Minerva Fellowship: Siem Reap, Cambodia

TGC Arts

          I remember one of the first things that I noticed about The Global Child when I arrived, was how little the inside of the building looked like a school.  With the exception of some photos of the students, there were no bulletin boards, no posters, and really no color up on the bare walls.  So this was something that we immediately worked to change.  Throughout our 9 months, we’ve set up two bulletin boards with things like vocabulary competitions, every student and staff’s birthdays (so that none will go un-celebrated), and things like brain teasers, puzzles of the week, sudoku, etc.  Our bulletin board as you enter the school houses our student council information, a countdown to our recent school field trip, and a colorful TGC sign that we created together.

          The lack of art and music in the students’ curriculum was also something that we immediately felt needed to be changed.  In a culture that lacks so much artisitc creativity, it’s vital that these kids get the experience of an art or music class to explore these subjects.  These are classes that as kids were mandatory for us, and although it doesn’t turn out to be everyone’s passion, it allows your brain to work in completely new ways and to tap into abilities that might otherwise never be discovered.  During the genocide of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which took place about 30 years ago, there was a driving effort to create an agrarian or classless society. Therefore, anything that was considered to be private enterprise led to execution and death.  The main targets of the Khmer Rouge’s killings were intellectuals, teachers, artists, musicians, buisnessmen, etc.  The effects of these 1-2 million deaths is glaringly evident in Cambodian culture.  There is a complete lack of creativity, both artistically and musically, and along with it, a lack of appreciation or view of it as an important part of life or the education system. 

          Kate and I got to work and created an art curriculum that covered subject matters such as still life, abstract, portraits and self-portraits, landscapes, and sculpture.  We re-organized the upstairs of TGC to better make use of the space and classrooms, and created an art and music classroom, in a large classroom area that had otherwise not had much of a purpose.  We printed out and decorated the walls with examples of famous pieces of artwork by artists such as Picasso, Van Gough, and Pollock, and famous piano players and composers.  We also lined the walls of our classroom with cutouts of musical notes and paintbrushes, giving it the final sense of a music and art classroom.  Thanks to the Opalka family who generously got on board and funded our art class supplies, we held formal art classes each week, for each “class” of TGC students.  The kids were extremely eager to take part, and our classes explored mediums ranging from sketching, to watercolors, to pastels and colored pencils, and our final project which will be a large mural that will sit outside the school.

          It’s been extremely rewarding to watch each students’ enthusiasm and eagerness to take part in the art classes.  They come to class each week, excited to learn what the next project will be and we have to force them to leave for lunch at the end of each hour.  They have produced incredible pieces, and I think it’s been a great opportunity for many of them to delve into the depths of their creativity and see what they are capable of.  They probably wouldn’t otherwise even think of doing these types of projects on their own.  For one student in particular, who struggles a lot academically, and displays very suggestive signs of a learning/social disorder, I was surprised at the quality of work that she was producing, and it was nice for her to have the feeling for once of doing well at something in comparison to her peers. During their self study time, many of them take out the art supplies and sit, diligently working on finishing their artwork, or creating new pieces.

        Last week we had an art show and piano concert at TGC, and I think it was probably one of my most favorite days that I’ve had here in Cambodia.  All of the children’s parents and family members were invited to come to the school on a Saturday afternoon.  We converted our art classroom into a gallery, and displayed each piece of artwork produced by the students, with their names officially printed and placed below.  Each student that has been taking piano with me also selected one or two songs to play in front of everyone in a concert outside the school.  We printed out official programs which were translated into Khmer for the parents, and stood by and watched as our kids proudly led their parents through their school.  This day gave families a chance to see what their kids have been working on, and as our kids led their parents by the hand through their artwork it was so exciting to see their looks of surprise and amazement at what their kids had done.  Dara, our principal told me that many of the parents were saying that they never believed that their kids could do such things, or had such talents.  It was wonderful to watch them perform their piano songs which their families wouldn’t otherwise get to hear as none of them own anything similar to a keyboard at their homes.  As I sat and watched and listened to each student proudly and nervously play their songs I was simply overcome with pride.  I am so proud of these kids and what they’ve accomplished with us.  I can only hope that these programs can continue on in the future because I feel that the value of them to TGC and to the future of this society is simply immeasurable.

My Little Maestros

          I began taking piano lessons when I was six years old.  For the past 16 years, the piano has absorbed the spectrum of my emotions and has grown to be something that I define myself by.  Upon venturing to Cambodia, I had braced myself with the impending lack of those 88 ivory keys for a lengthy 9 months.  Little did I know, TGC was the home to two small Casio keyboards.

          I began teaching piano lessons to 19 of our 25 students a few months into my fellowship.  I devised a course outline, held open sign-ups, organized my students into classes during any free time we had throughout the week, and set up a music classroom. 

          My piano lessons cover a wide range of ages and abilities.  All of the youngest kids immediately signed their names onto the sign-up sheet, eager to bang away at those shiny, sound-emitting toys. Their favorite song still stands as Jingle Bells, and although we are far past the appropriate time to play this song, they still call me over to have me watch them fly through it with pride.  Little Srey Am’s wrist is about the size of my first and middle finger put together.  Her fingers look like toothpicks.  As she sits at her stool, craning her neck above the keyboard, she struggles to even press the keys down.  Most over her energy is poured into having the keyboard emit some kind of sound, let along playing the correct notes. 

          Then there is Marot, at the other end of the spectrum.  He sits there during his Wednesday mid-afternoon lesson, eagerly awaiting the song I’ve chosen for him, and chomping at the bit to learn the notes and perfect it by the same time next week.  Any time he has a free minute, he’s sitting at the keyboard, trying to get his song past the point of perfection, and usually succeeding.

          Teaching these lessons has managed to provide me with some of the most frustrating as well as some of the most rewarding moments of my teaching experience here.  My frustrations stem from the fact that 10 of my students began learning English one year ago, and 8 of them began 5 months ago.   Maneuvering through basic small talk proves to be difficult enough, let alone learning how to read and play music, and understanding the most basic elements of theory.  Getting them to understand that two notes located next to each other on the staff are also located next to each other on the piano has comprised countless hours of my time.  And as I stand before them, gesturing  and miming, running back and forth between the board and the keyboards, and saying the same thing 100 times over, I know that to them I might as well not even speak, because the words that I am saying mean close to nothing to them.  I can grab Jon or Sopha to translate the most basic of necessary words like “practice” “fast”, or “right hand”.  But they don’t have the time to stand beside me and translate my every word.  And yes, going into this I knew that this language barrier would be a struggle, but I wanted them all to have the chance to take part. 

          My moments of joy have come from watching those of my students who have picked up this skill and started running with it.  These are the students who have learned and memorized the notes, practice on their own time each day, and who present me with a mastered song at their next lesson.  They play it for me with perfection and excitement, and as I stand there and watch their fingers dance over the keys, I am overcome with pride.  In that moment, nothing else could make me happier.

          It’s been amazing for me to see the progress that these kids have made in their piano skills over the course of our lessons.  Now they only need one week to master their song, as opposed to the beginning when we’d be working on the same song for weeks at a time with little progress.  When I point to a note, they can (usually) tell me the name on the first try.  This is monumental.  When I think back to the first few months, and how different our classes are now, it’s really like night and day.  I’ve set them up with their own music folders, which house their own collection of songs.  They can proudly flip through it, and know that they can play each and every piece within it.  They also love learning the words to the songs, so we usually spend the last few minutes of class going over lyrics and singing them.  It brings the song to life for them, and they love learning any kind of English song, especially when they can play the tune themselves.

          I know that some of my students will not continue with piano once I leave. I plan on leaving plenty of music behind, for them to take and learn on their own if they choose.  Kate and I are organizing a small concert for them to showcase their talents to their parents, who otherwise will probably never get to hear them practice or play since they don’t have access to a keyboard outside the school.  For those who will keep it up, I can only hope that I’ve opened up a door for them, and that this skill will provide them will all of the things that it has for me… an escape, a vacuum for frustration, and a resilient comfort. 

Don’t Let Go

          I’m standing in a pool of cold, dirty brown water. Cringing, I move ever so slightly, kicking up leaves and dirt, which I envision only to be snakes brushing against my legs in this murky abyss.  I was begged in by 25 pleading children, now launching themselves at me from all directions, into water that is well over their heads, and hoping that I’ll catch them, as few can swim.  During the chaos, one of my students clings on to me, her arms wrapped around my neck and her legs entwined around my waist.  Minutes elapse until I glance down, my eyes met with the sight of a sleeping child, her head on my shoulder, sucking her thumb in peace.  Shivering with blue lips, she adamantly continues to brave the cold water, clinging to every last drop of the moment.

          Being a hospice volunteer for the past 4 years, as well as preparing for a career in medicine has ingrained into my mind the importance of physical touch.  As a person lies dying in front of you, it doesn’t matter who you are…family, friend, or stranger.  They want to hold a physical hand.  They want to know that someone is there in a form more substantial than a medical professional asking them what hurts.

         Cambodia has dealt me an entirely different hand.  I’m now surrounded by children, the most vivacious and energy-filled kids I’ve ever met.  They have been given an immeasurable opportunity, by being allowed to attend school at The Global Child.  They have been given an education, the ability to learn English, food, and their health care taken care of.  These items can be checked off a list.  Their lives have been improved.  But what about the vital aspects of their emotional development that should be fostered at home amongst a loving family?  Many of the kids here aren’t held when they are sick or hurt, tucked in at night, or told that they are loved daily.  The younger kids come from broken homes and families. Many live with alcoholic fathers, mothers with drug addictions, or with no parents at all.  They avoid their homes and villages at all costs, arriving early to school, and returning home as late as possible, the encroaching darkness on their bike ride home being their only motivation to leave.  The older kids live in dorm-style housing, seeing their families, if they have any to see, only about three times a year.

          One thing that I never expected in Cambodia was for my Hospice training to come echoing back to me.  However, it quickly became obvious to me how desperate these kids are for the emotional fulfillment of hugs, holding a hand, or having someone put an arm around their tiny shoulders. They crave it.  All day, children are wrapping their arms around me, taking any opportunity to grab my hand or curl up against me.  Even the older kids display similar behavior.  It’s been something that has caught me off guard, but I’ve realized it’s such a vital aspect of their emotional growth and development that they are otherwise not getting.  And so, it’s unexpectedly become part of my volunteer role and job description.  In schools at home you don’t ever see a teacher standing next to a student with their arm around their shoulders, explaining the homework or going over how something should be done.  But TGC serves as so much more than a school to these kids, as they lack far more in their lives than an education.

          Less than two months from now, I’ll be home, hands tied, desperately hoping that I’ve done everything in my power to improve their lives academically and emotionally.  So until I say goodbye, I’ll continue to hold on tight when they throw their arms around me.  And when they are lying asleep on me, holding my hand, I won’t pull away until they do.  Because it’s what these children want and need.  Not someone standing there, asking them what hurts.

Student Council

We’ve started a student council at TGC! A few months ago we came up with the idea as a solution to some of the communication problems that had been happening with the oldest kids who live at the woodhouse, regarding things such as chores, rules, etc.  They all seemed to be having individual issues, without a clear idea as to who to vent them to, and our staff was getting overwhelmed with the different sides of the story that were being presented to them at inappropriate times.

 And so the concept of a student council was suggested by Kate and I.  This would provide a channel for students and staff to address various frustrations or other ideas for the school, and class leaders, who would then directly communicate with their peers, our principal, and our business manager. It would help to foster an effective and open relationship between staff and students, and would provide a means for our kids to have a more active voice in various aspects of their school and education.

After the idea was approved, we held a school meeting, translated by one of our oldest kids, where we explained the concept and logistics of a student council to all TGC students.  Each of the three “classes” would have a president and vice president.  There would also be a student body president and vice president.  Over the course of about two weeks we held nominations, followed by extremely nervous speeches, elections, and then tie-breakers to land us with a solid group of eager TGC leaders.  Proudly bearing their “I Voted!” pins, our kids took an active role in choosing who they felt best would represent their class and school.  Over the past few months, we’ve held our first few student council meetings.  They are held entirely in Khmer so that all students, including the younger kids can take part and have all issues communicated to them effectively.  The people in attendance consist of our Principal, business manager, Kate and I, and our TGC presidents and vice presidents.

As we sometimes have come to realize here, we’ve needed to backtrack a bit.  When things such as personal issues that students had with other students were appearing on the student council meeting agenda, we realized that the underlying concepts of student council had been overlooked and not explained clearly enough by Kate and I.  Somewhat forgetting that we were in a country and school where this is literally a foreign concept, we took a few steps backward and organized a student council workshop, where we worked with our new school leaders, and taught them how to be effective student council members.  What you should do before, during and after meetings, what kinds of ideas and issues should be added to the agenda, how to be effective leaders for your peers, and how to handle problems were some of the ideas we discussed.  We also did some role playing as to how to convene small meetings with your class prior to the big meeting, and then how to effectively relay all important topics to your class after the meetings.

Pisey was elected student body president.  She compiles the lists of each class’ and administrators’ items for the agenda, and types it up for each meeting.  Marot, our VP of the oldest kids, is our note-taker for the meetings, and afterwards types up a report including all issues and decisions that were part of the meeting.

Overall I think this is going to be a huge success and extremely helpful for TGC.  It will provide an effective channel for ideas, issues, and suggestions.  Our grade 6 girls have brought forth a proposal for binders for each of them to keep their papers organized, which was approved.  Our grade 5 students have proposed another weekend trip to swim at Baray.  Issues that our older kids have with our new study hours policy have been brought forth and settled in a diplomatic way that everyone (for the most part) could agree on.

 I hope that this model will continue for years after we leave, and provide an effective way for the students here to feel as though they have an active role in the school.  Having their ideas and suggestions being listened to and feeling as though they have a voice is a monumental step for this school and this country.  And fostering effective leadership in a fair and democratic manner is only going to benefit them.  We have strong leaders already in these kids, and this will only further their success as role models for their peers and country.  Having Pisey, a woman, in the role of student body president also says a lot, and brings hope to the changing role of women in this society.  It’s also given her an extra boost of confidence in herself and her own potential, which is nothing less than extraordinary to see.  Overall, we’ve been extremely pleased with the progress and positive impact that Student Council has had so far for TGC.  I can only hope that this transcends in the future, and that it can continue to serve as an instrument for positive change.

Joe to Go

          The concept behind the Minerva Fellowship is a “social entrepreneurial” approach to global service.  Therefore, a large portion of our time in Cambodia is spent helping Joe to Go, a restaurant and boutique located in downtown Siem Reap become more profitable.  Joe to Go is under the same management as The Global Child school, and all profits from sales at the restaurant and boutique go directly to the school.  Most of our free time here has been spent brainstorming and putting into action new methods to increase sales and profitability of this business, in hopes that some time in the future, TGC can become self-sustainable through these local business ventures.  Here are some of the things that we have done during our time here:

          Redesigned the menu, adding about 20 new item menus.  The menu has a combination of traditional Asian dishes, and now a lot more classics from home including a blue cheese & apple salad, french toast, bruschetta, mango salsa and guacamole, mac & cheese, pb & j, caesar salad/sandwich, and our most exciting addition: chocolate chip, oatmeal, and peanut butter cookies.  It’s been pretty much impossible to find good cookies in Siem Reap, and ours at Joe to Go are now quickly gaining popularity amongst customers.  We researched recipes, held small cooking classes to teach the staff how to make each new item, and then added them into a newly printed menu.

          Changes to the physical appearance/decor:  When we first got here, Joe to Go was completely white.  We decided to paint the walls a shade of tan, and the wall behind the register green to match some of the couch pillows already in place.  We painted the Global Child’s slogan “Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s World” up along the top of the wall as a large border, painted a “boutique upstairs” sign behind the register, and added an ivy border around the window near the stairs.  We also were trying to find ways to get customers upstairs into the boutique, and came up with the idea of painting a quote the staircase to draw your eye upwards. We’ve also redesigned the outside sign to make it bigger, more colorful, and noticeable so that it’s more easily spotted while walking by.  We designed the font and text for two new awnings: one for above the restaurant and one for the boutique.  We also added the three hanging lights above the register.

          Marketing:  We designed and printed a Joe to Go advertisement to sit on the backs of the tuk tuks (taxis in town).  We also have designed small advertisements that were published in the Phnom Penh post, and some other small eating & dining brochures and maps.

          Boutique Merchandise: Kate and I have kicked off our modeling careers in Siem Reap by photographing most of the boutique’s clothing and merchandise:  some to be used for future advertising, and some that has already been used for the local ads in town.  We are also working on information cards that will be placed next to a lot of the locally made products, to give customers a clear explanation of the background behind them.  We’ve been trying to get more locally-made products in the boutique by searching out craft fairs and markets for new items.

          Staff English Classes:  Weekday mornings Kate and I teach English to the staff members at Joe to Go.  We’ve been focusing on a lot of pertinent vocabulary and conversational subject matter to help them provide better service, interact with the customers more, and to communicate the connection with The Global Child more efficiently.

Some things we are working on now:

Redesigning The Global Child’s brochure.

Making new price tags for all of the boutique’s merchandise.

Framing and putting up some more photos of the school and students to highlight the school/restaurant connection.

Designing thank you for your purchase/information cards that will be given with each purchase, with information about the Global Child and where the money is going.

Two new window displays downstairs in the restaurant for boutique merchandise, especially Global Child t shirts, etc. and the necklaces that are made by one of our students’ mother.

Working with Lonely Planet and other online restaurant/traveling review sites to get Joe to Go on the map and give it some excellent reviews!