Before I started studying with EGBOK Mission, I lived at an orphanage because I wanted the chance to study to have a good future and I did not have a family to support me. In EGBOK Mission’s hospitality class we learned about how to be polite with people and how to connect with guests. I love connecting with people from different backgrounds. We also learned about things like hospitality vocabulary, jobs in hospitality, finance and marketing. In hospitality class, we visited many hotels including Raffles Hotel. This is a very famous hotel in Cambodia and I hope one day I can be very lucky and work there. My favorite guest speaker who came to visit our class was a travel agent. She shared her desire to help people have a wonderful time with their family and help them have a wonderful vacation. This was a job I had never heard of before.
I like hospitality so much and I am so happy that EGBOK Mission has helped me to now study at Sala Bai Hotel School. I am studying to be a receptionist because I really like communicating with people and sharing my country with them. I have been able to learn all about what you do working at the front office. The part I enjoy the most is providing information to guests about what to do in Cambodia and different trips they can take. I also enjoy learning about how to handle guest complaints. I have learned about how to talk with the guests on the phone and how to be polite and courteous.
At the Sala Bai Hotel School, I was chosen by my classmates to be the head of the girls’ dorm. I enjoy being a leader for the 70 other girls who live with me. I have to work very hard when I am not in class and study every day. Because of my hard work, I was ranked first of all the front office students for the first term.
Internships are a way for me to develop more skills. For two months I interned at Angkor Century Resort & Spa. I had a really good experience there because all the staff were so friendly and taught me a lot. I learned all about guest relations. My second internship was at Sokha Angkor Resort. I first trained in the reservation department and learned how to book rooms by both email and fax. Later I trained as a telephone operator. This was a good experience because now I can speak with the guests more clearly than before.
My goal is to be a sales and marketing manager at a five-star hotel. When I complete hospitality school this September, I would like to start out as a guest relations officer. I would like to tell everyone that now I know I am an adult and it is very different than before because of my education and professional experience. Now I have the skills to find a job and to help myself and my family in the future. This is the most important part because now I have the ambition and confidence to improve my future.