Memories To Last A Lifetime - Words by Taylor

Waking up at 3:30am start to the day is never a pleasant thing to do. However, if we were to catch the sunrise over the Angkor Wat Temple, it was a necessity. So, very unwillingly we stumbled out of our hotel and hopped into our favourite mode of transport, tuk-tuks. The buzz of excitement that surrounded the whole group kept us awake as we bought tickets, and then began our travel to the temple. As we got closer the slight pink hue in the sky made us hurry that little bit faster, however, there was no need to rush as we got there with plenty of time to watch the sunrise. 

After waiting around an hour or so, the moment we had all been waiting for finally began. The sun rose and the golden colours danced behind both clouds and the temple. Even if it wasn't 100% what we had expected, it was still nevertheless beautiful and a moment that was photographed immensely. After the sun rose, we explored the temple and the markets around it. 

The history behind each intricate detail and the sheer craftsmanship in which the monumental structure possessed was awe-inspiring. How the temple withstood so much time and natural changes is beyond me. The time each and every single carving would have taken and it's identical twin next to it... It's just unbelievable that another human being could have this much skill. 

After admiring the Angkor Wat temple for over three hours, we walked back to the tuk-tuks and headed to the Temple of Heads. As we drove by, we passed hammocks upon hammocks lined up between trees. As we were all tired, we wished we could jump out and have a little sleep. However, we soldiered on to the Temple of Heads, arriving there quicker than what I expected.

 By then the sun was well and truly up which meant we could all clearly see the symmetrical and massive Temple of Heads. Walking up and having a look around was really interesting, as I eavesdropped on the multiple tour guides as they told bits and pieces of the history of the massive structure that we were walking around in. Monks littered the place and other tourists chatted loudly and exuberantly with their friends. 

However, Jordan and I shortly walked back to the tuk-tuks and stared in amazement as three Asian elephants walked past us. Asian elephants are 6.5-9' in height while the African elephants at the zoo are 9-13' in height. So when these smaller, cuter elephants walked past us while we were sitting in our tuk-tuks, all I really wanted to do was pat them. I managed to refrain and instead just took a lot of photos. 

Seeing them just made me appreciate God's creation even more, and also made me upset because of the cruel way they are treated. Because they are used for tourism as they give rides and entertain the tourist, they are often abused if they don't obey. The drivers carry batons that they use to beat the elephants and use their feet to press harshly behind their ears to direct them to where the driver wants them to go.

After the elephants walked past and a really nice talk to our tuk-tuk driver, we were off to the tomb raider temple, which was the one everyone was waiting for. Tree roots were braided into the ground and trunks were a problem for Riley and I. But it was amazing and it was so awesome to be where Angelina Jolie had been filming. Not only that but just the mix of nature and ancient architecture ensured to me that it was another place I wanted to come back to and explore more. 

When we started walking back to our tuk-tuks, all nine of us got stopped by kids selling their items. Olivia, Racquel and Lincoln all bought a few things but it was funny to see the kids trying to swindle them into buying more. I was tempted into buying a slingshot, but not only would my mother kill me, but there was also the additional problem of having no money on me that ultimately aided me in my decision to refuse the seller. 

Finally, everyone arrived at the tuk-tuks and after waiting around 10 minutes for the rest of the adults to arrive, we were off, back to the hotel for a swim in the hotel pool, something everyone was looking forward too. We all (after getting into our swimmers) jumped in and started mucking around. When the lovely ladies went out to have a bit of a ladies afternoon, full of pampering, Mrs James called out "behave for Uncle Cam!" which thus started all of us calling Cameron, 'Uncle Cam.' 

While we were all still mucking around in the pool, playing Marco Polo and other games, Andre and Riley got out and asked reception for a bit of string. After getting the proper length, one that would stretch from one side of the pool to the other and manoeuvring chairs around and tying the string to the chairs, we now had a water volleyball net. 

We played volleyball for ages, coming up with new ways of serving, such as jumping into the pool from the side and trying to spike it over. It was really just an awesome time where we all bonded as friends. 

After a massivley long swim, we all got out to get ready for the night markets, which was something everyone was looking forward too. After buying dragonfruit rolled ice cream and having a look around, we grabbed our cash and tried to barter for the cheapest price possible.

It was an amazing last night in Cambodia,  even though it was upsetting. The all-around enjoyment that I have had with the group of amazing people that came is nothing that I've had on a school trip before and the memories that I've made are going to last a lifetime.

Smiles and Goodbyes

We started the day with the reward of sleeping in, after yesterday’s hard work. As we ate breakfast and discussed the plan for the day, the sad reality that we were nearing the end of our trip, and leaving Light of Hope, dawned on us. Later that day we would travel to our final destination in Siem Reap. Almost a whole year of preparation and fundraising was coming to an end. Despite the end nearing we all jumped on the truck in our church clothes wearing a smile.

We were hosting the church service at Light of Hope so we got there early to practise our play. We sung a few songs that the kids knew, and some that they and myself didn’t. It seemed to go all right though, because most were smiling or laughing (maybe at us). Taylor went first giving her sermon; a hard act to follow. When I went up to give my part of the sermon, I realised how much I was sweating. The hot weather combined with church clothes and nerves was not a good combination. All in all our sermons went well with the help of Piep the translator. After the service we had a craft activity based on the fiery furnace. This was fun for all ages and even some of the housemothers joined in.

We then went to a temple with some of the older guys from Light of Hope. To get to the temple you had to climb tonnes of steps. This was tough especially after a week of hard work. I was in a full sweat when we got to the top and I was in casual clothes. Some of the people that did it were still in their church clothes. The temple was worth the effort and had a fantastic view. There were many monkeys roaming around the place and also many monks. There were some rocks you could climb to get a better view and some with gaps you had to jump over. One of these gaps had a drop into some bushes. Sunny attempted one but hesitated at the last second. Unfortunately for her, she was too late, and as her arms were flailing and her momentum kept going she had to jump. She did not quite make it. She fell down into the bushes. Although she came out of it with a smile, she had some nice new scrapes. The walk up was hard but on the way down it began to rain. The steep steps had become slippery. I’m not sure if it was disrespectful to hold the heads of the statues next to the path, but we had to in order to prevent a fall. We said our final goodbyes and headed for Siem Reap.  

We had dinner at Siem reap at a nice pizza, pasta, burger, Mexican, I don’t know place. The food was good and we were able to have a laugh with the waiter after some Khmer words were said (mainly insults) to each other. After another great day that flew by too quickly, we relaxed and reflected on the many fun, educating and spiritual experiences of our great Cambodian adventure.

A Great Sense of Accomplishment - Words by Olivia

We started off the day with a simple breakfast of our choice. The hotel provided us with cereal, fruit, bread, stir fry, noodles and some other foods. Today was our final day teaching the children because tomorrow, being our last day, we were required to finish off the playground. A major part of the playground that consumed a lot of time and energy was the beehive. We had to stack small planks of wood in a circular formation and progressively build our way up layer by layer. While we were building the playground, the children were so friendly and keen to help out, even if it involved painting and building under the scorching sun on a 28 + degree day. 

After a long time of hammering nails into pieces of wood, I began to sweat profusely. Many others also felt exhausted so we went into an air conditioned room to lie down for a couple of minutes that ended up turning into an hour or so because we fell asleep. 

Teaching was quite easy as we had a younger class and the content we were covering was quite simple and easy to understand. However, controlling a class that was made up of mainly energetic and hyperactive boys was the difficult part. My teaching partners Riley and Jordan also agreed. Adding on to that, the year 10's had also formed really close friendships with the younger kids, so they behaved like they would in the playground, in the classroom.

After teaching, Andre approached me with the most adorable, little snake. It was in an empty water bottle and I was really tempted to take it out and hold it, but we weren't quite sure if the tiny snake was venomous. 

That night, the kids had organised a mini concert consisting of songs and cultural dances that, at times, we also participated in. During the performances, some of us were distracted by the little kids playing with the interesting insects. They weren't scared of getting bitten or stung, however, some of my classmates were, so I encouraged the kids to throw the insects at my friends. After the concert had finished, we had some fun taking selfies with the kids. As we hopped on the truck to leave, we were surprised to find out that the kids who performed the dances were coming with us to get ice cream. So 30+ people were cramped in the back of a truck singing all sorts of songs and repeatedly yelling out "mcsteel" or something, meaning "not gangster" in Khmer.

After a good night sleep, we woke up refreshed and ready for our last day of work at Light of Hope. Our main objective for the day was to finish the playground. After hours of painting, shovelling sand, building and moving parts of the playground, we finally finished the project! We had great fun playing on the playground with the kids. Seeing the smiles on their faces while they played on the equipment filled us with a great sense of accomplishment.

I've come to realise that Light of Hope displays a strong sense of belonging and community. It's so easy to get along with everyone and form instant connections and friendships. You immediately feel welcomed and valued when you step foot into the school and it's made me see how similar Light of Hope is to NCC.

From Kissing Fish to Coconuts - Words by Andre

The day started abruptly. It was 5:57 and we were supposed to meet Cameron at 6. The markets were calling. Stumbling though the mud and low ceilings of the huts we got a preview of the challenges that were to come later in the morning. An amazing race began at 8:00. The first team left and went straight to the markets; my team following suit 15 minutes later. From kissing fish to coconuts, we saw it all. Next, we caught a tuk tuk to a sign painting shop to colour some stone carvings and I destroyed one of the hairdryers we were using to make the process faster! After folding flowers at the next stop, we headed over to Light of Hope to commence our final challenges. Planting a banana tree, Cambodian trivia, and a cultural dance. After a suspenseful buildup and decision making, my team won by 2 points!

Teaching the kids was surprisingly fun, and as we played hangman I sat up the back of the class and gave the kids duds, just to make them think about what they were learning. We chipped away at shovelling sand and hit up the volleyball before dinner where we enjoyed some beautiful fried mushrooms. We weren't even half way through our meal when Mrs James and Mrs Pitt called us quickly to a nearby field to see the sunset. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. A pink, orange and blue cloud with lightning strikes through it! I sprinted into the field to get a good shot yelling 'look at Gods creation!!!!!' At the top of my lungs. It filled me with so much energy and joy to see those shapes and forms and I thought 'if my God can do this, imagine what else.'

Lots of Work, Lots of Fun - Words by Racquel

Today was our second day of teaching, painting and shovelling sand. In the morning when we got to Light of Hope, we split off into smaller groups to work on various projects. I was with Olivia and we were working on the car for the playground. Some of the paint work needed to be redone so it was a stronger colour and we needed to paint the dashboard. The main part of the car was bright red with bright blue seats. A few minutes after we started, we were surrounded by a bunch of kids trying to help us paint. They weren’t much help but it was a lot of fun interacting with them. We spray painted the seats and painted the rest of the car and Olivia drew some small details to make it more realistic. After that was done I shovelled sand for a while which was very tiring and sweaty work. There were a lot of jobs to do such as painting the boat and painting tires with colourful paint. Everyone worked really really hard as there was a lot of work to be done.

After a long morning of work we had lunch then began preparation for our teaching in he afternoon. I was with Andre and taught the grades 5-6 although most of the kids were older than that. It was our second day of teaching which meant we already knew the level of English our kids had, which was good as it allowed us to better prepare the lesson according to their knowledge. We also knew the kids a bit better and had a lot of fun teaching them. We taught them about ailments such as cuts, bruises and sore throats which they picked up pretty quickly. A game they really liked was hangman as they got to stand up and say the letter. The second time round teaching was a lot easier and more fun as we could joke around and make it more fun with them. After class was done, they lined up and we gave them all dinosaur stickers and said see you tomorrow. After class we just played around with the kids on the oval and the playground until dinner time. Dinner was rice, eggs with curry and for dessert pink grapefruit, pineapple and grapes. After dinner we left Light of Hope on the open bus and returned to the hotel. We said goodnight to everyone after a tiring but good as day, had a small worship and went to sleep.

One Of The Best Days So Far - Words by Sunny

We all woke up around 6:00am today to get ready for a brand new day. It was our first day of teaching and we were all excited and nervous at the same time. After having a big breakfast, we carried all our teaching materials and gifts for the kids into a big truck and we travelled to Light of Hope. It was so cool to ride on the big truck as we could see the magnificent country view with cool winds hitting our faces. We went to Light of Hope yesterday for dinner already but today, we explored even more.

Soon, we were placed in groups with different jobs we needed to do for our kindergarten playground project. I was in a group with Taylor and Jordan. We got a job to wash and paint tyres different colours. It didn’t sound hard at first until we started to clean. We got wet all over our clothes and shoes while we cleaned off all the dirt and rocks from the tyres. Then we dried it up and painted it with blue, green, orange and purple paint. It looked so good under the sun after being painted. While we were painting, some kids started getting closer and helped us to paint. We had a lot of fun talking and putting paint on each other. It was a pain cleaning all the paint off! But it was good fun and after we had a wonderful and delicious lunch.

Then, in the afternoon, we went to our classes to teach the children English. I was partnered with Lincoln and we were given the mission of teaching grades 1 and 2. There were seven lovely and cute little kids. They all cooperated with our lesson and kept smiling at us. We were so nervous and scared that there would be a barrier in languages and the kids would run around and go crazy as they are young but no, they were absolutely fantastic.

After teaching the kids, we all went out the the big field and played some games together. Then we went out and transferred the sand into the kindergarten playground.

After finishing the big mountain of sand, we went to play volleyball and soccer. It was super fun and entertaining despite the fact that I played really badly. Then we went back to have dinner and returned to our guest house to rest. So far, this was one of the best days in Cambodia for me as we met and played with the kids. I am very looking forward to the next day!

How Fortunate We Are - Words by Lincoln

Our morning began with a bus trip to the slums of phnom penh. We were going there to get an insight into what the living conditions adults and kids had in poverty. We got to meet some of the kids who were living in the situations and were able to also play some games with them. Being able to see the kids smiles on their faces, and seeing them enjoy games many Australian kids wouldn’t appreciate was one of the most eye opening parts of the trip so far. Walking through the slums was eye opening because it wasn’t like anything I had ever experienced. Looking at the slums and the poor sanitation conditions truly provides an insight to how fortunate we are to live in Australia. It also gives us an opportunity to look at ourselves and make us thankful for what we have. Experiences like these can truly make one think about themselves and shows us that we are truly selfish for not wanting to give to people that are truly poor.

After a quick lunch we went to this village that was on Hamish and Andys asian gap year. It was an interesting experience because of the local cuisine of spiders and the ability to be able to hold them. Olivia and Jonah decided to eat one whilst others just held one. The rest of us remained in the vehicle and watched as the locals attempted to put spiders in the van. It was really funny watching this girl who was no more than 4 years old pretend to throw and put spiders on us because everyone including myself was getting pretty scared. After leaving the village we travelled to the Light of Hope Children’s Village were we had a tour and dinner. We went from there to the guesthouse where we all had an early night and went to bed.

The kindergarten playground we are building.

Laughter, Despair and Smiles - Words by Jordan W

As soon as us boys woke up at 5:30am we could not help but take in the elegant sunrise and the tropical aromas of Phnom Penh. After rushing to get ready for the day most of the group met up and shared pros and cons of their first day and night with friendly banter causing non stop spurts of laughter. As soon as we had all recovered from the laughter we started the morning with God (as we always should) beautifully presented by Olivia followed by a delightful prayer asking God to be with the group. After breakfast and morning fellowship we all got our backpacks prepared as we ventured out to the Killing Fields. As we travelled along the way, I could not help but take in the tropical breeze that blew our faces and hair acting almost like an air conditioner assisting with making us feel less hot. As soon as we arrived at the killing fields, we all got off the tuk tuks and headed for the front gates of the centre. 

As soon as you step foot into the centre your emotions instantly feel vulnerable as you take in the atmosphere of the numerous beautiful fields and the tall and unique stupa (the main centre building). In the recent past, this place was full of bloodshed and hell, the fields filled with a violent history. I started to feel complete despair as the audio tour revealed the dark paths of the Khmer Rouge genocide and the meaningless deaths of young children, women and men which were all involved in a mass murder event. As the tour ended, we discussed our various feelings, hopped in a tuk tuk and headed for ‘Daughters of Cambodia’.

Daughters of Cambodia is a place where past sex workers who were rescued earn an income based on the food you buy from their luscious cafe or the handmade and woven souvenirs that you get to buy to aid them in receiving an income. After a taste of lunch there, the boys and Cameron went on a walk along the river bank while all the girls got their nails done by the Daughters of Cambodia. 

Next we went to the one of the largest markets in Phonm Penh (which I was pretty pumped for), until we all stepped out of our Tuk Tuk’s and felt the wrenching heat that immediately made us all sweat continuously. The markets smelled pretty bad but we did our best to navigate through the narrow walkways and barter (badly) for some knock off brands.

As soon as we left markets we headed for Nuthpic’s feeding program where he and his wife feed up to 100 abandoned and hungry children every night. It touched my heart to know that we are more fortunate in Australia, yet we do as little as we can to help. Even though we were only there an hour, most of us got instantly attached to funny and cute young children which put a smile on my face. 

We ended the night with dinner and worship on a beautiful river cruise.

Lift Off! - Words by Riley

Our first flight left Australia Thursday morning directly going to Singapore. My flight seemed to drag on. It felt longer than 8 hours. There weren’t many options for movies. At the start it was comfortable but it got annoying to have to sit for so long. When we got to Singapore Airport we had to walk to the other side of the airport to catch the Skytrain to Terminal 2. It didn’t feel like an airport, it felt more like a shopping centre.

From Singapore we took a second plane to Phnom Penh. We then met up with Sherree, jumped in some tuk tuks and were driven to our hotel. Andre and I were talking about the car dealerships and how there were more fancy car dealerships than there were normal cars. There were heaps of Aston Martin and Rolls Royce dealerships along the way. The traffic was like one big flock of sheep, there were no lanes or anything. I thought the smell was going to be shocking, and it was at first but I got used to it.

Once we settled into our hotel we went out for dinner to a rooftop restaurant in the city. When we got there we had to take the lift up to the rooftop for our meals. The first lot of students went up the lift and it was fine. When it came back down and we hopped on, the lady shoved us all on so we didn’t have to take the lift again after that. But when the second last person came on, the lift dropped down a tiny bit and then when the last person came on, the lift dropped even lower. Then the doors shut and the lift tried to go up but wasn’t able to. So instead of going up we went down to the ground floor. Then the doors wouldn’t open and we couldn’t open the doors forcefully either even with a group of people trying to help from the outside. So after about 15 minutes of trying to open the doors, the people outside the lift finally decided to call an electrician to come and help get us out.  By then the lift had turned into a sauna with people freaking out in it. About 10 minutes later the electrician guy turned up and soon got us free out of the lift. 

We then had to walk up fourteen stories to get to the top and finally got to eat dinner after being stuck in the lift for a very long time. The drink was very refreshing after being in the sauna lift and the dinner was great too. The view around us also made it a lot better.

#byemelbourne

🇦🇺 ✈ 🇸🇬 ✈ 🇰🇭 

Heart for Cambodia

Thank you to the Nunawading Christian College community, family & friends of our Year 10 students, and local church families for supporting the Heart for Cambodia concert on Saturday night! We are proud to say we exceeded our fundraising goal for the evening thanks to the generosity of everyone who attended.

At the beginning of the night, NCC alumna Brian, our 'MC' for the evening challenged each table to raise at least $500 per table by donating or purchasing food and hot drinks. Our Year 10 student waiters were kept busy ordering and delivering food and drinks for our VIP ticket holders. Crepes, soup, hot drinks and an assortment of baked goods donated by parents were among the many items for sale with all proceeds going to support Light of Hope in Cambodia.

There was no shortage of talent as past and present NCC students and bands from our local community catered for all ages, performing covers and originals. 

The final donation tally for the evening was over $4,000 with more donations still being received. 

Thank you to NCC alumna Brendan for organising this wonderful event. And thank you to all the bands, Brian (MC), parents, friends, NCC students and staff, and all those who attended to support the work of Light of Hope. We cannot wait to share all our upcoming adventures and how your generosity impacts the people we meet in Cambodia.

A big thank you to NCC Year 12 student, Aaron, for the wonderful photos from the night.

Heart for Cambodia Concert

Nunawading Christian College presents the Heart for Cambodia Concert 2018. The event will feature easy listening music, barista-made hot drinks, crepes, snacks and much more. We hope you can make it to this wonderful event and support our Year 10 students as they fundraise for Light of Hope in Cambodia.

To find out more and share the event with friends and family, visit the Facebook Event Page.

New Year, New Opportunities

It's a new year and NCC Year 10 students are once again travelling to Cambodia to support International Children's Care and visit Light of Hope School.

You can help change lives in Cambodia by helping our students meet their $7,200 fundraising goal.

Use the link below to donate via our gofundraise page.