Cambodia Trip 2013
On the 5th of July, 10 Year 11 students and 4 staff members from Mount Lawley Senior High School departed from Perth for the Lawley Cambodia NFO Tour.
Our first stop was the busy, bustling capital city, Phnom Penh.
It was straight into action with a trip to S-21 and The Killing Fields.
This was a very confronting experience but one that we will all remember for the rest of our lives.
After a day in Phnom Penh we travelled by bus to the town of Takeo.
Whilst in Takeo we mainly worked in the New Futures Orphanage with some of the most gorgeous and inspiring children we have ever met.
We helped them study for their exams, played games, made friendship bracelets and got to know the kids.
We also managed to clean out and repaint the kitchen and put up a new roof on their cubby house.
They all really appreciated the Mount Lawley students hard efforts.
Also whilst in Takeo we visited a small village called Little Po where we helped students study English.
The one class had around 200 students in it; every one of them keen to learn and willing to talk to each of us.
Their teacher, Team (pronounced 'Tim'), was also one of the most inspirational people ever.
The way his students respect him is astounding and his eagerness to perfect his English was amazing as well.
After a long week in Takeo, the Mount Lawley team of 14, plus 10 of the kids from NFO took a trip to Siem Reap.
The trip was almost 11 hours long!
On our way though we did stop off at a place called Skun, where we all tried deep fried tarantulas which was an experience and taste I'm sure none of us will forget!
Siem Reap is a lot more modern than Takeo and was a real change in scenery.
In Siem Reap we all took trips to the museum, pagodas, a silk factory, palm sugar village but the most incredible trip was to Angkor Wat.
We all rose at 4 in the morning to see the sunrise only to be disappointed by complete cloud cover!
It didn't matter though, we all wandered through the temple and climbed to the very top which had an indescribable view.
We also got to ride elephants that day which the NFO kids absolutely loved....And the Mount Lawley ones too!
We did manage to see the sunset at Angkor Wat which was the perfect photo opportunity.
On this tour we all made friends with the kids from Cambodia which is something we all couldn't experience any other way.
If any future Year 11 students are considering this tour, it is one I highly recommend.
Overall the trip was a life changing experience and one we will all cherish forever!
