Find Inspiration

We here at PEPY Tours are a colorful lot! We find inspiration in everything from falling snow to conversations with strangers to "flaming Christmas pudding." That kind of diversity is a testament to the broad appeal of the PEPY mission!
 

PEOPLE

What do a MacArthur “genius” doctor, a democracy activist, and an inorganic chemistry Ph.D. all have in common? The answer: they live their lives with such passion and purpose that we at PEPY can’t help but be inspired by them!

Global changemakers like Paul Farmer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi show that great ideas can transcend borders. PEPY interns Michael Woodard and Tech Leng look to Paul Farmer, the subject of the bestselling biography Mountains Beyond Mountains and a co-founder of Partners in Health (an international health and social justice organization), who inspires with his dedication to delivering high-quality tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS treatment to the poor in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, and beyond. PEPY Interim Executive Director Maryann is uplifted by Aung San Suu Kyi, who despite being placed under house arrest by Burma’s ruling military junta for over a decade inspires with her courageous – and nonviolent – resistance and her steady commitment to a democratic Burma.

Back on Cambodian soil, virtually everyone who comes through PEPY - via the office or a tour - cites a man named Mickey as a major source of inspiration. Local changemaker and chemistry Ph.D. Mickey Sampson never failed to convert visitors to the NGO Resource Development International (RDI) into believers that a combination of “technology, education, and heart” can deliver sustainable progress to rural Cambodia. As the founder and country director of RDI, a PEPY Tours partner, Mickey pushed us to conduct ourselves and PEPY with the same passion, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness that color his work.

BOOKS

Some books are so inspiring that they bounce around the PEPY office faster than you can shout “sign me up for a PEPY tour!” We love sharing and the mutual learning that comes with it, and here’s what’s currently making the rounds:

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress by Howard Zinn. In this rousing book, Professor Zinn turns his critical, humane eye to contemporary issues affecting the United States, touching on everything from class, race, immigration, and civil liberties to the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Henry David Thoreau. (PEPY fans include: interns Mandy Gatewood and Michael Woodard)

Works by Gary Snyder & Allen Ginsberg. Whether we’re reading works from the Buddhist and environmentalist Snyder or the warm, irreverent poetry of Ginsberg, free-spirited writings by these two Beats lift us up when impassioned prose just won’t do. (PEPY fans include: Interim Executive Director Maryann Bylander and interns Jonathan Spalton and Tech Leng)

MUSIC

Whether it's a serenade, a singalong, or an impromptu jam session, music in the PEPY office helps keep us sane. We like a little bit of everything here, from folk to rap to big jam bands. Here's who's getting heavy play on our iTunes, and who's listening to what:

• Al Green's Greatest Hits
  (Interns Jonathan Spalton, Michael Woodard, Tech Leng)
• Saul Williams
  (Intern Mandy Gatewood)
• Black Star's Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star
  (Interns Jonathan Spalton, Michael Woodard, Tech Leng)
• Ryan Adams' Cold Roses
  (Intern Michael Woodard)
• Batucada Sound Machine's Rhythm and Rhyme
  (Tour Manager Peppi Stunkel)
• Dengue Fever's Escape from Dragon House
  (everyone! check them out here)

INSPIRATIONAL NUGGETS FROM THE PEPY PEOPLE

Here's a taste of what inspires members of the constantly growing PEPY family:

"people who make me think and realise that there is so much we can do to help, even if it feels like a little!"

- Simone Aloe, PEPY Ride III rider and super-HR volunteer

"Anyone who follows their dreams with honesty and conviction."

- Alison MacDonald, March 2007 Rural Experiential Trip participant and March 2008 Rural Experiential Trip Leader

"Just about anyone who ends up living in Chez PEPY"

- Adam Vaught, former PEPY participant and intern

"little children who live all by themselves and take care of their entire family."

- Setarah, former PEPY participant

"independent and positive people"

- Sean Starrs, August 2007 trip participant

"People who don't just think big, but make it all happen."

- Caroline Bixiones, former PEPY participant and current PEPY intern

"people with dreams that aren't afraid to take all the small steps it takes to get them there."

- Rachel Allen, August 2007 tour participant

"the power of individuals to change the world [...] the social movement that will define this generation."

- Steve "Finance Nerd" Allan, former PEPY CFO, Hurricane Relief Rider, and PEPY Notre Dame Spring Break Trip leader

ONE LAST THING!

If that wasn't enough, check out what inspires our Executive Director, Daniela Papi:

"YOU! All of the people who have joined our PEPY tours, interned here in Cambodia, and supported our work. These past six years I feel like I have been nearing overload with amazing people who are inspiring me to try to be more like them in so many ways: Mickey Sampson from RDIC with his integrity, creative problem solving, and commitment to sustainable change, Aline Meas, our past Country Manager, with her belief in the power of communities to act as one and control their own futures, the many interns who have quit their jobs to come work at PEPY because they believe in what we are doing and work here each day for no pay!, and the inspiring people who come on our trips and use what they learn here to make their home community a better place. I'm inspired by our staff here: Chenda, our accountant, who isn't afraid to tell anyone exactly how she feels exactly when they need it, Tolors, our English Teacher, and his power in the classroom, and Ming Rotha, AUW Program Manager, and her way of looking in the eyes of each and every girl who walks through our door because I can see that inside she is hoping so hard that THAT girl will be one of the lucky ones chosen into the university. I am inspired by you.... and that's why I'm here. :-) "