Day 4 - Building a Better Future

Bloggers: Kaknika L., Manami S., Jung L., Candy L.

Today was a big day. Getting up early this morning was not our preference, partly due to an unexpected incident that occurred nearby last night. An electrical explosion caused a black out to the entire hotel! Nevertheless, every one of us managed to get up on time and followed the day’s program.

  

            After an hour and thirty minute ride, we finally arrived at our destination, a small rural community in Kandal province. We quickly settled down and were divided into 4 groups. Our goal was to build eight houses for eight families by the end of the day, which we managed to achieve. Our jobs were to nail the bamboo flooring with a hammer and hang metal sheets for the siding. We proceeded to work straight away. Every half an hour, we would have a water break. This included getting new bottles of water and refreshing ourselves by pouring cold water behind our necks. The tasks we had to complete sounded very daunting at the beginning as we thought about it. However, once we commenced our jobs we could say it was rather enjoyable and exhilarating.

  

            After two hours of hard work, perseverance, and getting our thumbs hammered many times, it was finally lunchtime! We managed to finish building four houses. A few bags of chips and one whole box of baguettes accompanied with tinned tuna and jars of jams, kept us energized and strengthened for a few more hours. Although it was more tiring than working before lunch, seeing the families getting excited to move in actually gave us more motivation to meet our aim. After continuing working for a couple more hours, we accomplished our goal. It was finally time to welcome the families to their new homes with housewarming quilts. It was so heartwarming to see them smiling with the rest of their family. Even though our hands were very sore from hammering including blisters and we were sweating badly, we felt like all the effort we had put in was definitely worth it.  

            As a reward for our hard work, we had a buffet dinner at our hotel and afterwards, an ice cream treat. On the way to get our ice cream, we had a Tuk Tuk "race". We made a deal that the losers will have to eat deep fried insects tomorrow on our way to Siem Reap.

We are absolutely ready for tomorrow!

Day 3 - Inspirational Leadership

Bloggers: Emma P., Maya T., Aedamair D., Liselotte R.

Hitting the ground running has been the main motto of the trip so far.  Surprisingly, no one has really complained about the pace and we find ourselves learning not only learning about the people, history, and places we visit, but about each other as well. Tacky and cheesy as it may be, being caught in the rain and running "amok" (just like the traditional dish) on a boat has brought us closer and forced us out of our comfort zones and into an intriguing unknown.

After waking up early to lovely sunshine with no rain in sight, the group quickly made its to the Tabitha building to meet with it’s founder, Janne Ritskes, never in our lives have we been more captivated by a speaker or story.  She spoke of the struggles of the region with a frankness and passion for the land that was inspirational as well as entertaining. More than any monument, guide or story we will remember her speech for the genuine honesty and calm voice, telling us the horrors that cannot be forgotten.

After a pleasant morning of enlightenment on Cambodia’s history and Tabitha’s mission we had a light snack at local cafes and took off to our next adventure, without missing a beat. Our mission: entertaining and teach classes of young children that spoke limited English at the PIO School. As we carried boxes filled with donations down the dusty road, we were greeted by a fanfare of voices in a language we did not understand, this, however only added to the charm and endearment of these children. In awed silence we listened once again in the main hall of the school (one that had progressed from a dump into a fully functional four-floor school) to Phymean Noun’s story. She spoke of her past and the sadness she experienced when she witnessed young children eating the bare bones of a chicken out of the trash. From that day on she had a vision to help these children through one medium, education.  This was how the PIO School was formed. After the numerous lessons, hugs, kisses, and being tackled by children, we finished our day with a commemorative dance party and a great deal of shopping at the Central Market, after which we thoroughly enjoyed dinner in a gorgeous, local Khmer restaurant. Now it’s time for bed...long day tomorrow and we need our beauty sleep! 

Day 2 - Facing the Past

Bloggers: Andrea S., Ayaka Y., Emi M., Aaron P. and Cameron W.

Today was an extremely interesting and memorable experience where we learnt the history of the Khmer Rouge from approximately 40 years ago here in Cambodia. Being in the same place where thousands of victims of the Khmer Regime died was an experience that was unexplainable.

 We first visited the interrogation prison, S-21. In the rooms where the prisoners were locked, there were photos of the prisoners who were once trapped. Seeing the actual photos of the victims was very shocking and brought us to the reality of what actually happened. 

  Following the prison, we visited the Killing Fields where those imprisoned in S-21 were brought for their actual executions. The memorial tower here, known as the Stupa, is where remains of the victims, unearthed during the first exhumation of mass graves in 1979, are preserved. The skulls were all damaged in different ways, which showed the individuality of each skull, and the reality that this execution was not just an event in history, but was something that happened to civilians that are just like us.

Overall, it was really a meaningful beginning of the day. By experiencing the somber history of Cambodia, we gained more insight into Cambodia’s culture.  Not only do we understand Cambodia more thoroughly, we also admire Cambodia more for it's strength and spirit needed to rise up from this tragedy.

 After a brief period of relaxation back at the hotel, we went on a sunset cruise on the river. It was a rough trip on the way down to the boat, as the road was muddy, and many of us had our shoes caked with mud by the time we even got to the boat. The trip on the river was relaxing, people interacted with each other and had lots of fun just joking around and listening to music on the two-hour ride. When we arrived again on the dock, we went to the night market to do some shopping. There was so much to look at and to buy, and with a little bit of bargaining between the sellers and ourselves, we often managed to get a good deal for a few things to take back home with us.

The day was full of events, both enjoyable and emotional; and to think, it’s only day two of our stay in Cambodia and while today we faced the past, we’re now looking forward to the future and the adventures that are ahead of us. 

 

Day 1 - Hit the Ground Running

The first day of our excursion got off to an early start.  We met at the Canadian International School at 4:45 a.m., loaded 20 boxes of donated items into our vehicles and departed for the airport.  Upon arrival at the airport, it was quite a sight to see the whole group wearing their Cambodia team shirts and checking in with their suitcases and boxes of donated items.

After saying goodbye to family and friends, we departed on our 7:40 a.m. flight to Phnom Penh.  Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, we were met by our guide,  Thoeun Bun (Mickey), who graciously welcomed us to Cambodia.

From the airport we went directly to the Beeline arena for a soccer "friendly" between ourselves and Happy Football Cambodia-Australia (HFCA).  HFCA is a local soccer club that provides an opportunity for disadvantaged and homeless youth to be involved in amateur athletics.  As part of their program, HFCA sends a team to the Homeless World Cup, which is being held in Poland this year. The CIS excursion regularly supports HFCA because we believe what the UN believes. 

The UN recognizes play as the right of every child. Play is NOT a luxury; it is a tool for education and health. It can bring entire communities together and inspire every individual. The game of football can teach children about tolerance and peace. Play helps teach important life lessons and develop skills like cooperation, leadership, and teamwork. This is why CIS supports HFCA.

 
After claiming victory, we boarded the bus and checked into the Villa Langka hotel.  Shortly thereafter, we went out for lunch at a local Khmer restaurant and wasted no time diving into local delicacies that included amok, Khmer curry, etc.

Feeling recharged after a good meal, we made our way to the Royal Palace where we marvelled at the architecture, learned some of the history surrounding the palace's development and wandered through the beautiful gardens, all the while listening to interesting stories from our guides.  A late afternoon shower failed to dampen our spirits, but was instead a welcome respite from the hot afternoon sun.

After heading back to the hotel to freshen up, we went down to the riverfront to explore the sights and sounds of Phnom Penh on a Saturday night and enjoyed some dinner at the Foreign Correspondents Club while looking out over the Tonle Sap river.   

Our first day was action packed and our participation in the soccer tournament really brought us together as a team.  Today was definitely the start of something special.  On to the next!
 

Why do we do it?

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth" - Muhammad Ali

The students of the Canadian International School are participating in this community service project because we believe it is our responsibility to help those who need it. We believe that giving a "hand up" is of far greater benefit than giving a "hand out". We believe that we can either accept things the way they are or we can change them.  We at the Canadian International School have chosen to be change agents to help bring a brighter future to the marginalized people of Cambodia and to work together with them to build a brighter future.

The Adventure Begins

From Saturday, April 27th to Friday, May 3rd, high school students from the Canadian International School in Singapore will be participating in a community service trip to Cambodia.  Based on our Core Values of commitment and collaboration, the students will work together on a number of service projects to build a brighter future for the people of Cambodia.  Please bookmark the blog and be sure to check in daily during our trip for regular updates.  Or better yet, register your e-mail address using the web tool to the right of this entry and have all the updates sent directly to your inbox.

We look forward to sharing our experiences with you and hope that you enjoy reading about our efforts throughout this life changing trip.