phnom penh, cambodia

 

 

 

 

It was our first visit to Cambodia for both of us so we weren't too sure what to expect. Our first day experience with both the airport taxi and bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was definitely interesting and a little uncomfortable even though we are experienced travelers and have traveled a fair bit in Asia. After our visit to the genocide museum and the killing fields, I am not sure how Cambodians can trust anyone anymore but themselves. What happened during the short regime of Khmer Rouge has scarred the people and had such a huge impact on this society. It's good that we learnt about their history before we started working with the locals as it gave us insights into how they process their thoughts, how they live, how they work, etc.

Our 2 weeks at NLF went passed fairly quickly. We are extremely impressed with their passion to empower the locals. More than 10 years ago, NLF started providing free English and computing lessons to the locals, believing that this will truly make an impact in this city. They did! Many people in Phnom Penh know about NLF and have taken classes at NLF. Many have came to know the Lord through this program and many are now leaders of NLF contributing back to NLF. We particularly like their Children at Risk program, which is not just a child sponsorship program but also a way for them to equip the families in the poor villages to start small micro-businesses to be self-sufficient. Their Children Ministry is led by Vimean who is truly passionate about the kids living out in the slums and on the streets. No one can do what this team is doing weekly if they don't have a heart for these 250+ street kids.

What we love

LL: Khmer believers reaching out to their own people with a passion, and improving the lives of those living in poverty by empowering and equipping them.

AT: The beautiful and friendly people in the Cambodia countryside.

What we dislike

LL: The rubbish all over the streets!

AT: The fear of getting ripped off by the locals.

What we miss

LL: Khmer is very friendly and polite.

AT: Cambodian dragon fruit!!! I had heaps of it while we were in Cambodia. Apparently it is very good for constipation.

What we don't miss

LL: Traffic, dirt roads, big pot holes, rubbish on the streets...

AT: I don't miss the pollution in Phnom Penh. In addition to the air pollution, there was rubbish everywhere in the city.

What we are thankful for

LL: Health and safety. The church apartment was comfortable and convenient.

AT: Thankful that we got to see Cambodia, especially the beautiful countryside.

What we have accomplished

LL: Surviving 3 days visiting Angkor Wat. I know everyone wants to visit Angkor Wat and it's a world heritage site. For me, spending 3 days sight-seeing temples and more temples is a little too excessive.

AT: We were able to share our ideas with the different departments in NLF, and they are in the process of implementing some of these ideas.

What we learnt

The importance in equipping the locals and empowering them to reach their own nation. This is so much more effective.

cusco, peru

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERU! What a beautiful country! It has so much to offer to the tourist but sadly the majority of the country is living in poverty. We enjoyed our 9 weeks in Peru and glad that we were able to volunteer with Peru's Challenge on the 8-week program. The program not only gave us an insight into needs of the under-privileged and poor but also open our eyes to the rich and beautiful culture of Peru. Cusco city is a major tourism centre in Peru as it's the gate to the world famous and world heritage listed Machu Picchu. Cusco city and its vicinity has so much to offer.

What we love

LL: The walk up to school...such a scenic walk and takes you to a completely different place. It was my keep fit exercise as well as my training for Inca Trail. I love my time with the kids in the kindy class! They are so adorable and I love doing all the activities with them.

AT: The nice weather. It was cold at times but most of the time it was cool with sunshine. The bicycle ride up to the school and back down at 4000m was also a highlight. I enjoyed the work at the school. Being able to make a difference in the children's and community's lives, whether big or small, was thoroughly enjoyable and has changed my perspective in life.

What we dislike

LL: The different social class and mistreatment of the indigenous Peruvian. Domestic violence towards the wives is widely acceptable in this society. I am glad there is organisation like Peru's Challenge to help these ladies.

AT: The poverty in Peru. It was sad to see the poor struggling with the everyday basics that we, in the western world, take for granted everyday.

What we miss

LL: Off course the kids in the kindy class. Also the friends we met during this journey and the great time we had together.

AT: The good times that we had with Peru's Challenge's staff, the friends we made on this journey and the kids.

What we don't miss

LL: The temperamental electric shower...I don't miss not knowing if I will have a warm shower or will I get an electric shock while in my shower. It's good to be able to turn on the tap and drink water straight from it.

AT: I don't miss the dusty roads and air pollution of Cusco.

What we are thankful for

LL: Although we had to be extremely careful with our food, there are plenty of good cafes in the city that offer great food and coffee. I was able to get my coffee fix once a week in one of these cafes as well as enjoyed a yummy big breakfast.

AT: Thankful that I did not get any stomach bugs/viruses at all. Everyone else did!!!! I was the last man standing...

What we accomplished

LL: 4 days trekking on Inca Trail to Machu Picchu which was tough but enjoyable. I managed to stay fit and healthy even though I had amoeba towards the end of the program.

AT: I am actually quite proud that we made it to Peru and finished the 8-week program. Throughout the planning process, there was always this lingering feeling about whether is this for real, is it really going to happen, etc....It was a dream to travel to Peru and volunteer to help the less fortunate.

What we learnt

We learnt about the ins and outs of the travel volunteer program. It is a very good not-for-profit system as the funds generated from the volunteers are put into the community development program. This benefits both the community being helped and the volunteers.

end of the road...

Hi All, we have come to the end of our journey. This year has been GREAT!!! It has been extremely rewarding, fulfilling, life-changing, educational, etc....(all the good things). We will be putting up a few more posts to reflect on the year. Stay tuned.

saying goodbyes...

Our last morning at Samuel's House before all four of us left for Bangkok. Saying goodbye is never easy as we have grown very close to this big happy family...

korean buffet

 

 

 

 

The entire Samuel's House family went out for a Korean BBQ buffet on our last night at SH. Once again, we had a great time feasting together and enjoying spending time with each other. The kids just ate and ate and ate... They had so much food and we were getting worried that some of them might end up with upset tummies.

how's the rice?

 

The last time we showed you that we were clearing the rice field late May in preparation for rice planting. We had an American team helped us with the rice planting in July. When we came back in August, we showed you some photos of the newly planted rice. Now we are back here again and I like to show you how the rice is developing. The Samuel's House team will be harvesting them next week and we expect at least 40 big bags of rice.

BBQ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather is a lot cooler now than earlier in the year. Perfect weather to have an outdoor BBQ so we seized the opportunity to have a BBQ with the kids. Koh and Alvin constructed a long BBQ pit to fit everyone in. The kids helped with the preparation of the food as well as catching some fish for BBQ. Initially, Alvin and Koh struggled with getting the charcoal going but eventually had it going well. The kids wasted no time and got right into barbecuing their food. As usual, they love their hotdogs and meat balls.