Emily Herries, Volunteer in Cambodia

Emily Herries, 22 years old, Volunteer in 2011

What did you enjoy most about your Quest experience?

Getting to know the children at the orphanage and being able to spend as much time with them as I wanted

Describe your volunteer work experience.

I taught English at a local orphanage. With tourism being so huge there, learning English is so important for these children. It makes you feel as though you're really making an impact there. Plus, I got to make my own lesson plans so I tried to choose things I thought the kids would really enjoy and learn from.

Tell us how you feel overall about your experience.

I had an amazing experience volunteering through United Planet. What I loved most about the program is that I was able to live very independently in the country but I also had the support that I needed while I was there.

I worked teaching English in a local orphanage of Siem Reap, Cambodia. I was able to come up with fun and creative lesson plans for the children that I knew they would enjoy and learn from. I grew extremely attached to the children, who were beyond grateful for the time that I had spent there with them. Although they had very little, they were some of the happiest bunch of children and they probably taught more to me than I was able to teach to them. Without a doubt, this was a life changing experience for me.