🔤 I flew across the world to answer ONE question... (Pt. 2)
And it's not what I originally thought
Hey there! I’m Robert. Welcome to a free edition of my newsletter. Every week, I share my story of building my dreams in public with bootstrapping a startup in AI, Alignment, and Longevity. These newsletters include my reflections on the journey, and topics such as growth, leadership, communication, product, and more. Subscribe today to become the person and leader that people love, respect, and follow.
Today, I share with you part 2 of a reflection series I wrote on leadership from a pro-bono consulting engagement with the Cambodian Children’s Fund that I did years ago.
My own home was right next door
We wrapped up the discovery phase, finalized all of our workshop slide decks, and arrived on site.
I sincerely did not know what I was getting myself into.
Day one was extremely memorable - this was our final prep day before we started executing on our workshops.
Remember that I was a bit underwater in the months leading up to being on the ground in Cambodia?
I cannot stress enough how I had absolutely ZERO expectations going into this trip. I was in this mode of constantly doing that I never got a chance to really stop and reflect.
From sunup to sundown everyday, I barely had time to myself beyond my ever growing list of responsibilities.
My self care items dropped by the wayside because too many things were on my plate.
I realized that this was not a sustainable pace, and I rationalized that there was a light at the end of the tunnel: after I got back from Cambodia, I would have more room to breathe.
Because of this, I had never prepared myself for the emotional turmoil I was in for, even on the first day alone.
Team4Tech had graciously arranged for Nicky, the CCF art coordinator, to give us a tour of where we will be working.
We began by walking through the community and seeing one of their elementary schools.
All around us, on the streets we walked through, were piles and piles of garbage.
A makeshift Buddhist shrine at the entrance of a home
Contrary to the scenery, bright eyed Cambodian kids and adults greeted us with enthusiastic waves and laughter.
Young boys and girls buzzed around, playing make believe games reminiscent of my own childhood. Most of the houses were made of scrap metal, and flooded regularly.
Still, they stood with straight backs and warm smiles.
Still, they found ways to give respect to their customs and culture.
I was, at the same time, extremely impressed and profoundly sad.
Impressed by their perseverance, and sad about their living conditions.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but this dichotomy of emotions would remain with me for the entirety of the trip, paving the way to a stronger connection to the people I was serving.
I selfishly reminded myself to be grateful for my own life back home.
As we continued touring the community, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own Vietnamese heritage; there were so many similarities in culture - after all, Vietnam was right next door!
I spotted a makeshift Buddhist shrine at the entrance to one of the community homes, and I immediately remembered the strong smell of incense that permeated my childhood home.
I glimpsed a mom scolding her son, and her posture brought back many vivid memories of my own mother doing the same to me (it happened a lot - I was a bit of a troublemaker).
Photos of a grandmother’s proud accomplishments: getting an education in her late years to better serve her community.
We saw the Neeson Cripps Academy (NCA), where we would be spending the majority of our time serving. NCA is the flagship school in the CCF network, with computer labs, science labs, and all of the essential infrastructure to support their vision of technology-powered education.
We met several eager high school students who expressed sheer joy at the thought of learning anything new.
In parallel with what we were seeing in front of us, Nicky provided important commentary that contextualized the home life where these students came from everyday and go back to every night.
Child labor, abuse, neglect - these elements were not uncommon in Cambodian homes.
Hearing this, I felt a big tug at my heartstrings.
I didn’t know it then, but this would turn out to be one of the most transformative experiences of my entire life.
I went back to my hotel.
I opened up my journal.
I started writing.
And I had an epiphany.
Tune in next week to find out what happened next…
Thank you for reading!
This transformative experience (among others) directly drives my fire for Epistemic Me, to help others shed limiting beliefs with my passion in technology & AI. To do that, one must understand the self.
If you have feedback or anything to share around this story—please reach out!
Liked this article?
💚 Click the like button.
Feedback or addition?
💬 Add a comment.
Know someone that would find this helpful?
🔁 Share this post.
P.S. If you haven’t already checked out podcast, ABCs for Building The Future, where I reflect on my founder’s journey building a venture in the open. Check out my learnings on product, leadership, entrepreneurship, and more—in real time!
P.S.S. Want reminders on entrepreneurship, growth, leadership, empathy, and product?
Follow me on..