Beyond The Classroom: So Much More Than A Trip

My Volunteer Story

My Heart, Life & Soul  Are Full

Well I don’t really ride a Kangaroo to school,but it makes the kids laugh to even think about it.

Three weeks has gone so quickly it always does here in beautiful Cambodia there is never enough time. Juggling volunteering, visitors from Australia, connecting with local friends, seeing new sites, experiencing new things. Taking the kids to experience some of the activities that they would never usually see. The time just goes by so quickly.

Saturdays are for pure joy! Our students have a favourite weekend ritual: playing football!  Win or lose, their passion for the game is infectious.   Are there any sports fans out there who would like to help them chase their dreams on the field by sponsoring footy boots and team T shirts?  They would  be over the moon!

arrived at the new airport. I was picked up by Leng and Sayhar and driver Kaul in the new school mini bus. Wow, a step up from the old one for sure.  So great for the kids to get to and from school dry.  It’s wet season again and when it rains it sure does.  I don’t know how they endured being in the back of Leng’s utility last year being drenched.  Anyway thanks a squillion to the kind donors who made the mini bus possible.  Just wonderful! 

Visiting ODA Central the day after I arrived is just like visiting family that you haven’t been spending time with for awhile. Everyone comes out to greet you like an old friend, some of the youngies might be a little shy to begin with, but you know by the second day they’ll be all over you.

Great to see they all still love creating their art works as they chat and relax together.

Oh my! How the kids have grown. Their healthy lifestyle provided by Leng and Sryon is really evident by the glow and size of them. ODA Central looks fresh and clean and very welcoming. Taken on a short tour to see everything including the small farm next door where they are building tables, and making gardening tools, growing some vegetables and making new frames for the artwork on display in the gallery. 

They all love teaching volunteers to paint with some surprisingly good results

The kids all seems so happy. They all look after each other which I find so heartwarming. Every time I visit the new little kids are gorgeous and lapping up the learnings.  The older kids are now graduating from university with degrees in nursing, teaching engineering, design, architecture, business, marketing you name it they give it a go. I hope we can find jobs for them all because I know they deserve it.

Some of my group volunteering at No 2 school with teacher Phan Oun.  We all just love getting out there with the villagers.  They are so happy to have volunteers to practice chatting with.

I spent time during my three weeks at three of our village schools, number two, number three and number four. I went to the weekly teachers meeting that is held every Wednesday. ODA is so lucky to have such eager inspiring English teachers leading the free English classes in each of their villages . The schools all look well maintained and function perfectly for their purpose of education. 

I am not a teacher and have no teaching skills, I am a volunteer who brings my life experience and joyful spirit and can therefore encourage the village students to have conversations in English that helps them practice all that the ‘Family and Friends’ and ‘Headway’ courses teach them.

The English classes run from 3 pm till 7 pm for one hour classes. My conversations get more advanced at the later classes as their English is more advanced.

Wet season and minor flooding can affect class numbers

but those that can, enthusiastically make it.

At 3 o’clock. The questions are ‘What is your favourite fruit or what is your favourite colour’  at the 6 pm class I am being asked ‘How old is your culture in Australia’. Wow that was a difficult one to answer!  There is no doubt in my mind that I get so much more out of the volunteering experience than the students, but I like to think that I help with their confidence to speak this difficult language that they so bravely lap up!

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the ODA farm almost an hour and a half away in beautiful fertile growing Kulen Mountain country. I did enjoy seeing all the healthy organic produce arriving back at ODA Central a few times a week. No wonder those kids are looking so healthy. 

Wonderful Khmer Chef Woody, wife Thida and girls  Rachana and Jesda.

I was lucky enough to have Woody and Thida and his family join us Here in Siem Reap. Woody and Thida bought my restaurant in Australia a year ago and have brought beautiful Cambodian cuisine to our small country town in South Gippsland. 

In true Cambodian style we booked a restaurant in Siem Reap to catch up with Woody and Thida and 30 of his family members joined us, mainly from Phnom Penh. What a special night at ‘Spoons Training Restaurant’. Woody and Thida are carrying on my support of ODA with their restaurant having raised $8595 through hosting dinners at their restaurant before we came away, which also included wonderful Leongatha Rotary’s marvellous fund raising and assistance.  ‘Akun Tom Tom’ to all.

We made a start at purchasing some of the immediate goods needed from the amazing $8,595AUD fund raising by Woody and Thida and ably assisted by Leongatha Rotary.

8 Schools are always needing materials and equipment.

We’ve had a few outings while I’ve been here which the kids have just loved.

Took 3 of the kids on a Charity Bike Ride organised by Ripple Effect https://www.rippleeffectrides.com/  

I had a ball doing it with Sayhar, Sahar and Ry Sung.

Ruedi a long time. ODA supporter from Switzerland, organised a day out at the Wake Park Cambodia where the kids absolutely loved swimming, bouncing, water skiing and a yummy lunch. Pure joy for them all.  

So dinner out at a restaurant, Charity bike ride, Special dinners at ODA eg BBQ meat and Khmer Special Pork, plus Woody and I cooking for them and the Wake Park water park visit.  Wow they have had a magic time! And so have my volunteer team and I!!!

Ruedi from Switzerland arranged for us to take all the kids to the Wake Water Park.  They bravely tried everything over and over and over again.

We had a beautiful barbecue dinner back at ODA that evening With Music and drinks and Woody‘s family.

Any excuse for a party.  They all love socialising and a big cook up of western BBQ food.

For my last night we’re having a special barbecue pork dinner and then Monday will be a sad day when I have to say goodbye yet again to my special Cambodian family.

These kids usually attend school, study and do chores around ODA  Thanks to everyone who supported the fund raising, we were able to give them not only essential school funding but all these fun things to reflect on over the next few months when they are back to normal! 

How can I be sad with such a send off.  Even Sry On’s father came to see me off.  He’s the one who gifted his farm to ODA to provide organic food for the ODA boarding students.

I would encourage anyone to come and volunteer here at ODA. It will probably be the most fulfilling and special thing that you do in your life. 

If you have teenage children consider bringing them as the ODA kids love having kids their own age from other countries, and there is such a natural connection. Your children will be changed for a lifetime I can assure you. 

Miss you already ODA family 

See you next year.

Marty 

FUND STUDENT FUTURES HERE