Let's begin with the past in front...

After a month of procrastination and laziness I have done the unthinkable: Set up a blog to chronicle my adventures in Cambodge just like all the other cool cats do. Most of you already know me and what I'm doing, but apparently it's a good idea to put forth some private details so that outsiders can feel 'comfortable' and 'familiar' with these otherwise irrelevant posts.

I have been interested in the service field for quite some time and was lucky enough to travel to Cambodia in 2010 with my school for two weeks of volunteer work with the Jesuits. While over there I felt that I wanted to come back after school for a longer period of time. Luckily enough I was in a position to plan a return. Having finished high school last year and having acquired a TESOL certification I am back in the country for six months or so. 

Currently I'm staying in the city of Siem Reap, in the Metta Karuna Reflection Centre. This lovely little place is the home of one of Cambodia's biggest aid and development organisations, the Jesuit Refugee Service. Over twenty years ago the Jesuits came to Cambodia to assist the enormous numbers of refugees coming from all across Southeast Asia. Most will know the centre however for the International Campaign To Ban Landmines, which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. The Campaign is still strong today, and I have been lucky enough to become good friends with its heroes.

Tun Channareth (left) and Song Kosal (right), the faces of the Landmine Campaign and two of the most inspiring people that I have ever met.

 The Centre is run by Sister Denise Coghlan, an Australian Sister of Mercy who helped found JRS in Cambodia. She was brave enough to allow me to crash their party and stay with them for these few months.She's got me helping out around the centre, going to villages to see victim assistance programs, and teaching English to the beautiful staff here. Busy, you think? No!

Just one of the incredible symbols in the Centre.

So what to expect from this blog? Stories about what I'm doing, some general musings about spirituality and philosophy, and plenty of funnies in visual and verbal form.

That sounds about right.