Cambodia 2014

I like to call this the time that I had a pre-quarter-life-crisis, left University before the spring semester was over and tried to track down my purpose in Cambodia. While in Cambodia I worked on an elephant sanctuary founded by Lek Chailert, one of the kindest, soft spoken, passionate individuals I have ever met. While I was at the sanctuary I not only helped take care of the elephants there but I taught the military English. When I wasn't at the sanctuary, I was mostly in Siem Reap helping instruct a volunteer program, teaching English, sports and Geography. On the weekends I would travel to Phenom Pehn the capitol and teach additional priviate lessons at a hotel.

I bared witness to some of the most extreme poverty there was. Became friends with some of the most genuine individuals. And truly found who I wanted to be while in Cambodia. The world broke my heart while I was there, as I had to navigate through corruption, greed and ill intentioned Westerners. It was a journey that left scars deeper than the Grand Canyon on my heart, but it was an experience that has shifted me, molded me and encouraged me to press on.

You can see more about my adventures at my old blog .

Things I'm Afraid Of Learning how to drive a motor bike & how to trust myself. As I became hesitant to climb on the back of his motorbike to go to a party in a village I was unfamiliar with Sam, or as I called him "SAAAAM,"asked me, "is it Cambodia you are afraid of? Or is it me?" Only after I left, weeks later did I realize I was most afraid of missing this feeling of infinity. Where I would be okay doing anything. And I missed the raw emotion of falling in love with a stranger.	Boys Club The boys who lived below my apartment. Between doing chores together, playing rock paper scissor and singing the ABCs backwards, they were always a familiar feeling of home to me.	Grade School Graffiti "If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ― E.B. White
Smiling Contest Teaching at a one room school on Koh Rong island.	Drawings of the World	'Yes' to Everything Once I don't even know what this was, but I remember the fish spine that was in it.
Angkor Wat One of the most magical days. Seeing how Angkor Wat is considered a world wander, it was relatively quite the first time I went. It was so quite that I swore I heard all of the secrets of the world as we walked through the temples. It was magical and a privilege to be virtually the only ones that day.	Leaving is just like Riding a Bike Staying is where I wobble. It only took two centuries for me to learn how to ride a bike with the masterful help of Seyha and Gaga.	Building a vocational school for the older students.