Siem Reap and the rural school

Today was very exciting as we had our first oppotunity for service to the people of Cambodia. After an early morning elephant ride around Angkor Wat we headed straight for the school whose name was so long that none of us could prononce it. We arrived with plenty of art suuplies, books, stationary and an abundance of enthusiasm! As soon as we turned up, the Cambodia team was out at play with some new toys for the students of the school. After some fun in the sun (hot and sweaty fun in the sweltering humidity) we headed to the classrooms to start the art activities. There were two classes, each with about 35 students and as Ashlee put it, "it was really moving to see their eagernes to make the most of the activities that we had for them - they had so little and were so excited with what we brought".
The second part of our sercive to this school included a clean up of their grounds as they are having building work done at the moment, and pumping water from their well to help tend to their garden.
It was wonderful to see the connections made between our students and the young pupils of the rural school - despite huge language barriers (they spoke little or no English and we only know two phases in Khmer), the children of both schools were all very sad to part ways at the end of our visit.
The afternoon involved some relaxation and shopping as well as a special tour through the Artisan Complex where orphans of the Khmer Rouge regime are being taught skills in Cambodian art and craft. Many of the craftsmen had overcome disabiltiy and great adversity to become contributing members of their community. Our children enjoyed the opportunity to get up close while the artists produced their wares.
We are really proud of the team and we look forward to the next stage of our program as we make our way to Phnom Penh tomorrow.

Well, the first day has come to a close and the troops are all in bed. After a long day of travel we managed to fit in some interesting glimpses into the lives of the Cambodian families who spend their lives living on the waters of the Tonle Sap Lake. We saw a crocodile farm and a few lucky team members had the opportunity to drive our boat through the narrow channels around floating villages. After a swim in the hotel pool and a quick dinner we were off to try our hands at haggling at the night markets of Siem Reap....but not until 3 of the team had a special foot massage by fish (you will need to ask Olly, Chelsea and Zack about that one...) Everyone came home happy with their purchases and their bargaining skills. Time for some much needed sleep now

Adina and Braham

Cambodia Team in transit

The trip from Melbourne to Singapore was uneventful apart from some problems with refueling and some frozen kosher meals. Almost everyone managed to get some sleep which gave us enough energy to walk around Changi Airport for nearly 4 hours. Everyone is looking forward to our next flight into Siem Reap - updates and photos to follow....

Mt Scopus Cambodia Team 2010 Soon To Depart

After many weeks of planning and fundraising, 20 students are ready to join Mr. Braham Morris and Mrs. Adina Wolters on a community and service journey to siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Stay tuned for daily updates starting from 13 June 2010.