Guest Post - Alex Day 7&8

Day 7

For most, today was between a 6:00-6:30am wake up. It was also our last day at La Valla, after the principal decided to give the staff and students Friday off to celebrate the Water Festival.

We began our morning at La Valla in a similar manner to other days; the garden we had labored over so diligently was nearing completion, requiring only a few of us to get and spread compost over the plants and surrounding areas. For some (Josh and Rhiannon) this turned into quite an emotional experience when they found and were then forced to bury a giant slug they named Terrance, who unfortunately passed away in Josh's arms. 

Those not involved in the gardening efforts were assigned to the second classroom we were helping to refurbish. After our efforts in Day 6, all that really remained was for us to scrub down and re-paint the walls. The first coat was finished in no time.

After morning tea break at 10:30am, two groups were sent to help with PE classes. As it turned out however, there had been a miscommunication with the teachers at La Valla, causing both of these groups to be assigned to the same swimming class. As such, Darcy, Josh, Meg, Renee and I all ended up in the pool with only one class between us. We were also later joined by Sarah, Charlotte and Lauren, who were looking to cool off while the paint dried. With so many CASPians to only one class, it ensured that all the kids got actively involved; and they loved it.

After our swim, Darcy and I led another class in sport; this time we were assigned a class which seemed to be more physically capable than some others, so we decided to amp up our games, even incorporating some Cambodian games in our half hour. 

A short break after this lesson (after another unfortunate scheduling error), which we spent applying a second coat to the near finished classroom. 

Finally, our last lesson of the day was another English lesson with Teacher Wei. This time Wei allowed Darcy and I to take complete control of his class, with the sole proviso that we taught them about common fruits. This turned into a lot of fun, particularly when I absent mindedly misidentified an apple with a tomato. 

Around 2:30pm and only one of the groups has a class, leading the rest of us to take a break and freshen up (the garden and classroom both being completed by this point). At around 3:15pm, we were treated to a special La Valla assembly, which involved a dramatic performance by the kids of a classic Cambodian story ('the fox and the tortoise'), and two musical pieces. We were also treated to Lauren's beautiful rendition of 'Ave Maria'. We were also expressly thanked by the Principal, and we each recieved a Kramar and gift (which was later revealed to be a beautiful painting by those at Villa Maria, the equivalent of a university to La Valla). We then gave them each a gift of a school hat, a mento and a kinder chocolate.

By far the most emotional part of our day was saying our final goodbyes to the children; an experience which brought many of us to tears. Having spent four days bonding with the kids and teaching them, we found it very hard to say goodbye. The atmosphere in the return Tuk-Tuk was solemn, to say the least.

In the afternoon/night, we traveled to the Cambodian National Museum and watched a cultural performance of some of the traditional local dances and rituals. The dancing and music was amazing, and provided a valuable insight into the beliefs and traditions of the Cambodian people. 

The day was finished with a pleasant trip to 'Blue Pumpkin', where we all treated ourselves to lavish ice creams and drinks. 

Today was also Renee's 18th Birthday, and we celebrated by singing and giving her '18th' candles on her ice cream. 

Day 8

As mentioned, we did not visit La Valla today, but instead made a trip to the Japanese Lay Missionary Movement (JLMM), which is an organisation dedicated to improving the standard of living of lower class people all over the world through education and training. In particular, they focus on giving Mothers the knowledge and resources to properly care for their families and households so as to reduce mortality rates and increased quality of life. They also, in conjunction with a major Japanese ice-cream company, make their own ice cream on site, which is sold by the mothers as a form of income. 

Miyuki (one of the missionaries and founder of the Cambodian Operation) gave us a brief guide through some of the living areas and households of these people, which was quite confronting to say the least. We were also informed that unfortunately, many (but by no means all) of the fathers of these families tended not to have family instinct, meaning they would often leave their families and move on, or simply not be involved in the income earning or caring for of children of households. This was emphasized when we passed a group of three men drinking a bottle of white spirits at around 9:30am. 

After this guide, we were allowed to interact and play with some of the children who receive education at JLMM. It was quite a different experience to La Valla, as none of the children spoke English. Nonetheless, we all managed to bond with and have fun with them anyway.

After this we made a trip back into town, and went to a place called 'Daughters' for lunch. This place is unique in that it is an Operation dedicated to helping women (and also men/transsexuals) break free of the sex/slavery trade. It was a beautiful experience/lunch. 

Following this, we were given free time to explore the local area. Many of us chose to spend this time getting a massage. 

I am writing this from the Hotel; we are leaving in about 5 mins and I haven't finished packing yet. It is currently 4:20pm. We are leaving for Siem Reap. 

Wish us all luck :)

Day 5 - Special guest post from Rhiannon

Today was an all round amazing day and probably the most emotional I've been on this trip. Like previous days, we made our way to LaValla relatively early and got to work almost as soon as we arrived. We all participated in the construction of  the front garden, the work for which had only begun the previous day. Despite it only being early, the heat was already sweltering. We dug up rocks and brick so as to be able to create the stone boarder to the garden. War wounds were received with my hands being victim to two blisters, but I show them with pride as I know the work we were doing was worth it. And there's nothing better than some physical labour to start off your day.

Throughout the school day as well as cleaning and plastering classroom walls preparing them for painting, I spent a lot of time with one of the students whom I've grown very close to. Every lunchtime she waits for me to sit at her table where she and I have small and simple conversations. After our meal she led me into her classroom where she took out her English book and turned to the back where she ripped out a page she had written on and handed it to me. On it she had written five or six sentences, practicing her English homework, yet she had included my name; 'Annon you like lamp, you have a doll.' I'd never experienced something as heartwarming as that and she proceeded to read each of the sentences out and then gave me a big hug.

In the evening, we went to 'Dining in the Dark', a restaurant which employs blind men and women as waiters and waitresses and enables diners to immerse themselves in a blind experience. We ate our meals in complete darkness, and I mean complete, guided by our waitress whose name was Honey. After our meal, Honey sang two songs (unaccompanied), one of which was 'Looking into the eyes of love'. Listening to the lyrics was very emotional as it was obvious she was singing from her heart, with passionate enthusiasm. Afterwards, Lauren sang Ave Maria, also unaccompanied. Listening to something like that in complete darkness really allowed us to focus on what was being said and how beautiful it was as opposed to being distracted by visuals.

The entire day was absolutely brilliant and I think perhaps my favourite so far. Hopefully nothing we experience will be forgotten and will remain with us later in life; enabling us to appreciate all that is available to us. By that I'm not necessarily solely referring to economic and social privileges, but physical privileges such as our ability to see.

Special Guest Post:Josh

Tuesday, November 24th.

We traveled valiantly to Lavalla, with the desire to educate  and labor burning deep within our hearts. In attempts of doing this the group was divided into groups willing to garden, or renovate a classroom, with the common task of teaching various lessons.

Personally, I saw amazing feats achieved by both the staff and students of Lavalla. One occasion that stood out greatly was that I saw an English teacher, Wey, who is unable to use his arms to carry out actions we would deem necessary for everyday life. This however did not stop him, he is still able to teach his students through writing on a whiteboard. You may be asking yourself how he was able to do this, to answer that, he uses his mouth and is capable of writing print neater than myself and other group members.

As a special activity it was organised that we were to learn the Khmer (native) dances and musical instruments, both of which were fairly difficult for us. The music being difficult because of our feeble minds, and the dancing because the dance we undertook was tolling on the legs.

During dinner we went to a restaurant and were hosted by one of the nicest men I have ever seen. Forever going above and beyond in the service of his duties he even went down the street to get Yogurt for Charlotte because she couldn't handle the spice of a dish that he had recommended. From the restaurant it was delegated to Rhiannon to lead us to the sanctity of our hotel.

Day 5 - Second day at LaValla

This is a short post from Andrew before I hand over to one of the students.

Everyone worked exceptionally hard yesterday. A classroom was sanded, prepped and painted and a trench dug through a veritable roadbase.

Our sick patients were much better and our remainder kept well.

We finished the day with a lesson on Khmer music (drums) and dance. Then we had a fantastic meal at a local restaurant before Josh walked us home in the Ivan the Irritable "Human GPS Challenge"

Updates soon!

Day 4 - Guest post Charlotte

On yesterday's agenda we had;
- our very first day at La Valla
- an experience with the Russian Markets
- and a cultural dining experience at Romdeng Restaurant

Our morning departure was as standard a procedure as ever and we embarked on our first working adventure at La Valla. My tuk tuk company was comprised of Sarah Lancaster, Meg Hayes, Alex Connolly and myself, and we offered free entertainment for the passersby with our excellent karaoke playlist. Upon arrival we were given an excellent private mass hosted by Father Kevin and a peek inside the Brother's bookshelf (which is very impressive, if I do say so myself). And so began the working day. I was personally allotted the task of preparing and painting one of the classrooms. This involved scrubbing the walls clean, scraping off paint, sanding back the walls, taping and of course actually painting. It really is quite comforting being able to take a step back at the end of some hard work and see some noticeable improvement, although we have quite the ways to go before we can call it quits in the classroom. After spending the half an hour break with the children the majority of us were given a class to teach, mine was PE. We played duck duck goose and stuck in the mud with the kids and it's the most amazing thing to witness the independence of some of these children despite their impairments and obstacles.

Lunch break is the finest time to really get to know the kids. A lot of their English is very impressive although the language barrier between some is something we are all yet to get used to. I did get the pleasure of meeting a young boy of 9 that had taught himself to speak English by watching the cartoon network, he was a remarkable young man and even commented that he was attempting to teach his own mother English. After lunch I was assigned three separate classes, one in which I was expected to teach my prepared lesson of Australian song and dance, one to teach English (although I'm not sure I was much help in that department as they could all speak so much of what I was teaching them anyway), and one where I got in the pool with a class. The most rewarding part of this was absolutely being in the pool with the kids and helping those that could not usually walk on land, walk through the water with some support from myself and others.

Unfortunately after that lesson had finished it was time to wrap up our first working day at the school. After a quick bite of some traditional Khmer dessert (which was delicious) it was time to leave and head for the Russian markets - a favourite of Ivan's ;)

Bartering is something I personally enjoy so my experience at the Russian markets was a cheap and rewarding one! The bargains and quality of the goods is something you don't get in Australia, that's for sure. Although maneuvering the skinny alleys that form the markets is not an easy task. After some quick shopping we all sampled some traditional Khmer iced coffee at Cafe Yeij before heading back to the hotel to dress in our best market bought dress.

Finally we had dinner at Romdeng where I think we all got to try something new, be it; tarantula, silk worms, crickets, buffalo jerkey or other. And so another great day in Phnom Penh was brought to a close.

Day 4 - Our first day at LaValla

After a rough day the previous day (see Sarah's post), we all seemed to have a broken sleep, perhaps disturbed by the images we'd seen the day before. Even though I did not go through Toul Sleng and Cheoung Ek - there is something ghoulish about visiting that place too often - I still had to fight the nightmares that wanted to come. For those who have been here, you will understand. For those who haven't - you should.

Yesterday was our first full day at LaValla. We had an early victim of the stomach bug so common with a south east asian experience, but she fought on to LaValla.

We arrived around 8am had our first activity was a quiet Mass with the twelve of us, Br Terry and Br Tony, and presided by Father Kevin Corrigan of Nelson's Bay. It was a nice way to start the day.

We then broken into our work activities of preparing a classroom for painting and some gardening. By recess we'd pruned half the school and watered most of the plants. Meanwhile the painting crew had learned a new skill how to fill holes in plaster walls.

By lunch we were all thoroughly exhausted - I'd been chipping away at some road base with basic hand tools and was in a world of hurt.

After lunch the students went to teach their classes - a mixture of prepared lessons, English teaching and PE lessons. These lasted from 1-3pm. Meanwhile I kept chipping away at my roadbase. Oh, how I hate that roadbase in the heat ...

We then went back to the hotel via the Russian markets. The students did some more shopping - including an outfit for dinner - before we all retired to the Cafe Yejj where I introduced them to Khmer Iced Coffee. Much to my amusement their reactions were entirely as anticipated and there was some protesting until I pointed out the copious amounts of raw sugar that could be added to combat the bitterness.

We wound up the day at Romdeng where we ate crickets, silk worms, buffalo jerky, and of course some tarantula legs. We also had some fairly normal fair too ... and the students enjoyed some great shakes and lassies.

Bed came early with most hitting the pillow before 9pm. They all appear a little tired today - perhaps a day to go gently. We'll see how breakfast makes them feel!

Day 3 - Special guest post from Rachael

Today was a day full of emotions. Starting of the day attending the royal palace and Silver pagoda we were captivated by the beauty of this site and it was an excellent opportunity for the typical tourist picture.We walked through the temples and buildings admiring them and learning more about the importance of these attractions to the people of Cambodia. We then headed to Toul Sleng ( Camp s-21) where our emotions kicked in and our hearts broke, while walking around learning of survivors tales my heart remained heavy as i tried to come to terms with the issue we were learning about .The afternoon allowed us to go to the killing fields and it was here that we witnessed the genocide first hand, the audio tour provided us with a complete understanding of exactly what people went through and allowed us to feel their pain as we were taken on a journey that will never be forgotten Overall today was very confronting and although i felt i was prepared for the heartbreak i still cried and felt sorrow/

Special Guest Post - Darcy

After a successful day of traveling to Cambodia we arrived at the Tea House Resort - a picturesque location.
Day 2 of our trip held our first journey to LaValla School. We departed the Tea House on our faithful Tuk Tuks (my driver was named Map), navigating us through bustling yet poverty stricken streets, with road rules being beyond questionable.

Upon arrival at LaValla School we were greeted by around 50 smiling faces! All the students were asking us "What is your name?" and "How are you?." After a brief introduction and briefing we were given time to spend with the students, showing us activities they enjoyed - I played an extremely confusing version of uno, loosing continually.
We were also provided with lunch at LaValla - rice, a pumpkin stew and a vegetable broth, followed by a banana jelly. The students took great pride in serving the food and attempting to communicate with us at lunch.
After only being at LaValla for a short time everyone agreed that the students at the school truly inspired us, as some of them had been abandoned by their family or were living with debilitating diseases - yet they all showed such joy in all they did and not once complained. Making us truly appreciate how lucky we really are.

After leaving LaValla we attended our first market, The Central Markets - for most of us this was our first experience with bartering. Surrounded by expanses of clothes, bags, jewelry and shoes Meg showed amazing confidence in the face of any deal, out bartering every local easily!

We also visited Wat Phenom, a temple in the heart of Phnom Penh, very beautiful and ornately decorated.
This was followed by a tour along the Mekong by Mr.Cornwall to significant buildings, particularly influenced by the Khmer Rouge, along this walk many locals were dancing and playing games all of which we joined in on and had a laugh.
Dinner was at the beautiful Titanic restaurant, with all students and teachers accepting the task of sticking to the Cambodian Menu. At the restaurant the Amok (a traditional dish) was served in a coconut, traditional dancers were scattered around the room and we were looking out across the Mekong.
After this we made time for a quick look around the party like night markets before heading home with the challenge of groups of students finding the cheapest Tuk Tuk home.

Back at the hotel we all enjoyed a refreshing swim before getting in bed.

All in all our first day in Cambodia was extreeemely enlightening, hot, humid and intriguing!

Day 2 - LaValla orientation day

Apologies for not posting last night. We got back late and bed beckoned!

So what happened yesterday?

We all woke up early as our body locks still insisted that AEST was the preferred timezone. After a lovely breakfast in the courtyard restaurant we prepared for our first trip to LaValla.

Mr Cornwall undertook a briefing session and we covered ourselves in sunscreen and DEET before jumping on our tuk tuks. Our drivers - Monin, Map and <Mr Cornwall forgot the new drivers name!> weaved us through the chaos of Phnom Penh traffic to arrive at LaValla at 9am - an hours trip at that time of the day.

LaValla was beautiful and confronting. Well over half the students were ready to great us with a range of greetings from cuddles, to tentative smiles to outright fear and trepidation. We were also introduced to Br Terry Henriech (our host), Br Tony another resident Marist brother, Fr Kevin Corigan our own neck of the woods, and Sam a horticulturalist from Australia helping the school plan its land development with a new acquisition.

After a half our of playing and chatting to the children who gave us the guided tour, Br Terry sat us down with Sambal and Visal, the two Khmer men who run the operations of the school. Visal spoke passionately about how much of a privilege it was to provide these opportunities to young people in Cambodia, and both of them outlined the enormous challenges for those with physical disabilities in Cambodia.

We then had lunch with the students - a true Khmer lunch rich with flavours (something I had been looking forward to!). After lunch we chatted and played before saying our farewells and promising - earnestly and innumerable times - that we would return on Monday.

From here we went to the Central Markets for a shop. The students disappeared among the crowds while I - having only taken one pair of clothes - set on extending my wardrobe.

After the markets we went back to the hotel for a freshen up which extended to a quick swim for some.

After that our drivers dropped us at Wat Phnom where we explored the spirital heart of this city. Then we had a hard march to and along the riverfront to eventually settle for some mocktails on the roof-top bar of the FCC Phnom Penh. We relaxed and took in the river as the sun descended.

Once the sun went down we forged back up Sisowath Quay to our dinner destination. On a Saturday night this is a vibrant place and it wasn't long before Mr Cornwall was invested in a 1:1 soccer game with a supposed national soccer representative (he won ... says a lot!). The whole group then got into some dancercise - imagine line dancing to Cambodian dance music - and we chatted and laughed our way up the beautiful foreshore eventually arriving at Bopha Titanic resturant where we were provided with possible the best spot in town for a feed (think Scratchley's for all those Newcastle people out there).

After dinner we attacked the night markets but it was very quiet so we headed back to the hotel. A swim and a briefing later and most people were ready for bed.

Tomorrow (today) we are heading off on the tourist circuit - sure to be a challenging day from royal pageantry to genocide. Everyone seems well and in good spirits - actually the best spirits of any trip I've been on. What a great bunch!

Arrived!

Well, it has been a BIG day. After getting everything packed up at 11pm, I was awake again at 2:30am. We all gathered at St Mary's and after some brief farewells started what turned out to be a rather uneventful trip to Sydney airport.

After checking in, we had a very straight-forward flight to Singapore (heads up - thank you Singapore airlines for servicing this route ... fantastic!).

Our brief layover at Singapore was punctuated by some publicity for the new Star Wars movie that saw dress-ups, prizes and the very friendly staff at Changi airport keeping our spirits up.

We had another very straight-forward flight into Phnom Penh with Silk Air arriving at 5:15pm local time 9:15pm AEST.

We disembarked, cleared customs and immigration and took a moment to sort our mobile phones. At this stage all attendees should have some sort of mobile contact with home (either phone and data or data only).

Upon leaving the hotel we became aware we'd been forgotten. Those of you who have been to Cambodia would know all about the vagaries of hotel transfers. Ultimately, we ended up squishing into three taxis for a peak hour rush across Phnom Penh to our hotel.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised with the accommodation at the Teahouse Asian Urban Resort - a slightly-out-of-town hotel in an old french colonial building.

There was just enough energy for dinner (our 4th meal of the day!) before most retired to be at just after 9pm local time (1am AEST). As I write I am approaching my 24 hour up and running.

Tomorrow we start the day at approx 7am for breakfast and other activities (11am AEST). We hit the road at 8am (12pm AEST). Weather is currently a pleasant 30C at 9:35pm at night, with tomorrow expected to be 34 and overcast. Tomorrow's itinerary includes:

• Orientation at LaValla school
• Visit to the Central markets for supplies
• Visit to Wat Phnom and walking tour of the city
• Dinner at Sisowath Quay
• Night markets

A reminder that you can contact Andrew if you have any problems on the number provided, or leave a common on this blog. 

Welcome

Welcome to the unofficial Cambodian Alternative Schools Program 2016 blog.

This site will be maintained by Andrew Cornwall (CASP organiser and supervising teacher; occasional photobomber).

Also, there will be the occasional guest post from the other participants including the intrepid Ivan the Irritable, a slightly angry Russian national who also happens to be an alter ego of Andrew Cornwall (one of many!).

Ivan the Irritable, hard at work cutting down vines.

Not that anyone is counting, but the clock is ticking until we leave...

As a bit of a background for those who don't know much about the trip...

In 2014 we organised our first ever immersion experience for students of ASC St Mary's Maitland. The trip was planned for Cambodia and organised as an alternative to the traiditonal 'schoolies' trip. I came up with the rather pedestrian term 'CASP' for Cambodian Alternative Schoolies Program - a name that stuck. That year 10 Year 12 students and 3 staff went to Cambodia where they worked and helped at a number of schools and organisations.

Skip forward to 2015. With the teacher-leaders from last year unable to take on the job of organising the trip, Mr Ray Collins (Director of Schools) kindly granted me leave from my duties at the Catholic Schools Office so that I (and Ivan) could again lead the trip in 2015.

We had a number of interested applicants from staff and students this year, with a final group being formed of 9 Year 12 students and 3 staff.

Attendees for 2015 are:

Andrew (teacher)
Lyn (teacher)
Sarah (teacher)
Meg
Charlotte
Lauren
Joshua
Rhiannon
Renee
Alexander
Darcy
Rachael

This group has been hard at work all this year fundraising, raising awareness and preparing themselves for the trip. To date, almost $10,000 in has been raised by the group of which 100% will go toward assisting:

•  LaValla - A Marist founded school for physical disabled students located just outside Phnom Penh
• Siem Reap Catholic Church education outreach program providing basic education to rural and remote communities around Siem Reap and Battambang
• Stepping Out Cambodia, a half-way house for you people seeking tertiary and further education
• The villagers and students of Un Long Thom, a village located three hours north of Siem Reap in the Kulen Mountains

With only hours to go before departure all that is left is to charge phones and cameras, load up SD cards, lathe on the DEET and get ready for a LONG day in and around airports!

Over the coming days I'll keep you posted on what is happening!