This morning we went back to an early rise. We arose at 6.15 am to go to the markets at 6.30 am in order to make it back in time for breakfast. At the markets we experienced the confronting aroma of freshly slaughtered animals and also empathy for those who had their fate yet to come. Going to the markets at this early time gave us more of an idea of the culture of Cambodia.
After breakfast those who were not given the opportunity to visit little poe yesterday had the chance to do so today and the rest of the group spent their time relaxing at the guest house. At 2.00pm we all made our way to the orphanage some choose to take the bikes through the pouring rain and others chose the dryer option and took the tuk tuk. When we arrived at the orphanage we got the computers out and began our computer lessons teaching the kids basic computer skills, helping them to write stories on microsoft word, teaching them how to make a power points and how to use paint.
We then went to play with the kids. Some of us played football and volleyball while others danced, sung, played fighting games and the girls braided each others hair. We then gave the kids strings to make bracelets with. Everyone came home with at least one bracelet and we all enjoyed watching the kids make them for us.
Cecilia
Friday, 15 July 2011
This is a post of Lynne's 'musings' heard from the kids
I am hoping now as parents you should not have trouble getting the kids to school (It may last a little while at least). They have been to 2 village schools, a govt school that operates in the mornings only and is leased by NFO in the afternoon for the kids who cannot afford school, the orphanage classrooms, a 'dump' school along a railway road.....all with 6am starts, no airconditioning, no computers, no walls, no seats, tables of split bamboo, no books or pens, no papers, broken white boards, old blackboards, dirty children with the biggest and most beautiful smiles.....
Some quotes to take to heart...and I will try to add to these...but I must admit my times on the computer are few and far between as I am kept busy by our kids and every other kid in town I am sure...I am sure you will all hear stories about that....quotes include.....
"Lynne is on boot camp..."...........6am get up (what will they say with the 4.20 get up?)
"2500 years old and my arse is on it!" (while sitting on a 2500year old artifact dug up at the French archaelogical dig from Angkor Borei)
"Was that a rat???!!!!" (while cleaning out a rubbish dump at the orphanage...you should not have any trouble getting them to take out the rubbish now)
"Tell us in 20 words or less, what is your opinion of Julia Gillard?" (while hanging out the bus window and stuck in a traffic jam - said to the moto driver adjacent)
"There is a lot of mud" (after a monsoon downpour)
"She's a frog murderer!" (after stepping on one-that no one saw- in a mud patch)
"Why might minesweeper not be a good game to play on the laptop with Cambodians?" (as 2 kids play through the game at the orphanage)
I will add to these as I can, there are so many I forget them all, David is going to write a book. The kids have been fantastic. They are really helpful and have really made a bond with the kids and I am really pleased to say ours do not even shy away from the 'dirty' ones in the village schools - they all have a story and want to learn and talk. The manager of the orphanage is really happy with a couple of boys in particular as they are strong and helpful - get in there and 'muck about'. Two days ago we had a big clean up around the orphanage and made 2 huge piles of bagged rubbish - today a truck came around and our kids loaded it. We should all be proud of them, no one shied away (except me, I was doing deliveries-very well timed David said).
Each day they are mesmerised by the sights and sites.
Some quotes to take to heart...and I will try to add to these...but I must admit my times on the computer are few and far between as I am kept busy by our kids and every other kid in town I am sure...I am sure you will all hear stories about that....quotes include.....
"Lynne is on boot camp..."...........6am get up (what will they say with the 4.20 get up?)
"2500 years old and my arse is on it!" (while sitting on a 2500year old artifact dug up at the French archaelogical dig from Angkor Borei)
"Was that a rat???!!!!" (while cleaning out a rubbish dump at the orphanage...you should not have any trouble getting them to take out the rubbish now)
"Tell us in 20 words or less, what is your opinion of Julia Gillard?" (while hanging out the bus window and stuck in a traffic jam - said to the moto driver adjacent)
"There is a lot of mud" (after a monsoon downpour)
"She's a frog murderer!" (after stepping on one-that no one saw- in a mud patch)
"Why might minesweeper not be a good game to play on the laptop with Cambodians?" (as 2 kids play through the game at the orphanage)
I will add to these as I can, there are so many I forget them all, David is going to write a book. The kids have been fantastic. They are really helpful and have really made a bond with the kids and I am really pleased to say ours do not even shy away from the 'dirty' ones in the village schools - they all have a story and want to learn and talk. The manager of the orphanage is really happy with a couple of boys in particular as they are strong and helpful - get in there and 'muck about'. Two days ago we had a big clean up around the orphanage and made 2 huge piles of bagged rubbish - today a truck came around and our kids loaded it. We should all be proud of them, no one shied away (except me, I was doing deliveries-very well timed David said).
Each day they are mesmerised by the sights and sites.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
Little Poe
Yesterday we were all extremely pleased have had the pleasure of a sleep in which we needed very much after the previous early rises!
At 12.30 pm Kirsten, Isaac, Brandon and I went by Tuk Tuk to a village school called Little Po whilst the rest of us went to the orphanage. The ride to the school was quite uncomfortable as the roads were very bumpy and the bridges incredibly sloped. Once we arrived we had to trek through a few meters of mud in order to reach the sheltered hut, the school which holds 130 children but that day only 100 due to the rain which must have made it too difficult to get to school.
We were all extremely impressed with the teacher who had such control of the class and a natural ability to teach the students who had an immense will to learn.
We taught the children the nursery rhymes Three Blind Mice, Old McDonald and 10 Green Bottles. The childrens enthusiasm towards learning the songs touched our hearts and allowed us to understand how learning is happiness for them.
The children were at first hesitant to come and speak to us but once they did you could tell that they had been practising the questions and were making an effort to engage in a conversation with us. Most of the questions were "What's your favourite fruit?", "What's your favourite animal?" and "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" I couldn't help but smile as I told about 40 kids how I like mango, dogs and have 3 siblings.
Both the teacher and the children inspired us and altered our perspective on education, something which we sometimes take for granted.
Sylvia
At 12.30 pm Kirsten, Isaac, Brandon and I went by Tuk Tuk to a village school called Little Po whilst the rest of us went to the orphanage. The ride to the school was quite uncomfortable as the roads were very bumpy and the bridges incredibly sloped. Once we arrived we had to trek through a few meters of mud in order to reach the sheltered hut, the school which holds 130 children but that day only 100 due to the rain which must have made it too difficult to get to school.
We were all extremely impressed with the teacher who had such control of the class and a natural ability to teach the students who had an immense will to learn.
We taught the children the nursery rhymes Three Blind Mice, Old McDonald and 10 Green Bottles. The childrens enthusiasm towards learning the songs touched our hearts and allowed us to understand how learning is happiness for them.
The children were at first hesitant to come and speak to us but once they did you could tell that they had been practising the questions and were making an effort to engage in a conversation with us. Most of the questions were "What's your favourite fruit?", "What's your favourite animal?" and "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" I couldn't help but smile as I told about 40 kids how I like mango, dogs and have 3 siblings.
Both the teacher and the children inspired us and altered our perspective on education, something which we sometimes take for granted.
Sylvia
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Early Rise!
After a scheduled bed time of 10.00 enforced by Ms Noack the previous night, we rose this morning at 6.00 to go to the musuem and temple. We took a boat ride along the Mekong River to visit these attractions. Sok, a teenager from the orphage, was our tour guide for the day. The artifacts were over 2500 years old and demonstrated the cultural history of the country.
We then continued down the river to visit temples that were ruined by American bombers during the Vietnam war. The reason behind this was because Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge soldiers hid out in the temples. We found that the temples had three fake doors to trick people, the real door faced the sun. As you stand up on the rock, you have a view that looks like its off a postcard of all the fields and a few villages. The children in the village were really friendly and made us all flower arrangements which was very kind.
We went to the orphanage for the third time this week at 1 pm to help them with computer skills and English lessons. They are always so eager to learn and appreciate an education, something that we can take for granted in Australia. I even had a private soccer lesson with one of the kids. He had to much energy and didnt know why I needed a rest.
We then continued down the river to visit temples that were ruined by American bombers during the Vietnam war. The reason behind this was because Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge soldiers hid out in the temples. We found that the temples had three fake doors to trick people, the real door faced the sun. As you stand up on the rock, you have a view that looks like its off a postcard of all the fields and a few villages. The children in the village were really friendly and made us all flower arrangements which was very kind.
We went to the orphanage for the third time this week at 1 pm to help them with computer skills and English lessons. They are always so eager to learn and appreciate an education, something that we can take for granted in Australia. I even had a private soccer lesson with one of the kids. He had to much energy and didnt know why I needed a rest.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Day 3-Geese are the enemies!
Today started with a late rise, as it was our first full day in Takeo and we were all exhausted from the trip and not prepared to wake up at 6.
We were served breakfast at 8am, with the most delicious bread rolls, and for most of us we got to experience the sensation of the fruit rambutan for the very first time along with eggs and bananas.
We then set of to the markets, making a stop at the bank to exchange our money into reel, to get there some of us traveled by tuk tuk and the more adventurous of us rode on the push bikes, most of which got lost on the way and we had to send for a search.
We then finally got to the markets where i for one saw more bananas than I've ever seen in my life. We first stopped for a refreshment at Lynne's favorite coffee shop. We all went in separate groups and wondered round, and in the mean time Ms Noak was buying more wierd and wonderful fruit for us to try, which most of us all ended up loving.
After lunch we went back to the orphanage with the laptops for the children, we spent half of the afternoon teaching them how to use them, from turning them on to making slide shows on power point, by this point we were all ready to play with the children. Many of us went to play volley ball with the boys, despite our hardest efforts...we lost, and as a result had to do 50 push ups whilst the other team cheered in victory. After the game most of us went on the jungle gym, which included a ball pit, where everyone had their share of ball attacks and being buried alive in balls.
Towards the end of our time at the orphanage today, many of us faced the terror of the geese! I for one was calmly walking over to the others when three geese turned to me, one opened its mouth, stuck its neck out and charged at me! It began to flap its wings whilst chasing me as i ran for cover. As we left a few of us along with the encouragement of the children faced the geese and courageously scared them away.
When we came back to our shelter we met other volunteers that were working at the orphanage as well, and they shared our company for dinner.
Tomorrow we are all off to visit another temple, this time by boat!
We were served breakfast at 8am, with the most delicious bread rolls, and for most of us we got to experience the sensation of the fruit rambutan for the very first time along with eggs and bananas.
We then set of to the markets, making a stop at the bank to exchange our money into reel, to get there some of us traveled by tuk tuk and the more adventurous of us rode on the push bikes, most of which got lost on the way and we had to send for a search.
We then finally got to the markets where i for one saw more bananas than I've ever seen in my life. We first stopped for a refreshment at Lynne's favorite coffee shop. We all went in separate groups and wondered round, and in the mean time Ms Noak was buying more wierd and wonderful fruit for us to try, which most of us all ended up loving.
After lunch we went back to the orphanage with the laptops for the children, we spent half of the afternoon teaching them how to use them, from turning them on to making slide shows on power point, by this point we were all ready to play with the children. Many of us went to play volley ball with the boys, despite our hardest efforts...we lost, and as a result had to do 50 push ups whilst the other team cheered in victory. After the game most of us went on the jungle gym, which included a ball pit, where everyone had their share of ball attacks and being buried alive in balls.
Towards the end of our time at the orphanage today, many of us faced the terror of the geese! I for one was calmly walking over to the others when three geese turned to me, one opened its mouth, stuck its neck out and charged at me! It began to flap its wings whilst chasing me as i ran for cover. As we left a few of us along with the encouragement of the children faced the geese and courageously scared them away.
When we came back to our shelter we met other volunteers that were working at the orphanage as well, and they shared our company for dinner.
Tomorrow we are all off to visit another temple, this time by boat!
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Day two
After accidentally waking up an hour early due to the time zone on our phones we had breakfast at Bojangles. We then head out to the Kings Palace. The palace was amazing despite the fact that it was uber humid. Our tour showed us around the decorative temples and museums. The silver pagoda was amazing, the tiles were made from silver, the center piece was an emerald Buddha and a solid gold statue.
After taking photos of the roaming monkeys we left and made way via tuk tuk to S-21. Thousands of Cambodians were imprisoned and tortured in what used to be a school due to the infamous Pol Pot. We saw blood stains on the floor and the tiny cells they were kept in. Overall it was depressing but lunch cheered everyone up. We were visited by Pom and '007'; two cambodian children that attempted to sell us books and bracelets. They were adorable and really cheeky and got heaps of money out of us. The killing fields were next. It is estimated that 20,000 people were murdered there. We saw bones, scraps of clothing and most devastating skulls of the beheaded victims. It was scary and disgusting. We headed home and relaxed until our dinner next-door. We went to blue pumpkin after and had the yummiest ice creams and chilled for a bit. After that we head out for a massive walk and sung the whole way. We ran soo enthusiastically to a playground but were kicked out by the police because we were too old :). It was a really great day exploring the city.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, 8 July 2011
Day 1...very inventive
 |
Our tour kicked off at 1:15am on Friday 8th July (today). 12 highly excited students along with Lynne, David and 3 other volunteers, bid their parents goodbye at Perth International Airport and set out on a journey that would last just over 16 days. After a 5 hour long plane trip, a short stop over at Kuala Lumpur and then another 2 hour flight we finally reached our destination of Phnom Penh. The humidity hit us all by shock, sweaty, tired and exhausted the boys packed into a bus with all of the luggage and donations, whilst the girls filed into two separate Tuk Tuks. After a 20minute drive we arrived at Mekong Palace, the hotel that we will be staying at for the next two nights. After freshening up a bit with some showers and naps we headed down the rode and ate lunch in a lovely restaurant/café. After a decent feed we headed off to what is called the “indoor markets”, really it is just a shopping centre with makeshift walls that separate store from store. After some successful retail therapy, we headed back home, still trying to recover from the lack of sleep of the previous night; we all had an afternoon rest. Dinner tonight was at a place called “friends”. Run by a charity called “Choice”, it employs homeless and disadvantaged people and trains them as chefs and waiters. This was a fantastic experience and was topped of by two of the volunteers from “choice” talking to us over dinner about what their roll is in the Cambodian community. Today was a huge culture shock for all of us, seeing all of the homeless families with no money and no food makes us think twice about our place in the world. I am sure tomorrow will be as full of surprises as today was, hopefully we won’t be as tired and will be able to appreciate a lot more of it. The following video was taken from inside a tuk tuk travelling through the streets:Kirsten Chick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)