PS: I found the NGO's blog! http://lovecamb.wordpress.com/
TOOP reflection 2013
This whole TOOP has been an invaluable experience and
is one program that I have never regretted signing up for. The past 10days in
Cambodia was filled with much fun and laughter and yet at the same time, made
me realize really how fortunate we all are, to have been born in twenty-first
century Singapore. Prior to the trip, I was quite hesitant as to whether I
would have a fulfilling time in Cambodia because I was the youngest TOOPer and
thought that I won’t be able to communicate with the seniors easily. However,
throughout the journey in Cambodia, I realized that this was not even a problem
and it’s really heartening to see the friendships that we all have forged in
Cambodia.
In Prey Aunkunh, I saw that many of the villagers did
not have much. They cooked using a fire and not gas and the only television
that I saw in the whole village was in the village head’s house. Moreover, the
children there did not have a lot of clothes and shoes but yet, they were still
so happy every time we met them. In comparison to us, we live our lives
actively pursuing materialism and aren’t happy even when we can afford new
clothes and bags. The children in the village barely have enough clothes and
food and yet there are people in other parts of the world who waste food
everyday. Though the children live such a simple life, they still can be so
happy and this is something that I believe we can learn from; finding the
simplest joys in life.
At the village’s school, one thing that struck me most
was the school facilities as well as the lack of basic education for a lot of
the children. The village’s school had no electricity and their classrooms were
stuffy and dingy and in my opinion, not suited for studying. However, the
children were able to concentrate in the poorly ventilated classroom because of
their passion for learning. Many of the children in the village did not have a
chance to go to school and those who had the opportunity to do so, were very
enthusiastic about learning from us. It was really quite hard to teach the
students because we did not know any Khmer and the teacher’s command of English
was also quite poor and could not be our translator. Hence, we had to make do
with gestures to convey what we wanted to say to the students. Through
interacting with the students at the school, it made me appreciate education
much better. Education is the only way that the children at the village can get
out of the cycle of poverty but yet the children there cannot even get good
education because of the lack of resources. In Singapore, many of us take
education and going to school for granted and always complain about the lack of
amenities in schools. However, after seeing the state of the school in the
village, I must say we are truly very fortunate to be living in Singapore.
Also, I feel really blessed that we have such a stable government who enforces
compulsory primary school education so that all Singaporeans would at least
have basic education and the chance to go to school unlike the children at the
village.
Throughout this whole journey, I have learned how to
work with many different people and made many new friendships. I have also learned to cherish what I have
and to be contented and not pursue materialism so fervently. Through the
beautiful sunrise, shooting star and Padi fields that I saw at the village, I
realized that when we slow down and take a look at the things around us, we
would be able to discover things that we never knew were there and benefit much
more from nature. Hence, while living a fast-paced and hectic lifestyle, we
should also occasionally take the time to stop and appreciate the things that
we have around us.
-Samantha Lye
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