It’s late morning on a typical Monday in Phnom Penh. The sun has made its entrance and will stubbornly linger overhead until late afternoon. Ben, Katie, and I are on our way to visit Chakreya, an EGBOK Mission student who has just completed her six month internship at the Boddhi Tree Aram Guesthouse. As we pass sidewalk stalls selling mangoes, water, and rice, I wonder where exactly this guesthouse is hidden. Once the sidewalks clear, this quiet side street becomes a small, residential area littered with well kept French colonial style houses. It is in front of one of these refreshingly clean white buildings where we are greeted by a beautiful young girl who is standing nearly in the middle of the small street. She is busy soaking the sidewalk flora with a large white hose; she is drenched herself, but with sweat or water? The temperature is pushing 90 so it’s likely to be both. She happily greets us and invites us inside, so Ben, Katie, and I make our way into the crisp clean lobby and briefly wait for her to finish her watering duties.
I quickly learn a lot. Chakreya is from Children’s Orphanage Samrong, which is about 45 minutes from Phnom Penh. She has many siblings at Samrong, and she still lives there so commuting is a pain, but at this point it’s her only option. As Ben checks in with her about her family, how she likes her internship, her schedule, and the hotel guests, I am only able to pay attention to half of her replies. Not because I have difficulty understanding - her English is wonderful. In fact, that’s the problem; I am distracted by her ease in speaking to us and her calm demeanor. She has no problem conversing with Ben and letting us know what is new. As the three of us relax on the couch, she is standing confidently in front of us and her naturally comfortable mannerisms remind me of my peers who never once dreaded a class presentation; the type of people who didn’t have to practice their speeches in front of their bedroom mirror because they had this gift of not getting nervous in front of others. Chakreya has this skill, and it makes this already welcoming hotel lobby all the more genial. I could stay right here for the next six months. The busy streets of Phnom Penh and its noisy motos, shouting children, and barking dogs feel far, far away.
I am blown away by the ease of Chakreya’s polite responses to our questions. She tells us about her duties at the front desk and with housekeeping, where most travelers are coming from, and that she has a JOB! After her 6 month internship, she has been hired on as staff! Besides the regular paycheck, this means she can help her sister save money for a moto. She tells us she is also interested in studying Hotel Administration as she walks us down the street to a second Boddhi Tree guesthouse. As we reach the top of the stairs and enter the immaculate white porch, I can almost hear the comfy green and white striped wicker chairs calling my name. They are inviting me to grab a book, a mango shake, and my favorite pair of fake Ray Bans and spend an entire day in this welcoming, relaxed hideaway.
Chakreya has done very well. Her English is not forced or strained, and as we thank her for allowing us to stop by, Ben lets her know how much she’s improved. She enthusiastically nods and agrees – speaking with guests daily allows her to continue practicing and expanding her English skills. Chakreya works very hard six days a week from 6am-3pm. Once she’s off work and back at Samrong, her responsibilities shift from greeting foreigners at the front desk to assisting the other children in the rice fields. It’s ploughing season after all, which means there’s rice to be prepared and every farmhand is needed.
Chakreya was the first EGBOK Mission student I met. I come to find in the following days after meeting several other EGBOK Mission students that her dedication, willingness to improve, and overall vivaciousness represent her peers exceptionally well.
As we visit her again at Samrong on Tuesday, we are welcomed by her big, familiar smile. She is excited to show us the orphanage grounds and introduce us to the children, guiding us from tomato garden to classroom to chicken coop to dormitory. I am happy to see where she is coming from, and I couldn’t be more excited to see just where she will head.
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