They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and that step began for us when we bade farewell to our loved ones at Changi Airport Terminal One on Monday.
Our journey continued when we touched down and exited from the airport at Phnom Penh (Cambodia’s capital), and started our very very very very (4 verys = 4 hours) long bus ride to Pursat, the Cambodian province our project will be carried out at. On this long and arduous ride, we found out a few new and interesting things we didn’t know before the ride.
1. We passed by 101 crop fields, 120 Shop houses and 1345 motorcycles.
From these random facts and observations, we deduced that Cambodia is a rather self-sustaining country able to grow their own crops such as rice and various vegetables. The locals do their business by setting up small shops beside the main road as it has the most human traffic, which mostly consists of motorcycles, as it is their main mode of transport.
2. Never ever play Munchkin on a moving bus travelling on a bumpy road
For the simple reason that we ended up holding onto the cards instead because we couldn’t place the cards on a flat surface (eg. Chair) without them falling on the ground every few seconds.
3. Wilson did not know about the ‘Club’ suit in poker cards
Shocking but true, he thought it was called ‘Clover’. LOL
After what seemed like forever, we finally arrived at the guesthouse we will be staying for the next few days and proceeded to move into our cozy home away from home.
We then had a very satisfying dinner with some of the managers from SC, which left a good first impression of them in our minds, as humble and motivated/driven individuals working together for the common good of the masses.
After a brief meeting to round up the day and prepare us for tomorrow, we retired early and began the next day bright and early.
The following day was filled with just as many new and interesting things, such as breakfast at the guesthouse, which was fantastic. However, some how some people were able to wolf down more food than others (Not going to name anyone … since we all know who haha)
Our walk to Sustainable Cambodia (SC) brought us through the marketplace and past a few state schools, that was refreshing and eye opening as this was the first chance we had to actually walk amongst the locals and experience the atmosphere in Pursat. Of course, Sam had more of an experience than the others as he took part in a rather impromptu fear factor challenge that involved him eating a fried cricket sold at the roadside (Sam is still alright after the event, thus strengthening our hypothesis that he will just about eat anything and everything if he is really hungry).
Setting foot into the SC compound for the very first time today, we were finally able to familiarize ourselves with the place and people that our work/project will leave an impact on. It is very heartwarming to know that there are so many people (both Cambodians and foreigners) putting in effort to make the country a better place for the locals. I remember that the mission (or vision) of SC is eventually, for the Cambodians to help their own people. Seeing that many Cambodians are involved in the projects of SC, I do think that they are doing quite well in that aspect. I am particularly impressed by the foreign volunteers who help SC with its projects on a long-term basis, especially those who stay in Cambodia for a long period of time. I think there are challenges not only with regards to the poorer living conditions, but also having the capability to look beyond one’s immediate demands and concerns to help those who are in greater need.
We also passed by the villages on our way to the floating village. We could see that their lifestyles are really quite simple – there are little facilities; no air-con, fridge or even warm water. But yet, these are things that we Singaporeans often take for granted. For the villagers in the floating village, we were wondering how they bathe in the water that they throw practically everything in it. But like what YT said, it is just their lifestyle – something that forms their ‘norm’ and not ours.
This just reminded me about HS8008 Understanding Culture & Globalization (my AHSS-PER) that different cultures really mean doing the same things differently J
The trip to the school was pretty heartwarming too. It was great to see that most of the students are sincere about learning, and some of them understand the importance of education. Education enriches and empowers and it is great that many developing countries such as Cambodia are starting to see the importance of it. It’s also nice to see that girls are given the equal opportunity to receive education too.
It was also pretty intriguing that the kids were so happy at our arrival that they kept thanking us when we left. But somehow I kind of felt that their gratitude was more than what we deserved because we did not really do anything except to exchange some conversation with them and to try to sing a few nursery rhymes. Anyway, I think we should practice some nursery rhymes so we can sing a proper complete song when we go to the pre-school at ATC. J
In a nutshell, we had a tiring but happy first 2 days in Cambodia haha.
From a very tired Tak Chuen and Mun Yee (YawnzzzZZZ)
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