Author: dtoohey

Today was the last day of our build.

After all of our sweaty, hot and dirty efforts, we have finally come to the end of Community Project House Build.

On the way to the village we stopped to buy school supplies, food, specifically rice and other necessary items. We bought them as gifts from our fundraising money to help them through times when food is scarce.

When we showed up, we started to realize the enormity of what we have contributed to and created. Not only giving them a new home, but a new leash of life.

But there was still plenty of work to do!

With the money we raised these people will benefit from the house many different ways. Their health will improve dramatically because the high stilts will protect them from the monsoon weather and the destruction and disease it brings. It also allows their money to be focused on educating their children and not health issues and generally make them happier and their lives more enjoyable.  A few of us tore down the old house. The house where a family of 6 lives, yet it is smaller than our bathroom! Pulling down the final walls of their old lives, we realised the poverty that we are lifting them away from.

Afterwards they gifted us with a ceremony full of singing and dancing while we circled their new home three times. The smiles on their faces made all the pain and effort worthwhile. We then took our final steps up to their new home to celebrate their new life. Lucinda began to speak, but couldn’t hold back the tears knowing how much it means to the family to have this amazing opportunity. Felix ended the speech beautifully with the family smiling uncontrollably. They then gave us some heartfelt words in Khmer that our local Cambodian Guide translated for us. I think we could all agree the best bit was the laughter and happiness that took over us all when the gifts were given to the village people and children!

By Lucy Callahan and Jack Skelly

P.S.  To all the Families we are having the best time!

It was the second day completing our Community Project so for a different slant……

Cambodia     An ancient civilization that has faced so much trauma and a place where a                           helping hand goes a long way.

Opportunity   By assisting in the construction of the house we are learning and enhancing                      our life experiences and our understanding of the world.

Magical            It is amazing what we feel and experience interacting with the local                                       villagers, children and tradesman who all keep a positive outlook even                                 though the work can be difficult and monotonous.

Memorable     This experience will help shape our lives, making us stronger people and                             realising how fortunate we are when we observe others who are less                                   fortunate

Understanding   The experience of Khmer Rouge and modern corruption has stalled the                                 economy and left Cambodia in a state of poverty.

New                     The relationships made are diverse and are on different levels both with                               students, teachers, tradesman and villagers.

Incredible           It is hard to believe how we are lucky enough to see a new culture with                                different values and beliefs.

Technology        Building the house is very different to “The Block”, we are building a                                     house with rusty saws, bent nails, hammers, fragile wood and tin.

Youth                Many of these children and villagers come to watch, help and inspire us,                              they live very happy un-materialistic lives.

Poverty          The differences between our lives and their lives is a massive culture                                  shock. There is a real similarity between poverty on our doorstep in                                      Warruwi and in Cambodia.

Resilience    With high humidity and exhaustion we must gather as one to power                                      through this tough time. We must remember this will change everyone for                            the better.

Overwhelming   Being put in such a challenging situation and environment makes us draw                           on  our past experiences and makes us rely on each other

Juxtaposition The contrasts of environments and culture is clearly seen between Australia                        and Cambodia.

Education           The contrast between our education at St Leonard’s and the education in                            the village provides a realization of our lives of privilege.

Communication  The language barrier challenges us to communicate in new ways without                             words.

Transformation  Through this we will change our perspectives and views on all aspects of                            our lives.

 Stella Widman & Stanley Buntine

Today, we stepped into rural Cambodia.
The main pillar of the Big Experience for us has been fundraising for our Community Service Project here in Cambodia. We did the Seaford to Brighton walk and we have completed lots of personal fundraising, so everyone was excited to put the money to good use and build a new home for a rural family. We got to the village at 9 am and met the family that we’re going to build a house for, it was a very moving experience. The family we were building a house for had a grandmother, father, mother and 3 children. We were instructed to carry wood and bamboo planks and the different material that would be needed. It was amazing to see all the different people in the community there to help build the house. The framework for the house had already been completed by the village people. Everyone helped to lift up the framework and the house building officially began. Carrying the planks was tiring and it was hot but we thought about the family and how this house would transform their lives, so we kept going. Rural Cambodia and the houses that the Khmer farmers live in are extremely basic compared to our houses.

Many of their houses were built using wood and tin and lack basic things like toilets, electricity and running water. They are surrounded by rice fields, rivers and forest. We felt very lucky to live in a city like Melbourne, where such basic luxuries like electricity, toilets, appliances, running water are the norm. Doing this Community Project felt especially good because these people could never imagine they could have a new house.

We still have 2 days of hard work left but by the end it will be very rewarding. This house building is a real whole community activity. Getting to know the Khmer way of life and who they are is the best experience and we are really thankful to get an opportunity like this.

Jenny Zhang & Conor Boyd Eadle

This morning we managed to pull ourselves out of bed at 8 am, which was a fantastic effort considering our long day yesterday. Today is Cambodia’s Independence Day which celebrates the Khmer people being free from French colonial influence, so we were all excited to spend our first day visiting the most famous temples of Cambodian Civilisation.  The first temple we visited was the Hindu temple of Angkor Wat which is also known as the biggest temple in the world. From there we went to the Bayon Temple, which symbolised the four aspirations of Buddhism and finally we visited the Ta Prohm temple which is famous for the trees intertwining with the temple structure. We have many impressions from our first day in Cambodia. Some things that differ from Australia include the fact that it is a lot less urbanised and in Cambodia you drive on the other side of the road and whatever vehicle is bigger generally gets priority! Something that really caught our attention is that in the touristy areas even young kids were selling souvenirs, which you would never see in Australia. This has helped us to understand the vast economical difference between Cambodia and Australia. This makes us very thankful for what we have. We were all extremely tired after a long day of sightseeing in a foreign environment. We were all very excited to return to our luxurious, air-conditioned hotel for a relaxing swim in the pool. Note to all parents: We are all having a great time in Cambodia, and are learning a lot. Thank you for this great opportunity.

Harry Warner & Britney Bonnie

The day has finally arrived! Everything that we have been waiting for since first hearing about the amazing Big Experience. We were off to an early start this morning with everyone arriving at 7:15AM. The atmosphere at school was a mix of nervous and excited energy.  We all bid a sad farewell to our parents and loved ones with many hugs and kisses, but we knew that the adventure was only just beginning. We got on the bus and waved our last goodbyes before the journey was now underway. After getting very restless on an 8 hour plane trip seeing the dramatic change in landscape and architecture made us realise we have burst out of the bayside bubble.  Stepping out of the plane we were immediately hit by the strong humidity and 31 degree heat. After arriving in Siam Reap at midnight Melbourne time exhausted after a very long delay we were still very eager to immerse ourselves into Cambodian culture. We settled in our hotel rooms, excited to spend the night with our roomies and to get a good night’s sleep. We are looking forward to the jam packed day tomorrow exploring the beautiful ancient wonders and uniqueness of the Angkor Wat temple and continue to embrace Cambodian culture and further bond with our fellow Temple group.

P.S little birthday shout out to Jack Toce who we all hope had a fabulous day.

Miss and love you all

Jack Toce & Alina Neesham and the rest of the Temples.