OVERSEAS SERVICE LEARNINGPHNOM PHNH, CAMBODIA

06 // JUNE // 201910 // JUNE // 2019to:

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Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

- thomas a. Edision

OLAZOHA

SYAMIELRUBY NGREBECCAMYRA NGMEGHANAHUDA DINI

JUSTIN LIMHANNAH NGANGELA LEENUR NABILAELGIN TONGKEITH THAMYAO JING ZEKYVEN CHUACALLISTA NG SITI NUR AINPEARL WONG

KEE XUAN LINANGELINA YEoSHANNON LOH

BENEDICT YUENPRERANA BILAMKAR

from phnom phen to chambokThe trip started off with the chance to learn about the history of Cambodia and visiting its places of interest. One of was the royal palace of Cambodia, which was and still is home to the royal family of Cambodia. It holds a lot of history and the visit there was an eye-opening experience.

However, as the place was unfamiliar, and very different from Singapore, travelling around in Cambodia was very tiring.

The bus ride into the rural outskirts of Cambodia was three to four hours long and unlike buses in Singapore, the bus we were in was small and cramped with very little leg room.

The roads that we travelled on became increasingly uneven as we travelled further and further from the capital. Roads made of asphalt changed to gravel and sand before turning to red coloured soil that was muddy from the rain that afternoon.

Getting into the village areas in the outskirts, fences start to line the roads as acres of farmland owned by the local villagers started to fill the landscape. Cows could also be seen roaming these farmlands.

bamboo village Peam lor vea primary schoolFrom day 2 to day 4, we were split into 2 groups. One group went to Bamboo Village and the other went to the Primary School.

At Bamboo Village, we were taught to build a roof for a shelter constructed to store harvested bamboo meant to be kept aside for future use.

One half of the group were taught to weave bamboo leaves to form “tiles” for the roof of the bamboo shelter.

Another half of the group were taught to put together chopped bamboo to construct the frame that will hold together the weaved tiles.

At Primary School, we were given the opportunity to interact with both lower and upper primary school students.

We taught the lower primary students english nursery rhymes like “Head, shoulders, knees and toes”, while the upper primary students were taught to clap to “The Cup Song”. The students were also brought outside of class to play games like Zero Point and captain’s ball.

On day 4, our last day at the primary school, all Queensway students made their way there to set up a mini funfair for the students.

The primary school students had fun playing games and getting a chance to win prizes like Five Stones and snacks.

Overall, it was an enriching experience for us to be given an opportunity to learn the ways and culture of living a very simple life.