FORTY exhausted, but exhilarated students and teachers from Bega High School, along with parents and friends, arrived back in Australia last month following a study tour to Cambodia and Laos.
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Teachers Sharon Champagne and Denise Perry said there were many highlights of the study tour.
Despite extensive flooding rains in the region, the group was able to accomplish the majority of activities they had set out to do during the 13 day tour.
On arrival in Phnom Phen there was some doubt if the group would be able to venture out into the countryside of Cambodia where community development activities had been organised.
“Fortunately, the weather broke long enough for the group to visit many of the cultural and historical highlights of Cambodia and most importantly to undertake school and landmine museum visits and house building for which funds had been raised over the last year,” Mrs Perry said.
Students initially visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sieng Prison in Phnom Phen, all agreeing that this experience, while confronting and intense was necessary to understand Cambodia, its history and its people.
Testament to the atrocities which have been committed by humanity, both memorials inspired the group to provide assistance in whatever way possible during their visit.
A day around the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, elephant rides, kayaking, exploring cave systems and bike riding in Laos as well as visiting the World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, not to mention the many markets and eateries visited, were all packed into the 13 days with early starts and late finishes all being undertaken in very hot and humid conditions.
“Thanks to the Bega Valley community a substantial amount of money had been raised prior to the tour which the group utilised to provide school supplies to a primary school in Cambodia and a middle school in Laos,” Mrs Champagne said.
“Other funds were used to build two houses near Siem Reap in Cambodia, in co-operation with a local NGO Partnering Against Poverty Association, over a two-day period.”
Completed in traditional style with some modern materials, the house building was a highlight for the majority of the participants and when completed the houses were handed over to two village families.
One was for a family of three children living without their parents, the second house was built for a young family whose house had been destroyed by fire.
“It was indeed a case of the givers receiving much more that the receivers,” Mrs Champagne said.
For the first time, Year 9 International Studies students accompanied the older students on the tour.
Niamh Nichol and Kate Pratt were two of the six Year 9 students to journey to Cambodia and Laos.
They both agreed it was an amazing experience.
“It was a huge eye-opener to what we are used to,” Niamh said.
“It was a bit of a shock, but I was prepared through the research we had done at school.”
The students also gained an understanding of the cultural differences between Australia and a developing country such as Cambodia.
“It was a feel good trip because of the charity work we did, visiting the schools and interacting with the students,” Niamh said.
For Kate, one of the starkest differences was how very little material possessions the villagers had.
Such a lack of money and possessions was evident to the visitors.
“We were shocked by it, but for the locals it’s just how they live … that’s the reality of it and they still look happy,” Kate said.
“They don’t take anything for granted.
“Even with education, many kids leave school at a young age to work on the family’s rice paddies.
“They don’t have a choice, so it makes you appreciate the educational opportunities we have here in Australia.”
Highlights for Niamh were visiting the temples and elephant riding and for Kate it was the canoeing and bike riding activities.
They described the food as “different but edible” with spiders and frogs among the more unusual foods tasted.
The group thanks the many people who assisted in any way, large or small, for making the study tour possible, including parents of the students and teachers and staff at Bega High School who encouraged and supported the group throughout the process and the many people who assisted with the major music night fundraiser.
