Lift profiled four students currently studying abroad to find out what life is really like in other parts of the world.
Svay Angkeara
After receiving a scholarship at the end of 2009, Svay Angkeara, who is now a 20-year-old studying engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of France, expects to graduate in 2013 after finishing both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He says he is confident that he will make it to graduation, but when he first arrived, he encountered many struggles.
“I had many difficulties in both my daily life and my studies,” he said. “French food, cold weather and different time schedules were all difficult to adapt to.
“I am the only Cambodian in my year here,” he added, “so I have to become friends with people of other nationalities, especially French students. Friendship is the most important thing. I cannot live without it.”
Besides a new lifestyle, the university system in France is quite different from Cambodia. However, within a month, Svay Angkeara said he had adapted to the new environment.
He explained that in the French university system there are many courses and subjects that he has never encountered before, while most of his classmates are already familiar with many of the concepts being taught. Therefore, he has to work twice as hard as other students.
Svay Angkeara is still years from his ultimate goal of getting his master’s degree, but he is doing well in almost all of his courses and is receiving well-deserved admiration from friends and professors.
Ouk Longdy
Ouk Longdy, 24, is in the midst of a one-year programme at the University of Minho in the Portuguese city of Guimar?es, where he is writing his thesis for his civil engineering degree.
Although he has only been there for four months, Longdy has had a wide variety of experiences.
“The biggest difficulty has been that I don’t speak Portuguese, so I can’t really communicate with people in the region,” he explained. “Actually, I study in English, but students hardly ever use English when they are talking in a social setting.”
The language hasn’t been the only thing he has had to get used to. “Furthermore, I do not smoke and drink as much alcohol as people here, so it has been hard for me to adapt to this new environment,” he said.
Another strange behavioural change has been physical interactions. He has learned to greet people in public and places or parties in proper Portuguese style by kissing, hugging or shaking hands. “I think I feel more familiar with the environment. I have learned how to work with the people and to be tolerant and responsible,” he said. “But I am not yet independent; I still often need help from someone before I make a decision.”
As far as his opinion of the experience, he said: “I need to wait and see because now I have only made it halfway. My achievement will come when I finish working on this project and defend my thesis successfully in December 2010 at this university.”
Teng Oudam
Teng Oudam, 21, is one year through a five-year scholarship to study architecture at Syusei Technical College in Tokyo, Japan. He received the scholarship in 2008 through the Japanese embassy.
While studying and living in Japan, Teng Oudam has not faced many of the hardships that his peers in European and North American universities have come up against. “The most difficult thing has been the language since English is not widely used here,” he said.
Before going to college in Japan, Teng Oudam had to study the Japanese language for a year in Cambodia. In his daily interactions, both at school and outside the classroom, Teng Oudam has put his Japanese skills to the test.
In his time abroad he has been required to represent Cambodia by giving presentations about culture and traditions in the Kingdom. In this capacity Teng Oudam has had many chances to join international festivals organised by the school.
“Since I am here alone, I couldn’t perform any traditional dances, but I could sing instead,” Teng Oudam said.
He applied for the scholarship at the Department of Scholarships in Phnom Penh. After passing a written and spoken test, he had to get a medical checkup and provide other documents, including his academic transcript, references from high school and a foundation year certificate showing that he finished one year of university. It was all worth it when he was selected to head to Japan.
Suon Ratana
After receiving a Fulbright scholarship in 2009, Suon Ratana is now working towards her master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Oregon in the United States. The fact that it rains for 10 months a year in that part of America has been one of many obstacles that Suon Ratana said she has had to overcome.
“A great challenge for me has been staying strong in a cold and wet climate,” she said. Due to the nature of her major, she says “there are many classes which require me to work outside regardless of the weather conditions”.
Another challenge has been staying healthy, both physically and mentally, despite a tight and stressful academic schedule. “I had some really bad experiences with my American classmates in the first quarter of school. We had different ways of working and thinking,” she said, adding that “I met some American students who had very little knowledge about the world outside America and they were too full of themselves so they discriminated against me, an Asian student.”
Despite the difficulties and struggles, she has also had many positive experiences and gained a lot of knowledge from her studies. “My best experiences have been making friends with the people from other cultures and h---aving many nice American friends,” she said.
As a member of the International Cultural Service Program, Suon Ratana has to do presentations about Cambodian culture for communities in the US. She said the events have not only taught her about the culture of others, but also forced her to learn more about her own culture.
But ultimately it is in the classroom where she has benefitted the most. “The greatest experience has been studying at a real design school, where I meet professors who wrote the books I used to read,” Suon Ratana said. “I simply learn a lot of things, like new ways of analysing projects critically.”
After receiving a scholarship at the end of 2009, Svay Angkeara, who is now a 20-year-old studying engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of France, expects to graduate in 2013 after finishing both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He says he is confident that he will make it to graduation, but when he first arrived, he encountered many struggles.
“I had many difficulties in both my daily life and my studies,” he said. “French food, cold weather and different time schedules were all difficult to adapt to.
“I am the only Cambodian in my year here,” he added, “so I have to become friends with people of other nationalities, especially French students. Friendship is the most important thing. I cannot live without it.”
Besides a new lifestyle, the university system in France is quite different from Cambodia. However, within a month, Svay Angkeara said he had adapted to the new environment.
He explained that in the French university system there are many courses and subjects that he has never encountered before, while most of his classmates are already familiar with many of the concepts being taught. Therefore, he has to work twice as hard as other students.
Svay Angkeara is still years from his ultimate goal of getting his master’s degree, but he is doing well in almost all of his courses and is receiving well-deserved admiration from friends and professors.
Ouk Longdy
Ouk Longdy, 24, is in the midst of a one-year programme at the University of Minho in the Portuguese city of Guimar?es, where he is writing his thesis for his civil engineering degree.
Although he has only been there for four months, Longdy has had a wide variety of experiences.
“The biggest difficulty has been that I don’t speak Portuguese, so I can’t really communicate with people in the region,” he explained. “Actually, I study in English, but students hardly ever use English when they are talking in a social setting.”
The language hasn’t been the only thing he has had to get used to. “Furthermore, I do not smoke and drink as much alcohol as people here, so it has been hard for me to adapt to this new environment,” he said.
Another strange behavioural change has been physical interactions. He has learned to greet people in public and places or parties in proper Portuguese style by kissing, hugging or shaking hands. “I think I feel more familiar with the environment. I have learned how to work with the people and to be tolerant and responsible,” he said. “But I am not yet independent; I still often need help from someone before I make a decision.”
As far as his opinion of the experience, he said: “I need to wait and see because now I have only made it halfway. My achievement will come when I finish working on this project and defend my thesis successfully in December 2010 at this university.”
Teng Oudam
Teng Oudam, 21, is one year through a five-year scholarship to study architecture at Syusei Technical College in Tokyo, Japan. He received the scholarship in 2008 through the Japanese embassy.
While studying and living in Japan, Teng Oudam has not faced many of the hardships that his peers in European and North American universities have come up against. “The most difficult thing has been the language since English is not widely used here,” he said.
Before going to college in Japan, Teng Oudam had to study the Japanese language for a year in Cambodia. In his daily interactions, both at school and outside the classroom, Teng Oudam has put his Japanese skills to the test.
In his time abroad he has been required to represent Cambodia by giving presentations about culture and traditions in the Kingdom. In this capacity Teng Oudam has had many chances to join international festivals organised by the school.
“Since I am here alone, I couldn’t perform any traditional dances, but I could sing instead,” Teng Oudam said.
He applied for the scholarship at the Department of Scholarships in Phnom Penh. After passing a written and spoken test, he had to get a medical checkup and provide other documents, including his academic transcript, references from high school and a foundation year certificate showing that he finished one year of university. It was all worth it when he was selected to head to Japan.
Suon Ratana
After receiving a Fulbright scholarship in 2009, Suon Ratana is now working towards her master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Oregon in the United States. The fact that it rains for 10 months a year in that part of America has been one of many obstacles that Suon Ratana said she has had to overcome.
“A great challenge for me has been staying strong in a cold and wet climate,” she said. Due to the nature of her major, she says “there are many classes which require me to work outside regardless of the weather conditions”.
Another challenge has been staying healthy, both physically and mentally, despite a tight and stressful academic schedule. “I had some really bad experiences with my American classmates in the first quarter of school. We had different ways of working and thinking,” she said, adding that “I met some American students who had very little knowledge about the world outside America and they were too full of themselves so they discriminated against me, an Asian student.”
Despite the difficulties and struggles, she has also had many positive experiences and gained a lot of knowledge from her studies. “My best experiences have been making friends with the people from other cultures and h---aving many nice American friends,” she said.
As a member of the International Cultural Service Program, Suon Ratana has to do presentations about Cambodian culture for communities in the US. She said the events have not only taught her about the culture of others, but also forced her to learn more about her own culture.
But ultimately it is in the classroom where she has benefitted the most. “The greatest experience has been studying at a real design school, where I meet professors who wrote the books I used to read,” Suon Ratana said. “I simply learn a lot of things, like new ways of analysing projects critically.”
17 comments:
I'm honestly respectful of these students, because not only they culturally or socially, but academically survive in school. I am ashamedful of myself that I am still an illiterate man!
I am also proud of my fellow Cambodians. I tend to believe that most educated Cambodian have more open minded than older generations who didnt have any form of schooling.
I am also a graduate of business. I graduated in 1993 from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics.
Like you, I've struggled for the first semester but was able to keep up with the help of a mentor, usually a dean or a residence advisor.
As a refugee, I had to work and study harder than most of the main stream students. My English was very poor at first. However after a year in college, my English had dramatically improved. I was able to write without grammatical errors and actually make sense. I don't write a one liner without supporting sentences like some of the bloggers in this forum do.
My advise to these students is to be persistent and persevere and don't give up or drop out. You will succeed if you keep going. Trust me. Good luck.
These young Cambodian gentlemen are first the cream of the crop of Cambodia with high IQ, fully supported by their meritorious scholarships. Usually, they are even more motivated than the first generation of immigrants. However, the most important thing is the value that they get from their families and spiritual teachers that will be the foundations of their future leadership.
Right on brothers. I'm proud of the Cambodian youth who have been struggling for the betterment of themselves and the society. We must continue this. Cambodia needs a lot of intellectuals to replace the Communist hardliners in the coming 20 years or so. Let's look forward with optimism and faith. I don't want to curse or talk bad words, but these current Communist rulers do not live longer than the coming 20 years - let's prepare for our taking over of the role.
Studying overseas is not just about study itself, but also much more about other experiences, such as different cultures, ways of life, learning method, and appreciating the development and wanting to do the same for our motherland, etc. Born to a poor family, like most other compatriots, I was lucky to have a chance to study laws in Singapore and I am now proud of what I have achieved and contributed to my country (with the best I can).
Maybe I'm too happy about this progress and talking too much. Let's give the floor to other comrades.
Raja
Those sick dogs and bitches who received scholarships, not fair to those who really got a real high IQ in the classrooom. You know sick dogs and bitches parents in Cambodia! under table money can get their sick puppys and bitches get scholarships to study abroad. It's really upset me about to study abroad. The real high IQ is me.Looking for BS and MS in the year of 2013. That's an asshole!tell your sick parents to triple scholarships so that you can finish in three years. Dump ass, act like you are smart. You got to know this 4yrs for BS and 2 more years for MS, that if you're supper smart. Don't even think BS or MS are easily to get man.
10:57AM, I salute you for your opinion. But you must distinguish between scholarship and self-payment. We must be proud and honor those who get scholarship to study abroad. Maybe you're not weak but you just missed a good chance. Try more to obtain a scholarship and think positively.
With my good will only!
Congrats to all the khmer grads. Just one word of caution though:
EDUCATION does not equate to number of years spent in schools or universities.
KI - Good job for posting education related topic like this.
Cambodian must value education because it will open many door of opportunities. Education helps build human capacity, which is badly need right in Cambodia.
When I arrived in the US almost three decades ago it was not easy making cultural adjustment, and learning language. With much perserverance I finished college.
Now my work called me to another country where I have to learn a new culture, and laguage all over again - Chinese.
I love it. Learning is a life endeavor.
My hope is that Cambodians everywhere help spur one another on to get good education.
Whether you get scholarship or pay for your own, it doesn't matter, both ways will get you there. Most people who go to uni pay for themsleves.
If more Khmer kids had this chance, Cambodia would yoke off dictatorship faster. But Allah, not when 80% are ignorant, disfunctional peasants !
good observation. yes, i tend to agree that khmer living overseas think differently from those khmer from cambodia and came overseas only as exchange students, etc... khmer overseas tend to take everything for granted like their adopted home country; however, the other group of khmer from cambodia and who lived all their lives in cambodia, tend to think differently in both attitude and demeanor, etc... i mean, when we talk about people, we have to take into consideration their differences, really; otherwise, you never could understand them.
10:57AM, That's exactly why you're not granted a scholarship. Speaking like a dumb ass! Yeah, that's right Einstein, your IQ is very high.lol
These scholarships are only offered to the top students here. I know a few people who got the scholarships, and they are very well deserved. They are poor people who studied their ass off. Rich people don't need scholarship to send their kids to study abroad. They have more money than they know what to do with it.
My beloved 10:01 PM!
I kinda disagree with
ye simply said these students are poor.
If they are financially poor,
they can't attend High School
and study English privately.
Honestly confessing, I am wholeheartedly
respectful and admirable of their academic success!
Public school offers scholarships. my son's tutor is a farmer's kid. Came from Svey Reang. made extra from tutoring kids after school so he can pay for his school tution..which is very little for public school. next year he will go study in Japan with the scholarship because he was top of his class for electrical engineer.
don't give up, my dear fellow khmer students. find strength and inspiration to continue until you finish your studies. it is very important to get an education overseas from now advanced countries and society, etc...; so, we all can come back to help make a real difference in our native cambodia in future. cambodia needs all of our help.
overseas schools in western society have a system, a good system that is. if you know their system and work with their system and follow all rules and regulations and do what you are required or asked to do by the school studies programs' requirements, you will be successful and finish at the end. just don't ever give up, despite cultural shock or cultural differences, etc... instead think about the result of the future and the result of your endeavor. you'll reap the benefit of getting a good education later. trust me, i've been there, done that; it's all worth it, you know! continue to work and study hard. the key is to do all required works and turn them in on time, and to always seek tutors or assistance when you are having problem or difficulty with a topic or subject areas, etc... get to know the school system and so forth. good luck and may god bless all khmer students.
Wow. I am really proud to be a Khmer person. Just having such a good discussion about the value of education really intrigue me.
As I said earlier having graduated from the University of Kentucky with a business degree didn't guarantee me a good job. I had to network myelf so hard to land a job in Boston as a stock broker working for Fidelity Investment.
Please my fellow Khmers, do not slander one another. Jealousy, rage and anger will only divide us all. We must be united and work toward our common goal that is to better ourselves and eventually our motherland, Cambodia.
Just be proud of what they've accomplished so far. Believe me it takes hard work and perseverance. A lot of reading and a lot of cramming too when it's time for final exam!
I am not boasting or anything like that. I just want to share my experience with you all. I hope some of you that are or will be attending college soon won't have to go through like we did as a refugee.
Good luck and may you succeed in all you do.
10:06 AM,
Stop looking at yourself in the mirror!!! you are increasingly in danger of falling in love with yourself, man!
Oh, yeah, i'm sorry, this is just another one liner comment.
Why don't you share your experiences here: http://www.facebook.com/SEKSAinUSA?
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