Next February, art teacher and varsity volleyball coach Brandon Eang and dean Betsy Murphy plan to take a group of WA students on a trip to Cambodia. The trip will share Eang’s culture and life before coming to America, exposing students to Cambodia’s culture and history.
According to Eang, he was inspired by Lincoln-Sudbury High School’s own trip to Cambodia and their development of a relationship with a local Cambodian school. He wants to build this type of relationship in WA because it would help build a bridge between the two cultures.
According to Eang, this trip is meant to be a healing mechanism and a way to expose students to more of what is outside Westford and the United States. He wishes to teach students about the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot, the genocide they caused, and the experiences of his family.
“The world is changing and is much bigger than just the United States,” Eang said. “It feels good to expose the students to more of what is out there, and to teach them about what happened.”
Landmarks that Eang and Murphy plan to visit are the Genocide Museum and the Cambodia Landmine Museum. According to Eang, going to places like Cambodia and being able to see its rich history and culture is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I learned the beauty of the US [and] I feel very fortunate, very happy to be here, but at the same time, [I want students to] let me show [them] the beauty of my culture as well,” Eang said.
According to Murphy, the costs will depend on the number of people who sign up, but on average the price of the trip would be around $5,000. Deposits for the trip can be put down as of March 19 at 6:30 p.m. For any further questions, students may contact Eang (beang@westfordk12.us) and Murphy (bmurphy@westfordk12.us) who are available to answer any questions through email.
This project has been in the works for years now. Murphy originally reached out to Eang around five years ago, and mentioned that it would be a good chance to expose western students to the rest of the world.
According to Murphy, the positive exposure to different cultures, societies, and school systems are good for young WA students to see. Compared to the life they live in the US, the way of life in Cambodia is completely different.
“To go overseas to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, or that part of the world [is an] extremely rare [opportunity that] should be taken advantage of,” Eang said.
