Megan Kaiser began the scholarship of a lifetime in 2023 when she boarded a flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The Deakin University International Relations and Accounting graduate began her New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship with 2 months of full-time Khmer language training, followed by a semester exchange at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, in the International Relations department. Her studies focused on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and how different member-states approach diplomacy in the region.
Megan also completed 3 internships alongside her studies, including a 3-month full-time internship with finance NGO 'Good Return', and a 2-month internship in the remote, rural Ratanakiri province, working on sustainable farming with ethnic minority communities.
'My NCP experience was an amazing adventure. Learning the language, building new relationships, and living in a completely different culture challenged me in the best ways — it was one of the most humbling, yet rewarding things I've ever done', said Megan.
Megan was the only exchange student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, which accelerated her immersion in Cambodian life. 'I think a lot of my classmates were pretty surprised when I turned up - it was pretty hard to go by unnoticed,' she said. Contrasting with her Australian university experience, Cambodian tertiary students wear uniforms, and so Megan too donned the mandatory university uniform every day.
Beginning her time in Cambodia with no knowledge of the local language, Megan has made remarkable progress. Fluent in everyday conversation but lacking the finer details of more technical language, Megan has since returned to Australia and continues to practice online with her Khmer language tutor based in Phnom Penh.
While in-country language training launched her Khmer abilities, she said it was the 2-month internship in rural Ratanakiri – all in Khmer – that sky-rocketed her fluency.
'While I was confident in conversational Khmer, joining meetings that discussed the technicalities of rural farming in full Khmer was initially daunting,' say Megan, 'However, that's what made it so special. Being able to communicate in the local language opened the door to relationships and opportunities that simply wouldn't have been otherwise possible.'
As well as cementing her language skills, Megan's Ratanakiri internship immersed her in the rural Khmer culture. Living with a local host family and assisting with village-based workshops helped her to experience another side of Cambodian life to that she had seen in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Her host NGO, Integral Cooperation Cambodia Organisation, works with a number of rural and remote villages to share ways to enhance small-scale farming productivity.
Growing up in regional Australia also helped her to connect with colleagues and farmers in the remote communities. She recalled bonding with her team over shared experiences of initially feeling disorientated when arriving in a large city from a rural area. She noted, 'it gave us an automatic basis for conversation and a shared experience to laugh about.'
Now based in Canberra, working for a consulting firm advising government, Megan uses the soft skills she gained through the NCP in her work. She says using accessible language in all her communications – and not jargon – has been a key lesson from her time aboard. She is also maintaining her ties to Cambodia, connecting with Khmer Australia Awards scholars based in Canberra, attending Cambodian embassy events, and will soon commence volunteering with a Cambodian NGO. Continuing her interest in development, Megan is also on the Finance, Risk and Audit sub-committee of NGO Plan International Australia.
Megan encourages anyone thinking of applying to the NCP to give it a go, 'It's absolutely incredible,' she says. 'It showed me the value of genuine relationships and gave me a deep appreciation of what the Indo-Pacific has to offer. It was an adventure far beyond any traditional university experience. I couldn't recommend it more.'