His question was a familiar one, but judging from the expression on our guide’s face, the response was not. “Where are you from?” asked Sim, our local contact in Cambodia. The pod of the 37 travel-weary Seawolves replied concurrently, “Korea. Thailand. The U.S. China. Canada…” In all, Tabor’s 2016 Cambodia Service Learning trip volunteers represented seven distinct countries. Sim was impressed, and to be honest, so were we.
Our team arrived with a common vision, but few details. We had come to build, to teach, and to learn. Prior communications suggested that we would be constructing a house, or perhaps a bridge, time permitting, a drinking well, and depending on interest, helping local children with their English lessons. As it turns out, we did all of that and more.
By the end of our week in the village commune of Srok Prasatbakong, students and faculty joined with local craftsmen and volunteers on two main projects. One was to build a house for a mother and daughter who were literally camping out on a relative’s rice field. We hauled and sawed and raised and nailed our way to completion in a mere three days. The finished product was basic, but typical, and most importantly – sturdy. While Cambodian hardwoods challenged our most precise hammers, that same density makes for excellent shelter from tropical sun and rain.
A second Tabor team went to work constructing a walking bridge in an adjacent village. Admittedly, we had mentally prepared to build something akin to a large bamboo span over a lazy jungle waterway. Instead, we found a dusty riverbed full of dead foliage and debris. Nonetheless, we went to work clearing and preparing the site for a brick and concrete structure fortified with home-made rebar.
It only took one afternoon of torrential downpour to realize the significance of building such a bridge. “By the end of the rainy season, this river rises above the heads of the children and makes it nearly impossible, and always dangerous, for them to attend the school on the other side,” explained Sim. Upon completion, Cambodians from all the surrounding villages came to participate in a dedication ceremony at which Tabor students and community leaders exchanged words of gratitude.
Our homestay experiences were equal to the challenge and reward of pounding nails and hauling bricks in the tropical swelter. Because of the atypical size of our party, we were divided between two accommodations about a half mile apart. While not every individual arrangement was the same, the 
standard room and board comprised of floor mats, mosquito netting, and three square meals prepared by our host families. The heat and labor of the day induced solid sleep at night for some. For others, our hosts graciously produced fans, bottled water, and remedies for a surprisingly potent bout of “travelers’ stomach.” Despite the accelerated initiation to local standards of food, sanitation, and shelter, our departure day arrived all too soon and was full of hugs, exchanges of contact information, and of course repeated expressions of appreciation, “Aw koon. Aw koon ch’ran.”
If there is one lesson that holds true no matter where one travels it is the fact that for every obvious difference one observes between peoples and cultures, there are two similarities resting just below the surface. We live and learn that lesson every day on campus. Where are we from? We’re from Tabor.
