Serve Cambodia Oct ' 2005

-= FGAC, our smiles =-

2006-04-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

FGAC is the place where we found our smiles, where we had the best memories ever.. somewhere most of us grew and understood the simplicity of life...

-= Punggol Camp =-

2006-04-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

The place we started the bond... The stepping stone to where we first bonded and started the beautiful journey...

-= The beautiful memories =-

2006-04-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

The beautiful memories, the beautiful smiles...
The everlasting bond, the everlasting love we have for them....

-= Siem Reap =-

2005-11-19T17:21:00.000-08:00

Siem Riep

On our second day in Siem Rep, we visited a primary school. The school was about an hour’s bus ride away from the city, in a village looking area.
The school was old and run down looking. The pond at the back of the school was half filled with rubbish, and so was a well in the school. I was sure no parent in Singapore would ever let their children anywhere near such filth, but to these Cambodian children, it’s just part of their lives.

When we got there, at least five hundred children greeted us. Everyone got to work straight away. The teachers got the children to stand in lines so we could give then each a packet of Maggie noodles. The children are so polite and well disciplined. They bowed to thank us as we passed them the Maggie noodles. After that, we set up four booths (tables). One for balloon sculpting, two for games and another for health education.

Grace, Margaret, Joanne, Taran, Wendy and I took turns to teach the children about general health education. Like how to brush their teeth and wash their hands properly. We would give out prizes to the children who knew how to answer our questions. Although we had some experience in giving out prizes in Laversor and Kampong Speu, it did not make it any easier to choose the children who would answer the question and claim the prize. All the children need the prizes so much, even though they were just toothbrushes, toothpaste, slippers and soap, simple things that we take for granted in Singapore. The desperate looks on their faces as they all raised their hands for us to pick them would forever be embedded in my memory.

After we finished teaching them health education, there were still some packets of Maggie noodles left. So with Mr Tan’s permission, Taran, Margaret and I walked to some houses nearby the school to give out the remaining Maggie noodles. The houses look like they were self-made, using straw, wood planks, and dried leaves. It is just unimaginable to live in such a house that looks so flimsy. The houses have no furniture except chairs, tables and beds. When we gave the Maggie noodles to these households, they were so thankful, even though it did not seem like much to us.

Through this visit to the school in Siem Rep, I think we have learned that we should always be thankful and treasure whatever we are so fortunate to be blessed with.

By: Charlene (R&D)

With Credits for Charlene.. =)

-= Sunshine Home =-

2005-11-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

S U N S H I N E H O M E

Sunshine home has been in Cambodia – outskirts of Kampong Speu for many years. With much support and aid from church groups, this home has been established to shelter and educate the children of Aids patients. Sunshine home currently houses about 20 Cambodian children and aims to expand that figure to 50 by end of this year. The home is in the capable hands of Ms Pushpa, a Singaporean currently residing in Cambodia. Ms Pushpa and her associates have plans to start several more Sunshine Homes all over Cambodia, providing similar facilities, which include housing, educating and nurturing the children into young responsible Cambodians.

Sunshine Home is run solely on donations. Each child is taken under the wing of a donor, who provides for their well being. Children who have contracted the HIV virus are assigned an additional donor, who provides for their medical needs. These donors give a fixed sum of money each year with which the Home runs.

Mr. Sonny brought us to Sunshine Home. The journey was rather bumpy but the scenery was utterly amazing. Mountains and hill, endless acres of land, it was so different from what we have in Singapore. Sunshine home was surrounded by many mountains itself. It was lovely. The atmosphere was so serene and the environment seemed just prefect for these children. Ms Pushpa welcomed us and introduced us to her dedicated staff. We were then brought on a tour of the home. To our amazement, Sunshine Home utilized a high level of technology, such as the incorporation of solar power. Much of this technology has been brought in by Australian volunteers. The dorms in which the children reside in are well furnished. There are an optimum number of children in each dorm, to ensure comfort. Girls and boy sleep in separate dorms. Each dorm has a ‘house mother’ that looks after the children in that particular dorm.

When the children fall ill, there are quarantined and well taken care of in a room which is located away from the other children. Sunshine Home has a full-time nurse that takes care of the children’s health.

Many a time, we think that it takes someone with a lot of money to embark on a noble project like this. But this is not necessarily true. All one needs is a big heart, not a big wallet. Ms Pushpa, who left her own comfort to serve the society, and the many others who joined her in this quest, are indeed remarkable people. She houses the children of Aids patient. Whenever these patients are on their death bed, she seeks permission from them so that she can provide a better future for their children. We cannot imagine or express the gratefulness these patients feel. Man has always done great things to gain recognition, but its these unsung heroes, such as Ms Pushpa, that make us believe that the true meaning of greatness lies in seeing others happy.

With credits to Research and Development Group. =)

-= At Lveasor =-

2005-11-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

At lveasor when we went to the orphanage, we had to take a 2hours ride to the jetty to take a boat ride before we reach Lveasor. We crossed the Mekong river and we really had fun viewing sceneries and it was a totally different experience compared to taking boat rides back in Singapore. We were heading towards a mission. We were supposed to help the children in the orphanage de-lice their hair.

When we got there, we set up a carnival and some helped out with the medical group people. Some of us were busy with delicing the children's hair, some of us shampoo-ing their hair, some rinsing their hair and some combing their hair. This is an experience none of us had ever experienced. None of us in the team had this hands on experience before, but we did our best, and i must comment that we all did a fabulous job. The children there were awesome. Even though we could not really communicate, we had a great time together. Over there we also learnt a few terms in Khmer. We really had a great time especially when we were doing something new and we learnt more than we expected.

The carnival had games to entertain the kids. We all could feel that they had a wonderful time. Ballons sculpturing, ball games and hands painting. They were all willing to engage into the activities we planned for them, but of course, it was with the help of the translator. We really must say that not only the kids had loads of fun, we ourselves, also had a great time there.

The villagers in lveasor lead a simple life and they are contented with what they have. They lead their lifes with pure simplicity and they arecontented with what they have. We admire their pride and we learnt that we were really the most fortunate people ever. If there is another chance, I'm sure we would all like to go back there to serve them.

In Credits of Game sgroup people. =)

-= FGAC =-

2005-11-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Day 1, Sunday
We boarded the plane MI 608 at 1635 to Phnom Penh. It was around 1900 when we reached Phnom Penh international airport. The airport was better than we expected. It was well furnished and the place was clean. We met Mr. Sunny and his son, Aaron at the airport. They came to picked us up. We loaded all our stuff up into the vans before heading to the orphanage. The journey from the airport to the orphanage took us about an hour.

We reached the orphanage soon after, forming a human chain to bring all our stuff up to the living room. We separated ourselves into the different rooms and put all our bags into the various rooms before heading for dinner.

Dinner was great. It was something similar to Singapore’s food. We were served rice with cabbage, and a cup of coconut jelly. It was delicious. Many of us expected the food to be worse than this, but all turned out well.

We met Mr. Sonny and his family. A great family indeed. We went back to our rooms to unpack our stuff before having a meeting by Mr. Sunny. He gave us an introduction of the orphanage before leaving us to do our own things.

Day 2, Monday
Most of us woke up around 530am. We had breakfast at 6am. It was the first time seeing all the kids. They were very polite. They would greet you whenever they see anyone of us. We accompanied the kids to school. We divided ourselves into 2 groups. One would accompany the primary school kids while the other group would accompany the secondary school kids. These kids had the skill of walking of muddy grounds. The Serve Cambodia team people had our legs dirtied with mud while the Cambodian kids had their legs totally clean.

We came back soon after. Logistics team and cultural team went to the market at 0830. The market was infested with tones of dragonflies. It was damn gross, with so many dragonflies flying around you. The feeling was terrible. Most of the clothes sold were 2nd hand. It was pretty congested. The shops were very close to one another. There was little space to walk. The trip to the market was not so good, except that it was an experience for all of us to see how the markets were like in Cambodia.

Today I should say its more of a free and easy day. We had the time to interact with the kids. The games and R&D team went to the market after lunch, while the rest of us went around interacting with the kids. It was a time of interaction, most of us got to know the kids better.

We were brought around the orphanage by the grade 11 students to let us know more about the environment, the place and the rooms used for tuition. We were also brought to see the dorms that the kids stayed in.

We performed our dance in the night after dinner and had singing session too!! We played some games such as Simon says and also danced the friendship dance. Though there was little space for all of us to dance, but I believed every one of us enjoyed ourselves very much.
Day 3, Tuesday
We started the day as usual. We sent the kids to school first before coming back to scrape the walls. For the whole day, all we did was scraping of the walls. It was kind of boring and we were also very tired. We got ourselves very dirty.

We attended PowerPoint session after dinner. It was a time where we taught the older kids how to use PowerPoint. We managed to get to know the older kids better and I’m sure they have learnt something useful from this session.

Day 4, Wednesday
I know that by the 4th day of our stay at FGAC, we should already be used to waking up really early for breakfast, however, a group of us woke up just in time for breakfast-6 am. I realized that the amount of rice we’re taking is getting more and more. The food’s getting tastier and more appetizing. We got used to the fact that we’re not going to enjoy scrumptious meals like we always do in Singapore. We’re here to learn and experience their way of life.

As a Muslim, Mr Sonny was kind enough to make sure that I had a separate dish from the rest of them-if their dish had any pork in it. I felt so bad as to trouble them. I am, however, really thankful. So after breakfast, a few of us sent the kids to school. We were not able to stay long to watch their flag-raising as we had to quickly return to the centre to continue with our hard labour-scrapping and painting of the walls.

This time around, we were smart enough to wear caps to protect our hair from literally turning white (due to the scrapping of the walls) and from the late morning sun. We were supposed to use the mask given to us but after a while, a few of us took it off because it was hard to breathe with the mask on.

To me, the main highlight of the day was the Prayers Meeting that was after dinner. Although I’m not a Christian, I attended the meeting to have a feel of what it is like and also to know how the kids there carry out their prayers meeting, wanting to know how different it is compared to those in Singapore. So they sang songs, mainly in English. They were really enthusiastic as they all got up on their feet and started dancing while singing.

But what really caught my attention was that they prayed for everybody and anybody. For example, the earthquake that happened in Sri Lanka, they prayed for the people’s safety and for God's protection. Then, they called the Serve Cambodia 2005 team to come up to the front and straight away, the kids, especially the primary school kids came to us, held our hands tightly, embraced us from the front and back tightly and prayed for our safety, our health, everything! I could feel their warmth, purity, sincerity and kindness. I could hear the kids praying for us in Khmer. They prayed so hard-in the sense that they closed their eyes tightly and prayed with so much goodness. You just have got to be there to really know what I mean and how it really feels. The way they prayed for us made me tear. I was really touched. They not only prayed for us but they called up people who were sick to the front so that the rest of them could pray for their good health. They even prayed for their staff working there and their families. That night is forever going to be etched in my memory.

Day 11, Wednesday

I dreaded this day. I didn’t want to leave the centre. I hate goodbyes. We woke up late thanks to the late night we had and the wonderful celebration the night before. Basically, today, we rushed a lot-rushed for breakfast, rushed to do last minute packing, rushed to do some housekeeping, and yes, we even rushed to use the toilet to prepare our bladders for the close to 10 hours bus ride.

Breakfast today seemed so different, to me at least. The atmosphere was not the usual kind whenever we had meals. I guess it is because the kids there know that we’re leaving and some didn’t want to show that they are sad to see us go and vice versa. I could see through their faces that they were upset but at the same time expected this day to arrive and had already embraced themselves. Maybe they are so used to this-visitors from Malaysia and Singapore come and go. I truly hated the fact that they are now so used to this kind of thing and us on the other hand, were on the edge of breaking down. To me, I felt very hard to have a last talk with them. There’s just so much to talk about but time was a factor.

After breakfast, I headed back to the mission house to really do some last minute packing and by the time I finished, it was too late to say goodbye to my darlings who had school in the morning. So if u asked me if there’s one thing I regretted during my stay at FGAC, I would say my mistake of going back to the mission house.

I’ve learnt a lot from this trip, especially from the kids. I did have a talk with one or two of them during my stay about their lives and their families and from that, I realized how fortunate I am. All this while I’ve never been contented with the things I have in my life. I always wanted something more, something better. It feels so good knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life in one way or another although it seems more like they, instead have made a difference in my life. Indeed, they’ve touched my heart in many ways possible. I would miss their simple and ever so carefree lives. I would especially miss the times when we would walk the kids to school because that is the time when we really bonded with them. I am thankful that they welcomed us into their lives with open arms, showing us about their lifestyle and culture. I will leave you with this quote- How do you go on when your heart has just begun to understand?

With credits to Logistics Team. =)

-= The journey have not ended =-

2005-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

We were strangers, starting out on a journey. We embarked onto this forever memorable journey and i would like to say that this journey has not just ended after we got back from Cambodia.

We all loved this wonderful experience of Serve Cambodia'2005. We shared many beautiful memories and we gained alot of experiences that we will never be able to experience. We all love FGAC, we all love the kids there. If we could turn back time, we would definitely choose to stay there always. We wished that time could stop then, and we would be trap in a time box, and we can all stay there and continue showing care and love to our lovely kids in the orphanages.

We thank the great hospitality of FGAC, and extend our gratitude to Mr.Sonny and his family for the really great hospitality and we salute him for his sacrifices he made for the kids who were fortunate to be under his care.

Serve Cambodia'2005 taught us how to serve with hands and hearts. We went and came back realising how fortunate we are. We understood the beautiful meaning of simplicity and be contented with everything we have. We shared quality time serving and i would like to say that we not only served the less fortunates over there, we served each other as team mates. We learned how to compromise to different individuality and we learnt how to serve selflessly to one another.

We embarked on the journey on 9th October 2005, and we came back to Singapore on 22nd October 2005. Through this journey, I'm proud to say that all of us not only found soul mates among the team, we also worked hands in hands, overcame difficulties, shared the pains, shared the laughters, shared the experience together and we made a difference in each other's life.

Serve Cambodia'2005 rules... =)

Thanks to each and everyone who is part of the team. The journey has not ended even though the trip is over. I'm sure we will continue to serve selflessly and i would like to say that we all really loved the trip very much.

With hugs,loves and misses,
Joyce

-= Introducing the teams =-

2005-11-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

[[ Research & Development ]]

- Taran
- Charlene
- Margaret
- Wendy
- Grace
- Joanne

[[ Cultural ]]

- Jeremy
- Charmaine
- Aaron
- KaiYu
- SuYin

[[ Logistics ]]

- YuHong
- Michelle
- Stefanie
- Chewy
- Syaz
- WeiMing
- Cedric

[[ Games ]]

- WeiJia
- Jason
- Hung Jip
- Sabrina
- Joyce

-= Banner =-

2005-09-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hey pals, this is the banner that Taran and her sweetie pies had came up with. Please take a good look and tag ur comments... i would say this is very nice.. Fabulous..! =)

With loves,
Joyce

-= CAPS =-

2005-09-26T23:01:00.000-07:00

[[ one fits in nicely....]]

[[ while one don't...! hahhaha.. thats KaiYu.. ]]

[[ y is one smiling so happily and one sulking...? hahha.. cos he can't fit into the cap.. =P *oops* ]]

[[ nice pic.. =) ]]

[[ joyce and Michelle ]]

[[ THE CAP ]]

Hi people, we went to Queensway to see the cap already.... The design is posted here, please take a look and give us ur comments.. =)

with lotsa loves,
Joyce

-= T shirt design =-

2005-09-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

this is the t shirt design... any comments pls contact Taran or Wendy... =) Thanks.. =)

With lurves,
Joyce

-= NYAA talk =-

2005-09-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today we had our NYAA talk in school. It was about getting the NYAA award that will are qualified for from our Serve Cambodia trip. It's about selfless giving to community service. I guess quite a number of us took up the challenge and i believe dear team mates would be able to achieve it. I strongly velieve that we can do it. Groups get together to get our plans going and we meet up regularly for planning and organising to make the bonding camp happening, and most of all make the trip a memorable one, a wonderful one. All the best and Jia You to each and everyone... Take good care of ourselves and take more vitamin Cs to boost energy and health.

With lotsa love,
Joyce

-= a day at SAVH =-

2005-09-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

[[ a meaningful trip to the SAVH ]]

-= Our Journey begins =-

2005-09-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Our journey began on 8th August ' 2005 when we all first met in the conference room in NP Blk 72 conference room. This was when we first acknowledge one another as Serve Cambodia'2005 team members. We didn't know most of the members, not even their names, we only met for a brief meeting and we left. We met up soon after the brief meeting, to decide on what songs we were supposed to perform for the visually handicapped in SAVH on 18th september ' 2005. We decided on the songs and this was the second meting we had. Although it was brief, this time we got to know more of one another; at very least, we know the names.
Next was the Yellow Ribbon Ceremony when we met the third time. This time, there was interaction because all of us stayed back after the ceremony to practice on the songs we've decided earlier on. Everyone was spontaneous and this time round we got to know each other more. At the very least, we have the chance to interact and get to understand each other's strength. Soon after this, we had our exams and we all were busy with our papers.
After the stress and pains of exams, we came together once again. This time round it's for the SAVH event. We were supposed to go to SAVH to celebrate Mid-Autumn festival with the visually handicapped. We all met up at Bradell MRT Station at 12pm on 18th September ' 2005. We sat at the control station together to practise our songs to make sure that we were well-prepared and not wanting to disappoint our lecturers and most of all, our friends in SAVH. Soon after the practice, we proceeded to SAVH.
Over there, we had our first meeting with Mrs.Tay and acknowledging the different groups of committes to split jobs equivalent among all of us. It was fabulous because this meeting was the best after all. We really get to interact and we really got to know more about all other team members. Wead fun serving our friends in SAVH and we had fun serving hand in hand and putting in effort together to see that our efforts worked and brought joys and laughters to everyone. It's not only the bonding we experienced, it was the human touch, the feeling of serving to learn and learning to serve each other seep into our minds, our hearts. We all understood the compulsory event of this SAVH Mid-Autumn celebration, it was meant to make our bond stronger and made us understand the meaningful and fulfilling experience of willingly and selflessly giving up ourselves for the sake of others.
Dear team mates, dear friends, our journey had just started and it shall continue. We serve hand in hand; and we all reach to the outmost level of understanding Service Learning as we serve to learn and learn to serve.

[[ Our Lovable Lecturers and Guardian Angels ]]
Mrs Joyce Tang
Mr. Leow Teck Sim
Mrs Tay-Lee Gek Huan
Mr. Tan Kim Tian

[[ Our Fun-Loving Team mates ]]
Tan Ee Lin Michelle
Syazwana Binte Kamarshah
Lim Hung Jip
Liow Wen Li Sabrina Yvette
Huang Jingsheng
Khoo Pheng Jia Grace
Kong Wei Jia
Lee Zhen Hui, Jeremy
Chen BoChuan Aaron
Liu Yu Hong
Chong Su Yin
Lee Rui Shuang Magaret
Lee Wei Ming
Leow Charmaine
Wu Chew Yee
Chua K Lyn Charlene
Taranmeet Kaur a/o Sardol Singh
Yap Xue Yin Stefanie
Ang Hui Juan, Joanne
Ng Shu Wei Cedric
Ong Jing Ting Joyce
Heng Yu Ting Wendy
Yeo Kai Yu

Thanks to all our Guardian Angels for we will need you and your guidance throughout our entire journey, and three cheers to all fellow team mates.. as our journey shall carry on and we shall stand strong...

Next event coming up:
3rd Oct '2005 - 5th Oct '2005 : Bonding Camp at punggol
9th Oct '2005 - 22nd Oct '2005 : Our Journey, Our Commitment

With lots of love,
Joyce =)