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Goshen College

2013 SST Cambodia Preparation

January 5, 2013

Since early December, the Graber Miller family has been planning for the arrival of 19 Cambodia SST students, arranging the academic schedule, booking buses and field trips, purchasing mosquito nets, getting banking sorted out, exploring the city, researching service locations, and securing host families, all with the help of our local assistants. Neang Sovathana (Nana) is our new family assistant, and Sen Marya (Marya) continues as our program assistant. Nana, a Buddhist, is a 20-something NGO volunteer and social/political activist for various human rights causes, and Marya, a Cham Muslim who was recently married, also works for NGOs as well as the Goshen program.

Over the last couple of days we have been visiting the students’ homes to learn to know families and find the best matches, and Monday evening we will host a parent orientation at a local restaurant. Our daughter Mia is putting together the student packets that will include the Syllabus, Week-by-Week Schedule, full listing of family placements and phone numbers, initial expense money, medical contact information, and a couple of rehydration packets. All is coming together swimmingly.

Neang Sovathana (Nana), our family assistant

We look forward to meeting students at the airport next Thursday evening and then whisking them off to a local hotel for about 18 hours of sleep and orientation. Host families will pick up their students at 5 p.m. Friday here at our apartment.

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Ann, Nana, and host father Phy Sophon at Sophon’s home
21-year-old brother Roth with his cousins in front of the home of Phy Sophon and Kong Pala, just off the Russian Boulevard and not far from the airport
View of student’s spacious room at the home of Phy Sophon and Kong Pala
Exterior of P’teah Goshen apartment building. The Graber Miller apartment is the fourth archway up.
Address of P’teah Goshen
View from P’teah Goshen’s fourth floor vantage point this morning
Phy Sophon, Kong Pala and son Roth (21) outside their home. Sophon, Pala, and Roth will host one of the women from the SST group.
Typical Phnom Penh street scene, with motorcycle riders aplenty
Nana, who is not only the family assistant for the unit but will also be a host sister, outside of her family home not far from the university where students will study Khmer language
Typical street scene of coconut sellers
Fresh-cut chicken, anyone? Tuk-tuks are used for hauling food and other goods as well as people.
Keith with Mr. Van, one of the security guards at the P’teah Goshen apartment complex
Yes, he’s popular here, too. This particular blow-up is just outside of our apartment entry.