Friendship with Cambodia’s former board chair, Shoshana Kerewsky, is traveling to Cambodia with 7 Family and Human Services students from University of Oregon, along with assistant and former board member Kevin Wiles. They will share their experiences on our blog.
Shoshana with Ms Nhong Hema of RUPP’s Psychology Program
I’ve been to Cambodia a number of times now—as a professional, as a volunteer, and as a tourist. I’ve visited with other psychologists through People to People International, on one of Friendship with Cambodia’s socially responsible tours, and on my own. While there, I’ve even met a couple of university students that I sponsor. But even though this is my 6th trip, it’s the first I’ve been able to share the experience with a group. I’ve wanted to do this since 2006, and I’m very excited that it’s finally happening. My deepest thanks are due to Bhavia Wagner at FWC, Eric Skaar at IE3, and Lauren Lindstrom at University of Oregon, along with the many others who have helped make this trip possible.
Kevin and I both have a background in psychology and the students are undergraduate juniors and seniors in Family and Human Services. This means that all of us are interested in people and the socio-cultural contexts that help determine the areas of risk and resilience in their lives. For this reason, I’ve constructed this trip to be similar to the one FWC offers annually. In addition to cultural and historical sites ranging from the Killing Fields to the Angkor temples, we’ll visit some of the programs and organizations FWC supports. We’ll meet university students whose education is sponsored by FWC, and visit an undergraduate Psychology class at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, where Kevin is scheduled to give a presentation on post-traumatic stress disorder. We’ll learn from other organizations as well, including the Somaly Mam Foundation and others that work to end human trafficking and to support vulnerable, at-risk, and exploited people. We’ll also visit organizations that offer internships through the Oregon University System’s IE3 global internship program, and make updates to sections of Pujita Nanette Majeda and Friendship with Cambodia’s guidebook, Responsible Travel Guide Cambodia: Improving Lives Through Thoughtful Travel Choices.
We’ll spend a lot of time talking about what we wonder about, what we’re learning, how it makes us feel, and what we can do to benefit both Cambodians and people in our own communities. We hope to blog frequently so we can share our experiences and practice writing professionally yet personally in social media. I’m sure we’ll hit some snags and have some surprises, so I’m looking forward to calming my own monkey mind and remaining peaceful and reflective. I’ll let you know how that goes!
Shoshana D. Kerewsky is incoming Director of the Family and Human Services program at University of Oregon.
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