Anyway last week we 01 scouts went to Cambodia!
Because this is my second overseas CIP trip, its hard not to compare to the Khao Lak trip 2 years ago, be it good or bad. It may not be as long or as shocking (that was the first time), but definitely, Cambodia is a cool place.
We started super early, meeting at 4am at the airport because our flight was at 6am. 6am! Went to sleep after watching 4 goals in the chelsea game (there were 6 in the end), and woke up watching the last minutes of Man Utd's defeat to Aston Villa. Haha a pretty good sign for the trip!
The first day was mostly sightseeing. Visited the killing fields memorial, then the gardens and then the old market. Cambodia seems much less developed than Singapore, maybe because most of its buildings are so short (none in Siem Reap is allowed to be taller than the 65m Angkor Wat), but also because there is a lot of dust everywhere. They use US dollars, so even though it may sound cheap, actually its 1.5 times of its S'pore value, haha, and anyway I didn't see anything I like. The hotel is pretty cool though, there's internet and cable tv (up to 99 channels!). Roomed with Francis and Anurak, while Joel, Jon Ed and Leonard were in another room. They keep coming over to play cards (:
The next two days were spent at Sok San Primary School. Its in Karnchankoy Village, which is really a village. There's no electricity, and the journey there took an hour because of the uneven dirt roads. We had 2 days of teaching, but what we didn't expect was to get a whole school of students instead of just 3 classes... so, we had to improvise. My group taught the primary 3s, and it was bomb tiring! Health Ed, English as well as campfire songs... luckily we had a few choice khmer words, and we did quite well with our resources. The last activity, where they drew animals and we taught them the names was fun. I had fun and learnt a lot. The Cambodian children are just so adorable haha.
Last full day was spent at three of Cambodia's famous temples, Angkor Thom, Bayon and of course, Angkor Wat! There were just these majestic trees sprouting out of the Bayon temple, but of course Angkor Wat was the highlight. Just on its walls, there were many intricate carvings, telling the story of cambodian legends.
Whether you believe in it or not, Cambodia is really a spiritual country. You can see how the changes in governance and the changes in religion helped shape the course of history. Hindu beliefs to Buddhism, folklore mixed into culture, its not hard to see why Angkor Wat has such a deep beauty to it. Me, I won't say I'm a believer, but after the 4 days its hard not to admit that the world just works in mysterious and beautiful ways. There were the shooting stars we saw, lying on the grass in Sok San Primary, each one a stunning sight, even if it was only a few seconds. Make a wish. The paper lanterns, before our departure from the school, carrying our hopes high into the heavens. May they come true. The echo chamber, where the beating of one's chest produces that fading echo that rises up and up...
Long story short, a fun and meaningful trip. (: Just hoped it could have been longer, haiz.
Retreat tmr! Let's go!
