Cambodia Summer Team Leapers Diary

Charlie Hope

Hello!
All is well here, we are looking forward to visiting the falls tomorrow before our bus trip. Sorry this is only a quick email- there is a queue for the internet and cafe shuts soon!Hope all is well in UK, we’re finding it very hot but very fun.Will be more expansive another time!
Love charlie.

Hey Guy,
Sorry its taken so long to reply, we've just been having such a great time in Siem Reap we haven't really had any time - its brilliant: food, accommodation, people (especially), work all been to expectations and beyond...it's been brilliant and we don't really want to leave. But we are looking forward to rock view. We should be heading there this afternoon. We changed our itinerary round so we could have more time off at the end, we 're going to thailand for a holiday! Hope all is well back in England and the Kenya groups got sorted out.

It was so great having Emma out here, we all got on so well. looking forward to the article.

Take Care Charlotte

Tom Taylor

Thanks for the email, we can't believe we're 3 weeks in either!

We left Phnom Penh on Monday having enjoyed our time there and had made friends with some of the staff there and other local volunteers. We helped develop the water project as well as teaching the orphans who are very sweet and we were fed incredibly well-too well!

We've spent the last few days in Siem Reap, which has been a fun experience! We explored the markets and the tourist attractions that were there-generally had a relaxing time and eating ice cream! We're headed for Tonle Sap tomorrow evening and are really looking forward to this phase!

Lou Jones

Hi Guy,

All is well in Siem Reap, we've been kept really busy and had a thoroughly enjoyable time! We've spent most of the time teaching as the teachers have been away on various workshops-we were even in charge of the whole school one day-an experience! We've also helped out in the healthcentre, trailblazer water project, and been giving computer classes to villagers!

We also went on a river trip down the Tonle Sap river which was amazing! Everyone has been very friendly and we've been made to feel very welcome! We're off to spend some time in Phnom Penh on Friday before the last phase begins!

Hope your well, Lou

Laura Sandars

Dear Guy

Sorry not to have been in contact before, been v busy and not always getting to the Internet cafe!

We're having a lovely time out here, and i can hardly believe that it's been 3 weeks since we left England - time has flown by.

We've just got back from our long weekend in which we went to Phnom Penh. It was a really really good trip and fascinating to see another part of Cambodia. We spent 3 nights there and managed to fit in quite a lot of sight seeing- The genocide museum S21, the Killing Fields, The Royal palace and
the silver Pagoda as well as all 3 markets.

The accommodation out here is really good, on arriving I didn't really know what to expect, despite being shown pictures by Alice at the training day. But I was very pleasantly surprised. As i'm sure you know, we have our own house between the three of us, so we all have our own room and our own space, 2 bathrooms and a nice dining area. Perhaps i'm a bit biased since I love Asian cuisine, but the
food is really good, and it's lovely not to have to worry about doing it myself.  We hope to try and do a cookery lesson at some point before we leave and have seen lots of places where we can do that so when we come back we'll all be professional Khmer chefs!

On thursday we start our next part of the project, and it seems very strange that we have already finished at trailblazers and the orphanage.

I really loved working at the orphanage - the children are all very loving and when we arrived on the first day a couple of them ran up to us and gave us big hugs. I found that i had a passion for teaching and am quite sad that that part is over, although we've promised to go back and visit the kids
before we leave.

Working at trail blazers was quite an experience!! visiting the villages where trailblazers was helping out was very interesting, and a great way to see what rural life in Cambodia is like. This was definately the best part of working there, although we did meet some lovely people whilst we were working at the base in Siem Reap, washing sand etc. On one trip out to one of the villages we were most definately the star attraction for that day if not the entire week/month, with the whole village crowding round us and wanting to get a good look at us!

We're looking forward to the next part of the project and will keep you
updated on how that goes.

Thanks,
Laura, Vivienne and Maud!