22-27 april!

we visited the war museum - it was open air with no shelter. =D 

who wants sauna? hahaha.

most of the machinery originated from the former USSR. 

it was old and rusty but still sturdy (we managed to climb onto them). 

old guns - weighing 16kg without magazines, terrifying pictures showing the aftermath of an exploded landmine and the tank that still had the remains (bones and fragments of shoes, i saw them =/) of our tour guide's best friend showed how much suffering these people went through. 

our tour guide joined the army at the age of 13 with his best friend after losing his entire family, some died in front of his eyes.

result: he lost his best friend, he lost half a leg, lost vision of an eye, gained more than 5 scars all over his body due to bullets hitting him and ball bearings that entered his body during a bomb explosion. of which 2 ball bearings are still under his skin (yes, i touched it). his heart stopped once and was revived. 

it was insane looking at him speak with the evidence of the scars and knowing he fought the war so willingly after it took away his loved ones. 

he's practically a walking history!

next was the short stop at the old market.

people there were so friendly and helpful - especially when you lose your way around there.

they look happy with the simple life they lived. 

not wanting more than what they already have.

manners wise, they were SO polite. 

every other sentence ends with 'or koon tom tom' (thank you very much).

super lovely. =D

i must say, their cost of living there is really low. 

we got a cup of sugarcane for 500krel. 4000krel is USD$1, do the math. hahaha.

but oh well, they're happy. 

managed to get necessities and stationary for teaching, headed to the hotel.

hotel lobby is not air conditioned... it really took me by surprise.

they seemed so used to the weather, wearing collared shirt and long black pants pressed to perfection.

dinner was sumptuous but we craved ice cream. 

they had their own form of lucky plaza. hahaha. 

went ice cream hunting and supermarket shopping!

supper was a spread of fruits we bought. 

bedtime as we got ready for day1 of teaching. =)

23rd

morning call and breakfast was provided by the hotel.

the food in cambodia are generally more bland than those of SG.

after that 30 eager people were all set to go to Veal Village School, SOID.

ah, when we stepped in, we immediately felt welcomed!

the kids waved and called out to us so happily, it really melts your heart.

the younger ones come running to you and hugging your legs as if we knew each other.

they then search for our name tags hung over our necks to know our names. =D

took me by surprised, really.

in the classrooms, they were accompanied by 3 belgium ladies who are volunteers there for 9 months. wow.

there were the basic, intermediate and advance classes. 

every class in the morning started with 'good morning teacher, how are you?'

i like and i miss those lines.

they were so willing to learn.

they were so appreciative when lil incentives such as sweets and stickers were given to them.

they were so sincere, it can be seen in their eyes and felt in their words.

after morning lesson, we provided packed lunch for the kids since we were supposed to eat with them. 

and that was when my heart broke the first time.

the tour leader made a mistake and accidentally bought different food for us!

the kids had a packet of plain rice with a small portion of shredded chicken, a few strands of friend eggs and a plastic bag of vege - they were so happy with smiles on their faces coz a whole packet of rice and chicken as their form of meet was a luxury.

we were all happy too until we opened our our pack of rice.

it contained an even larger serving of fried rice, a whole chicken drumstick, fried potatoes, a portion of vege and another portion of fruits.

we couldn't believe what we saw, how were we suppose to sit with the kids and eat?

some were furious, some cried and some felt helpless. 

i was under the helpless category.

my heart really broke. =(

we decided to give away our vege, fruits, potatoes and shared our chicken and fried rice.

after the lunch incident, we headed to the orphanage located a few minutes drive away from the school.

these orphans have tragic stories. 

some were left at a pagoda by their parents as they have no means to support them.

some were left at temples coz their parents left for thailand searching for a better future.

some were abandoned.

they still have dreams.

they aspire to be policemen, hair dresser and make up artist, barber, doctors and many more.

the welcome session was the same - waving, hugging and all.

we were being showed around their house, simple and that's all they need.

these orphans attend the afternoon sessions.

afternoon class was the same as morning class, just different students and different hello lines.

'good afternoon teacher, how are you?'

we then provided them with their packed lunch. =D

the battle with the heat was a tough one.

we felt as if we used twice the amount of energy as compared to the morning session.

the sun was so hot that they had to spray water on the concrete floor to cool it down.

the classrooms were small and cramped but the kids were happy.

over 20+ people in the room shared one fan but the kids were happy.

we had endless supply of cold water and wet tissue, they had none but the kids were happy.

we had shoes to protect us from the burning floor, most kids were barefooted but the kids were happy.

sigh, we have a lot to learn.

after afternoon session, we went back to the hotel for a long, cold bath.

then dinner and debrief. 

yes, debrief was so effective in allowing us to express what we've learnt from day1.

everyone seemed to be most concern for the packed lunch incident.

after everything, we had yogurt for supper! =D

i shall update the rest of the days another time. HAHAHAHA!