Blog 7

Blog 7

Paul Miller is a lead writer for The Verge, is extremely opinionated, and loves movie trailers. He reviews consumer technology and where electronics are headed in the future. 

During the summer of 2012, I was selected to participate on a mission trip to Cambodia, where I experienced the culture of the country and learned what composes a good global citizen. While I was there, I taught children about American culture and the English language. Though teaching the Cambodian children was something that changed my life, I was expecting to do that before the trip even started. What I was not expecting to do was teach a working father of five. While staying at a small, 4-bedroom homestay in rural Chi-Phat, I brought out my dictionary to teach the young children how to say a simple greeting in English. While the children and I were sitting around my dictionary, I sensed someone behind me. I looked around to discover that it was the children’s father, nicknamed Chre. Intriguingly, he looked over my shoulder as if he wanted to learn the words as well. I was not expecting this because most Cambodians learn English while in secondary school, but he did not know a single word in English besides “hello.” He sat next to me as I taught him words such as “family,” “happy” and “farmer.” The experience is a situation that I will never forget because we established a solid, genuine connection. The day after I taught him those words, he began to repeat them every time he saw me.

When I am reminiscing about my past trip to Cambodia, I like to think about the time Chre and I spent going over those English words. I would like to imagine that he is still saying them, halfway across the world, on a regular basis.

Johnnie Sinclair