Programs & Events
Ambassador-designate Rodley tours Siem Riep and Kampong Cham
Kompong Cham and Siem Riep
November 24-25, 2008
Recently arrived Ambassador-designate Carol Rodley spent Monday and Tuesday of this week touring Embassy and Peace Corps programs located in Siem Riep and Kampong Cham provinces including a recently restored 6th century temple known as Han Chey. Her trip coincided with the visit of Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter to the region. The Ambassador-designate and the Director toured schools in Siem Riep where Peace Corps volunteers were active in teaching English, American culture and history and even coaching local sports teams. After the Director’s departure she traveled to Kampong Cham and had dinner with a group of Cham Access program participants who received scholarships to further their English studies at a local privately run school. During the meal a number of students commented on how important the scholarships were to their studies and on their hopes for Kampong Cham and Cambodia in the future.
The following morning the Ambassador-designate visited the local American Corner where she was met by a group of over forty students who are participating in the university’s ESL club. Some of the top students gave presentations on the history of Kampong Cham and some of the local tourist attractions in nearly flawless English. Their presentations were followed by a lengthy question and answer period in which the students grilled the Ambassador-designate about her experience in the Foreign Service, her family and even about the recently completed U.S. elections. Her final stop on the trip was to Han Chey temple which was restored using a grant from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. The temple had been in pieces before the Ministry of Culture applied for and won a grant to rebuild the structure. The site is currently being developed to become more tourist friendly, and will include a poster board which outlines the project with before and after shots of the temple.
