Over the holidays, I participated in an immersion trip to Cambodia. There was a group of eight students from Merici from various year levels who forged new friendships in a foreign country.
I enjoyed visiting Cambodia because it was a new experience that showed me more about the world we would otherwise not see in Australia. I would love to go back and experience more of Cambodia since I really enjoyed it.
During our stay we visited both younger and older kids from the organisation called REACH Siem Reap, which is based around helping under privileged kids within the community and help their families escape poverty. These were families who struggled with food insecurity, safety, housing, etc. Although thanks to REACH these children have been given the opportunity to learn English, are given a free education, free healthcare, shelter, and a chance to break the cycle of working to provide for their family at a young age but instead allowed to enjoy their childhood.
I loved seeing the smiles on the children’s faces when they walked into REACH waving to their teachers and friends. It gave me a sense of hope that these children were given a safe space to have fun and interact with other children without being judged due to their social status, wealth, or parent’s occupation. Some of the stories of these young kids were really humbling and showed how privileged our lives are in Australia.
Along with meeting new people, we went to a variety of landmarks such as Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm Temple, Bayon Temple, The Victory gate, the floating restaurant in the floating village, and lots of beautiful monuments in the middle of roundabouts. My favourite part of this trip would have to be trying new foods and playing volleyball with the younger students.
Caitlin Dunne, Year 9
