Handover Ceremony

9^th Day – Handover Ceremony and Checking into Ree Hotel

Today is the day of the Handover Ceremony.  We woke early to help prepare sandwiches for the students of Bak Pka Primary School (approximately 240 students in total).  While making our way to the school, the students were in good spirits and practiced their performance item enthusiastically in the bus.

Morning sandwich making

Once we reached the primary school, we were welcomed warmly by a gathering of students, teachers, Principal and villagers.  The village chief and commune chief were also present to witness this important occasion.  We officially handed over the classroom to the school in a simple ceremony.  First was the ribbon-cutting, after which a symbolic key was handed over to the Principal, who opened the door and entered the brand new classroom that is furnished with little wooden tables and chairs.  It was really a special moment as we sat in the classroom we helped built and thought about all the hard work that went into it.

The classroom we helped built

The students who were present with us during this ceremony

We then proceeded to serve breakfast which comprised an egg sandwich and a cup of hot Milo. We also distributed a bag of goodies to the students which consisted of 2 kg packet of rice, a mosquito net, stationery set and a pair of slippers. It was really wonderful to see the smiles on their faces as they received these gifts.

It was an emotional farewell with both our students and the children shedding tears. These were children who were with us every day for the past 7 days. Despite the language barrier, they have grown close to one another and were very sad when the time came to say goodbye.

Saying Goodbye

After lunch, we then checked into our hotel, the Ree Hotel.  Our students were really excited about this!

We then went on to visit Artisans Angkor. It is a Cambodian social business whose purpose is to create job opportunities for young people living in rural areas, while reviving at the same time traditional Khmer craftsmanship. As we were brought around, we had the opportunity to observe in action craftsmanship like stone and wood carving, painting on statues and on silk, lacquering, and silver plating. The patience and intense focus of the craftsman was amazing.

The intricate work of a craftsman at Artisans Angkor

For dinner, we were treated to a performance which showcased traditional Khmer dances, depicting the daily lives of the Khmer people in different eras are performed. The costumes and dancers were beautiful and elegant. With that performance, we ended our eventful day and returned happily back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Immersing in the Culture of Cambodia

Day 8 (30 May 2014) – Immersing in the Culture of Cambodia

We had a wonderful time today experiencing the culture and rich history of Cambodia. The day started early as we left our homestay at 5am in order to catch the beautiful sunrise at Angkor Wat.

Once there, we were surprised by the large amounts of people travelling towards the same destination as us. Mr Khorn shared that this was not even the peak period for tourist visits and to expect an even larger crowd when it came to the months of November and December. Visiting the various temples required a payment of USD20 for a one-day pass.  The pass is personalised with our photograph and we have to display it as we travelled from temple to temple.  We visited a total of three temples – Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm.

 Angkor Wat was first built as a Hindu temple.  It subsequently became a Buddhist temple and is the pride of Cambodia.  It is also the largest religious monument in the world.  It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.  The intricate carvings that covered entire lengths of corridors were really incredible and involved a lot of detailed work.

The long stone bridge across the moat towards Angkor Wat

The skies starting to light up with the morning sun

The intricate carvings on the wall of the temple

Bayon and Ta Prohm each had their own charm and beauty.  Bayon is characterised by the many serene and massive stone faces on the towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

The entrance to the mysterious looking Bayon Temple

Just one of the many huge trees which grow right over the temple ruins.

Mr Khorn shared with the students that Ta Prohm was used as a filming site for Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider.  It was the most untouched out of all the three temples as it has been left in pretty much the same condition in which it was found.  We stood in awe to see huge trees growing out of the ruins which made it cooler than the previous two temples we visited.

After an exciting and awe-inspiring morning, we proceeded to have a good lunch before visiting the Old Market.  The students were all ready to interact with the shop owners and to try out their bargaining skills as Mr Khorn had previously prepared them on the bus on how to bargain.  It was really a good and fun way to end the day as the excited students came back to their homestay with their shopping.

Reflections:

 “The craftsmen who built the temple have a lot of patience as the carvings on the walls had a lot of details and were very elaborate. When I think back to how we tried to build the classroom, I felt it was very difficult. Yet it really is nothing in comparison to what they built. It is amazing they could build something with so much details and so large in scale. I really admire them for their patience. Remembering about Angkor Wat will help me learn to be more patient and more organised. Why more organised because I think it was amazing how they positioned the peaks of the temple such that the Sun would rise right over the middle peak!” – Jasmine, 3A5

“Here in Angkor Wat, I felt very peaceful. The hustle and bustle of Singapore makes us forget to quieten down and listen intently to our surroundings. Here I could hear nature and this is really the first time that I am so aware of it. I am awed by the peacefulness of nature.” – Zaccaeus Chua, 3A4

Job Done!

Day 7 (29 May) – Project Complete!

Today is the last day of work at the project site. The windows have been installed and our wall murals are finally complete.

 One of the three wall murals we painted

Our Alphabets Wall Mural

We then headed back to our homestay for lunch before proceeding to visit Wat Thmei, a temple dedicated to victims of the killing fields during Khmer Rouge time. Mr Khorn shared quite a bit on the history of Cambodia and the harsh lives people led under the Khmer Rouge. Enclosed within the glass display were skulls of unidentified victims. The size of some of the skulls was smaller and Mr Khorn explained that a lot of the victims were actually school children.

Mr Khorn explaining about Wat Thmei

After this visit, we moved on to the Cambodian Country Orphanage. The children there were very happy to meet us! They performed a traditional dance for us and in turn, we taught them some camp cheers. We had a great time interacting with the children and could not bear to say goodbye when the time came for us to leave.   

 Jessica with her new found friend

Reflections:

“I learnt that if you want to do something, take your time and do it really well the first time so that it is a good job. The mural painting taught me that if I did a sloppy someone else will have to redo my work. I had to redo my work as I was rushing through the first time and did a bad job” – Majdi, 3A6

“The mural painting took a lot of patience and concentration to get the mural done well. I also realised that there is a lot of different ways of painting. Need a lot of focus to get a good job done, or it won’t follow what the students outlined on the wall” – Michael, 3A2

“After going to the orphanage, I realised that my relatives care very much for me and provided me with more than what I need. I realise that I am actually quite fortunate, so much more than the orphans that we saw yesterday. And they are supportive of me and made it such that I did not have to rely on anyone else for help.” – Jermaine, 3A2

Mural Painting

Day 6 (28 May 2014) and pass the half way mark of our trip.

These 6 days we have been working closely with the construction workers as well as the primary school students and our classroom is finally near completion! Today we could finally start on designing and painting of the wall murals.

The almost complete classroom

Bearing in the mind that the classroom would be used for pre-school children (age 4 – 6), we decided to focus our attentions on designing a wall that the young children could use to learn numbers and alphabets.

 We first had to draw out the design using chalk and pencil. Following which the students worked in groups to start filling in the colours. They certainly developed a lot of patience as to paint a nice picture; they had to be careful and meticulous. Being impatient often resulted in the paint dripping down and spoiling the paintings.

Our Alphabets Wall – Outline drawn by April

Bringing colour to the Numbers Wall

Our students later spent some time playing and interacting with the primary school students. Everyone had a lot of fun! By now, they all have a special friend or two that they are close with and it’s very interesting to see how they communicate with a mix of gestures, simple Cambodian phrases and English phrases.

Jasmine surrounded by her new found friends

Teng Wei (15 years old), Chien (14 years old)

Reflections:

“Our leaders think about the future, what our country needs and they make sure we are up to date with what the economy needs and this helps improve our country. Here in Cambodia, economy is not very strong and not much thought put into the education of the children, their education is not very recognized and a lot of them not able to do anything with their education certificates” – Donovan, 3A6

“Even though we are very close in age, we are very different in terms of our height and built. They are much smaller and are almost like the size of our Primary 3 or 4 students. But even though we are bigger in size, though all the work I realise that they are physically stronger and fitter than we are. They are not afraid to do anything (courageous) and in some ways they are much better than us and we can learn from them. For example, when it came to nailing of wood and shovelling of soil etc, they are more skilful and do a better job than us!” – Teng Wei, 3A4

“They always show a very bright smile when we are playing with them. When we are with them, we share games we play in Singapore with them and they share with us some games that they play in Cambodia.  I feel that they always look forward to us coming down to the project site. I think that their lives might be monotonous. I just think when we leave who is going to give attention to them?” – Alzac, 3A3

Up close and personal with Land Mines

5^th Day – Up close and personal with Land Mines

We have reached the 5^th day of our journey together and set off in high spirits to continue our work on the classroom.

The students of Bak Pka have been warming up considerably to us and now wait eagerly to meet us at the school gate when we arrive.  Our students too are happy to interact with these new friends they have made.  Though small in size, the truth is that many of these students are already 11 to 13 years of age.  Poor nourishment has led to their small size in comparison to our tall students.

Today, a new task awaited us!  The classroom has already been filled with a cement mixture as a first layer and we helped to transport pails of fine sand to fill the classroom floor as a second layer.  That was hard work as the sand was quite heavy but our students did really well and even sang whilst working to encourage themselves.

Alzac and Wayne doing a balancing act after transporting a pail of sand

Another group was tasked to begin painting the walls of the classroom.  Being inexperienced painters, some of them managed to get quite a bit more paint on them than on the walls!  

Farah – getting the hang of painting walls

Rain came upon us quite suddenly and we were quick to dash into the small library room of the primary school.  Rain made the ground muddy and difficult for work to continue.  Our students took the time to bond and practice their performance so that they could present their performance proudly in front of their new found friends and the rest of the villagers.

Lastly, to end the day we went to visit a Cambodian Land Mine Museum.  The students could see first-hand for themselves the remnants of different types of land mines and the terrible damage they have caused to the people of Cambodia.  Some students spontaneously made small donations into the donation box in support of the de-mining efforts and wrote encouraging words in the guest book.  Looking back in the book, we even found some messages left over from our previous batches of OVIA students!

Group Shot! Ending the day on a happy and meaningful note

Day 4 - A Peek into a Cambodian Home

Day 4 (26 May) and the progress at our project site is going on well.

We had to paint the window frames as well as construct another two more window frames. We also had to cover the floor of the classroom with rocks which the workers then pounded flat into the soil ground using a rudimentary pounding ‘machine’ which the locals call an ‘elephant foot’.  This ‘machine’ comprises of a log and two wooden poles and took a lot of strength and effort to use.

Passing large rocks to fill the floor

The same classroom floor after pounding with the elephant foot ‘machine’

We also had a chance to visit the homes of two villagers with Mr Khorn. The villagers were very friendly and kind to give us this opportunity to learn more about their lives. We took a peek into the rice storage house and the students were allowed to climb in to take a closer look. The secret ingredient that goes into the making of this wall is actually cow dung!! The wall is made from a mix of cow dung, cement and straw. The purpose of this is to keep the rice grains warm so that they do not spoil. The students who went in can certainly attest to the warmness of the storage house!

Alzac, after his sauna treatment in the Rice Storage House.

The houses belong to villagers who were considered to be of the middle-class range. The houses cost between a range of USD 16,000 – USD 40,000 for a 9m by 6m piece of land. The living quarters can be found on the second floor and the space is not compartmentalised. Everyone in the family shares the space for sleeping or for entertainment etc. The family we visited had 5 children so they all had to share the space. Three of the children go to the school which we are currently helping.

The Village House which belongs to a farming family

Group Photo with our friendly and welcoming host family.

Reflections

“In Singapore, we always brush our teeth without turning off the tap. Even when we are bathing, we do not turn off the shower when shampooing etc. But here, we need to remember to turn it off whenever we can because the others still need to use the water. Also the water here has a strong smell. I really appreciate the clean water we have in our homes.” – Sufyan, 3A3

Day Three - A Bumpy Day

Update for Day 3 - 25 May 2014

Today the students were given a chance to take an ox cart ride around the village.  It was very exciting for everyone as this was the first time they had such an experience.  The ox cart is their usual mode of transport.  The ride was bumpy as the roads were uneven and during the ride the students had an opportunity to have a close-up look at the houses in the village.  The villagers were extremely friendly and the children ran and cycled along with us on our journey.

After the bumpy experience, we went back to serious work as the students divided themselves out into groups to carry out the tasks for the day. This included laying bricks to form the classroom wall, finishing up on the wooden window frames, painting them and continuing to carry soil to level the ground.

A heart-warming and meaningful incident happened today.  While playing with the children, our students noticed a Cambodian boy who had a deep wound on his foot.  The students immediately brought this to the attention of the teachers and insisted that something be done to help the child.  We treated the wound as best as we could and bandaged his wound.  It was really good that our students are learning to be observant of people who need their help and are taking the initiative to contribute in their small ways to help.

Lastly, we had a fun bus journey back learning how to sing Cambodian songs from our guide, Mr Khorn. The cheerful and loud voice of our students as they sang enthusiastically was certainly a good way to end the day. The students ended their song session with a rousing rendition of our School Song!

Reflections

I find that the Cambodians communicate in a very friendly manner to each other. The local people are very happy in their interactions with each other. The friendly conversation between neighbouring children while we are on the ox cart ride really made an impression on me. – Jessica, 3A4