Public Health in Cambodia: Incredible Experience!

My two weeks of volunteering in the Public Health program in Cambodia through Projects Abroad was hands-down the most amazing experience of my life. During my time there, I practiced hands-on medicine in a way that directly and immediately helped impact the lives of people living in some of the poorest regions of Phnom Penh. We worked with kids in the mornings and adults during the afternoon, and in our free time, most of the volunteers explored the city or even ventured to other cities on the weekends. The other volunteers quickly become some of your best friends: whether you need someone to have an impromptu water-gun fight with, or someone to be your support during a long day, they are there for you. Some of the people I met, though we were only together for 1, maybe 2 weeks, are people that I feel certain I will remain in contact with for the rest of my life, even though we are from places as spread out as Australia, Switzerland, UK, and Alaska! While I would highly recommend this program to anyone thinking about volunteering abroad, I will say this: research the area, the project, and what to expect prior to arriving in the country. Some people expect it to be an easy, comfortable experience, and I will tell you bluntly that it is not. Is it fun? Yes. Do you learn a lot and meet incredible people? Absolutely. Will it change your outlook on life? Most likely. BUT it is not an easy experience. One of my roommates came expecting that her lifestyle could stay the same; she also was not mentally prepared for the heat, humidity, or cultural isolation that comes from not speaking the native language. Needless to say, she was miserable for a good majority of her project. I, however, researched extensively and arrived prepared for hardships galore. I was, thankfully, pleasantly surprised that it often was not as bad as I thought it would be, but you will have a much more enjoyable experience if you mentally prepare yourself for it to be a challenge.
While the incredible people I met, the work I did, and the unforgettable memories all play an enormous role in my reflection of this experience, I know that the program itself is to thank for most of this. The volunteers were incredibly well taken care of, and there was never an instance where I felt that the program had been ill-prepared to handle the situation; we always had a safe place to stay, clean/safe food and water, and ample opportunities to communicate with our program leaders if we ever needed extra help or support. Leaving a small town in Alaska to travel to a developing country on a continent I had never been to before was, understandably, only marginally less than terrifying, but the constant support from the Projects Abroad staff—which starts nearly the moment you send in your application—helped alleviate my concerns and was one of the factors that helped me decide to proceed with my volunteer experience. I have no reservations in entirely, whole-heartedly recommending this program to anyone wanting to volunteer abroad.