In the July school holidays, I was fortunate to be able to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a 10-day cultural immersion. Our main reasons for visiting were to be of service to the community through volunteering, and to immerse ourselves in the local culture. When preparing for the immersion, it was important to me that I step out of my comfort zone and jump wholeheartedly into the activities we were going to be doing. One of my primary goals was to come away from the trip with greater self-confidence and a better understanding of Cambodian culture.
While in Cambodia, we volunteered with REACH Siem Reap, an NGO that offers programs to lift local children and their families out of poverty. We volunteered with them for several days, and during that time, I worked in the kitchens and garden, with the younger students in their English lessons, and with the older kids who were a part of the Role Models Club. I found the work fulfilling in so many ways, and valued the opportunity to give my time and energy to the great work that REACH does. The highlight was absolutely working with the Role Models Club, students our own age who were growing their leadership skills. Although I couldn’t participate in a market challenge because I’d sprained my ankle at Angkor Wat the day before, the afternoon activities were some of the most fun I had on the trip. Together with the REACH students, we sorted clothing donations for a clothing drive. But, to make it more interesting, we were given a challenge, we had to learn and remember as many fun facts about each other as we could. This resulted in great conversations, where I learnt some Cambodian words (and was laughed at for my Aussie pronunciation), and came away with a greater appreciation of how, despite being separated by region, language and economic situations, teenagers share so much in common.
We also visited Mother of Peace Primary School in Battambang, a three-hour drive from Siem Reap. The students and staff there were lovely, and we were welcomed with beautiful traditional dances. I particularly enjoyed working in the library, reading and doing crafts with he younger students.
During the immersion, we were able to experience the country through a tourist’s lens. We visited the HeroRAT sanctuary and learnt about their incredible work in detecting landmines, we travelled to a lotus farm and saw the work they do in employing local women in sustainable business practices, and even took a boat to a floating village. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a trip to Siem Reap without visiting Angkor Wat. We saw the 8th wonder of the world at sunrise, which was an absolute bucket list item for me.
I’d like to thank Mrs Harrold-Carter and Mrs Morris in particular for the hard work they put in to keeping us all safe and happy, and for being wonderful tour leaders. I’d also like to thank the girls who travelled with the group for making the trip as fun and memorable as it was. This immersion gave me the opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime, and I’m incredibly grateful to all who made it happen.
I found this immersion to be very difficult to reflect on in just one page because of how much we did and how incredible of an experience it was. I would encourage everyone to go on a trip like this once in their lives. If the opportunity comes up, jump in and take it! I guarantee you will come away with greater confidence and a better understanding of the world we all share.
Caelan Edghill
Year 12 student
