after spending 10 days in cambodia, i left with the most enriching and memorable experience that anybody would be jealous of!
i still remembered the first day when we stepped into the school, not knowing what to expect from the kids there; as though we were j1s stepping into the school for the first time.

the purpose of this trip is to 'provide the light that they need' and we did that by interacting with them and also construction work. constructing was hard work and we soon complained how hard it was before the job was even half done. it was a rare sight to see us climbing scaffoldings painting the walls but the thing that impresses me the most was the workers there. like what mr lim said, i really admire the workers creativity and efficiency. at the point when we have difficulty painting the upper parts of the walls, the workers came up with the idea of using improvised branches at the snap of a finger. they did not let the environment affect them and instead 'conquered' the environment and certainly made our work much easier.

we also interacted with them by teaching them. although our lives was not made much easier by the language barrier, the kids still showed much enthusiasm and being fast learners, it soon became very fun interacting with them. they are not afraid of being the first to try things or be embarassed about it, unlike singapore students (no offence). also, they can find joy when we ask them to do simple things like making bookmarks or even colouring as the pictures show. singapore students don't even bother to do stuffs that they find boring. i really admire them!

the pictures also show the kids having fun during our teaching sessions and when they are receiving the donation items. but i think that they will appreciate us being with them and interacting with them more. they will no doubt enjoy and benefit from the donation items but it is the experience with us and our experience with them that both they and us will remember for the rest of our lives!

Good work, fellow OPIC-ers! i will no doubt remember the times spend with you all at cambodia :)