Week 10: A wrap up in Phnom Penh
My Reflection
My work had many successes and failures. It was even stressful at some points for being called a “research internship.” I was managing desk research with presentations, interviews, questionnaires, the national election, and workshops. However, it was very rewarding that these failures and attempts at something new are contributing to the growth of ODC’s mission. During this last week, I was able to meet with various people in the office to present my work but also to describe what worked and what did not work. The work with small businesses and the private sector is very new at ODC, and they were very excited to hear my reflections during and at the end of this internship. This kind of open mindedness is something that I will miss out of a workplace as I think this quality demonstrates the overall sentiment of the country. They are willing to listen and willing to fail to see immense benefit in the future.
I have often been asked whether I would ever come back to the country. Since America is on the other side of the world, and my days of extended school breaks are limited, it hard to say whether the opportunity might present itself. However, living abroad for almost three months and diving into a culture, not just as a tourist but as an intern working for the people of this country, it is hard to imagine that I won’t be back. The current generation in Cambodia is very young and energized, and in my opinion, it is only time until they see another huge boom in economic growth. The median age is just around 27, and I would imagine that this youthfulness will make the country prosper. Many of them are the entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses that I have been able to talk to during my time here.
I learned all about the upcoming projects to this country. They are expanding infrastructure with railway lines, highways, etc. They are expanding tourist areas like on the islands of Koh Rong, places where there can be money made from tourism. About 10 years ago, the country filled in a massive lake in the city, and skyscrapers seem to go up all the time. Getting to work with the people in this country and get excited for their very bright future, I think I will make the effort to come back to see how far they have come.
I am extremely grateful to the ODC office, my fellow interns, and Professor Warren for supporting me in this once in a lifetime opportunity. Also to my friends and family who had no choice but to become better at time zone math because of me. And if you made it this far, thank you for following along!