyed visiting his village and experiencing the every day life of the families there. Because of this opportunity, it was meaningful to us to be able to provide a pump for clean drinking water for some of the families there.
Sue and Mike Henderson Playa del Rey, CA dmhenderson2001@yahoo.com Date Written: 12 July 2009Testimonial By: Sue and Mike Henderson
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