A Reflection on a short-term trip with PCL “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love” – Mother Teresa. To say I was called to go to Cambodia is an understatement; I know that I clearly heard from God…
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While shopping around the markets in Siem Reap, I came across a relatively young shop owner selling paintings of Angkor Wat, monks, and other pictures to display the Khmer life. As I looked around and bought something, she politely asked why I was in Cambodia. I shared that I was teaching English and her face…
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I landed into Cambodia on May 9th, 2019 ready to start my summer internship working with PCL. My team and I got off the plane, breathed in the humid Cambodian air for the first time, and headed for the heart of Siem Reap to eat lunch at Common Grounds. On paper, my responsibilities this summer…
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I am sitting in a cubicle in an office building in Manhattan as I write this – and what I notice around me are walls. Walls around me with an intention to separate me from my neighbors. Walls around the building to block employees off from passing pedestrians. It becomes almost surreal to describe the…
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For centuries education has been seen as one pathway to providing social mobility and a better future. There are many educational migrants seeking to improve their lives and the well-being of their family all over the globe. This tradition of education migration is strong in Asia and Cambodia is no exception. Many young adults…
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For the 5th year in a row, Common Grounds Café has been awarded Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence Award! From the whole family at Common Grounds, we are proud and excited that all of our hard work has paid off. We could not have done this without our customers who took the time to review…
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Work is working Work is the action that gives our life meaning. Work is the output of our hands, mind, and heart in our cities and towns. Work is the invitation from God to participate with Him in His work. Over the past three years, I have been convinced that work can empower and grow an…
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Sometimes you have to take time out to celebrate. Our organization—PCL —revolves around five primary brands: Common Grounds Cafe, Sustainable Farming, Learning Centers, Children’s Homes and Build A City. Each brand experienced huge victories last week. I want to share the results briefly: COMMON GROUNDS Over six years ago we launched a cafe in Siem…
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Honesty is a simple word and sometimes even a simple concept, but it is not always easy to live or to teach in a culture that values harmony over truth. Since coming to Cambodia, this has been a constant search for me. How to teach honesty to a people that I know must learn…
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Allow me to introduce you to Bun Lai. She is a widow who lives in a small but typical Cambodian village. She is extremely poor. Even though most Westerners visiting this village would instantly decide that everyone is poor, there are actual varying degrees of poverty that exist even in this village and Bun…
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