Cambodia Pictures

Well the week is at an end and we fly back tomorrow morning. It has been an amazing week here, and it was so hard to leave, especially the kids at the street orphanage!

Photos above from the temple where we gave alms to the monks and went to a funeral, dishing out food to the poor, the kids at the orphanage we were working at, teaching them English, a bit of geography and a few songs! Our fellow volunteer Anna from New York, a really special person who made our trip here even more amazing, and a few of the Monks at the local temple we worked with in Siem Reap.

Today we got the afternoon off and visited Angkor Wat and the temples at Bayon and Ta Phrom. It is an unbelivable place, the sheer scale of it was unreal.

Well more updates when we get back.....

Adrian and John

Funerals, monks and a whole lot of crocodiles

Well its been a hectic last couple of days since the last update.

We are pretty much working from 8 am to 4 pm at the street children center, and then teaching English classes to the local school students and younger adults at a small community in the countryside till 8.

It is very rewarding, but at the same time we all feel exhausted!

We got to attend a Brahmist / Buddist funeral as well, it sure is different to the western way of doing things, as they are celebrating the life and the next incarnation, rather than mourning.

At the temple we got to speak with the local Buddhist Monks, and help with the serving of rice to the needy.

After a long day we ended up eating in a restaurant built more like a jungle gym. You wouldn't want to have too many beers, as if you fell off the eating platforms, the owner had decided he would keep his crocodiles downstairs! You dont get that at Outback Steakhouse!! They do love a crocodile here!

River Kids

We came across one flooded village out in the countryside. These kids were all over us chatting away in Khmer with big smiles. One of the kids was completly blind, but had never had the chance to get to a doctors office. We gave the kids some candy, but wished there was more we could have done to help.

Orphanage Project

We spent some time at an orphanage in the countryside. The kids get to attend a local school and also learn arts, crafts and skills from local people to enable them to support themselves in the future. We were going to help with the handywork but they were so much better than us, we spent the time singing songs with them and playing games. I have never had to create so many verses of "head, shoulders, knees and toes!" but they couldnt get enough of it! (John)

School on the Lake

We travelled a couple of hours into the countryside to work with a school at a floating village. They didnt even have books or pencils to work with, so we spent the afternoon distributing some stationary and working with them on English. Best described as Venice made of bamboo, it was a surreal place. The kids couldn't work out why we don't have crocodile farms under our house back home!!

Greetings from Cambodia!

Hello! Sorry we are so slow to post. It's been a whirlwind since we arrived and now I only have a few minutes in the Internet cafe before we go to teach another English class. So many stories to tell. John is attempting to post some photos so you can see what we've been up to so far.

We have two main projects. We are working at an orphanage teaching the children English. When we went on our first day to teach, we asked to meet the local teacher who was working with the kids as a language teacher. The reply...."that's you!" We found out that the only chance the kids have to learn English is from volunteers like us who come into town. So we quickly evaluated their comprehension level and created a lesson on the spot! They have no books or supplies, so we went shopping today. Tomorrow we will give them notebooks, pens, a world map, and four posters showing the alphabet, numbers, parts of the body and animals. We also bought ten pairs of shoes for the orphans who don't have any. The classroom is outside and it's at least 85 degrees and humid! They don't mind....the children are so excited to learn and really willing to participate.

We are also teaching at a school that is free for children and adults who are too poor to attend the main school. Our first class is this afternoon, so I'll give a full report tomorrow. We are also going to be doing some repair work around the orphanage that is so desperately needed. We will not be able to build the wheelchairs for the landmine victims because the supplies will not arrive in time. But I am happy to know the materials are on the way and the people will have access to wheelchairs soon.

The people here are so friendly and enjoy practicing their English. We rarely walk down the street alone because strangers just start walking with you asking where you're from, what's your name, etc. We have visited some of the rural villages, including one that floats on water, to see what life is like outside of the city. The poverty and way of life is truly unbelievable.

We hope to update everyday now that we have found the Internet cafe. Thank you again for all of your support. A little money goes a long way here and the community appreciates your contributions!

And we're off!

Just a quick update to let you know that we are making last minute preparations for our departure tomorrow. I can't believe it's already time to go! I've really been struggling with my malaria drugs....I don't recommend Lariam! Beware if your doctor prescribes it for you. Otherwise, things are coming together. We are so humbled by all of your generous donations. As of today, we have raised $2900 which is just below our $3500 goal. Some of you have asked if you can donate in the next few weeks and the answer is yes! It still counts. We will be much better on the blog once we are in Cambodia beginning Sunday morning, so please check back for news and pictures! Okay, back to packing.