Yesterday, I took my first trip as Ambassador to a Cambodian province. On the drive to Kampong Cham town, I enjoyed watching the country side and couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of Cambodia. My favorite part of the trip was visiting Nokor Bachey Temple with a few Cambodian students. The students were members of the American Corner English Club, and on the tour, they told me all about the temple. They were very proud of their history! I was surprised to learn that Nokor Bachey was built even before Angkor Wat. It is amazing to think about the Cambodian architects who designed these huge stone temples without the use of machines – they were obviously brilliant. I particularly loved seeing the new Wat built right up next to the ancient temple – the juxtaposition of bright colors and old stone was very beautiful. There is nothing like this in the world.
My Cambodian student guides and I talk while touring Nokor Bachey.
The temple also had some very unique lintel carvings, and I asked the students about them. The students told me that the carving showed images of Buddha while he was still a king, before the Enlightenment. The carvings were fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about them.
Me learning about the Buddha lintel carvings at Nokor Bachey.
I also had the pleasure of visiting the American Corner at the University of Management and Economics and meeting with high school and university students there. My visit was wonderful – the students were also members of the American Corner English Club or were Access English Microscholarship recipients, and were impressive both with their English skills and with their inquisitive and thoughtful questions. Several students gave a presentation in English about life in Kampong Cham, and we talked about some of the problems the students see in their own community and how they think we can solve them. One example was that sometimes students don’t like to go to school because they would rather go out and have fun with their friends. Of course, this is a problem in the United States as well! One suggestion I have for students is to think about how to make school more fun for themselves. In the United States, students participate in extracurricular activities, but can only do so if they attend regular classes. American students join sports teams associated with the school so that students don’t have to skip class to play, but can play at school as an after school activity. I know that there are many youth organizations in Cambodia that are very popular and successful, like the English Club at the American Corner in Kampong Cham.
On my tour of the Kampong Cham American Corner
I also talked to the students about my new Ambassador’s Youth Council. We talked about why the Youth Council is a priority for me. Seventy percent of Cambodia’s population is under the age of thirty, and I believe that as the future leaders of this country, their views are important.
Someone on the blog posted a question about what the Embassy will do to help provincial students participate in the council, and my trip to Kampong Cham is a perfect example. I want students both from Phnom Penh and the provinces to join the Council, and I am making an effort to reach out to the provinces to let students know that. I also understand that paying to travel for meetings or activities may be difficult for students from the provinces, so the Embassy will work to provide a small stipend to any provincial student selected in order to help cover their expenses for travel and lodging.
I was excited by the enthusiasm of the students at the American Corner in Kampong Cham, and I look forward to receiving applications from them. I hope to receive applications from young people all over Cambodia.
Speaking with students at the American Corner
I am very much looking forward to my next trip to the provinces. Which provinces do you recommend that I visit? What would you recommend that I see? Leave me a note, and perhaps I’ll write a blog posting about my visit to your hometown!
Thank you for your questions and comments. Let’s talk more soon.
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Dear, Mr. Ambassador
I’m really happy when you made a trip to Kampong Cham . Through this trip , I’m sure that you will learn a lot about Cambodia Culture and you could stay closer with Cambodia youth . In the pictures , I saw you were guided by Cambodian Students during your trip to American Corner .
Best Regards,
Chou Vithoureakborndidh
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
It seems a very short time for you to come in this new position after Mrs. Carol Rodley, the former ambassador ended her job with grace and respect. I’m sure that all students in the American Corner Kampong Cham were happy and excited to welcome you as they had been before with Mrs Carol and Mrs Piber Cambell, the first secretary to the US embassy (I’m not sure) who had visited the Corner and Nokor Bachey temple.
Please let me introduce myself to you. I’m a friend of Mr Eng Po. I’ve been a volunteer facilitator to the English Club at the Corner for almost two years from 2008. That was the time the English Club was established under the initiative of Mr. Po. Since my job was growing, I was motivated to join the SEAYLP in the US by the end of 2009 with the other six smart students who are now studying in various universities in Phnom Penh. According to this program, my former students and I set up a proposal to the US embassy to run a six-month Environmental Youth Club in Kampong Cham city in 2010. We went in place to do direct campaigns with high school students and disable children under the cooperation of city mayor and Red Cross Youths and Boyscouts—more than 500 of them were very active. We also bought a number of rubbish bins to deploy along the riverbank for public use. Since my time get narrow, I currently work quite far from the Corner, but still support it if necessary.
Through SEAYLP, I’ve created many other new similar programs and training in my workplace in terms of Capacity Development. Those programs have been highly appreciated by the provincial leaders. More programs will follow. Regarding this, I wish to join any other programs in Cambodia or the US for I can learn more to develop my community and my country upon my return. My commitment is never weak and small, I bet.
I like the US, and I like the Coner. I like my country.
Han Kosal
Dear Ambassador William E. Todd
You are powerful Ambassador
Best regard
Heng
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
I am so surprised that you had taken your first trip visiting Cambodian province. I feel so warm when I saw lots of your activities with Cambodian youth in your trip, even though it was not in my high school and my province. I am just a high school student in Phnom Penh who is extremely interested in your council and want to take part with it because I think that there’re many issues that always happen to high school students, like what you had discussed at the American Corner in Kampong Cham, then it may affect the country’s future, so if I have chance to join it, all I want to do is changing this bad habit of the high school students in order to create a country with qualified education. All in all, I recommend you to visit any of high school in Phnom Penh, not only in provinces, and give us some idea about how to change those bad habit of the sudents.
Best Regards,
Virakbuth Seng
Dear Sir,
It is very great that you spend your valuable time visiting Kampong Cham province which help and give opportunity, and broaden students as well as people who are living in Province the awareness of knowledge and information. I said so because I was also provincial student, but not in the town, quite far from the town. So if you have another visit to any province please let other student from other districts in the town have opportunity to join the visit.
Kind regards,
Guek,
Dear Mr. Ambassador and dear everyone,
Your visit to the countryside is very appreciated. I was interested for your view about the extra curricular activities.
PSE in Phnom Penh has set up the extra curricular activities for all the children in the evening for week day and at the weekend.
There are sports activities, art, music, handicraft, dancing, bokator boxing, aikido, field visit etc. and especially rugby and skate.
You are all invited to visit and join our program. It is a free of charge for all.The objective is to create a play ground for the children to enjoy their time after school and away from drug.
We hope to welcome you!
Naren
i was really happy when i saw your program about ambassador’s youth council. i am really appreciate to join. i have prepared my application include one ( interest statement ). i hope than my application will be reached to you. i hope that you will like my application and give me a small chance to be a member in this program.
Dear Mr. Ambassador of USA for Cambodia.
I’m behalf Khmer nation want to say we are happily to see your present in CAMBODIA under the name you are a new USA’s ambassador, and I hope during the time that you work in my country you are going to have beautiful memories which still keep in your feeling for ever; furthermore, i hope that u actual can help my country on all sectors; especially, human right problem.
Finally, I myself behalf Khmer nation would like to wish you meet all good things in your life and family.