My name is Chhenghak, and I am 23 years old. I was born in a rural area of Kampong Chhnang Province. I am the fifth child among six siblings in the family; all six siblings are educated. Both of my parents are farmers, and they go to the farm all day. I remember when we were young, my parents spent most of the time working in the field to support our studies as well as the entire family. Being the kid of a farmer family, I used to look after cows and pick up things like vegetables and fruits in the forest to sell at the market.
In 2019, I passed my high school exam, but I didn’t go to any university immediately. The reason was that my parents wanted me to take the primary school teacher exam, but I failed. In terms of continuing my bachelor’s degree, I have been in Siem Reap since 2020. In Siem Reap, at the beginning, everything seemed new to me, even the living environment, culture shock, and infrastructure. Also, it was the time that I officially started learning English at one of the universities in Siem Reap, and I had five years to go through; it was terribly hard the first year since my English was very poor. Nevertheless, I still work very hard on it in order to improve my English, and I am very obsessed with it now.
In terms of occupation, I had been working for a private company, and it was actually my first job. I worked from Monday to Saturday; nonetheless, the position I worked for and the major I encountered at university were completely different. To work in a suitable major field, I had been working as a volunteer teacher at the pagoda and via online class at the weekend. Three years in Siem Reap have changed my life a lot from what it used to be, and I have gained many life experiences.
Currently, I am taking a course related to teaching English, and I have learned a lot from the teaching methodologies. Moreover, it makes me more confident to apply for a teaching career path. Meanwhile, I got the job announcement from Reach, and it extremely attracted me since Reach NGO is more than just an organization; it is a place that helps impoverished kids and families in Cambodia to be in better circumstances. Eventually, I decided to apply to the Reach Organization. Fortunately, I was given the chance to work here as an English teacher, and I am very fascinated to bring positive energy and a creative classroom to Kids at Reach.
