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Day Eight

It was our last full day in Sisaphon today and there were mixed emotions as we left the hotel this morning. It was the hottest of all the days we have had so far and, while everyone was excited to work with some of the kids we had met before, there was a general air of weariness. It was a short, 30 minute drive to the school, Pchet, and when we arrived we were greeted by both staff and students. All members of the school, as well as police and community members had come to line the driveway, bearing gifts to give us a true Cambodian welcome. It was such a humbling and joyful way to begin our day and made everyone so excited to begin working. As we walked through the tunnel of Cambodian people we were gifted with Leis, flower bouquets, love notes and drawings. Once we got inside the school grounds, we were then given coconuts to drink as we watched some traditional dances from the locals. Some of us even joined in which was a fantastic way to connect with the people we...
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Day Seven

We were lucky to have another sleep-in this morning, meeting for breakfast at 7:00am before heading out to two local churches and distributing some more Operation Christmas Child boxes.  The morning began with thankfulness for the extra sleep we were able to have last night. Our options for breakfast were: fried noodles, noodles and soup, an omelet or fried rice - quite different from the our Australian breakfast options. We have, however, slotted into a nice routine here and are adjusting to these small differences. After breakfast, the team split into their two groups and went out to local church services. Team A went to a small church, just outside the city. They were there for just over an hour and Mr Conoulty, with the help of a Khmer translator, gave a sermon on Acts 4. The service was quite long and hot, but a fanastic insight into Christian culture and worship over in Cambodia. Team B went to a small church, not too far from the hotel. The church was beautifully dec...
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Day Six

Written by Benjamin Kitching After an extra hour of sleep and a delicious breakfast, the team headed out to Bos Bob Middle School. This school boasted a STEM program, an extraordinary rarity in Cambodia. Classrooms were filled with posters detailing formulas for chemistry and mathematics. The school even had a robotics room, a stark contrast to the schools we have previously visited.  The team also talked to the students, asking questions such as what career they would like to have. The top answers were police officer, doctor, teacher and member of the army. Only two other students had different career ideas which were researcher and engineer. We also asked the students if they could guess how old we were. A noteworthy guess being a teacher, Miss Rowlison, as age 15 and a student, Blake Allen, as being 30. The team then visited Busbov Health Center, which is a maternal ward and birthing centre. When compared to an Australian maternal ward, the health centre we visted ...
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Day Five

Day five hit the ground running with breakfast together at 6:00am. We had a long way to travel for today’s adventure and we needed to get going early so that we could fit everything in. The initial energy of the trip was starting to wear off as we sat down together to a breakfast of chicken, eggs and either rice or noodles. Despite being on time to breakfast, some team members didn’t finish eating until right before 7:00am which was a stretch because we had a long journey ahead of us on our way to visit two schools in rural Cambodia. We split the team into two groups and left just after 7. Luckily we did because the trip took over 2.5 hours, driving all the way through Sisaphon, through smaller villages along main roads before turning onto a dirt road. The unsealed surface was one major obstacle for the buses for a few reasons, the first being the uneven nature of the road. In addition to this, the dirt had turned into mud in the recent rain and there were large puddles of wat...
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Day Four

Written by Molly Hutchinson It was a slow start for the team this morning. All suitcases had to be out in the lobby at 6am as they would make an 8 hour journey to Siem Reap, via bus, ahead of the team.  After packing up, the team stumbled into breakfast with yawns present on each face. The Frangipani staff provided the team with a delightful breakfast, which was enjoyed while taking in the view from the roof dining room. At 7am the team gathered in the lobby to hand in room keys. There was a chatter of excitement that echoed around the lobby as everyone anticipated and planned for the program that would be run at the Sunshine Centre, and that’s exactly where the team headed after loading onto the buses. Once arriving at the Sunshine Centre, the team was greeted by a group of smiling, energetic children who began the program by performing a song for the team. Four of the year 11 team members then played some prepared songs: Jesus Loves me and This is Amazing Grace.these song...
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Day Three

By Erin Pratt There was a buzz of excitement that went around the breakfast table this morning as the team got ready to head out at 7:30am to build 11 houses with the Tabitha Foundation. The 2 hour bus trip was filled with chatter about what today would bring.   We travelled to a rural village known as Anlong Slat, in the province of Kandal. There we were introduced to 11 families whose houses we had the honor of helping to finish. These families had between 4 and 6 people living in the one house, which was really a single room, raised above the ground.  After seeing the houses in which the families were living, which were run down, the size of our kitchens, they looked unsteady, they had mud as the floor and leaves as the roof, it gave use great joy to be able to help the families in this way. We were able to help give them a house with a   floor that wasn’t mud, raised off the ground for when it floods, and one with walls and a solid roof. The team a...
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Day Two

Today was a day of mixed emotions, intense experiences and invaluable time spent together. We began our day with breakfast at 6:30am and by 7:30 we were on the road. Tabitha Foundation was our first stop, arriving by about 8:30am. While we were here, we listened to a man share his personal experience under the Khmer Rouge Regime. Hearing his story of personal heartbreak under Pol Pot’s government was eye opening and helped us understand the motivations and goals of Tabitha with greater compassion. We were briefed on house building and Tabitha’s goal to empower the people of Cambodia to rebuild their lives and find their self-worth after enduring such a destructive regime. We listened to the foundation's initiatives and were then invited to tour the building where many people were working to create the most beautiful ornaments, clothing and jewellery. The products that were made by the employees were sold downstairs in their own shop. Before we left, we were al...
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