Dec. 6, 2011
Ana Boettcher in Cambodia.It's no secret that students derive considerable benefits from study abroad. After spending a summer studying abroad in Cambodia, however, MU undergraduate student Ana Boettcher is determined to give something back.
Boettcher's decision to study abroad in Cambodia grew from a long held interest in the culture, food, traditions, and languages of Southeast Asia in general, and Theravada Buddhism in particular. The summer after graduating from high school, she participated on a two-week tour to Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Of the three countries she visited, she connected most strongly with the culture and history of Cambodia and knew that she wanted to return there someday. As an MU student, in the summer of 2011, Boettcher embarked on a seven-week program in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap through the Council on International Educational Exchange, an MU-affiliated program. In Phnom Penh she took courses at Paññasastra University of Cambodia (PUC).
What did she enjoy most about her second sojourn in Cambodia?
"Everything!" Boettcher replies, mentioning the particular satisfaction she felt speaking in the Khmer language with local people, applying what she learned in her language classes in her day-to-day life. Another memory that stands out the time she spent volunteering at an orphanage at the Stung Meanchey municipal garbage dump outside Phnom Penh, an opportunity organized by the People's Improvement Organization. "This is a wonderful organization that saves children from a life of picking through the dump for food and things to fix and sell, and gives them a proper education, clothing, food, and housing," she explains. “It was so touching to be able to interact with these kids. We played games, read them stories, and helped them practice their English.” She goes on to point out that all students at PUC are required to volunteer with a local organization as part of their college education.
As a recipient of a scholarship from the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program, Boettcher has a service requirement of her own to complete. Gilman scholarships provide need-based grants to American students to support academic studies abroad. All recipients of a Gilman award are required to complete a project that promotes international education and the Gilman Scholarship Program.
For her project, on the advice of a staff member at the PUC library, Boettcher decided to work with the Asia Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports a variety of development initiatives throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including book drives for schools and universities. Boettcher has placed collection boxes across the MU campus and in the community (see sidebar), into which she hopes MU students will donate their used textbooks for the PUC library. Once Boettcher collects at least 100 textbooks, she will ship them to California. From there, the Asia Foundation will ship the textbooks free of charge to Cambodia.
Boettcher hopes to return to Cambodia after she graduates. To that end she is applying for a Fulbright Scholarship and plans to pursue graduate studies in anthropology, with a focus on Cambodian Studies. Her ultimate goal? “I hope someday to be a professor in anthropology and Cambodian studies in order to promote this beautiful and misunderstood country to American college students.”
