Jennifer Smith

Jennifer J. Smith was a third year law student at Boston College Law School when she interned with Legal Aid of Cambodia during the summer of 1996. She returned in the fall of the same year – taking a year-long leave of absence from law school – to continue working with LAC to help launch the organization’s Juvenile Unit. Jennifer is currently a public interest attorney with Public Counsel in Boston.

How did you hear about Legal Aid of Cambodia?

The public interest career services officer at BC told me about this opportunity. She knew that I was interested in working overseas in a developing country and was looking for international opportunities. I saw a fax in the career office and contacted Mr. John Finck, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Legal Aid of Cambodia (based in New York) who put me in contact with the people of LAC in Cambodia. I sent in my resume with a cover letter.

How did you make up your mind to go?

I remember at that time, I wasn’t so serious. I didn’t know a thing about Cambodia. I knew where it was on a map, but that was about it. I was looking mainly for opportunities in Latin America with the UN in Chile and Argentina. But then I received a packet of information on the Cambodian legal system and articles on LAC. I found it amazing. The history of the country was so unique. So many horrible things had happened there. There were so few lawyers in the country. It seems that most people of my generation had never heard of Cambodia and had no interest in Asia. But after reading these materials, I felt compelled to go. The only problem was finding funding. I was lucky to receive a $3,000 human rights grant from Boston College Law School and an additional $1,000 from BC’s Third World Law Journal in exchange for conducting some research on developmental issues.

What did you do to prepare for the trip?

Once my funding was secure, I purchased an airplane ticket and read up on Cambodia. Funny, but now I remember people who had been there before mentioning three random things. “Take off your shoes before you enter a wat.” (I had no idea what a “wat” was – it’s a Buddhist temple). “Bring some flip flops or Tevas because of the rain.” (It rained almost every day but then it clears up immediately). And, “you’ll be riding lots of motos or cyclos.” (Again, I had no idea what he was talking about. Motos are motorcycle taxis. You hop on the back and the driver takes you wherever you want to go. Cyclos are bicycle pedicabs. They are a nice, scenic and romantic way to get around town).

Did you take any health precautions?

Yes, I went to the student health clinic and got a Hepatitis B and Typhoid shot. That was it. I did get some malaria pills but I never used them. They weren’t necessary. There are some malaria areas in Cambodia but they are in the extreme northwest and in very remote areas. I also brought with me some diarrhea pills and mosquito spray. I never got sick once. In fact, all of us interns remarked at how much healthier we became while there.

What did your parents and friends think of you going to Cambodia?

My mother was a bit concerned. She thought there were still Khmer Rouge and land mines all over the place. She was convinced it was too dangerous having seen the movie “The Killing Fields”. But it wasn’t anything like that at all. I called the State Department in Washington, DC to get a country report. Overall, it was as safe there than it was in Boston. My friends all said, “where’s Cambodia, why do you want to go there?” Most of them were taking “normal” summer jobs clerking for a judge or working in a law firm in New York or Los Angeles. But knowing how I was, they weren’t surprised.

What did you bring with you?

I brought with me one big suitcase. I packed the morning I left, it was crazy. I brought mostly summer clothes, skirts, khaki pants, sandals and t-shirts. I also brought with me many things I absolutely did NOT need, such as long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, and long heavy pants. I never needed these items and they took up too much space. Plus, you can get clothes made here at a fraction of the price. I think I became a favorite of many tailors at the market. I got a lot of clothes and shoes made.

I also brought too many toiletries. You can get everything here: shampoo, soaps, tampons, etc. Of course, you should bring your own prescription medicines if you need them, but for the most part, you can get almost anything here.

I would also suggest bringing a Walkman, tapes, books to read and maybe even a short-wave radio (so you can catch VOA – although the BBC World Service broadcasts on the FM dial here in Phnom Penh). Finally, a laptop computer is indispensable. There are printers at the office.

How was the flight over and what were your first impressions upon arrival in Phnom Penh?

I shopped around trying to get the cheapest ticket. It cost $1200 r/t going from Boston to New York to Frankfurt to Singapore and finally to Phnom Penh. It was pretty much the longest flight in the world! Going to Europe is no problem but this flight seemed to go on forever. I had a 10-hour lay over in Singapore (which I used to read over all the materials I had brought with me – I had just finished exams 5 days earlier and had downloaded all of my research onto my computer and literally, thrown everything into my suitcase and carry on).

I remember sitting next to a woman on her way to Germany. She said, “why are you going to Cambodia?!” I replied, “to work there for the summer.” She was very surprised. Chiangi Airport in Singapore has to be one of the world’s most modern airports. Pochentong Airport in Phnom Penh – by contrast – is most certainly not. Stepping off the plane onto the tarmac, it felt like 100 degrees. We went into the arrival hall where I filled out an application form and handed over $20 in cash for a visa (I had forgotten my passport photos but they didn’t seem to mind). The authorities stamped my passport, I got my luggage, passed through customs (no need to declare anything) and walked through a mad house of people asking me if I wanted a taxi. Then, I saw a man holding a Legal Aid of Cambodia sign with my name on it and a nice woman came up to me and said “hello how are you?’ and placed some flowers around my neck. They said, “we are bringing you to your hotel.” I was a bit overwhelmed. It was hot, I was really jet lagged and the landscape was so different. Phnom Penh looked like a small town. People were riding motos, there were open fields everywhere, traffic was pretty chaotic.

The hotel was very nice though. It was very clean and had satellite TV, refrigerator, hot water, closet space, air conditioner, and a nice bed. I didn’t expect this at all. I had somehow been conditioned to think I’d be living in a wooden hut.

What were some of your initial impressions about the LAC office?

After I checked into the hotel, they brought me to the office. It was really nice. Again, it was very clean and not what I had expected. It looked like a law office with people busily working away (except the typing was all in Khmer font). I was the last intern to arrive, the others had come from the University of Michigan and had known each other. I was a bit intimidated. Plus, they were already working. One was working with an interpreter, another was discussing a case with a Cambodian lawyer and the last one had gone to jail to see a client. I felt a little out of place. I felt they knew what was up, and I didn’t.

We had a short orientation briefing that afternoon. Research topics were discussed and a schedule for travel to the provinces was put forth. Since my research area was prison administration and the treatment of prisoners, I was assigned to Phnom Penh so I could meet with relevant Ministry of Justice, Interior and UN officials.

I then went out with Srive (the computer whiz at LAC) on his motorcycle to a photo shop to get some passport pictures taken for my LAC identification card. That’s when I committed my first cultural faux pas. I had a long skirt on and hiked it up to straddle the seat. I was later very embarrassed to learn that only women of ill-repute straddle the seats when riding a motorcycle. Women usually ride side saddle. At first it feels scary but eventually, you get the hang of it and it’s a completely comfortable and safe way to ride.

Tell me some of the assignment and projects you worked on?

One of my first projects was going with a LAC lawyer to meet with a client who was assaulted by local police along the Cambodian-Vietnamese border. We went to investigate with officials from the UN in a 4WD vehicle along with a Vietnamese-Khmer interpreter. The road was very bad and we had to take a boat part of the way. Locating the house boat where the client lived was no easy task. There was no address per se. We had to ask neighbors where the young woman lived. I remember meeting with the client’s mother. She took out her “file” of official documents, meticulously collected in a plastic bag. They were all so friendly. They offered us ice coffee. I was thinking, don’t drink anything but did so anyway. I never got sick. In fact, I loved the food in Cambodia. It was all very fresh. There are plenty of Western restaurants, but Cambodian food is so healthy and good. You eat white rice with everything. Now, if I don’t have rice, I feel as though something is missing. I initially spent two weeks in Phnom Penh gathering research and meeting with local officials. By the time I went to the provinces myself, I had visited the three local prisons in Phnom Penh.

You do not speak Khmer or French, how does one function as an English speaker in Cambodia?

Very well actually. Most of the staff at LAC speak some English. Of course, there are those who speak very well and those that hardly speak it at all. You just have to speak slowly and carefully. Many times, the staff understand exactly what you are saying, they are just a bit shy about their English. If you make a small effort to learn a few words of Khmer, it will go a long way and be reciprocated with the staff’s effort to respond in English. Communication has not been a problem. Remember, patience is a virtue.

Tell me a bit about your interactions with the staff at LAC?

The staff people at LAC are great. That is really the reason why I returned. Chhoeun Sokha is the Director of LAC. He studied law in the former East Germany and is simply one of the nicest people I know. Mrs. Peung Yok Hiep is the 2d Vice Director. She is absolutely wonderful. She was a former school teacher from Battambang Province and every one still calls her “nek kru” or “teacher.” She is 53 years old and commands respect from everyone. She is so solid, straightforward and works constantly. Everyone – from the receptionists to the guards, investigators and lawyers – work together in a spirit of mutual cooperation and respect. One of my best experiences of the summer were the bonds of friendship formed between and among the interns and the staff. You will be invited to their homes, share in their family and other ordinary-day-life-experiences, and be rewarded with countless unforgettable memories.

What was your experience like in the provinces?

We (interns) rotated through the Kampong Cham, Battambang and Siem Reap offices. I even made it to a prison in Banteay Meanchey Province along the Thai-Cambodian border. Working in the provinces offered me an entirely different perspective in Cambodia. I loved it. It was so quiet and peaceful. I would wake up at 5:30 am and start off my day with a Khmer language lesson. Work would begin at 7:30 am. At night, I’d go to bed around 9:30-lO:OOpm. I would read and read. It was definitely a much slower pace than in the city. In Kampong Cham, the UN had a field office staffed by a friendly Tibetan human rights officer. Lhakpa was wonderful.

In Siem Reap, the Angkor Wat temples were but a short moto ride from the LAC office. I’d go there frequently in the morning before sunrise and at sunset. These were the best times to view the temples before all the tourist descended on them. The temples were simply amazing. They have to be seen to understand the wonderful mystical quality that permeates Angkor Wat.

How and why did you decide to take a year off from law school and come back?

I grew very attached to the people and places I had worked with. When I left Cambodia, I remember having a sense of “incompleteness.” Prior to my departure, LAC had just been awarded a grant by the UN to start the country’s first Juvenile Unit concentrating on children in conflict with the law. And I thought, how exciting to launch a new project.

How has it been the second time around?

Very different than the first time. Initially, I had some difficulty reconciling the past with the present. Everyone and everything seemed exactly the same – but, it wasn’t. My fellow interns were gone and life had moved on. Things were different, but in a good way. It was the next logical step.

I’ve been busily helping to launch the Juvenile Unit. We were lucky to find and hire a retired Khmer-American juvenile specialist with over 25 years of juvenile justice experience from the state of Oregon. We undertook a country-wide baseline survey on the situation of children in Cambodia. This comprehensive report took us through almost all of the provinces in the country. The report was the first seminal report on the state of children in the country and formed the basis of our work for the inaugural year to come.

On a personal note, I’ve managed to travel a few times to the beaches at Sihanouk Ville and even spent a long weekend in a monastery outside of Saigon. It’s been wonderful working with the staff and pro bono lawyers of LAC. I’ve met and made many important contacts in the international human rights community. Recently, LAC hosted a delegation of Vietnamese officials from the Ministry of Justice in Hanoi who came to Cambodia to study the legal aid program at LAC as a potential model to structure Vietnam’s legal aid initiative. Finally, I’ve taken Khmer and French language lessons and even acted in the local Christmas production put on by the Phnom Penh Players, an acting company composed of non-governmental workers (and surprisingly professional) actor-types. During the upcoming Khmer New Year, I plan on traveling to Nepal. It truly has been an unforgettable year.