For College of Charleston senior Chak Or, studying abroad in Cambodia was more than an experience to see another part of the world.
For the first time international traveler, it was about reconnecting with his roots, learning about his dad’s childhood, and walking the grounds of the country his parents fled nearly 50 years ago.
In the late 1970s, Or’s parents fled the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime that took control of Cambodia for almost four years and was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 2 million people.
In the summer of 2017, Or had the chance to visit his parents’ homeland as part of the College’s study abroad program to Cambodia and Vietnam, which offers courses in psychology and environmental studies.
“I had the opportunity to reconnect with my culture and it’s something I don’t think most people have the opportunity to do,” he says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that without going on this trip.”
Separate from his parents, the trip gave Or a chance to create his own understanding of the country.
“They have their own version of what Cambodia was like when they lived there when they were younger, and I wanted to experience the country on my own,” he says.
While in Cambodia the elementary education major and political science minor met an uncle for the first time, worked with local children and conducted research that connected his areas of study. The research title for his political science minor was “Determining if Cambodian Youth Are Learning About the Environment: A Comparison Between the Children’s Education Background and Lifestyle.”
Or, who is a member of the College’s Call Me MISTER program which supports minority students majoring in education, believes the experience will positively impact his future as an educator.
Story by Braelyn Diamond. For more on this story, check out The College Today!
