Skip to main content

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 songs were played using ukeleles, flute and voice, and the children seemed to quite enjoy both the songs and the different instruments.


God’s Kingdom is for the Kids. This was the message the team came to share with the children. They wanted to make sure the children all knew how much God loved them and that they are worthy of Bjs love. Because of the language barrier, the team conveyed this message with the hell of a simple picture book, some very talented team members and brave local children who acted out the story as it was narrated. Throughout the story there was a repetitive laughter that came from the children, their smiles and laughter was contagious, and before they knew it everyone was watching intently and savouring every second. The team had put together a list of activities to partake in and teach the children while they were there. The activities consisted of “Rock Paper Scissors”, Uno, colouring, Duck Duck Goose and naughts and crosses. The team were quite surprised as to how quickly the children were able to pick up these games. The joy throughout the room was incredible. The session ended with a few more songs, the team giving the children stationery packs to help them with their studies and took a group photo.

One of the amazing year 10 team members, Amelia, wrote about her experience at Sunshine:
The highlight of today for me was visiting the sunshine centre and getting to see the kids. This was something I was really looking forward to and it was great and very fun. We played activities with them, sung songs and tried our best to have conversations with them. They were super cute and very excited to see us, the experience was amazing and I wish we could’ve spent longer with the kids.”

After departing from the Sunshine centre, the team stopped for a quick bite of lunch at Jars of Clay, which quickly became a favourite for the team, before heading to the airport to fly to Siem Reap. Little did the team know they were in for a rude shock, as when arriving in Phnom Penh airport it was quickly discovered that their flight had been delayed 8 hours!

Naturally the team set up camp right in the middle of a walkway, while Wayne Hester and his team tried to come up with a solution to this dilemma. The team found a Kristen Kreme store in which they enjoyed a range delightful doughnuts from. They also played card games and chatted while waiting for a solution to arise. 

Thanks to the amazing work from Wayne H and his team, just 3 hours later the team was on a plane to Siem Reap.

After arriving later than planned, the team quickly jumped on the waiting buses at the airport to make the 2 hour journey to Sisaphon. While on the buses, the team were given a brief history lesson about the city they were in and of the different areas they would be visiting over the next couple of days. 

After a long and tiring day, the team arrived at Sisaphon, safe and sound, and enjoyed a lovely, flavourful dinner. We then headed off to get some much needed sleep. 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

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 is o