Fifteen Bega High School students have recently returned from a two week study tour to Cambodia and Vietnam in South East Asia.
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Before their trip the school donated $27,000 across 14 museums, organisations, funds, foundations, associations, schools and individuals.
“What an amazing experience for students to view and experience the world as part of their school education and as part of their life journey,” teacher David Britton said after returning from the tour.
"Whatever happens the people are always happy."
- Amy Sheehan
A key focus of the tour was to give the students development experience which included house building with social enterprise Global Vision Housing in Cambodia and community garden work with a local family in Vietnam.
Amy Sheehan and Tabitha Zweck are two 16-year-olds who took part in the international excursion, both came home with a fresh perspective on both the Bega Valley and the struggles faced by the underprivileged in developing nations.
“They [the people] are so down to earth and living with what they had,” Tabitha said.
“Whatever happens the people are always happy,” Amy said.
The students were shown first hand the lack of infrastructure and resources within the Cambodian schooling system and a learning centre outside Siem Reap sponsored by students from Bega High School.
They participated in a workshop on foreign aid and how decisions are made on where the money will go.
“It was interesting to consider how what we think we can think is best from afar is influenced by our biases and does not reflect the needs or the wishes of the people who we are trying to help,” Mr Britton said.
The students along with a number of teachers and parents visited the largest religious monument in the world and UNESCO world heritage listed Angkor Watt and the temples of Ta Promh, Banteay Srei and Bayon in Cambodia.
The group also visited Choeung Ek, the best-known of the sites commonly known as The Killing Fields where the Khmer Rouge executed over one million people between 1975 and 1979.
Tabitha and Amy made close friends during their visit, spending time with other students and tour guides full of stories and local knowledge.
“We became good friends with all the tour leaders especially Mr San in Cambodia,” Tabitha said.
“He was so proud of his country and he taught us so much about Cambodia that we wouldn’t have learnt otherwise.”
Meanwhile Amy found a new friend in Cambodia with a mutual love of Korean pop music.
“I got her email because we both really like K-Pop and I’m sure I’ll see her if I go back,” she said.
The pair both enjoyed the sensory sensations of being in a new place with new flavours and new language.
“I really enjoyed all the new food and the Hoi An food tour, there were so many things I experienced I’d never imagined,” Tabitha said.
“My favourite thing about the trip was the new flavours of ice cream I’d never had before,” Amy chimed in with a big smile.
The school also donated electric bikes to female high school students in Hoi An, Vietnam, who struggle to travel long distances to school.
“My life was given to me by parents, and you are one of those whom make my life better,” one Year 9 recipient of a bicycles said during a moving speech.
Both Tabitha and Amy said they can’t wait to return to South East Asia and had been moved by the stories of Cambodian children.
“The schooling would be free for the students but the teachers had to be bribed by kids that don’t have the money,” Tabitha said.
The school will be holding a fundraising market day for the 2016 overseas study tour at the Bega High School Hall on November 21 from 9am to 2.30pm.
