For Cambodian student Heng Bunsung, writing emails has become more than just an opportunity to learn about life outside Cambodia and a chance to practice his English. Having lost both of his parents during the civil war in Cambodia, Bunsung now calls his university sponsor ‘God Father’ in his emails.

At 25, Bunsung received a JWOC scholarship in September 2006 to study Tourism and Hospitality at Build Bright University (BBU) in Siem Reap with the help of California residents Janice and Loren O’Connor.

Bunsung and Loren O’Connor now email back and forth on a semi-weekly basis, and have formed a remarkable bond. Bunsung sends O’Connor poems about his experiences and life in Cambodia, and O’Connor relates his life in California to Bunsung.

“I email Loren to talk about studies, teaching, finding wells, going to the countryside to meet the poor people, family, and help to improve English,” says Bunsung. “I really enjoy hearing from Loren and I admire his kindness to the Cambodian people.”

Finding time to write emails and poems is not always easy for Bunsung given his hectic schedule. In the morning, Bunsung teaches Beginning English classes to children as part of his scholarship requirement from 6 – 7 AM. Then he hurries to VLT Tour Company where he works as a tour operator from 8 AM – 5:30 PM. After work, he manages to eat a quick dinner before attending night classes at BBU from 6 – 9 PM.

Bunsung’s busy schedule speaks to his desire to help others and improve his future. “I work very hard there [at VLK] because I want to get good experience. I hope to be a lecturer at university in the future. If I work hard now, I think my life will be better later,” says Bunsung.
Teaching English to students also gives Bunsung more practice and experience for the future. “I like meeting the new students, because when I meet the new student everything is happy. I feel very happy because I see they are smiling and talking. When I teach I usually teach them stories and sometimes joking during the exercise, and they laugh so I’m happy.” With his class size surpassing 50 students, Bunsung’s smiles must be contagious.

In December 2006, O’Connor and fellow educator Dave Proodian came to Cambodia to visit Bunsung and see Cambodia for the first time. While in Siem Reap, they were able to meet Bunsung, learn more about his life, help to teach his students, and treat Bunsung to a dinner at Raffels Hotel.

O’Connor says, “it has been a pleasure emailing and visiting with Bunsung. It was an amazing experience [helping to teach] at the school and watching Bunsung, so bright and talented. He had never been on an elevator or in a hotel.... what a pleasure to watch his excitement.”

Bunsung and O’Connor continue to develop the remarkable bond that started almost one year ago. As Bunsung writes in an email to O’Connor, “when I read your email I feel that I seem very close to you. I don't know why? It is probably the fate that makes you and I have met each other.”

Bun Sung's Poems

The Future of Cambodia

Unfortunate Cambodia was in the war,

Three years, eight months and twenty days,

We are stayed in the days of war,

Has rice, can not eat,

 Has house, no body in,

Has road but no body pass,

Open air jail is so powerful,

We are just waiting for the peace,

And wait to kiss our family, and see new world.

We are liberated in 1979, and it’s the time for the peace,

Oh, God left; left grievance and homeless all where in here,

The sound of children cried on the road,

Mother! Mother…! Where are you?

The sky pities and cries on us with loudly sound.

The dusk come in, the sun goes out, out in the west,

Out of the chest of the forest and motherless kids,

Oh, dark, dark even in the town,

Noisy and civilized city,

Now became ghost town,

 This is so tranquil for us.

So dark, hearing only sound of walking,

From one place to the other place without saying,

The night’s over; the tour still on,

The dawn is come up,

Every thing is changed,

 Up to now,

New buildings,

New smiling faces,

New schools,

And  new world.

We are on hope, not stop to stand,

Until we can,

Help ourselves.

                                              -  August 17, 2007
                                                          Siem Reap, Cambodia.

One hope of Cambodian learner

From day to day,

From May to June,

From noon to night,

From high to low,

(The 12 to 14 centuries Cambodia was very famous, but from the 14 century up to now)

From big to small country,

From visible knowledge to copied knowledge,

From Cambodian natural style to neighboring copied style,

From good rice for human to bad rice for chicken,

(Sells good rice, eat bad rice imported from neighbor country).

More and more think more and more stress,

More and more rich more and more poor,

More and more development more and more homeless,

More and more defend more and more destroy,

More and more reforestation less and less big tree,

More and more company more and more employees,

More and more peace more and more corpses,

More and more investment more and more slaves of,

More and more private school more and more un-employees,

More and more export good wood more and more import chopstick,

More and more sticky rule and more and more leakages,

More and more quality but less and less quantity

-June 06, 2007
Siem Reap, Cambodia