Stuart - The trip has been great. I spent my birthday on a plane for 10 hours but that was OK. Every night so far we have had dinner in really fancy restaurants and it has been great every time. The temples were great but they did get a bit boring, but the highlight was the Sunshine Centre and building houses. It was amazing how they were so grateful and kind. It is so upsetting seeing so many people begging for food. The funniest night was when the boys and I all wore our happy pants to dinner!
Grace - Today I got to experience a whole new way of life and culture. Knowing these people live on less than a dollar a day made me happy that I could give something to them - it was a true privilege.
Mackenzie - It wasn't until this trip that I realised how lucky we are as Australians to have food in our stomachs and a home and family to return to. It's nice to exit out of our comfort zone and help those in need.
Kate - The day we built the houses was by fare the best day of the whole trip. It was an amazing experience that will stay with me for a long time. I loved seeing the smiles on the people's faces after we built the houses.
Jesse - Today I saw a new way of life with people living on very little but still able to have fun. I helped people with things that would have taken them so much longer to complete. I had fun with everyone, except Mrs Watt - JOKES! Go team - nailed it!
Georgia R - Today when we did the house building, it opened up my eyes to just how lucky we are in Australia. To see how much that meant to them, even though it didn't take us long to finish the houses. We could see how it would impact all of those people for a very long time. It is an experience that I will remember for life.
Connor - The biggest impact for me was the difference we made to the ten families we built houses for and the impact of the genocide on the country. The shocking reality of genocide made a big impact on the group and impelled us to want to help the people. The group joined together and built the houses in record time. We all enjoyed helping the people of Cambodia.
Taylor - So far, this trip has been amazing and life changing. We have visited many temples, Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields, both of which were very eye opening and emotional. We have also visited the Sunshine Centre to play games with the kids which was a lot of fun and I wish we had more time there. Today, we went house building. It was amazing to see the villager's faces light up when we handed the houses over to them. I'm so glad to be part of this team and we worked really well together, finishing all ten houses in 2 1/2 hours before lunch. So far this trip has been amazing and I am so glad I cam and would definitely do it again.
Steph - This trip has been incredibly challenging and rewarding. It has provided an opportunity to step back and reflect on life. I have been able to put things into perspective and consider how I can apply the lessons I have learnt here when I am back home. I have found it so eye opening to hear about the atrocities the Cambodians encountered because of the Pol Pot regime. I found this knowledge to be incredibly beneficial on the service days in communicating with the people and being able to understand where they have come from. I feel after this trip, it will be impossible to return the same as I left.
Charlie - So far on the trip, the experiences I've enjoyed the most have been the Sunshine Centre, markets, house building and all of the meals. It felt good building the ten houses, although we could easily have built more if we had the funding. We definitely could have spent more time at both the Killing Fields and S21, as we could only briefly hear about the horrible history the country encountered. (Fish soup was a definite no-go!)
Emily - During the service trip so far I found the house building both rewarding for us and for the people who will enjoy the use of the houses. Even though we only spent a bit over an hour at the Sunshine Centre, I found it fun talking to the kids.
Hamish - Over the last few days we have had a lot of culturally enhancing opportunities through visiting the temples and exploring the markets of Cambodia - specifically in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
Today we built houses for a rural community. Their response to our gift of the houses was greatly encouraging.
We've also visited Toul Sleng - the old high school that was converted into a prison to torture people. It was an awesome eye opening experience to see and learn about the horrible offences that the Khmer Rouge committed during the war. All round it was a good trip - it would have been great to be involved in even more service though.
Caitlin - This trip has been amazing so far! Experiencing a different culture for the first time has changed my life. Seeing how different the Cambodian lifestyle is to the Australian lifestyle has impacted me greatly. From the visiting the children at the Sunshine Centre, to visiting Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields and finally building the houses in a rural village. This trip has changed me as a person and I am so thankful for this amazing experience.
Chloe - This trip has been truly amazing so far. My favourite days were our service days here in Cambodia. Seeing the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng on Friday morning was very challenging. However, visiting these places has helped me to truly understand what the country has been through. Going to the Sunshine Centre in the afternoon was a definite mood lifter. Seeing their smiles and hearing their giggles was enough to melt a heart of stone. Then on Saturday when we built houses for a rural community we were all physically exhausted. But being able to see the faces of the people receiving the houses made it totally worth it. All-in-all, this has been the single greatest experience of my life.
Rosie - The last few days have been really eye opening and I have experienced a roller coaster of emotions. After visiting the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng, I became aware of the intensity of the genocide and the repercussions that this had on Cambodia. After this, I understood the poverty I have witnessed throughout the trip, and I became extremely sympathetic towards the Cambodian people. As a group, this experience has allowed us to gain insight into the importance of helping the Cambodian community.
After visiting Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields, we began our service at the sunshine Centre. I really enjoyed seeing the children's joy and hope even though they have so little.
House building has been my favourite part of the service trip. The group really bonded together and finished the houses efficiently. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to be able to serve people that truly deserve it. I am so blessed to have come on this trip.
Today we built houses for a rural community. Their response to our gift of the houses was greatly encouraging.
We've also visited Toul Sleng - the old high school that was converted into a prison to torture people. It was an awesome eye opening experience to see and learn about the horrible offences that the Khmer Rouge committed during the war. All round it was a good trip - it would have been great to be involved in even more service though.
Caitlin - This trip has been amazing so far! Experiencing a different culture for the first time has changed my life. Seeing how different the Cambodian lifestyle is to the Australian lifestyle has impacted me greatly. From the visiting the children at the Sunshine Centre, to visiting Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields and finally building the houses in a rural village. This trip has changed me as a person and I am so thankful for this amazing experience.
Chloe - This trip has been truly amazing so far. My favourite days were our service days here in Cambodia. Seeing the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng on Friday morning was very challenging. However, visiting these places has helped me to truly understand what the country has been through. Going to the Sunshine Centre in the afternoon was a definite mood lifter. Seeing their smiles and hearing their giggles was enough to melt a heart of stone. Then on Saturday when we built houses for a rural community we were all physically exhausted. But being able to see the faces of the people receiving the houses made it totally worth it. All-in-all, this has been the single greatest experience of my life.
Rosie - The last few days have been really eye opening and I have experienced a roller coaster of emotions. After visiting the Killing Fields and Toul Sleng, I became aware of the intensity of the genocide and the repercussions that this had on Cambodia. After this, I understood the poverty I have witnessed throughout the trip, and I became extremely sympathetic towards the Cambodian people. As a group, this experience has allowed us to gain insight into the importance of helping the Cambodian community.
After visiting Toul Sleng and the Killing Fields, we began our service at the sunshine Centre. I really enjoyed seeing the children's joy and hope even though they have so little.
House building has been my favourite part of the service trip. The group really bonded together and finished the houses efficiently. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to be able to serve people that truly deserve it. I am so blessed to have come on this trip.
Luke - 6am is an unusual time to be getting up in the holidays, unless you are getting up to build houses in Cambodia. Today I realised how lucky I am to to be who I am. My mum came to Australia from Cambodia when she was a child. If she had of stayed in Cambodia I could've ended up like any one of these unfortunate people.
Today was an eye opener! I really enjoyed 'slaving away' for people less fortunate than me. It really didn't feel as bad as 'serving' should feel. I had fun, I learnt, I laughed and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I learnt to hammer in a few short hours. I learnt how lucky I was in a few short seconds of being in view of this country. I learnt that this country could some day become my home.
Thanks to the wonderful teachers for this trip and thanks to Ny for being a wonderful guide.
Shalea - Today I got to experience a whole new world. I met people who live off $1 a day and all live together in a house that would be the size of my room. Although these people don't have as much as we do, they still were over the moon and were always smiling. Today I was very privileged to meet these people and build a house for them- a house that they had worked very hard to save some of the money for. I really enjoyed building houses today as it really opened my eyes to see how lucky we are back in Australia. I also loved working together as a team. Even though I hit my finger a few times, got a few splinters and even got a bit burnt, overall I really enjoyed helping the people as now they get to live a safer life.
Georgia J - These last few days have been unlike anything I've seen or experienced before. Everything we've seen, from the temples and culture, to the blatant poverty on the streets and the suffering that permeates the very grounds of S-21 and the Killing Fields, have confronted everything I know and consider to be valuable and important because being here and seeing everything has completely contradicted it all. While we can just get on our bus and leave, distance ourselves from it all, this is the reality of life for all of these people. It just puts everything into perspective. I think the reality of Pol Pot's regime really hit when somebody pointed out how few old people there are in Phnom Penh. But despite all this, it doesn't mean there were no positives to this trip. This is far from the truth. Just being able to immerse ourselves and learn about this culture has been unbelievable. The people are so kind and genuine and patient with us. Our visit to the Sunshine Centre and building houses today was the most amazing experience. The children and families were so happy and beautiful, the language barrier not mattering, my only regret being we didn't have more time to get to know these people. And how could I forget Ny? One of the most amazing and kind people I've had the privilege of meeting, he has looked after us exceptionally, going above and beyond to make sure everything went to plan for us. From food to tours, he never once left us in want for anything or even a little disappointed.
All in all, this service trip so far has quite genuinely been an experience and privilege I'll never forget. I can only hope that I go back home a changed person, a bit kinder and more open, more grateful for what I have. If this experience has changed me I could hope for nothing else.
Bronte - During the trip I have had an extraordinary time. It was so much better than I expected... everyday I feel I have grown closer to more and more people. Everyone has become like one big family. What affected me the most was the killing fields because it was very confronting. Over all the trip has been so rewarding and it was so worth going. I would 100% go again!
Annika - We've all seen many pictures and videos of people living in poverty. It's one thing to know that people have to live in little tin houses but it's a completely different thing to actually see it in real life. I loved the service part of the trip. I loved going to the Sunshine Centre and building houses for needy families because it feels fantastic doing something that is hands on and has a direct impact on the people of Cambodia. It is wonderful to know that we have done something that has really helped the people. Seeing poverty first hand really makes you want to do something about it.
Today was an eye opener! I really enjoyed 'slaving away' for people less fortunate than me. It really didn't feel as bad as 'serving' should feel. I had fun, I learnt, I laughed and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I learnt to hammer in a few short hours. I learnt how lucky I was in a few short seconds of being in view of this country. I learnt that this country could some day become my home.
Thanks to the wonderful teachers for this trip and thanks to Ny for being a wonderful guide.
Shalea - Today I got to experience a whole new world. I met people who live off $1 a day and all live together in a house that would be the size of my room. Although these people don't have as much as we do, they still were over the moon and were always smiling. Today I was very privileged to meet these people and build a house for them- a house that they had worked very hard to save some of the money for. I really enjoyed building houses today as it really opened my eyes to see how lucky we are back in Australia. I also loved working together as a team. Even though I hit my finger a few times, got a few splinters and even got a bit burnt, overall I really enjoyed helping the people as now they get to live a safer life.
Georgia J - These last few days have been unlike anything I've seen or experienced before. Everything we've seen, from the temples and culture, to the blatant poverty on the streets and the suffering that permeates the very grounds of S-21 and the Killing Fields, have confronted everything I know and consider to be valuable and important because being here and seeing everything has completely contradicted it all. While we can just get on our bus and leave, distance ourselves from it all, this is the reality of life for all of these people. It just puts everything into perspective. I think the reality of Pol Pot's regime really hit when somebody pointed out how few old people there are in Phnom Penh. But despite all this, it doesn't mean there were no positives to this trip. This is far from the truth. Just being able to immerse ourselves and learn about this culture has been unbelievable. The people are so kind and genuine and patient with us. Our visit to the Sunshine Centre and building houses today was the most amazing experience. The children and families were so happy and beautiful, the language barrier not mattering, my only regret being we didn't have more time to get to know these people. And how could I forget Ny? One of the most amazing and kind people I've had the privilege of meeting, he has looked after us exceptionally, going above and beyond to make sure everything went to plan for us. From food to tours, he never once left us in want for anything or even a little disappointed.
All in all, this service trip so far has quite genuinely been an experience and privilege I'll never forget. I can only hope that I go back home a changed person, a bit kinder and more open, more grateful for what I have. If this experience has changed me I could hope for nothing else.
Bronte - During the trip I have had an extraordinary time. It was so much better than I expected... everyday I feel I have grown closer to more and more people. Everyone has become like one big family. What affected me the most was the killing fields because it was very confronting. Over all the trip has been so rewarding and it was so worth going. I would 100% go again!
Annika - We've all seen many pictures and videos of people living in poverty. It's one thing to know that people have to live in little tin houses but it's a completely different thing to actually see it in real life. I loved the service part of the trip. I loved going to the Sunshine Centre and building houses for needy families because it feels fantastic doing something that is hands on and has a direct impact on the people of Cambodia. It is wonderful to know that we have done something that has really helped the people. Seeing poverty first hand really makes you want to do something about it.
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