Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

Once again we started the day with a refreshing run/walk and then ended up eating soup for breakfast and it was so yummy! After breakfast it was my group’s turn to embark on the adventure of touring Phonm Penh.  We started the day with some shopping in the Russian market and it was quite the experience considering the selection of goods is unreal!

For those of you that know me well, this is probably the last place you would ever want to come with me considering it takes me at least 10 minutes to decide what drink to order at Starbucks. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Emily Jones

My first full day in Phnom Penh consisted of many excited and heart wrenching moments. The sun wasn’t even up when some of us gathered together for a morning run through the city. The liveliness of the Cambodians early in the morning was such an intriguing site to see. After passing the Independence Monument we made our way down a road that ran by the river. During our run we enjoyed the vivacious music that various groups of Cambodians were dancing too. Most of the dancing was similar to what we would think of as zumba in the United States, while some groups we ran past participated in dancing that was more peaceful – like pilates or yoga. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Bridget Deering

For our first full day in Cambodia, my group went to help build a home for a family in need with the social work team from the hospital. Even though we were very tired from the previous day of traveling, it was a very rewarding experience. The new house was going up behind the family’s current house so we were able to see their current living conditions. I think it was a little shocking for all of us to see the room that a 10-person family had been living. The walls of the house were made tarp fragments. It made me feel almost guilty for some of the things I want and complain about at home when some people have homes made of tarps. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Brittany Ward

The School of Nursing is again sponsoring a student mission trip to Cambodia this May and students and faculty are posting about their experiences.  Keep watch here over the next two weeks for new posts!

Today our group was assigned to go work on the service project we are doing here in Cambodia. The Sihanouk Hospital has a team that specifically goes on Home Visits. All the families that this team helps are people who suffer from HIV/AIDS. Today we had a leader with us named T who had been at the hospital since 1998 working with this home care team. He stated that he currently has 400 people who he and his team serve.  They try to make it out and see each family once or twice a week in order to make sure they are doing okay and they are receiving medications.

Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
Brittany Woods

The School of Nursing is again sponsoring a student mission trip to Cambodia this May and students and faculty are posting about their experiences.  Keep watch here over the next two weeks for new posts!

Today was our first day was our first day to go out into Cambodia, and my group was going to the Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope. The group consists of 7 girls and it is led by Mrs. Taplin and Mrs. Blank. For those of us who have never been to Cambodia before we were very excited to see what this hospital was like and to interact with the people, and for the returners, they were excited to get back and reunite with some familiar faces and begin helping.

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Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Julie Bonds

10 days ago, running 26.2 miles seemed impossible as I tried to tell my feet to keep going step after step after step; but some how, some way I made it through the intense 26.2 miles and the finish line brought so much overwhelming joy and hope for things to come.

Today was one of those days where I needed to grasp onto the joy and hope of crossing the finish line to get through the morning of intense heat, physical labor, and immeasurable gratitude.

The day started with an alarm clock set for 5:15 am, which never went off considering the anticipation of setting foot in Cambodia for the first time woke me up at 5 ready to meet the running group at 5:30 am. Continue reading →

Mission to Cambodia 2013
from Taylor Bonds

After crossing day after day on my calendar with my dark green pen, the early morning of May 5th has finally arrived and you can now find me sitting in a damp seat cushion on top of a folded magazine because who knows what the “dampness” could be! Immediately, my mind started to race about what this trip will be like? What the culture will be like? How many children I will fall in love with? If I will want to come back? And, selfishly I wonder what a Cambodian birthday will be like! The whole night last night I watched the clock on my computer go minute by minute so I decided the best problem solver was to stay up all night hoping that I will sleep the entire 14 hours and 32 minutes to South Korea from Dallas!… I guess we will see if my hypothesis is correct in about 3 hours! Continue reading →