Home Again, Home Again...

It is difficult to put into words the experiences that we shared on our adventure and to adequately express how this trip has changed us, but here are some parting thoughts as we put this blog to bed.  Thank you for traveling with us!

"I have learned so much without having to open a textbook, sit in a classroom or listen to a lecture. This trip was so life changing that I wish I could hook a cord from my brain to my computer so that everyone could experience everything I did in Cambodia. The food I ate, the ruins I saw, the people I got to meet, and the bonds I formed on this trip are things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."  

Shannon Yu

Grade 12

“All in all, my trip to Cambodia was perfect. My favorite part was living on the island for 6 days. I feel like it was the perfect combination of volunteering in the morning and playing in the afternoon. We’d wake up to the sound of roosters and cows at around 5am and after a breakfast of rice, we’d get right to work. By the time 12 rolled around, I was always ready to take a nice long swim in the Mekong River. When it got unbearably hot we’d read articles and play with the local kids, all while avoiding the sun. Travelling to Cambodia was one of the most rewarding adventures of my life so far.”

Nicole Gerwin

Grade 12

“Cambodia used to be a foreign land that resembled a fairytale. Once we got up close and personal, I still expected Peter Pan to be spotted flying above us. Cambodia was an AMAZING/FANTASTIC/MAGNIFICENT experience that forever altered each of our lives.  There is no comparison from talking about it, to being truly submerged in a completely different country and culture. I will always remember this trip, and I will hold dearly onto all the memories I have made.”

Luke Pasin

Grade 10

“Looking back on my trip to Cambodia brings back loads of awesome and life-changing memories. Honestly, Cambodia took me by surprise a little bit. I have traveled to a bunch of different countries but something struck me about Cambodian people. All of the people that we had a chance to interact with were so friendly and proud to share their country with us. Living on an island in the middle of the Mekong was quite the experience. I miss seeing all of the little kids everyday and learning about how people live their daily lives there. I miss the Cambodian coffee and even the rooster alarm clocks. I miss Cambodia (expect maybe eating the crickets part) and hope to visit again one day.”

Gurpreet Sohi

Grade 12

"I truly believe I am incapable of ever fully describing the excellent experience I had in Cambodia. To say it was life changing is the truth. Whether it was playing with the magnificent children, feeling the breeze as we rode tuktuk's through the gorgeous cities, seeing the fresh water dolphins by the light of the sunset, or immersing myself in the fascinating history, it was never a dull moment! The one thing I learned that I find most important is this; love life, for it is truly beautiful."

Luke Fahrmann

Grade 11

“When we first arrived in Cambodia, it was more then just stepping into the unknown. There was a sense of comfort; that was exhilarating in its own way.  There was so much to learn, and I know I’ll carry it with me always.  I found that the learning aspect of the trip created the most impact. We had daily discussions while we were staying on the island. We talked about charity versus community development, as well as the consequences of giving the street kids money. What I loved about the discussions was that it was never one sided. Our tour guides provided us with perspectives and realizations that I personally would never have come to. There were learning opportunities around every corner.  The trip overall was life changing.”

Emily Aono

Grade 10

“When asked to describe my experience in Cambodia, I often find it difficult give a casual response, as the trip had such an enormous impact on me. Having the privilege of travelling to Southeast Asia was an entirely new situation for me, having never travelled beyond the boarders of the United States. Despite scalding temperatures and high humidity, my experiences with the Khmer culture and people were overwhelmingly positive, and never in my life have I had the pleasure of interacting with such warm and friendly people. The bustling markets, Angkor Wat, our homestay families on Koh Pdao, and playing with the children were among my favorite moments for duration of my two weeks. I can happily say that this trip, however fleeting, was one I will never forget, and I hope to someday find myself back again!”

Logan Kenler

Grade 11

“Cambodia was a once in a life time opportunity, a very rare experience that not many people will get the chance to have. I learnt so many new things about myself, Cambodia, and the world around me. It was definitely an eye opener. Throughout the trip I became very close with the other members of my group, making the experience so much better. Overall the trip was absolutely amazing, but it wasn’t easy. We had to adapt to the extremely hot weather, the people with no English, the new style of living and so much more. But the whole trip was 100% worth it, best time of my life.”

Eric Hillman

Grade 11

“I can honestly say that I had the trip of my life going to Cambodia. I have been to many countries over the past couple years and have never learned so much. I didn't know what to expect at first from this trip but the people and teachers I went with made it unforgettable. Living in a homestay on an island, eating rice everyday and swimming in the Mekong River are things that I will always remember. We were fully immersed in the culture and I hope someday I will be able to go back to visit.” 

Jocelyn Cater

Grade 12

Building Fences; Moving Earth- Shannon Yu

To help out with community development on the island we as a group built fences and moved earth. The reason for building fences was to keep wandering cows from straying into fields that were being used for farming. We were moving earth to flatten out an area of land that made it easier for walking. I started out with building a fence, I have to say we were pretty efficient. Nicole, Luke F., Luke P. and I worked well as a team, Nicole and Luke F. taught me how to hammer in a nail. Don’t look unimpressed hammering a nail is actually a lot harder than it looks, I hammered my thumb at least twice and I scraped my leg and arm on the barbed wire. None of that seemed important after we saw our final product. We were so proud of ourselves that all the scratches, aches and pains just seemed so insignificant compared to this amazing fence we built. Moving dirt was pretty much how it sounds, we moved dirt to an area that needed flattening out then we broke the bigger dirt clumps into smaller pieces. We couldn’t tell when we were working but when we were finished we could see that we made this small piece of land easier to walk on. We were filthy, sticky and frankly I’m pretty sure I smelled worse than the cows but we were able to go swimming in the beautiful Mekong River afterwards and that was when I realized it was no wonder the people on the island feel so good about themselves.  

Daily Life on the Island- Shannon Yu

Since I was on an island in the middle of Mekong River, there was absolutely no internet. There was also no plumbing, no cars, and no skyscrapers. But what the island lacked it made up in beauty, peace, joy and happiness. Koh Pdao was really quite beautiful in every way. The people there enjoy life at its best, a life where they don’t require plumbing air conditioning and most importantly time. They rise and set with the sun and there is no curfew for fun (on our last day the party lasted for 6 hours.) Since so much work is done in one day their bodies naturally tell them to rest as early 7:00 pm, but they still only get 8 hours of sleep since the roosters here like to have cock-a-doodle-doo contests at 4:00 in the morning. During my time on the island I didn’t desire any of my previous luxuries except maybe AC, but the desire was minimal. I was too busy building fences, playing with children and catching frogs in the bucket shower. Bucket showers can be described as the only time your body will ever be cold on the island. There is a tub of water in a little hut and in it floats a little bucket that you use to shower with (after a day in the sun it feels wonderful.) The only problem is that other creatures find the bucket shower cooling as well. A little frog was sitting on the handle of the bucket shower and I spent 5 minutes trying to coax it out of the bucket. Apparently turning the bucket upside down will not cause the frog to fall out. It stuck to the bottom of the bucket as if it was telling me, “gravity has no effect on me”. So instead of just falling it out it jumps at you causing you to jump just as high as any frog would.  

Erics Mishap at Angkor

Today we visited Angkor Wat! We decided to do some jumping photos. As Eric leapt in to the air we all heard a nice ripping noise. Luckily I caught the moment perfectly, check it out.

River Water Clean, Mekong Soft!

Our experience in the village on Koh P'dao was magical and eye opening. The village is home to approximately 2100 people and has no electricity, running water, or cars, but is not short on humor and love. Our homestay families were at the boat to greet us when we arrived and opened their homes and lives to us throughout our stay. We experienced many firsts during our 5 nights on Koh P'dao and as Jocelyn so eloquently put it, "I feel, smell, and taste like Survivorman!"

The kids were fearless troopers and truly embraced the whole experience. They built fences, moved dirt, played with children, bathed and did laundry in the Mekong, woke to the sound of roosters at daybreak, rode bicycles of questionable quality, ate rice at EVERY meal (and never complained), bucket showered with frogs and spiders, used squat toilets, slept under mosquito nets on bamboo floors, spoke Khmer whenever they could, asked GREAT questions and had WONDERFUL discussions, were truly respectful and present - we are so proud.

We were saddened to leave our newfound families and friends yesterday morning. It was an epic 11 1/2 hour journey by boat and bus to Siem Reap, but again the kids just took it in stride (I think the ice cream and games of Mafia helped!). We felt like we landed in the lap of luxury at Green Village Guesthouse at 8:00 last night and all slept well in real beds with fans whirring overhead. Today was just another mind blowing day in Cambodia, which included at visit to PEPY (where our fundraising efforts will go) and to Angkor Wat (one of the 7 Wonders of the World and the largest religious structure on the planet).

We were all in awe and wonder! We are currently enjoying a little down time before dinner and a trip to the night market. The trip is most definitely flying by and we are trying not to think about the fact that we only have 2 more days here. Until next time, Leah Hi (goodbye)!

A Quick Dip

Just wanted to share our bliss with a quick post of our swim in the Mekong in Kratie... Like bath water! Heaven.

PHNOM PENH -Gurpreet Sohi

Our time in Phnom Penh has gone by so quickly but it feels like we have been here for weeks. I honestly cannot tell you my favourite part of the trip thus far, simply because I have enjoyed every moment of it. Cambodia has definitively brought a bewilderment of new experiences into my life, despite only being in the country for two days. Things anywhere from being addicted to Cambodia coffee and watching professional sumo wrestling on television, to walking around 126 graves where thousands of people were killed. As Shannon mentioned in her blog posts below, we have taken a boat ride on the Mekong river and visited the S-21 detention centre. We have watched a group of Cambodia students play traditional Cambodian music and completely rocked some aerobic dance lessons. Tonight, we visited a restaurant called 'Le Rit's', which focuses on helping vulnerable women and their children in training and finding/creating jobs. A lot of us bought handmade crafts and souvenirs that directly finance improving the quality of life for these women. We also met Michelle (a friend of Sarah's and Yuut's who works with PEPY tours). She did some group activities with us to prepare us for our home stay and bring us closer together.

Tuk Tuks are a entertaining and breezy way of transportation. I can always count on seeing something that I didn't expect, as well as never get bored of watching the everyday streets of Cambodia.This morning, during the Tuk Tuk ride to the Cambodian Living Arts Centre, Logan, Luke, Shannon and I would wave to passing people, most of whom would smile and wave back. 

I am sad to say that today is our last day in Phnom Penh, but excited to see what the countrysides of Cambodia entail. We have learned so much about the recent genocide here and Yuut, (one of our tour guides) has been amazing about answering all of our questions about Cambodia's history. What truly amazes me most is how welcoming and friendly all of the Cambodian people that I have met are. Every moment in Cambodia entails a new and spectacular experience. I am looking forward to sharing them with you all.

Until next time,

Gurpreet Sohi