Sidarong Sun: An Advocate for an Active Lifestyle
Sidarong had taken courses in Sweden, Japan, and Korea, among others for her personal and professional development, but she had always wanted to study in Australia. Some of her friends who had completed their Australia Awards Scholarships spoke highly of their time there. Sidarong had to apply a few times, and she was finally successful on her third attempt.
Sidarong completed her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Adelaide. She chose public health because it was related to her position as a midwife nurse at the University of Health Sciences back in Cambodia. Sidarong also had the opportunity to apply her knowledge in health promotion during her placement with the South Australia government in the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR). The ORSR aims to get people in South Australia to live an active life by ensuring people incorporate exercise into their daily routine.
Sidarong was involved in the exploration of community-based models for physical activity assessment, referral and promotion which was organized by the School of Public Health from the University of Adelaide. Learning from her placement experience, Sidarong is keen to advocate for more health promotion in Cambodia as she can see that the modern lifestyle often makes people less active and results in them adopting more sedentary behaviours.
Living in Adelaide spoilt Sidarong with many things to see and explore. She loved the beautiful walks in the many parks and beaches, went to cultural events, met new people and did some shopping. The vibrant and busy Rundle Mall was so tempting because it was only a short walk from the university.
Sidarong’s experiences were not without challenges. She had to put in a lot of effort to adapt to an English-speaking country and understand the cultural differences. Sidarong felt grateful that she had two Cambodian housemates who were also Australia Awards scholars that she could share her journey with. The three of them were supporting each other as they learned to thrive in a new environment. Sidarong also learnt a lot about Australian cultures and ways of life from her English tutor.
Talking about Sidarong’s experience in Australia is not complete without mentioning her coping strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sidarong was midway through the two-year Master’s degree program when the pandemic hit. Several planned trips and conferences that she was looking forward to had to be cancelled. In turn, things were moved online. Luckily the organisers did fantastic jobs in providing engaging experiences despite the changes.
Now that Sidarong is back in her previous role at the University of Health Sciences, she wants to develop physical activity guidelines and community programs to promote active lifestyles especially in relation to coping with the pandemic. This will provide benefits for Cambodian people to build healthy communities during the pandemic and beyond.
Australia Awards
Post graduate learning opportunities for Cambodia’s future leaders
Sidarong Sun: An Advocate for an Active Lifestyle
Sidarong had taken courses in Sweden, Japan, and Korea, among others for her personal and professional development, but she had always wanted to study in Australia. Some of her friends who had completed their Australia Awards Scholarships spoke highly of their time there. Sidarong had to apply a few times, and she was finally successful on her third attempt.
Sidarong completed her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Adelaide. She chose public health because it was related to her position as a midwife nurse at the University of Health Sciences back in Cambodia. Sidarong also had the opportunity to apply her knowledge in health promotion during her placement with the South Australia government in the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing (ORSR). The ORSR aims to get people in South Australia to live an active life by ensuring people incorporate exercise into their daily routine.
Sidarong was involved in the exploration of community-based models for physical activity assessment, referral and promotion which was organized by the School of Public Health from the University of Adelaide. Learning from her placement experience, Sidarong is keen to advocate for more health promotion in Cambodia as she can see that the modern lifestyle often makes people less active and results in them adopting more sedentary behaviours.
Living in Adelaide spoilt Sidarong with many things to see and explore. She loved the beautiful walks in the many parks and beaches, went to cultural events, met new people and did some shopping. The vibrant and busy Rundle Mall was so tempting because it was only a short walk from the university.
Sidarong’s experiences were not without challenges. She had to put in a lot of effort to adapt to an English-speaking country and understand the cultural differences. Sidarong felt grateful that she had two Cambodian housemates who were also Australia Awards scholars that she could share her journey with. The three of them were supporting each other as they learned to thrive in a new environment. Sidarong also learnt a lot about Australian cultures and ways of life from her English tutor.
Talking about Sidarong’s experience in Australia is not complete without mentioning her coping strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sidarong was midway through the two-year Master’s degree program when the pandemic hit. Several planned trips and conferences that she was looking forward to had to be cancelled. In turn, things were moved online. Luckily the organisers did fantastic jobs in providing engaging experiences despite the changes.
Now that Sidarong is back in her previous role at the University of Health Sciences, she wants to develop physical activity guidelines and community programs to promote active lifestyles especially in relation to coping with the pandemic. This will provide benefits for Cambodian people to build healthy communities during the pandemic and beyond.