Another AYAD bound for Cambodia!

Well it's official...I'm off to Cambodia!! With my plane ticket in hand (along with a lot of anxious excitement) I'll be heading off in 3 weeks for a 12 month assignment with The Khmer Youth for Social Development Organisation (KYSD) http://www.kysd.org/ . KYSD is a local non-government organisation based in Phnom Penh. I will be working as an Organisational Development Officer on a new project designed to empower young people in advocacy, health and education. My assignment is being supported by the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program (AYAD) http://www.ayad.com.au/ which is fantastic and offers us AYADs great support both in Australia and on assignment overseas. I just finished the week long AYAD Pre-departure Training in Canberra which was great!! The 'Intake 21' Cambodia crew are a great group of people and all 10 of us are doing really different assignments through out the country. The training was really extensive with seminars at the Australian National University on all sorts of topics from cross cultural communication to effective capacity building. We had the opportunity to try some great Khmer food and also learnt some traditional Khmer dancing. Along with a cocktail party at Old Parliament House with the Foreign Minister and Cambodian dignitaries, a visit to the Cambodian Embassy, and a lot of fun in between, it was a great week! I'm sure the next 3 weeks are going to be filled with a lot of sad farewells and last minute preparations!

Learning Khmer dancing at the Phnom Penh Restaurant in Canberra

The Cambodge Girls at the Cocktail Party at Old Parliament House

Visit to the Cambodian Embassy in Canberra