Andy Eicher, a 21 year-old senior majoring in psychology is a modern-day Mother Teresa. Just change Calcutta to Cambodia, lepers to children, a nun to a college student, a female to a male and an old person to a young one. Practically the same.
The Minaret had a chance recently to interview Eicher and ask him why he’s awesome. Here is his story.
The Minaret (M): How did you get involved with working with kids in Cambodia?
Andy Eicher (AE): I’ve traveled a lot my whole life and two summers ago wanted to take it a step further, just go somewhere completely crazy.
I was looking at all these different programs and saw one for a volunteer organization called United Planet that would have me working at an orphanage for three weeks in Cambodia. Something just clicked and I knew this is where I wanted to go.
M: The only thing I know about Cambodia is what I got in my email box about Cambodian mail-order brides. But you spent three weeks working at an orphanage? Did you adopt anyone?
AE: In the morning we’d do construction trying to build a school. In the afternoon we’d head to an orphanage to spend time with the 11 kids working there. There was a language barrier, but even despite that I [became] really close to the kids.
M: And that was two summers ago? What did you do last summer?
AE: I went back there by myself. I cashed in some savings bonds and got help from my dad. I was in Cambodia for three weeks and Vietnam for two.
At first I thought the kids wouldn’t remember [me] since they were so young when I first went, but they remembered me.
M: That’s awesome. What does the future hold for you? Is your future in Asia? Mulan?
AE: My whole future lies in Cambodia. I want to go back there and teach English.
M: What do your parents think of these shenanigans?
AE: They’re really supportive and proud. My mom was terrified at first, but she’s a little less scared now and my dad is cool with it all.
M: Do you keep in touch with anyone back in Asia?
AE: I did make some friends there. There was this guy who worked at a restaurant I would eat at everyday. I got close with him while I was there.
This kid was 27, no money, had been working the same job for three years and knew he’d never get a promotion. He decided to quit his job but he didn’t have another one lined up.
So there was a depressed and miserable guy who wanted to go back to school but had no money to do it and no chance of finding another job and I gave him $400 to go back to school.
M: I got the same message! It said if I gave them money I’d become a prince in some country. I’m pretty sure it’s legit.You just gave him $400?
AE: Well, he had no other options. I knew he was a good person, and the way I saw it was I could either buy a new phone or I could change this guy’s life — not a hard choice.
M: Wow, I bet he was grateful. You sure he didn’t just get himself a new iPhone though? I hear those things make you cool. Have things always been amazing, or were there ever times you felt really scared or discouraged?
AE: My first day in Saigon I had my identity stolen. Someone went on a shopping spree in Bangkok under my name and my bank account was negative $300.
I was all alone with not a cent to my name and had to get to the other end of Vietnam within two weeks to get on a plane.
Another time I was all alone at night, totally lost in the wrong part of the city I was staying in and I was absolutely terrified.
Both times I just reminded myself to stay strong. You have to have a lot of mental fortitude to do something like that.
M: What was that like, being by yourself in a foreign city with no one to fall back on? It sounds like the plot to Coyote Ugly.
AE: Being alone was amazing. I met a lot of awesome people, but even then there was still a feeling of being alone. You just have to adjust, and I came to terms with it. I felt independent, like being alone adds a different element to everything.
Richard Solomon can be reached at richard.solomon@spartans.ut.edu.
Loading ...
