Rushing to the airport, I was worried being a burden to the rest of the team. I'd always wanted to be a useful person in wherever I am, and first impression is always important.
Reaching the airport at 7am, I was lucky the lady at the check-in counter took 45minutes to clear all the 11 boxes of donation and our luggages, so no one was actually waiting for me. We checked in all the boxes of books (donated by NLB), soft toys and clothes and off we went for a quick breakfast before we took our flight.
The flight to Cambodia is 2 hours, and the country is 1 hour behind us. I was greeted by flying mozzies upon arrival and took quite a while to get used to it. There were 3 more volunteers at the airport waiting for us, and as we got our stuff, we uploaded all up to a mini van and continued our journey of 5 hours road trip to Battambang, where our destination would be.
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Welcome to Battambang, Cambodia.
My butts were hurting from the long road trip, and the heat was causing me headache. I was lucky I had previous experience of dehydration and water was certainly my best friend. It helped a great deal as I didn't want to be nursed instead of helping out in this volunteering trip.
The children of the Home were very thrilled to see us. As much as I wanted to be friendly with them, I took a little longer to warm up and getting used to the Home and being in a village. Our boxes and luggages were all very quickly offloaded from the van by the children and boy, was I glad that the Guest House was ready for us to stay instead of the original plan of staying in the children's dormitory.
We spent the day exploring the place, as most of the volunteers were at the same place 2 years back helping them improving the hygiene of the Home as well as paved a new path. They were really happy to see that the toilets they scrubbed and cleaned were maintained over the years, and the children have grown up healthy and happy.
As night came, I thought I would be able to sleep well until my anxiety attack came. I was sleeping when all of a sudden, I broke up in cold sweat and climbed down the double-decker bed and went to my friend for help. I wasn't myself. I demanded going back home. I just felt I couldn't breathe, I was far away from home in a very secluded place.
Don't ask me why. I just have this.
I was glad I managed to calm myself down and slept well through the night.
Following day was a surprise. We had used up all the water the night before and there was no water left for our morning bath! I had to wash my hair in the morning and had a great time washing by the well - the experience was refreshing and reminded me of those basketball trainings I had in school when the girls bathed with hose in the school toilet.
What a refreshing wash!
The Team that came down in 2009
Evening assembly. Everyone of them were punctual!
Just how precious is a toy to a child - this toy is washed everyday.
Cleaner than the owner himself I think!
A neighbouring kid who visited the Home as there were volunteer Dentists
from Canada to look at the dental health of the villagers.
This 'balloon' looking fish is actually made from a surgical glove!
Dentists can be creative too!
We read as we sorted the books.
They reminded us of our childhood days!
The money collected from our friends back home was so much
that we didn't manage to spend them all.
We got many watermelon for the children. They loved it!
The Home prepared all our meals - 3 dishes with lined table and proper settings. The children had much simpler meals - lots of rice with maximum of 2 dishes. One breakfast we had had lots of flies visiting and sharing with us!
The last night with the children was a great moment where they performed their traditional dances for us. My! The girls sure looked prettier with their nice costume and hairdo!
As the trip ended, I felt a sense of transformation within me. I felt happier, more purposeful, and didn't sweat the small stuff I used to like before. Most importantly, I missed the children!
The Principal of the Home and all the children.
Till we meet again!
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