Sophia Magazine vol.8 / WINTER 2018

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class about ‘feeling words,’ we taught phrases along with gestures to express emotion. When we went on a class trip to Angkor Wat with the students, they communicated with each other using their hands to fan their faces while saying ‘I’m hot,’ something they had just learned. They seemed to enjoy putting their newfound English to use.” At the farewell party, letters written by the children bear words of gratitude they had just learned, “Thank you for coming.” It is the discovery of such small signs of budding interest in English among the students that fuels the motiva-tion of the volunteers. One day during his stay in Siem Reap, Fukushima en-countered someone whose interest in English, sparked by STP, had now blossomed. Just as he entered a restaurant, a staffer asked him in English, “Are you with STP?” It was a happy surprise for Fukushima: “That person had attended STP a few years before, continued studying English after that, and this had landed him his current job. To see what our predecessors had achieved over the years gave me con-dence in what we were doing.”It was a real eye-opener for Fukushima, a uent English speaker on account of living in the United States for around eight years as a child. “I naturally absorbed English as I was growing up, so I did not have any particular sense of the importance of English learning materials. But Cambodians and especially those in Siem Reap, a great tourism center, are required to know English to get many of the jobs such as those serving the public in law enforcement or tourism. Studying English opens up a brighter future. This experience reminded me of how important our volunteering is.”Next year, Shibata and Fukushima will step up to lead the activities of STP Cambodia as senior students in the group. They have spotted a number of challenges for next year’s program. “We have put together and are sharing a teach-ers’ manual with lesson plans,” explains current chief Fuku-shima, “but unforeseen things happen in class and you have to adapt and be exible. Our challenges for next year will be improving communication and time management among the eight of us.” He has also been thinking deeply about the way inter-national aid operates. “For example, Cambodian schools receive material assistance like desks and chairs from inter-national bodies, but because they are built in, it is hard to do group work. I have realized the importance of being on-site and actually seeing what assistance is needed.”The activities of STP Cambodia, elaborates Fukushima, “break down preconceptions and stereotypes and help you grow as a person.” In the future, he aims to be a newspaper reporter. “The image of Cambodia you get from the news in Japan, and the impression of Cambodia when you are there yourself, are very different. I would like to report not just from Cambodia but from regions all around the world.” For aspiring English teacher Shibata, meanwhile, STP activities are her classroom. “In order to teach in Cambo-dia with its different cultural background, you have to make an effort to understand the students more deeply. The STP methods, in particular those dealing with students and mak-ing study enjoyable through activities, are something I hope to put into practice as a teacher in Japan.”The activities of STP Cambodia open up pathways for local children, just as they open up futures for the students who volunteer.KanadeShibata25Student