1st September 24
During the summer, some of our older students spent three weeks exploring Thailand and Cambodia, and volunteering at a Cambodian school.
The trip started in Bangkok exploring temples and trying new food in the famous flower market. The next destination in Thailand was Khao Yai National Park where students camped for three days. The days were spent trekking through the jungle spotting a variety of animals, including gibbons, chipmunks and hornbills. Each evening, they were greeted back at the campsite by a herd of Sambar deer. It was a great experience for the students to be fully immersed in the Thai countryside. Following their jungle exploration, students had a well-earned rest, spending three days relaxing on Ko Chang Island, spending the day on snorkelling boat tour and swimming in the sea.
The next stage of the trip started with a 10-hour drive across the border to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Highlights included cooking and eating a traditional three-course Cambodian meal, watching the world-famous Phare Circus perform and visiting the Angkor Watt temple. The 5am wake-up was worth it for the views! Most of the time in Cambodia was spent in Battambang, volunteering at the KNGO Primary School. The main goal was to help construct a wall surrounding the school which involved building metal rebar frames and hand mixing a lot of cement. When the students weren’t hard at work, they had the opportunity to join pupils in their lessons and play games with them. It was impressive seeing how good the Cambodian children were at speaking and writing English, despite only being able to go to school for two hours per day. This was an important part of the trip as it allowed students to immerse themselves in the daily life of the community and to see first-hand the hardships the children face. At the end of our time in Battambang, students donated a variety of school supplies to the local children, as well as some posters for their classrooms.
The last leg of the journey was to the capital city, Phnom Penh. Here they learnt about the recent history of Cambodia by visiting the S21 Museum and the Killing Fields. They then had a couple of days exploring the city, visiting markets and experiencing their first tuk tuk ride. The trip was an incredible experience for all involved!