Sitting here in Changi Airport, we have a bit of time to reflect on the week that has passed. We would like to congratulate Cambodia Team 2011 on what has been a tough but rewarding time in Cambodia.
We are very proud of all of your efforts and believe you achieved what you set out to achieve. You are an amazing group of students and it was an honour to join you on this incredible journey over the last 9 days. Enjoy the last leg of the flight home when we will return you to your real mums and dad.
Kol HaKavod - Chazak Ve Amatz
The pleasure has been ours
Adina (mum) and Braham (dad)
Bunnings Workshop
May 24 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Final Comment from the 2011 Team
My Sister went on this trip 2 years ago. When she got back she continually told me about how amazing it was and that i had to do it. Only now do i truely understand why she thought it was amazing. To build a classroom almost from scratch is something i never thought i would be able to do but now sitting here i know that i have made a difference to the lives to 100's of school children in one of the most impoverished regions in the world. It has been a really eye opening experience and one that i will keep with me for the rest of my life. - Adam
Cambodia was an experience I will never forget - I had such an amazing time - Ruby H
Cambodia was an experience I will never forget - I had such an amazing time - Ruby H
I feel that i have helped the people of Cambodia through my community service. It was an amazing experience. I loved it- Tara S
Cambodia has been the experience of a life time. I loved every second of the trip and I know that I will never forget any of the amazing things that have happened. There is only one thing that I could think of to sum up the trip and that is... 5,3,4... that was absolutely sensational! - Shari
The feeling I get by helping others through their hardships is indescribable, has made me realize how lucky we are to have all the things we take for granted and put things into perspective. - Gaby M
Words cannot Describe how amazing it was to help Cambodian families in need - Romy
It was very interesting to spend time in a country where its culture and environment is drastically different to that of Australia. It was an amazing feeling to help families in poverty, and especially to hand a very pregnant woman a toy for her future child - Mia
Seeing families with so little is heartbreaking therefore, knowing that I could change such amazing peoples lives filled me with so much joy. Cambodia is an experience I will always treasure, It was an incredible way to experience community service and I can definitely say I have given it my all. I love cambodia! -Tara. K.
This trip has been such an rewarding experience as we have had the pleasure in helping such less fortunate families. Seeing the way people live was educating and it made me realize how lucky I am for the life I am able to live. -Ruby.L.
The reason I chose to come to Cambodia was to help unfortunate people and get an experience of a life time, this all happened within 9 days. There are a lot of people who cant even have a piece of bread for lunch and I am very fortunate to be living in a country where we don't have to worry about where our next meal is coming from. I have had a great time and I enjoyed spending time with my friends and the whole group. The next years group will have an amazing time and I encourage the lower years to experience this trip because they will never forget it. - Jessica
Coming to Cambodia was an enormous eye-opener for me. Everybody says that it's oh so important to give tzadka but I thought that I should take charity to another level by accompanying the money we raised to the houses we are building.
Travelling to a country, whose population was almost completely wiped and seeing a bustling, energetic nation with the happiest people I have seen anyhere was truly unbeliveable. This country's optimism and felicity should spread to the other nations of the world, and hopefully the world would be a better place.
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow says “The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service”.
Signing out Ben
Coming to Cambodia is truly one of the best experiences of my life! seeing how people with so little so happy and excited is truly inspiring! whilst learning about the Pol Pot regime we learnt how similar the Pol Pot regime was to world war 2 in the way that one man took over and ruined an entire generation. from travelling to cambodia i have learnt so much and it as really enriched my life. - Alex
This trip has been an amazing experience for me. I have loved being in Cambodia with my friends, throughout this trip. I have learnt a great deal as to why we actually have come to built these houses for these families who are in desperate need of them. I am so glad that I have had this opportunity to help these people. As well as have an experience of a lifetime. - Ash
Eight days, hundreds of laughter, thousands of memories. We have broken the stereotype placed on our generation, that we are lazy, careless, and unaware of anything but ourselves. This trip has opened our eyes to the harsh reality of people who are just like us, that live so differently. In eight simple, hard, hot days, we have changed as a group of people, physically and mentally, and it has just gone way too fast. I'll never forget all the people we have met, the things we have seen, and how just a small group of generous people can make such a large contribution and alteration to someone's lifestyle. I know now that we have accomplished everything that we have set out to do and more. I'll never ever again complain of the life we lead in good ol' Melbourne, and I know that I will definitely come back to Cambodia hopefully very shortly. - Montana
These eight days have been such a great experience for me, everyday changed my life in a different way and all i am happy they did. The weather was so hot and we got so sweaty but it was all worth it. When i saw all the unfortunate children my heart sank and i wanted to help all of them. i will never forget any of the people and especially children that i met. This was my second time in cambodia and i loved it even more then the first time because each time i went they were such different experiences. hopefully i will be back in cambodia soon! - Nat
Unbeliavable is the only adjective which could fit this experience in Cambodia. We have really done everything here. We have had so much fun here but on the other side of the spectrum we have done a lot of hard work. This experience will be truly treasured and I have many memories from here of which I will never ever forget. I am very happy that I have been provided with these opportunities to help. - Jay
I can't believe this journey has alredy come to its end. This has by far the best experience of my life.l My favourite 3 things on this trip has been the project of building the houses, the bargening in the markets and the disco on a party boat. I didn't want this to end so soon. -Doron
We began as a group of Australians who have spent time in an attempt to help some less fortunate human beings. We did not have a full understanding of anything we were about to do and now that we have come to the end of this extraordinary experience, we can feel a sense of fulfilment and success, as well as a wider understanding of the world we live in outside perfect Melbourne. -Josh (c)
This trip has been truly life changing. Learning about and witnessing first hand the way in which the people of Cambodia live has been an eye opening experience and has made me incredibly grateful for my good fortune. I am so happy that we have been able to help the people of Cambodia in so many ways and I will forever cherish the incredible memories of this trip. - Gideon
It is curently 3:50 am in Melbourne. I am very tired! All I can say is wow, what an experience! (We were told to write 2 sentences, I wrote 3) - Elijah
My sister went on this trip last year. I heard how amazing this trip is and every since then i have been waiting for this trip. It has deffinately exceeded my exprtation. I have had the most amazing time and deffinately reccomed it to others.It is a memory i will always remember and it also helped me relise how lucky we are living in Melbourne. - Brandon
Day 7 - Phnom Penh
Today we had our first Cambodia trip sleep in! When we finally woke up at 9am we prepared for our Saturday morning shule service. The sun cooked our bodies on the walk to shule and we then prayed beautifully with the Rabbi who was very excited with the minyan we were able to provide. After we indulged in a gorgeous and traditional shabbat lunch, we returned to the hotel where we spent the afternoon lounging poolside. At 6.30pm we ate a very relaxed rooftop meal which was followed by a private "party boat" ride on the river. The bass was kickin' as we all partied for our last night on our Cambodian journey. The realization that our adventure was nearly complete was hard but we drowned the sorrows in fantastic ice creams from Blue Pumpkin. Oh, what a night.
Jay, Doron and Josh
Friday, July 1, 2011
Day 6 - Phnom Penh
With yet another early start, we were off to the country side to the location of the house building project. In record time the team completed four houses for families in need. We put this success down to the training at Bunnings and the school room building earlier this week. Students even commented on how easy it is to hammer in nails now that they are so experienced. As a reward we went to the Russian Market to do our best to boost the local economy - we shopped like crazy people and are now back in the hotel getting ready for Shabbat.
Stay tuned for more updates after Shabbat - shabbat shalom from Cambodia
Adina and Braham
Stay tuned for more updates after Shabbat - shabbat shalom from Cambodia
Adina and Braham
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day 5 - Phnom Penh
Hey everyone:)
After waking up after what seemed like not enough sleep, we quickly ate our breakfast, packed up our rooms, loaded our suitcases onto the bus, and climbed on for what seemed like a lifetime of driving. Two rest stops and a million "are we there yets" later, we arrived at the Tabitha Foundation in Phnom Penh. Although we were all exhausted, we were intrigued by what Janne (the founder of the tabitha foundation) had to tell us. She explained to us all about the Pol Pot Regime, and what had happened to Cambodia when he was in power. Janne was extremely unhappy about how the rest of the world was refusing action against the extreme sufferings that the innocent Cambodians were experiencing at the hands of Pol Pot, so in 1975 she moved from Canada to Cambodia, and never returned home. She has so much passion for her new home, and she is so determined to make a better life for those who suffered in the Pol Pot Regime. After she had explained the history of Cambodia, the real reason for our trip hit all of us. We aren't just here for a holiday, to sit by the pool for 8 days and then go home. This trip is for us to help repair this community for the incredible people that live here. Janne then gave us a briefing of what we are to expect tomorrow when we build the 4 houses. She informed us of all the rules we have to be sure to follow tomorrow. Janne made it very clear to us, that we must be willing to put in 110% throughout the entire day, and we must smile and be happy the entire day, so that the families we are building the houses for know that we are there out of choice, and that we want to help them.
After Janne spoke to us, we left Tabitha and made our way to S-21. S-21 was a ordinary high school until pol pot came into power. It was then turned into a prison, and was used to torture the innocent Cambodian people, who to pol pot and his followers, were not worthy of living in his "great" country. S-21 is now a museum, although all of its original structures are still in place. It was a very confronting experience for most of us, and it really hit some of us quite hard, because it reminded us of the Holocaust, which we all feel a strong connection too. We were able to actually walk into the cells that had once held prisoners. There was a whole row of rooms that was completely lined with pictures of all the people that had once been in the prison. The majority of the people who were forced to stay in this prison were innocent people who simply didn't fit into Pol Pot's definition of perfect. We then went to the killing fields, which was as confronting as S-21. When you walk into the killing fields, the first thing you see is a massive temple type of structure that holds every single skull they managed to excavate. Even though we were shocked by what we saw, we all agreed that it was such an interesting way to honour and remember those who perished.
After a long and emotional day, we finally arrived at our new hotel where we all hurriedly got settled into our rooms, and then went down for dinner, cooked by our new chef, Ken, who cooked the most amazing spring rolls we have ever had! We can definetly say that we have had an extremely eventful trip so far. How many other past Cambodia teams can say that they had two passport scares? Thankfully, after lots of searching Romy found her passport, and we all began to breathe again.
We're off to bed now, to get our rest because tomorrow is the big day! Tomorrow we will build the 4 much needed houses!
Shoutout to our siblings back in the hood, Ashleigh, Jarrod, Alix and Sophie. We miss you homies!
-Tara Kiven and Ruby Harris xo
After waking up after what seemed like not enough sleep, we quickly ate our breakfast, packed up our rooms, loaded our suitcases onto the bus, and climbed on for what seemed like a lifetime of driving. Two rest stops and a million "are we there yets" later, we arrived at the Tabitha Foundation in Phnom Penh. Although we were all exhausted, we were intrigued by what Janne (the founder of the tabitha foundation) had to tell us. She explained to us all about the Pol Pot Regime, and what had happened to Cambodia when he was in power. Janne was extremely unhappy about how the rest of the world was refusing action against the extreme sufferings that the innocent Cambodians were experiencing at the hands of Pol Pot, so in 1975 she moved from Canada to Cambodia, and never returned home. She has so much passion for her new home, and she is so determined to make a better life for those who suffered in the Pol Pot Regime. After she had explained the history of Cambodia, the real reason for our trip hit all of us. We aren't just here for a holiday, to sit by the pool for 8 days and then go home. This trip is for us to help repair this community for the incredible people that live here. Janne then gave us a briefing of what we are to expect tomorrow when we build the 4 houses. She informed us of all the rules we have to be sure to follow tomorrow. Janne made it very clear to us, that we must be willing to put in 110% throughout the entire day, and we must smile and be happy the entire day, so that the families we are building the houses for know that we are there out of choice, and that we want to help them.
After Janne spoke to us, we left Tabitha and made our way to S-21. S-21 was a ordinary high school until pol pot came into power. It was then turned into a prison, and was used to torture the innocent Cambodian people, who to pol pot and his followers, were not worthy of living in his "great" country. S-21 is now a museum, although all of its original structures are still in place. It was a very confronting experience for most of us, and it really hit some of us quite hard, because it reminded us of the Holocaust, which we all feel a strong connection too. We were able to actually walk into the cells that had once held prisoners. There was a whole row of rooms that was completely lined with pictures of all the people that had once been in the prison. The majority of the people who were forced to stay in this prison were innocent people who simply didn't fit into Pol Pot's definition of perfect. We then went to the killing fields, which was as confronting as S-21. When you walk into the killing fields, the first thing you see is a massive temple type of structure that holds every single skull they managed to excavate. Even though we were shocked by what we saw, we all agreed that it was such an interesting way to honour and remember those who perished.
After a long and emotional day, we finally arrived at our new hotel where we all hurriedly got settled into our rooms, and then went down for dinner, cooked by our new chef, Ken, who cooked the most amazing spring rolls we have ever had! We can definetly say that we have had an extremely eventful trip so far. How many other past Cambodia teams can say that they had two passport scares? Thankfully, after lots of searching Romy found her passport, and we all began to breathe again.
We're off to bed now, to get our rest because tomorrow is the big day! Tomorrow we will build the 4 much needed houses!
Shoutout to our siblings back in the hood, Ashleigh, Jarrod, Alix and Sophie. We miss you homies!
-Tara Kiven and Ruby Harris xo
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 4 Battambang
Another tiring day comes to a close, and what message we take from that is to appreciate all that we have because some are not as lucky.
We woke up bright and early for a 7:30 depature. Already feeling the heat of the Cambodian sunwe headed toward CHO (Child Hope Orphanage), turns out it wasn't an orphanage as expected but and Organization that assists the less fortunate in learning basic English, life and computer skills and converational language. After an introduction with the director who outlined the intentions and goals of the organization and quick tour around the class rooms, we were off to work. It begain as chaos (organized chaos of course) but after a good half hour of hammered fingers and wood splinters we begun to get the hang of things. Were not saying we are professionals (well Adam thinks he is) but we can definately start DIY jobs at home. Most of the walls were up when the real fun started, PAINTING! White shirts became brown and clean skin became incredibly dirty, well thats the whole fun of it, right? At last our masterpiece was completed, brown walls with colourful windows looked back at us, our tradie skills were definitely up to scratch!
We were then whisked away in tuk tuks (Gaby a bit hesitant due to hurting her leg on the first night on the exhaust pipe of a motor cycle) to some of childrens homes to meet their families and take in their living conditions. This was truely eye opening due to experiéncing how poverty sticken this third country really is. Just sitting in their houses or what is classified a house in Cambodia (two rooms often shared between 5 kids and parents). We all had a greater appreciation for all we have back at home.
The day was not over yet, as a goodbye dance from the children was still to take place. Our personal "ïf your happy and you know it clap your hands" most of us still have it stuck in our heads! Then to conclude our day at CHO we presented the director with soccer balls and a pump kindly donated by the Reagan Milstein foundation and over 100 soccer tops from Maccabi Soccer to the children in most need. Our duties were fufilled and must we say it was so rewarding!
Sightseeing was still on the to-do list for today so we visited the bamboo train tracks, we personally thought it was more of a ride. Seriously these things were going down hill at a very fast pace, I was scared for my life!
To end a memorable and most challanging day we have yet experianced here in Cambodia we had dinner at a vegan and kosher restaraunt. We didnt hold back, it was pretty much all you can eat, Adam demolished 4 tofu burgers, along with a large drink and a bowl of fried rice, thats what you call a meal, well more a hearty meal.
Goodbye for now, Gaby, Adam and Romy.
We woke up bright and early for a 7:30 depature. Already feeling the heat of the Cambodian sunwe headed toward CHO (Child Hope Orphanage), turns out it wasn't an orphanage as expected but and Organization that assists the less fortunate in learning basic English, life and computer skills and converational language. After an introduction with the director who outlined the intentions and goals of the organization and quick tour around the class rooms, we were off to work. It begain as chaos (organized chaos of course) but after a good half hour of hammered fingers and wood splinters we begun to get the hang of things. Were not saying we are professionals (well Adam thinks he is) but we can definately start DIY jobs at home. Most of the walls were up when the real fun started, PAINTING! White shirts became brown and clean skin became incredibly dirty, well thats the whole fun of it, right? At last our masterpiece was completed, brown walls with colourful windows looked back at us, our tradie skills were definitely up to scratch!
We were then whisked away in tuk tuks (Gaby a bit hesitant due to hurting her leg on the first night on the exhaust pipe of a motor cycle) to some of childrens homes to meet their families and take in their living conditions. This was truely eye opening due to experiéncing how poverty sticken this third country really is. Just sitting in their houses or what is classified a house in Cambodia (two rooms often shared between 5 kids and parents). We all had a greater appreciation for all we have back at home.
The day was not over yet, as a goodbye dance from the children was still to take place. Our personal "ïf your happy and you know it clap your hands" most of us still have it stuck in our heads! Then to conclude our day at CHO we presented the director with soccer balls and a pump kindly donated by the Reagan Milstein foundation and over 100 soccer tops from Maccabi Soccer to the children in most need. Our duties were fufilled and must we say it was so rewarding!
Sightseeing was still on the to-do list for today so we visited the bamboo train tracks, we personally thought it was more of a ride. Seriously these things were going down hill at a very fast pace, I was scared for my life!
To end a memorable and most challanging day we have yet experianced here in Cambodia we had dinner at a vegan and kosher restaraunt. We didnt hold back, it was pretty much all you can eat, Adam demolished 4 tofu burgers, along with a large drink and a bowl of fried rice, thats what you call a meal, well more a hearty meal.
Goodbye for now, Gaby, Adam and Romy.
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