Back

I made it back to Cambodia. I also made it back home. The term back-to-back would be a good way to describe the whole trip. I spent thirteen days working in Cambodia without a weekend; then I spent a solid six days at home seeing friends and family. Now I am back at work.

I thought that seeing friends and family would make me homesick, and in a way it did. When I returned to Cambodia, I felt a bit of incompleteness from being without my close friends and family once again. However, it was not nearly as bad as I imagined it might be. Everyone at home was very supportive of what I was doing, and I felt a wonderful warmth and love.

However, I also discovered that many people were fairly clueless on the details here. I suppose that is my fault. Looking back, when I announce that I would be working in Cambodia, I didn't have much idea of what I would be doing exactly. Now, I am a great deal more informed about my responsibilities and somewhat more clearheaded about what I am trying to do.

To start, I am the Director of Community-based Activities and the School Administrator of the Institute of Hospitality at Shinta Mani Hotel and Spa, located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I am of the opinion that both titles sound quite impressive and fancy, and a little intimidating.

The community-based activities are a way for guests of the hotel to give back to rural Cambodians. Cambodia is simultaneously a tourist-friendly and income-poor country. Consequentially, visitors are generally jarred by the poverty they see and eager for a way to make a difference. My hotel provides an outlet for that through a number of donations to everyday people, generally subsistence farmers with very limited opportunity or prospects.

As far as my responsibilities to those programs, if you can think it, I probably do it. I keep track of donations and make sure that they are properly distributed. Once they are distributed, I photograph the recipients with the donation and send that, via e-mail, to the donor. If guests of the hotel ask to see the programs, I am a tour guide for the day. When I am not doing those things, I may be writing back to various inquiries (it seems like I have some one doing interviews two or three times a month) or writing monthly reports. The thing I enjoy the most is trying to figure out ways to encourage more self-sufficiency and sustainability, and fewer hand-outs. I also write a quarterly newsletter.

There are some things that I have considered doing, but it may be a while before I have time for them. This includes changing the webpage about the programs, surveying the recipients of our donations and analyzing the results, and completing an annual report.

As for the Institute of Hospitality, my list of duties is smaller. Most recently, I selected the students for the program. This involved interviewing about 120 applicants for 25 spots. In October, I also got to be the master of ceremonies for our graduation. Depending on how things go, I may end up teaching the students English, with the help of a Khmer friend. However, my biggest responsibility is making sure that donations come into the school.

So that is my job in a nut-shell. I have only been at it for four months. Still, I have considered where the future lies from here. I have found my "dream job" for the moment, and it contains only one severe drawback: that I am so far away from home.