Big Experience staff reflection
To say that this trip has been a whirlwind would be an understatement! With so many cities to explore across 2 countries, the Pagodas have had to spend lots of time together travelling from place to place. I’m sure all of the students would agree that some of their favourite times on this trip were spent with our very happy bus driver in Cambodia and the our little minivans in Laos. When our bus broke down on route to Kampot, our students behaved remarkably. What was due to be a 3hr trip became 7.5hrs with little complaint. They laughed and joked, shot hoops with a water bottle into a bin and played Uno in the dirt on the side of the road. But it was the conversations that the students were having with our driver and the locals who were coming to investigate the noisy bunch of kids that truly impressed me. And then they asked if we had enough fundraising money to help our driver fix his bus!
Our students have certainly grown as a result of this experience. They have learnt to search for a positive when their heads may have be clouded with worries. They have learnt that they are more capable than they believe they are, whether it be because they completed the tough bike ride or simply made it through each day away from the comforts of home. They have learnt that a little bit of effort (eg. the walkathon) can make a huge difference to the lives of those less fortunate. They have learnt that those less fortunate still lead very happy lives. They have learnt that they can survive without their phones and that their experiences are likely to have been made richer as a result. They have learnt that there are many amazing people in their year level that they may just not have had an opportunity to get to know yet. They have learnt that our unique differences are able to enhance the quality of our shared experiences.
It has been a honour to watch our “chickens” explore Laos and Cambodia and we hope that you have all enjoyed following our adventures and reflections on the blog. We will be flying out of Luang Prabang at approx 2:30pm local time to begin out journey home via Cambodia and Vietnam. Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday morning 🙂
Justine Werba
Annie McGuire
Philip Walsh
