Cambodia: A Turning Point In My Life

During the summer of last year, I went on a service learning trip in Cambodia, which was organized by my university. Let me first begin with saying that this trip has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life so far. So be prepared for a lot of reflections!

I was one of the 23 volunteers that joined this trip. We began our service in an orphanage called Wat Opot Children's Community. They sheltered children who have been orphaned, outcasted or affected with HIV.

During my time there, I met two boys (we'll call them S and Y), who made one of the biggest changes in how I saw the world. S was a mischievous boy and he grew attached to me when I helped him climb the monkey bars. Ever since then, he became very fond of me and would go wherever I went. Sometimes, he enjoys climbing over me like I was another monkey bar. Y, on the other hand, was very shy at first. On the first day of our volunteering, he suddenly got a nose bleed and I helped him take care of it. Afterward, just like S, he liked to tag along with me wherever I was, and would always hold my hand. He also began to open up and despite the language barrier, we tried to communicate through body language or drawings.

While we volunteered there, we taught them English through creative activities, such as arts-and-crafts and songs. Apart from teaching at the orphanage, we also held English classes at their primary school. I was teaching an upper primary class, but I remember when the students had a break, Y and S, who were both lower grades, stopped by to find me. Y gave me a drawing and a flower to surprise me after teaching as well!

Leaving Wat Opot was very emotional. Several of the volunteers teared up as they bid farewell to the children they took care of. At first, S acted a bit angry at me for leaving though he immediately recovered and played with me around their playground while we still could. Y, on the other hand, was very upset and cried as he hugged me. As soon as we broke off the hug, he ran away, and I thought he waved goodbye. It was so sudden that I almost cried after processing that would be the last time we would see each other in a long time.

But around ten minutes later, he returned.

"Close your eyes!" He said, and I followed.

"Open your hand!" He added, which I did. I then felt something very light on my hand. I opened my eyes and saw a deer plushie. It looked quite old, which meant that he had been keeping it for a long time. Probably even being precious to him.

And that's the thing about these children. Despite their living conditions and the very few things they possess, they are still willing to keep on giving. And I think that mindset for children as young as them is a very mature and kind one. When I look at Y and S, despite being half my height, I see a lot of maturity in their eyes, like they have gone through a lot. Which they did. I spoke with one of the founders of the orphanage, who the kids call "Papa" over there. He told me about their stories, and how S, for example, did not know any English when coming to the orphanage but is probably now one of the best speakers. Y, on the other hand, was found in a trash can when he was very young and was later found out to be diagnosed with HIV.

Once we got on the bus, I started crying to my friend after listening to their story. No matter how many difficulties they have gone through, they always keep the light with them wherever they go. To them, happiness is already a part of their soul. In fact, happiness is simple, and we already carry it within us. We just tend to forget that sometimes.

Afterwards, we moved on to Who Will Village for our next English teaching session. We taught the students some English songs, did some arts-and-crafts once again, as well as introduce other cultures, such as those from Hong Kong, India and Indonesia. I thought that teaching in Who Will was the biggest challenge during the trip. Initially, the session was quite messy, since we did not expect the change in logistics. We delayed the session for around an hour, since none of the children showed up. At the same time, heavy rain made us entirely change our plans from outdoor activities to indoors.

But I think the best reward that came out of it was my opportunity to meet two young Cambodian girls who aspire to study abroad when they start university. To this day, I still keep in touch with them to help them improve their English and move forward with their dreams.

We even got to meet a few alumni from the school in Who Will Village. I met two guys who were studying at university at the time, and just like everybody I have met during my time there, they were one of the friendliest people I have met! Plus, just like a lot of people that I have met in Cambodia, they are also one of the people that I still keep in touch with.

For dinner, we ate in a lot of local, authentic restaurants, but there are two highlights I would like to share. One was when we ate in a restaurant which hired high school students for them to afford their high school education. The students were really sweet and even prepared lotus flower-folded napkins for us!

The second highlight was my first time eating SPIDERS! Honestly, it did not taste bad at all. It was actually pretty good, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. It kind of tasted like chicken. Which makes me wonder why are insects always described as tasting like chicken?

Our final stop was in Neeson Cripps Academy, which was established by the Cambodian Children’s Fund to help impoverished children receive high-quality education. Here, we taught Physics to secondary school students. We went over basic concepts on electromagnetism and did some simple experiments. And this was another delightful experience to observe. All the students highly enjoyed the experiments carried out, and frequently asked us questions on the concepts that we were teaching. They were so excited to learn something new, and you could see their eyes sparkle when asked about their future ambitions.

When you look at these bright, young students being unafraid to dream, it makes you realize how many blessings you have around you.

I still chat with four of the students that I had the privilege of getting to know during this day. They even made a cute card for me before we left!

And to wrap this trip all off, we went to visit a street market and also the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge took place. We met two survivors there, one having a book about his experience during this dark time. For them to still have the bravery to be in the very place that had tortured them to share their story is just something I highly respect.

So why did I post about this trip, even if it has already been a year ago since this happened? After talking with Mu Sochua about her fight for democracy in Cambodia, the first people I thought about were Y and S. Y and S are the reasons I grew to become passionate on health and education issues, especially amongst children. I involve myself in projects that target young people in Cambodia, such as this smartwatch project that I worked on with some friends back at HKUST.

But despite being the ones who have impacted me the most, I have not kept in contact with them. One being they were very young so I had no way of remaining in touch. So that just made me miss them even more. I still have the deer plushie that Y gave me, and I even brought it with me on exchange. In fact, I made it the mascot of this blog! I call her Syd (S + Y + Del Mundo).

I may not have kept in contact with them, but one thing I promised to myself is that I will visit everyone who have impacted me again. That includes the people I met in Who Will Village, the students in Neeson Cripps Academy, and most importantly, Y and S. Because I want these two boys to know that I still think about them, and that I still care about them. And that no matter how far and how hectic life could be, I will still try to be there for them.

And I will always be there for them. That's why if you would like to contribute and help these amazing children, here are some links below to the organizations and if you would like, donating even a small amount always makes a big difference!

• Wat Opot Children's Community: http://www.watopot.org

• Who Will Village: http://www.whowill.org

• Cambodian Children's Fund: https://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org

• She Can: https://www.shecan.global

We all walk on this Earth together, so let's try and help each other out.