Duth Kimsru, Cambodia AUW Class of 2013 Honored guests, AUW Staff, Faculty, and friends. My name is Duth Kimsru. I am very excited to stand in front of you and share about my life journey that I have taken so far after my graduation in 2013. I was born in Cambodia in a village of only 50 families. In my village, we don’t have electricity, running water or a hospital, and even the village school only goes up to grade 6. I lived with a single mother and two other family members. To support us, my mom rode her bicycle from house to house in our village selling clothes and homemade food to our neighbors. After I completed grade 6, my mother moved our family to Phnom Penh where five of us shared a one-room apartment. There my mother found work as a waitress in a small restaurant. Life was very difficult. In order to earn the extra money that was needed to pay for my schooling, my mother took in laundry. Each day the neighbors would bring their clothes and she would wash them by hand. Whenever she had to work long hours at the restaurant, I would come home from school and wash the clothes. When I started at my new school, no one would sit with me because my dresses were out of fashion. I struggled in my classes at first because I was tired from doing the laundry the night before. However, as time passed, people got to know me, and they saw that I was a good student too. Soon, I had more friends than I had ever had before. I began to tutor my peers who were not doing well in school. Parents began to send their children to me for help. I was often able to get students to do their work when the teachers could not. I even convinced one 15 year old girl not to drop out of school. As I was teaching and learning myself, I began to really value education and to appreciate the difference it can make in my life. I was determined to succeed and make my family proud of me because I am the first person in the family who could obtain higher education, especially outside of Cambodia and I will learn everything in English. Journey to AUW was very exciting and a little anxious as it was my first time being away from home. On my first day of orientation at the Access Academy last April, I attended many information sessions that told me what to expect. But I couldn’t understand the meaning of most of the words. In fact all I could actually understand were articles and pronouns. One of the most funs was participating in a model United Nations Conference. I was part of the delegation from Turkey. For example, it was really interesting to think about whether or not to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe, a country I had never heard about before. I am also a member of the public speaking club which does community outreach with girls in rural villages and schools. I have completed a research project about social issues in Chittagong, and I have learned to swim and have earned my brown belt in karate. Most importantly, I have become friends with women from all over Asia. I have learned that even though we are different, we have many things in common. After Access Academy, I major in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics). At first I only like economics, but when I took different philosophy and politic courses such, I started to like everything about PPE because it allows me to know more about the world. For example, in the international relation course we had to read news about the world politics and bring all the information in class discuss, analyze and sometimes debate. We constantly read a lot news about Libya and a few other Middle East countries. Applying our knowledge and skills while we were learning was one of the most important parts of AUW’s education. I was very interested to learn about making questionnaire and writing project proposal. In social science class, we make a questionnaire about students’ perspectives toward education in Cambodia. Then we wrote a project proposal. We got enough support to make it happen. We collected data and learn to analyze and write up report, then our paper was published in one the international conference journal in 2012. Leadership, critical thinking and creativity help me to be successful at work. As a dream project officer at PEPY organization, I use these skills in many ways to help my students grow. They could have confidence, higher self-esteem, and particularly I help them to expand their world and keep their dreams alive. Last month, I organized a Sharing Event by inviting two of AUW friends to present in front of students. From the event they can learn different ways to continue their studies after high school and obtain scholarship opportunities. Many students were inspired and determined to get higher education. I was very touch to hear one of my students who used to be very shy standing in front of class reading out loud his creative story with confidence. They dream of learning abroad and speak English fluently. The education that I received from AUW has made a difference in my life. I live with hope and happiness. Life is meaningful when I can help myself, my family and my society. And I am not stopping here; in the next two years I will go back to graduate school to expand my knowledge and research skills. I am very much interested in social science, research studies and education. I would love to get a graduate degree in education, specialize in self-development or any other related fields. My dream is to be a social change maker in Cambodia. スピーチ：キムスルーこんにちは！ドゥース・キムスルーと申します。今日はこうしてみなさんにお会いし、お話させていただけることをとても嬉しく思っています。私はカンボジアのたった 50 世帯しかない小さな村で生まれました。電気も水道も、病院もありません。学校は 6 年生までです。私はそこで母と 2 人の兄弟と暮らしていました。母は、私達を育てるために家から家を自転車で周り、衣類や自家製の食べ物を売っていました。小学校を卒業すると、私達はプノンペンに移り、５人で一部屋のアパートに暮らすことになりました。母は小さなレストランでウェイトレスの仕事を見つけました。苦しい生活でした。私の学費を稼ぐため、母は洗濯婦の仕事を掛け持ちしていました。毎日近所の人たちが洗濯物を持ってくると、母はそれを手で洗うのです。母のレストランの仕事が遅くなるときには、学校から帰った私たちが洗濯物を洗っていました。新しい学校では、誰も私の横に座りたがりませんでした。粗末な服を着ていたからです。授業についていくのも大変でした。毎晩の洗濯で昼間は疲れきっていたのです。ですが、そのうちにみんなと仲良くなり、私が勉強ができることをわかってもらえるようになりました。たくさんの友達もできました。ほかの生徒たちに勉強を教えられるまでにもなりました。勉強のできない子どもたちの親からも、子供の勉強を見てくれると頼まれるようになりました。学校を辞めたいといっていた子供を助けて、留まらせたこともありました。私自身も教えながら学び、教育の大切さが身にしみてわかるようになりました。教育が人生を変えることを理解しはじめたのです。私は成功したいと思い、そして家族の誇りになるような人間になるんだと心に決めました。私は家族の中で初めて高等教育を受けることになりました。しかもカンボジアの外で、そして英語で。AUW への旅に私は心を躍らせると同時に、はじめて家族のもとを離れることに少し不安を感じていました。（AUW に入学後）モデル UN カンファレンスに参加したことは、一番の思い出です。私はトルコの代表団の一員になりました。ジンバブエに制裁を課すかどうか、といった議論はとてもいい刺激になりました。それまで、ジンバブエという国の名を聞いたこともなかったのです。また、農村部の女子のためのコミュニティ活動にも参加しました。空手の茶帯も取りました。なによりも、アジアの各地から来た女子学生と友達になりました。みんなそれぞれに違っていますが、共通点も多いことに私は気付きました。アクセスアカデミーの後、哲学、政治、経済（PPE)を専攻することを決めました。はじめは経済学以外にはあまり興味がなかったのですが、さまざまな哲学と政治の授業を受け、世界についてより多くの知識を得ることができる PPE のすべてがますます好きになりました。 AUW の教育の一番すばらしいところは、学びながら知識とスキルを実践できることです。社会科学の授業ではカンボジアの教育に対する学生の見方を調査するために質問票を作りました。２０１０年と２０１１年のふた夏をかけたプロジェクトです。データを集め、分析し、それを論文にまとめました。その論文は２０１２年に国際ジャーナルに掲載されたのです。夏の調査プロジェクトの他に、２０１０年には PEPY のチャイルドトゥーチャイルドプログラムでインターンシップを行いました。そこで、子どもたちやコミュニティーを力を合わせて医療と環境の問題に取り組み、解決策を考えました。２０１２年にはアマンサラ・リゾートでインターンシップを経験しました。そこでコミュニケーションスキルを上げ、さまざまな部署の間にチームワークやリーダーシップの重要性を学びました。ちょっとしたミスが大事につながることも知りました。責任感と細かいことへの気配りが大切だと痛感したのもこの時です。インターンシップ、調査プロジェクト、リーダーシップ、クリティカル・シンキング、そして創造力。これまでに学んだことは、仕事にも活きています。私は今 PEPY のドリームプロジェクトオフィサーとして、こうしたさまざまなスキルを使い、生徒たちの成長を助けています。生徒のほとんどは５０世帯から７０世帯の小さな農村出身です。私が教える女子学生たちはみな、村中で初めて高校に進んだ女子学生です。高校の授業が終わったあとに、私は生徒たちに、目標設定、時間管理、リーダーシップ、自尊心、コミュニティーサービスの重要性、ポジティブ思考といったことを教えています。それが成功の鍵になるからです。カンボジアでは大学を出ても職につけない若者が少なくありません。まだ足りないものがあるのです。農村部の学生は都会の学生に劣等感を抱き、頭から勝てないと思い込んでいます。私は彼らの成功に必要な、いくつかの大切な要素を育てるお手伝いをしています。私の経験を聞いた生徒たちは、英語や中国語を習ったり、世界中に出てさまざまな人と知り合いたいと思いはじめます。この三月には AUW の友人２人を招いて、彼女たちの体験を語ってもらいました。生徒の中には自分の経験を語りはじめた子供もいました。そうしたイベントを通して、生徒たちは高校卒業後にも勉強を続ける道があること、仕事や奨学金といったさまざまな道が開けることを学びます。多くの生徒たちが、高等教育を受けようと決心してくれました。外国で学び、流暢に英語を話すことを夢見ています。 AUW で受けた教育によって、私の人生は変わりました。希望と幸福を感じることができたのです。自立すること、そして家族を助け、社会を助けることで、人生に意味が生まれます。私の旅はまだまだこれからも続きます。これから２年以内に、大学院に進み、知識を拡げさらに研究を続けるつもりです。社会科学、調査研究活動、そして教育分野での勉強を続けたいと思っています。教育学の修士を取得するのが現在の目標です。そして、カンボジアの社会を変える「チェンジメイカー」となることが私の夢です。 Kamal K.C., Nepal AUW Class of 2013 Good evening everyone, It is my pleasure to be here to deliver my life journey prior to joining AUW. I come from Nepal, a landlocked sovereign state of South Asia, located in the Himalayas. Nepal is world renowned for the highest peak of the world, Mount Everest, and as the birth place of Lord Gautam Buddha. I am from Kavre Palanchowk district of Nepal, and my village is about 42 kilometers away from Kathmandu. My district has an area of around 1, 396 square kilometers with nearly 3 million people. Although I was not born in a rich and educated family, my parents always believed in the importance of a higher education. They encouraged me to study, so with their support I finished grade 10 with very good grades in 2005. After my good academic achievements, everyone suggested I should study science and become a doctor or engineer or a nurse, but I knew that science was not my interest and even if it was, I knew it was impossible for me to study those subjects because of my financial condition. I planned to continue my study in the social sciences and choose the major Education, because given the environment I had grown up in, I knew that if I studied Education I could be a teacher. My neighbors told me that if I want to continue my professional life even after I get married, being a teacher is the best option. Back then, I always had a vision to stand on my own feet and not to depend on others so, I thought that pursuing a major in Education would help me be independent in the future. One major problem was that there was no high school (that is, grades 11 and 12) near my village. So, I had only one option: to go to the nearby town, Panauti for high school. With no proper roads and bus system, the only option for me was to walk for one and half hours every morning. But, another problem was my family’s financial condition at the time made it difficult for us to afford tuition for my siblings. But, since I was a good student at the school, I was offered to be a teacher for lower secondary students. With that job, I was able to pay the school fees of my siblings and myself. In order to be on time for my job, I had no other option but to leave - school a little early and miss my last class. It was good that attendance was not a matter in my high school because our grades were based on one final national exam. Not attending class was good for my job, but bad for my academic performance. In the entire year, I could only take my that last class when job was off and my school wasn’t. I think I took around 5 classes in total in the entire year. I had to study extra hard for this particular subject because we did not have the option of making appointments with our professors for extra support. I had to rely on guide books and previous exam questions and study double for this course on my own. My regular day would be: waking up at 4 am in the morning, eating breakfast and walking to highschool at 5 am. It was not only me who used to do that -some of my seniors were doing that too. So, at 5 am we all would gather in one specific place because it used to be dark in the early morning, and we did not have light systems on in the roads. We would walk together so that we would not be scared. We go to school by 6:30 am, then go to class until 8:30 am, then run back to job by 10 am. I used to teach lower secondary students until grade 5, all different subjects, until 4pm. Sometimes, I would only have around 5 minutes to have my lunch after I reach to my work from school, and sometimes no time at all, in which case I would have to wait until my next break time for my food. After 4pm, I would return to my home, do my lesson plans and studying. Even with all these difficulties, in the terminal exams of my high-school, I topped the class. Then, professors started noticing me than my other schoolmates. Then, two years quickly passed and with first class grade, I graduated my high-school with an Education Major. By then, I had started liking the Education major, so I knew that since I did not have the option to study at a good university, I could better continue there. For me ,what mattered then was to stand on my own feet! My parents also said that I should continue my studies in education . I joined my bachelors’ level in the education major. It was 5 months into college; one of my professors came and showed me a newspaper. He said, “look, the newspaper has an advertisement about a good international university in Bangladesh. Maybe you should give it a try”. Then, without a second thought, I took the newspaper, call the number in the newspaper after my class. It was the number the organization working for recruiting students for AUW in Kathmandu. The lady from the organization suggested me that I go to the office in Kathmandu with my passport size photos on Saturday, since that was my day off from work. I did not tell my parents about it. I just went to Kathmandu with one of my close friends. After hearing about Asian University for Women, I realized that this university was for me. I filled out the required forms that day, and went back home and informed my parents I had applied to a university in Bangladesh. At the time, my parents were not too concerned because I hadn’t been accepted. The rest of the application procedure went smoothly, and at last I finally received a message that I had been accepted to the university. My happiness had no bounds, because attending an international university for higher education was a dream comes true for me. But my parents were not happy with the decision. They asked me questions about AUW, for which I had no proper answers. All I knew was that it was for students like me. My parents were skeptical about a university in Bangladesh, similarly poor and developing like Nepal, taking in a bunch of young girls! They thought we were going to be trafficked. Also, the fact that AUW was paying for all our expenses, even to make our passports raised their suspicions even more. So, people were doubtful that a university was paying every single expense without any expectation of return, meaning certainly that your daughter would be trafficked. And on top, it was a liberal arts education, which made no sense to people in my area. So, my parents were very nervous about my decision. In the end, they were supportive of my choice because they knew how much I valued my higher education. They had no option but to say good bye for 16 months. I finally reached Chittagong, Bangladesh, with my first ever plane journey. At the university, I was excited to see all different faces, including western teachers. The first thing I did after I unpacked was called my mom! I called her and told her that I am at the university, and it is a big building, and there are around 150 students like me from all over South Asia. Back then, my village did not have a cyber café to Skype or video chat. So, phone was the only option to contact family. Finally, after six months, a friend helped my mom go to a cyber café in the town, and I Skyped with her. As soon as she saw me, she started crying. Up until that point, six months, my mother had thought that someone was threatening me to say those all good things about the university and that I was actually lying to her. That day, when she Skyped with me, I showed her my different roommates, from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. I showed her my room, my whole dorm and my other dorm mates. After six long months, she started sleeping and eating well, after seeing me happy with my friends in my comfortable room. She was finally convinced that her daughter was actually safe. Apart from family issues, my studies in the beginning were not impressive at AUW, because everything was in English. Lectures were given by native speakers, but eventually I got used to all the different western English accents and then started comprehending well. My English got improved rapidly as I was able to communicate with my friends so well. After 16 months, we had a one month vacation to go home and we were lucky that the university paid our air fare again. That moment, I could not wait to go back home and share my exciting experiences to my family and friends. After my vacation, I was more encouraged to study because by then, my parents had realized that I was safe and happy. So, I did not have any tensions with them. Then, I choose my major as Politics, Philosophy and Economic in my second year. At AUW, we had great opportunities to open student clubs, so I was a president of a club named “Women Across Borders” which is still working for the welfare of the homeless children. I also participated many times in sports competitions that AUW organized. Similarly, along with study, I had a lot of work experience inside my university. I also did three internships in well-renowned banks before I graduated. In my third year and final year, I did a little research on labor migrant workers from Nepal. With the understanding of huge young labor migration from Nepal, I was encouraged to study more on this particular issue. I decided to do a senior thesis on labor migration issues from Nepal to explore more about the conditions of migrants from Nepal to Middle East. Writing a thesis was tough for me in the beginning, because I was still learning English, but we had writing center at AUW that had tutors who guided us for our thesis. Overall, the final semester at AUW was very good. During my final semester, I applied to Ewha Womans University in South Korea for my graduate study in Sociology. After I returned back from AUW, I heard positive response from Ewha. So, two months later, I was in South Korea for my master’s degree. Now, I have finished my first semester at Ewha and one thing I must mention is that I was very much comfortable with academic life at Ewha because the level of academic work at AUW is similar to what I am doing now at Ewha. So, up until now, I have never faced any academic difficulties at Ewha. I do have to do a lot more readings everyday than what I used to do at AUW, but other than this the teaching style of Ewha is comparable to AUW. After I graduate, I want to work with International Non-Governmental organizations for few years so that I make enough connections to accomplish my goal. My goal is to work for labor migrants. Ever since I did my research on migrant workers from Nepal, I have always promised myself that I will work for these people who work very hard for their family and the whole nation. Most migrant workers expressed that they have money in their hand after they return to Nepal, but they lack ideas about where to invest it. I will help them establish small social businesses so that they do not have to migrate again. In conclusion, I thank AUW for giving me this golden opportunity to see the real world. I have not only improved my English language proficiency, but also to accept the challenges for doing right think. This institution has taught me to be true to myself and to the society. It led me towards that path which my entire family had never been too. It made me strong to say NO, to the wrong things and Yes to the right things even if I am alone. The education that I got from AUW has become a weapon in my life to make my life better. AUW has not educated me, but to my entire family because I am spreading the good things that I have learned. With all my personal stories, I would like to end my speech by saying a famous quote: I learned to give not because I have many, but because I know how exactly it feels to have nothing. カマラ・K・C みなさん、こんばんは！みなさんの前でお話しさせていただくことを光栄に思います。まず、私が AUW に入学するまでの道のりからお話しさせて下さい。私はヒマラヤの山岳地帯、ネパールの出身です。生まれたのはカトマンズから南東に 46 キロほど下った小さな村でした。村人はみな協力しあって暮らし、平和で人混みも交通渋滞もなく、新鮮な野菜と果物が自慢の村です。とはいっても、ネパールの他の地域同様、停電は日常茶飯事です。幾晩も電気のない中で、私達はろうそくの灯りを頼りに勉強していました。それでも、私は自分の家が大好きで、いつも家に帰りたいと思います。私の家族はお金も教育もありませんが、両親はいつも高等教育の大切さを信じていました。両親の励ましと支えのおかげで、私は 10 年生を優秀な成績で終えることができました。勉強ができたので、周りの人たちは私に理系に進んで医者かエンジニアか看護師になるよう勧めました。ですが、私はその方向にあまり興味を持てませんでした。それに、もしそちらに進みたかったとしても、そんなお金はありませんでした。私は教育を専攻したい、そして教師になりたいと思いました。周囲の人も、教師なら結婚しても続けられる、すばらしい仕事だと言ってくれました。その頃から自立したいと思っていた私にとって、教育を専攻することは将来の自立への道でした。私の村の周りには高校がありませんでした。道も整備されていませんし、バスもなかったので毎朝遠くの高校まで一時間半かけて歩いていきました。両親には私や兄弟の学費を出す余裕はなかったので、フルタイムで中学生を教える仕事につき、みんなの学費をまかないました。一日 8 クラス、45 分づつ教えていました。学生と教師の両方を掛け持ちするのは本当に大変でした。試験の時はとくにそうです。友達と過ごす時間はほとんどありませんでした。そんな大変な中でも、私は学年トップの成績で高校を卒業しました。もちろん専攻は教育です。両親は私にもっとこの分野の勉強をするように勧めてくれました。大学に入って 5 ヶ月後、教授のひとりが AUW の新聞広告を見せてくれました。私は、これだ！と思い授業が終わるとすぐに広告の番号に電話をかけました。アジア女子大のことを聞き、私にはここしかないと思ったのです。そして、その週末に願書を書き上げました。合格した時の喜びは言葉では言い表せないほどでした。ですが、両親はあまり喜んでくれません。ネパールと同じ、貧しく発展途上のバングラディッシュの大学がたくさんの女子を受け入れることに疑いを持っていたのです。売り飛ばされるのではないかと両親は心配していました。そのうえ、AUW の教育はリベラル・アーツです。このあたりではリベラル・アーツと言っても誰にもわかってもらえません。ですが、私の高等教育への熱意を知っていた両親は、最後には私の選択を支えてくれました。私は生まれて初めて飛行機に乗り、いよいよバングラディッシュのチッタゴンに到着しました。AUW につくと、西洋人の先生方を含め、さまざまな人たちが出迎えてくれました。東南アジアの他の国から多くの学生が来ていることにも驚きました。それまで、他の国の人たちに会ったことはなかったのです。学生同士はお互いの母国語が通じず、英語でのコミュニケーションがはじめは大変でした。今では笑い話ですが、言葉が見つからなかったときには、よくジェスチャーで伝えようとしたものです。授業の初日に、アヴリル・ラヴィーンの『コンプリケイティド』という歌を聞きました。ですがその 4 分間、ひとことも歌詞が聞き取れませんでした。なにもわからないのは私だけだと思い、ショックを受けました。ですが、先生が「わかりましたか？」と聞くと誰も手を上げなかったのです。私はホッとしました。先生たちはいつも私達に考えさせ、イエスかノーを言う前に、論理的に考えることを教えてくれました。ネパールでは学校に行き、講堂に座ってただ先生が言うことを聞き、ノートを取って丸暗記して試験に備えていました。手を上げて「間違いだと思います」なんて言うことは考えられませんでしたし、授業以外で先生に会ってもらうこともありませんでした。AUW の教育方法は私をやる気にさせ、インスピレーションを与えてくれました。この機会をできる限り活用しなければ、と私は思いました。 2 年目には、政治・哲学・経済（PPE）を専攻しました。学校では授業の他にも多くの活動に参加しました。「国境のない女性たち」クラブの会長となり、ホームレスの子どもたちの問題に取り組みました。また、卓球やバレーボールといったスポーツにも参加しました。卒業までに一流銀行で 3 度のインターンを経験することもできました。夏の調査プロジェクトで出稼ぎ労働者の問題を研究した私は、ネパールの出稼ぎ労働者問題についてもっと知りたくなりました。私の村の周りでは多くの教育のない人や職のない人たちが中東に出稼ぎに出ていました。出稼ぎに伴う多くの問題を知り、もっとこのことを調査したいと思ったのです。そこで、私は卒論のテーマを、ネパールから中東への出稼ぎ労働者の問題に決め、彼らが置かれた状況を調査したのです。最終セメスターに、私は韓国の梨花女子大に応募しました。大学院で社会学を学ぶためです。AUW 卒業の 2 ヶ月後には、韓国の大学院に入学しました。現在、梨花女子大の最初のセメスターが終わったばかりです。梨花女子大での勉強は、AUW と同じレベルなので、非常に楽です。困ったことはまったくありません。私の夢は出稼ぎ労働者の問題に取り組むことです。ネパールの出稼ぎ労働者の調査以来、家族や国のために骨身を削って働いているあの人たちのために、自分ができることをしたいと心に決めました。出稼ぎ労働者たちは、お金を持ってネパールに戻ってきますが、それをどのように投資したらいいかのアイデアがありません。私は彼らのためにソーシャル・ビジネスを立ち上げ、彼らがふたたび出稼ぎに出なくていいように助けたいと思っています。現実の世界を見る素晴らしいチャンスを与えてくれた AUW に、本当に感謝しています。英語も上手になりましたが、それ以上に困難に立ち向かい、正しいことを行う姿勢を私は学びました。AUW は私に、自分らしくあること、そして社会に対して誠実であることを教えてくれました。間違ったことには「ノー」と言い、正しいことには「イエス」と言うことを、教えてくれました。たとえそれが私ひとりであろうとも。AUW で受けた教育は、人生を向上させるツールとなりました。AUW は私に教育を与えてくれただけではありません。私をとおして家族のみんなにもさまざまなことを教えてくれたのです。私のこれまでの道のりのスピーチの最後を、バラク・オバマ大統領のこの言葉で締めくくりたいと思います。「だれかがしてくれるだろう、いつかそうなるだろうと待っていたら、変化は訪れない。私達が待っているのは自分自身だ。変化を起こすのは、私たち自身なのだ」。