Cambodian Living

 

Our arrival in Cambodia came as a relief, as we had been traveling for 20 hours. We loaded into vans right away from the airport and went straight to a restaurant. On our way we drove by the sights of Phnom Penh, seeing the place we would be spending our next two weeks. After a lunch where we all ate curry and coconut milk straight from a coconut, we drove through the city on our way to our first meeting with an organization. Although everyone was pretty jet lagged, our group loved meeting with Skateistan. It is an organization that teaches local children how to skateboard and has other organized art activities. The goal of the NGOs in Cambodia are aimed at keeping children off the street and giving them a goal - something to work towards. We were lucky enough to then get the chance have lesson from the local instructors. 

 

The next day we learned about the history of Cambodia. Between 1975 and 1979 a group, Khmer Rouge, took over Cambodia and killed between a quarter to a half of the population. On this day, we went to a prison camp where people who were believed to be conspiring against the movement were kept. We then traveled to a killing field memorial centre where people from the prisons would be taken, as well as anyone with an education, and brutally murdered here. Our group was very moved by this and it was key part in our understanding of the nation. 

 

While in Phnom Penh, we were able to meet with a organization called “Tiny Toones.” This was my personal highlight. It was run by a young man - he was born during the era of Khmer Rouge and claimed refugee status in America. While in America he learned how to break dance. He was then deported back to Cambodia in his early 20s and had never been to the country before this. He was living in a rather poor area upon his arrival and it was there that he met some local children. When the children learned he could break dance they begged him to teach them. The interest grew and now he, along with other staff members, run a full after school dance program as well as English and Khmer classes. We were able to see the kids dance and get a lesson from one of the staff members. 

 

As we moved to Kampong Chum we were ready for our first service project.  We worked on a farm planting morning glories and mushrooms and we helped to build a bathroom for a local community.  The work days were challenging but we were constantly greeted by students of the nearby schools.  They taught us games and songs, and on our final night they lead us through local temples and performed traditional dances for us.

 

After the first service portion of the trip, we embarked on a four hour car ride to Siem Reap for a day of relaxation between projects. We explored downtown, otherwise known as Pub Street, taking in the aromas and culture. We experiences a Thai massage and then stopped at a restaurant called Red Piano for dinner, then headed to the streets to explore the night market. After an exciting evening, we made way for our hotel to get a good night’s rest before leaving for our second project. 

 

We went from Siem Reap to a marina where we took a two-hour boat ride to the floating village. There we ate at an NGO restaurant that served delicious soups and fish. We then went to see where we were staying and what we will be doing for our next service project. The houses were all floating along the sides of the river.  We were surrounded by crocodile farms and had to shower from a bucket.  This experience was certainly an eye opener to the things we take for granted. The first night was hard on everyone because there was no air conditioning and loud boats were running the entire night. The next day we worked in shifts to build a new house for the community. It was a very rewarding and challenging experience. We could only work in 30-minute shifts before the heat was too much. Though we struggled at times with the harsh conditions, we were sad to leave the community behind.

 

The last day of our trip may have been one of the most memorable, and not just as because of the 5:00 a.m. wake up call. For our final day, we watched as the sun rose over Angkor Wat, one of the most famous religious monument in the world. It was such a beautiful start to the day, and definitely worth the early morning. We toured the Angkor Wat, as well as three other temples on site. They were all incredibly beautiful, and shared such a rich history, it was difficult to find words to describe how we were feeling. After spending a couple of hours exploring the temples, we headed back to the hotel to relax and escape the blistering heat. We had a final farewell dinner, and had one last chance to explore the night market. After rounding up as many pairs of elephant pants and other souvenirs we could get our hands on, we headed over to the hotel to get some rest. Our days in Cambodia made for a truly life-changing experience, and one that we will all cherish.