While University of Idaho ROTC cadet Blake Engle was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he and a few other U.S. cadets got the chance to attend a World Cup qualifier game.
It was his first time out of the U.S., and it was certainly his first chance to go to a country that loved soccer so much, he said.
At the match, Engle was surrounded by revelry, rivalry and excitement – one thing that stuck with him though was seeing a little girl alone, picking through the garbage for food.
“And you”d see that pretty regularly,” he said. “It made me think, at least I”m over here helping out in some way.”
Engle spent three weeks on a Cambodian military base teaching English as part of the Cultural Understanding Language Program, a summer training course for cadets. Engle will be one of 14 UI cadets to be recognized in a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Shattuck Arboretum Amphitheatre.
Military Science Professor Brad Martin said seven cadets completed the Cadet Leader Course, five cadets completed Cadet Initial Entry Training and one cadet completed Cadet Field Training this summer.
“Cadets compete for the slots to go to the different events,” Martin said. “Every one of these training events is another stepping stone in their development as a leader, and their ultimate commissioning as an officer in the army.”
Engle said he applied for CULP because he thought that when he became an officer, already having an ROTC deployment under his belt would be advantageous.
Before traveling to Cambodia, Engle said he had never left the country before. He had also never taught English before. There was a communication barrier, and the Cambodian military operated completely differently from the U.S. military, but Engle said the Cambodian soldiers were eager to learn.
“They loved learning anything that had to do with America,” Engle said. “We”re like superheroes to them.”
There was much to adjust to on the Cambodian compound, Engle said. Their physical training closer resembled something like taekwondo than hard, physical exertion. Bathing meant ladling water over their heads and during the hottest hours of the day they would nap.
By the end of his time in Cambodia, Engle said he could certainly see an improvement in his students” language skills – that, he said, was one of the best parts of the experience.
Now that he”s back in the U.S., Engle said what he saw and learned in Phnom Penh will translate well to his leadership training at UI.
“You can know people in America who are different than you, but they still live in the same culture,” Engle said. “I learned what it”s like to know people who are truly different, and I think it”ll help me better relate to people in the future.”
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @itshannah7