Cambodia CAS Trip

Upon embarking on the Cambodia Service Trip 2018, there were ambivalent feelings in the air; fervour, to lend a helping hand at Kok Pnov Primary School, and uncertainty, as to what the subsequent days – in a foreign land – would hold in store for us.

Immediately on arrival, immersing ourselves in the rich Cambodian culture, we open-mindedly delved into the local cuisine at the Cham Moslem village and thereafter sympathised with the village elder while he expounded to us the ramifications of the infamous Khmer Rouge in the region.

We were immeasurably honoured to be welcomed by Kok Pnov Primary with an elaborate and well planned reception, on the first day, which only spurred on our zeal in carrying out the teaching lessons, for which we had prepared support materials and lesson plans. But all this was for naught, due to the substantial language barrier, which we anticipated, but naively categorised as a minor adversity. This balked the implementation of our pre-planned activities and forced us to improvise and adapt to the needs of the children. Nevertheless, through role-play, miming and some basic Khmer, we successfully achieved the learning objectives

We had set for the children, which was to teach them rudimentary arithmetic and English.

Whilst mingling and interacting with the children, it came to our attention how underprivileged and disadvantaged these kids were. Bereft of lighting, whiteboards, stationery and even potable water in the classroom, their educational environment juxtaposed starkly to what we were used to back home. Such exposure manifested in a newfound appreciation for all that we are blessed with.

Aside from the provision of education, our service trip constituted of multiple other projects – such as the construction of a brick wall around the perimeter of the school and the Eggs for Trash programme – which were funded by the $900 that we raised in surplus to our initial goal of $1,000. Through the latter project, we fostered, in the school children and the local residents, an innate desire to preserve their resplendent Cambodian landscape, which is slowly seeing the pernicious effects of plastic pollution.

In retrospect, the service component and the cultural learning experiences – visiting the Angkor Wat and Silk Farm, riding on buffalo carts, learning how to cook traditional Cambodian delicacies, and practising the ancient art of Bokator – all made for a wholesome trip.

Gautam Ramasamy, 5 GHK