The Life and Times of a Scholarship Student in Europe

By Soy Sophea

Seng Bopha is a former student of the Department of Media and Communications at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). She said that her dream was to get a recognized Master’s Decree from a prestigious western university. Her dream came true when Bopha received a scholarship in 2006 to fund her postgraduate studies abroad, one year after graduation.

She said that her mother was afraid for her daughter as her studies would take her away from home for more than one year. “She [my mother] was concerned about a young Cambodian lady living abroad for so long,” she recalled.
Bopha is now an advisor to the Cambodia Agriculture Market Information Project (CAMIP).
*Life in Europe

During the first three months in Denmark, Bopha was homesick and missed her family and friends. She felt lonely and had no one to turn to. “I cried and cried and I missed everyone,” Bopha said. However, after a little time, she recalled the purpose of her European visit and she started to concentrate harder on her lessons. Her homesickness declined and her confidence returned.

“I recalled my family’s advice to stay focused on the goal of earning a postgraduate qualification,” she said. “I struggled to overcome my fears and keep up with the other students in the program. There was only one other Cambodian student on the course,” she added.

As a European Erasmus Fellowship student, she studied in Denmark and England. Bopha was committed to staying ahead of her classmates although at first she experienced difficulties with English as it is her second language. Nevertheless she found plenty of help and support from her classmates and this helped her secure her certificate.

*New Work Experience

During vacations, Bopha found work as a dish washer at a restaurant, earning extra money for travel to other European countries. The work taught her lessons in patience, serenity and in calling on reserves of tact that she never knew she had.

“I spent four hours a day washing dishes to fund my trips to Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Scotland and Italy,” she said. During her travels, she found much food for thought and was exposed to a range of new ideas and philosophies.

Future Career

As she used to work as radio producer and news reporter for the BBC World Trust, and ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporations) and other related media organisations, Bopha wishes to open her own media company, although she is now employed as a radio advisor with the Cambodia Agriculture Market Information Project based in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Currently, she wants to explore working relationships with NGOs and private companies before opening her own.

“It is not so easy to start a successful business, despite the fact that I have been to university and read many books. In theory, opening a business sounds easy, but in practice the process can be very demanding,” she said.

She said that her friends have invited her to establish a joint-adventure media company to join the organizations already operating in the sector.

Cambodia is a Better Place to Live

Although, she used to imagine that European countries were better, Bopha said that Cambodia was much better. “I had a bad experience whilst traveling to European countries. They discriminated against me by asking me how old I was. That was so rude.”

She suggested that all who have graduated from foreign universities should return to Cambodia and help restore the nation to its former glory. “Look at the temples our ancestors created. We did it in the past and we can do it again in future.”


Advice for scholarship seekers

“Don’t worry about your lack of experience or problems with Academic English,” Bopha said. “Keep encouraging yourself and get closely involved with your subject. You will be successful in the long run,” she said.

The fact that Bopha had failed in her applications for other Western scholarship programs, she never gave up the hope that she would gain a scholarship one day. However, she gave thanks to the Department of Media and Communications which provided her with the opportunity to work as an intern with DWTV in Germany where she could build a network between East and West.

Cambodian youngsters who worry about applying for scholarships have to try and be confident in what abilities they have. “If you do not apply, then your failure is assured and you may miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime,” Bopha said. “You have to dare yourself to write that email of inquiry. If you ask, the worst that can happen is that you will get a response.”

She welcomes enquiries from all who want to apply for scholarships at foreign universities. She can be contacted at 016 840 816.
Interested students are also invited to visit the Erasmus Mundus website for further information on courses, countries and application procedures. The website address is
http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/projects/index_en.html

*Love

“I don’t so much care about wealth,” she said. “I’m looking for qualities of intelligence and morality in a future husband,” she added.

Her father is a disabled person who is well educated and creative. “My father always advises me to become a useful person. Although we are not rich, that is not necessarily a permanent condition. With hard work we can all become wealthy,” she said.