Teaching Week One – Adventures in Siem Reap

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Tianna Killoran

Well it has already been three days that we’ve spent in Siem Reap, and it feels like it's been an age. There's so much to do and we have all just been busy, busy, busy!

After arriving – overtired and jet lagged – to the airport, we were all picked up by our lovely in-country team. As we drove around the streets, they pointed out to us all the different landmarks along the way. After a refresh at the hotel, we went to lunch and got a tour around the main parts of town. We were all in awe of how different it was! Motorbikes and tuk-tuks everywhere, markets selling everything you can imagine … even the power lines are different! We had a special welcome dinner at Amazon Angkor, where we got to watch traditional Khmer dancing. The female dancers were so poised and precise – it was just beautiful! My favourite was the coconut dance, which is normally performed at weddings. It was just so happy.

Our second day kicked off with an orientation visit to our school, Grace House, which we will start at on Monday. Four of us are at Grace House, with the rest of our group of thirteen are split between schools. The schools were very relaxed, with chickens roaming around and open-plan classrooms all over the place. We are all so very excited to start teaching at our schools next week, so more to come on that! After another delicious lunch, myself and a few other girls went exploring the markets. I'm not used to haggling, so it was tough trying to get a good deal. Some of us are really getting the hang of it though.

We had a cultural lesson and a language lesson in the afternoon, which very much helps with saying ‘tay or kun’ (no thank you) to all the tuk-tuk drivers.
Hopefully we’ll be visiting Angkor Wat over the weekend and filling having all kinds of adventures before we start at school on Monday!

Nursing in Siem Reap: Mountains, zip-lines and giant buddha statues

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing - Murdoch University
WRITTEN BY: Melissa Williams and Peter Footer

So here we all are – we have made it to the end of week two of our International Placement. Well done to everyone involved – the very important support crew back home in Australia, our amazing preceptors in Cambodia, our Siem Reap based partners and translators, and most importantly our little team of Aussie nursing students here in Siem Reap.

Sou Sdei and Ter nak sok sa bay te? (hello and how are you?)

Last weekend we took a trip to Phnom Kulen National Park. We set off in our van with our trusty transport driver and translator and began our journey to the top of the mountain. Kulin Mountain is 487 metres high and the summit has only been able to be reached by car since 1999. This is when a private businessman built the current winding road up to the summit. This same businessman now charges US$20 per foreign visitor to use said road – hence I suspect he has well and truly made his money back (plus some) by now. The journey to the top takes at least 2 hours and due to the narrowness of the road, it is only possible to ascend prior to 11am and descend after midday – it seems some logical order does exist in this beautiful country.

Kulen Mountain is situated in the north-eastern corner of the Angkor Complex and is considered to be the most sacred mountain in Cambodia by the Khmer people. It is said that this is where King Jayavaraman II declared himself as god king and announced independence from Java in 802 AD. Even at the top of a mountain of this size and ruggedness there are the remains of 56 Angkorian temples – most in bad condition, however one remains named Hahendrapura. We were a little templed–out by this stage, after our epic day visiting temples on Thursday, so we opted to travel to the summit of the mountain to visit a Buddha Pagoda. It contains an 8-metre long reclining Buddha statue, carved into a sandstone block dating back to the 16th century. In Australia I highly doubt you would be allowed to get anywhere near to such an amazing piece of history, however in this neck of the woods there is a boardwalk built around the statue, and worshipers rub Buddha and leave offerings.

Following this, we travelled a short distance back down the mountain to a river where there are carvings dating back to 12th century AD. It was then that monks carried heavy carving tools up these hills to carve the thousand Lingas and other bas-relief images of Hindu gods and goddesses into the riverbed and surrounding rock face’s. The carvings are known as Lingas and are phallic symbols, and the flow of the river over them sanctifies the water. This sanctified water continues down the Kbal Spean River through Angkor Wat and eventually becomes a tributary feeding into Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia’s biggest lake.

After this we travelled a little further down the mountain to Kulen Waterfall. What an amazing place to visit, with many Monk, tourist and local doing the same thing on this day. Following a very steep decent down stairs that would hardly qualify in Australia, we reached a beautiful bathing spot where a few of the crew stripped down to their shorts and t-shirts (no bathing suits here sorry) and enjoyed the refreshing fresh flowing sanctified water. Meanwhile myself and another crew member basked and frolicked on the big granite boulders admiring the beautiful scenery and hundreds of butterflies that were sipping on the minerals found in the waterfall.

After the cool off we headed back up the many, many, many stairs where we sat in a quaint little pagoda and were served a fresh home cooked meal. You see, in Cambodia, you blink and then all of a sudden there is a feast fit for a king placed in front of you for you to enjoy.

Following our busy weekend we commenced week two by integrating with some of the local population on the outskirts of Siem Reap as we began working in both Regional Hospital Station 4 and the Bakong Health Clinic. The group was split into two with one group spending the majority of this week at the hospital and the other at the clinic.

At the hospital there were approximately 15 in-patients. Due to the difference in roles and standards between Cambodian and Australian nurses, it is not appropriate for us to administer medication, however following on from the Doctor’s rounds our preceptor wasted no time identifying plenty of opportunities to put our assessment skills to the test on very willing and interested patients. Nursing care in Australia is very different compared to what occurs in this Cambodian hospital, in particular the patients’ family room in with them and take care of all their cooking, cleaning and ADL (activities of daily living) needs.

Due to the rooming in of families, by the end of the week we had a gaggle of gorgeous children following our every move as they became more confident with our presence. As part of our health education aims, we used impromptu opportunities to teach these children hand-washing skills and continued to teach them basic English words. We also gave them some balls to play with and taught them to catch (with their eyes open) and we even showed them how to play a new game – Tunnelball. Highlights at the hospital included a neurologically deteriorating patient whom through our fundraising efforts could be sent to a private clinic to receive a much need diagnostic CT scan, as well as an emergency admission who had been hit by a car. We also completed assessments on patients with heart valve deficiency, pneumonia, alcohol withdrawal, abdominal illness and diabetes.

Meanwhile, Peter one of the members in the group working at the clinic had this to say about his teams’ week…Working in the clinic has been a great experience full of opportunities to experience cultural exchange from both sides. With fewer resources in comparison to Australia, extremely competent nurses run the medical team. The clinic operates similarly to both an Australian General Practice and an Emergency Department, with one ambulance to transfer patients if an emergency occurs. The clinic offers a great opportunity to demonstrate nursing assessments to other staff as well as primary health care such as dental and hand hygiene. Highlights include experiencing a newborn assessment, the diagnoses and treatment of Tuberculosis and teaching children how to brush teeth.

Everyday we are taken on a much-needed rest for lunch and an afternoon siesta. This two hour break is commonplace in Cambodia (needed to deal with the stifling humidity) and most of the clinic staff use this time to go home and cook themselves lunch. After lunch the clinic spends most of its time preparing for the next day, and with very few patients attending in the afternoons, we generally use this time as an opportunity to present case studies and assessments to each other as way to continue our education.

During our down time, Siem Reap offers many things to do – from temples to pubs. One personal highlight for me this week was flying 50 meters high in the air with the zip–line company Flight of the Gibbons. Although rather expensive at US$120 – and we did not actually see a gibbon – the experience was exhilarating, offering a break from the organised chaos of traffic and markets that is in the city area.

So that sees the end of week two and it is hard to believe that this time next week our job here will be done and we will be reunited with our beautiful families and friends. So, until then…

Le Hi and Ah Kun Chrian (goodbye, and thank you very much).

Exploring in Cambodia continues

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Bensen

Friday marked an exciting day as the kids had health checks in the afternoon, so 6 of us jetted off to Siem Reap for a long weekend.

Saturday morning was an early start to see the magnificent sunrise over Angkor Wat followed by a day of temple hopping (see above pictures). Although it was very hot, and there was a lot of walking involved, the incredible ruins were worth the struggle and we now know why they aren't to be missed.

The rest of the weekend was spent taking in the sites like the market streets, taking advantage of the cheap shopping and Cambodian pancakes before we caught the night bus back home for class on Monday morning. Luke and myself had already been to Siem Reap so elected to explore Phnom Penh instead.

The city of Phnom Penh is incredibly big, however heading over to celebrate central market, Riverside and it's surrounds made us feel more at home as we caught more of a grasp about what this city is all about. We indulged in some of the best food thus far at central market, which of course was local produce in a makeshift cafeteria. Not only was it delicious but we were paying 50c to $1 for meals!

Being Friday now, we've successfully made it through our second full week of teaching. Again we've faced sickness and injuries, as Cambodia takes its toll on us, but there is no denying the joy that it has been to start to really find our feet within the school and as teachers. Most of us know our students by name now. We know their personalities as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses and as we look towards next week I think we're going to find it difficult to say goodbye.

Recently the school had health check-ups where all the children were inspected by nurses. Dehydration and teeth issues were by far the greatest issues faced by the majority of students and I found myself worrying the entire time about my kindergarteners. There's no doubt that the time has flown by and we're looking now towards what we give back to the school as we leave.

After the checks this week the whole 'wanting to change the world' notion has definitely spun around my head. I want to get rid of the lolly carts that sit outside their school, to have them all know how to brush their teeth, to have them do it everyday and to make sure there's always water available for them. But the shortness of our time here has really sunk in and we can only put as much as we can in place and teach them as much as possible in such a short time, in the hope that maybe it will change their futures for the better. While it's a sobering thought, I think it only makes us want to work harder as we head into our final week.

JCU teachers making a difference

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Education
WRITTEN BY: James Cook University

Since arriving in Siem Reap on Thursday 8 Jan, after 3 flights and 12 hours in the air, so much has happened already. We have completed our first week of teaching, gotten to know our students and enjoyed many bumpy tuk tuk rides. We have sampled various delicious local dishes and tested almost every coffee shop in town (‘Sister Srey’ cafe is becoming a favourite amongst many of us). But, most importantly, we have all been very busy developing relationships with our Khmer teachers and with each other. So, where do I begin…

Upon our arrival in Siem Reap, we were greeted by the very friendly Davy and our very patient bus driver who loaded our very heavy luggage into the van and we were off to Jasmin Guest House. We arrived at our guest house, dropped our luggage off, connected to the Wifi (very important) and were taken to what has now become our regular lunch hang out, Neary Khmer. The food here is amazing and we have all been shocked at the service and quality of many of the restaurants and cafes around Siem Reap.

In general we have so far avoided eating the coveted tarantula, snake and scorpion. Maybe next week! :) Lime sodas, mixed fruit shakes and fresh coconuts are regular sights at our lunch table each day. The program has been organised so that we get to meet up each day for lunch. This is a good opportunity to share our experiences with each other. Our group has been divided up between three schools. One is in the Siem Reap township and the other two are a little further out.

The girls at the school in the city are treated to a tuk tuk ride from our very comfy guesthouse to the placement. We expected each school to run their day-to-day activities, lessons and timetable differently, but it has been quite a surprise at just how much each program and the students differ.

The girls who have been placed at the further away schools are driven by minivan at 6:30am for a slightly earlier 7:00am start. Despite these two schools being just 10 minutes apart, they are worlds apart in terms of development. The vast differences will ensure, however, that each of us will take away unique memories from our time here.

The days are long here. We are up at around 5:30am and do not return to the guest house until 5:30pm most days and then there is planning to do and resources to be made. We eat out at restaurants and cafes for dinner most nights; the local food is so varied and delicious! Sometimes if we're feeling super tired we'll just order in pizza and occasionally wash it down with the local Angkor beer.

We have our weekends to sightsee, shop and be pampered. Our group has a keen interest in responsible tourism and has been actively seeking out organisations and products that help the local people lift themselves out of poverty. From fishy foot spas and facials to trips to Phnom Pen and elephant rides- the Australian teachers know how to have a good time :) We can’t believe how quickly this 11 days have flown by. We miss you all!

#JCUteachersmakingadiffernce

Edith Cowan students begin eye-opening nursing placement

 COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Edith Cowan University Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Megan Stoney

Our first impression of Siem Reap, Cambodia was that it's HOT! The first morning consisted of an introduction to the country and the Khmer language, given by the translators and our in-country partners. That day we visited one of the villages where we saw a temple and spoke to an elder. In the evening a welcome dinner was provided, and we got to see some traditional Khmer dancing.

On Monday we attended a talk about child protection in Cambodia, it was very interesting and opened all our eyes. Night time in Siem Reap has been called the Las Vegas of Cambodia. During our first week of training and learning here we taught health education lessons about hand hygiene, brushing teeth and first aid. The other groups of nursing students were at the health clinics.

The school and clinics were minimal standard and had minimal supplies. The school did not have enough classrooms, supplies or sport toys. One clinic that delivers a lot of babies had no electricity at night and so pen torches were used to deliver the babies! Unbelievable.

Dinners were lovely and exploring Siem Reap at night was fun and interesting. We walked around a lot of the time, but used Tuk Tuk’s to get to places further away. Our first week was exciting, exhausting and a real eye-opener to what Cambodia is like. I am looking forward to the weekend exploring temples and shopping and next week’s learning experiences.

One final word from Unibreakers in Cambodia

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: UniBreak Volunteers

Last weekend we were lucky enough to fly to Siem Reap for the weekend and visit some places hugely significant to Cambodia's history. We were fortunate enough to be given Friday off teaching to spend a full day in Siem Reap and visit the land mine museum. Here, we read stories by those both directly and indirectly affected by the land mines. On Saturday we woke up bright and early to go on a full day temple tour with Vara from Antips. We saw five main temples including Anchor Wat, Ta Prohm (featured in Tomb Raider), Bayon, Banteay Srei and Prasat Kravan. Unsurprisingly, it rained in the afternoon and we were unable to see the sun set over Anchor Wat, but a few of us were able to enjoy a delicious frozen yoghurt treat instead- you've gotta look at the bright side sometimes!

We cannot believe that our time in Cambodia has come to an end. The last week in the classroom has been bittersweet. We have had so many great teaching moments but we are so sad to be leaving- and so are the kids! The children never seize to amaze us and for some of them, their desire to learn in the circumstances is inspirational. This experience has been two-fold because not only have the children learned, but so have we. We have had to be relaxed about bell times and how many students turn up for the day. We have had to teach in some pretty difficult circumstances. No two days were ever the same, but as a group we learned to find the humorous side of every single aspect of our journey and we can definitely say that this was key to making the most of the experience.

We had our last day with the kids on Thursday so we decided to treat them with a little party. Some classes chose to do an Australian theme. The children covered their bodies in Aussie Tattoos and got to try vegemite on crackers, which they were hugely disappointed about as they thought it was a chocolate spread! We captured some hilarious moments of children having their first bite and spitting it straight back out. For other classes it was a mix of fun games, music and origami. Due to kind donations from friends and family of group members, we were able to give each child a new book, a red and black pen, a ruler and a rubber. Each teacher was donated posters, new white board markers, white board ink, and some desk stationary. We also donated the school with small sports equipment, musical instruments and stationary – which they were truly grateful for.

Saying our final goodbye to the kids on Thursday afternoon was really tough. We have formed a special bond with both the teachers and students over this past month. A steady stream of kids followed us to our car, not wanting to let us go. There were even some tears from Antips group members as we had to give our final wave. Although we're saying goodbye physically, we won't be leaving emotionally. A piece of us will always be here, even though- for now- our time with these precious children has come to an end.

Finding it hard to leave affirmed to us just how much we have invested and how proud we are! We can all sit back tonight and know we've accomplished something so special. We've met new people, we've tried new things, we’ve learned so much from the children, we've given our all to share our knowledge with the community and we have all made five new friends in each other along the way. This is something that is ours - it's a bond that cannot be broken. For the last month we've shared everything and we know we are so lucky! No one here set out to change the world in four weeks, but we all knew that we had different things to offer and the opportunity to give was going to be invaluable. We also knew that we would learn so much. We can safely say that we have done more than we could have dreamed possible.

And if we thought saying goodbye to the kids was hard, we definitely haven’t prepared yet for saying goodbye to each other!


Claire, Tom, Lucy, Tash, Daisy and Kimberley x

A once-in-a-lifetime experience

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Exercise Physiology
WRITTEN BY: Brent Luckman, Notre Dame University

Our final week in Cambodia began with two village outreach clinics on Monday and Tuesday. Dinner for the next few nights saw us become regulars at a newly discovered Italian restaurant named Little Italy (or Sicily for short), where we got stuck in to some delicious lasagna and steak. One more school visit on Wednesday afternoon and our final shifts at our placements on Wednesday and Thursday meant we had completed our month of work in Cambodia.

Having finished our practicum for the month, we started to look back and reflect on the once-in-a-lifetime experience we had just been a part of. We have helped stroke patients, people with diabetes, polio sufferers, amputee victims- the majority of which were from landmines- and cerebral palsy sufferers. We helped run outreach clinics in villages often 1-2 hours out of Siem Reap (where some people have never seen Westerners before) and provided exercise and fun activities to hundreds of over-energized primary school children. We have seen the result of a truly horrible government regime that still affects the country nearly 40 years on, and we've visited killing fields and prisons where Cambodians tortured and killed their fellow countrymen and women. But most of all, we have realised and seen first hand the difference that we’ve made to the lives of people less fortunate that us, whether it be as little as showing someone how to stretch muscles that are stiff and tight, or teaching people with new prosthetic limbs how to walk properly.

We have also made so many new friends on this journey. Over the course of our time here we became close with our translators, the employees of the various clinics and organisations we worked at, the teachers that supervised our trip, the many patients we worked with, and our amazing in-country organisers Billy and Vichay. As a student group we are closer than ever before. We have even witnessed the emergence of a new celebrity couple in the group that now rivals Kimye and Brangelina, known only as Jafiq…

We have enjoyed a month with some of the best- and cheapest- food and drinks in the world (massive call, but I dare you to prove me wrong), and experienced parts of a country completely different to our own that no common tourist would ever see. Joel managed to go through over 100 water bottles on the trip, Jarvey polished off 3L of hand sanitzer (and still managed to get sick), Matt made an Aussie hiphop video, Chris has a table tennis record of 1 win and 47 losses, and everyone danced on a table at some point at Angkor What bar. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end at some point, so with no American dollars left we departed Siem Reap to return to the cold and wet conditions in Perth (yay…)

Before I sign off I need to say a massive thank you on behalf of the group to Tanya, Fiona and the Antipodeans team for making this trip truly unforgettable. I also need to thank Chris and the translators for all the help they gave us. Finally, I urge anyone who has the opportunity to travel/volunteer abroad; I promise you won't regret it and you certainly won't forget it.

Johm riab li and saamnang la-aw (thank you and good luck)

Volunteering in Cambodia

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Healthcare
WRITTEN BY: Amy Kay

Last week was very busy on placement! The girls on home visits did a brilliant job of collating all the information collected by the previous group into tables and lists, then buying everything from the local market or pharmacy and packing items to be distributed to each household. With money that has been fundraised we had been able to provide everyone in the MHDC community (153 houses) with a toothbrush and soap per person, a tube of toothpaste per 3 people and either a blanket, mat or mosquito net. More items such as water filtration systems (a terracotta pot in a bucket) wheelchairs, walking frames, extra clothes and baby formula have been bought for those families that need them.

We rotated groups at the end of the week, so some of us had the privilege of beginning delivery on Friday. The gratitude shown by these amazing families is incomparable. One man saw us and immediately tried to set up chairs for us all! Another young disabled boy was given a new wheelchair and his smile and silent amazement was a beautiful thing to witness. The people are so generous and have the biggest hearts with the little that they have.

Volunteering at the village school has been challenging but amazing. The feeling of standing in front of a class of 50 kids so eager to learn, with nothing to hide behind (as lesson plans go completely out the window!) is scary, but incredible. I know that everyone would agree that even with a teaching degree behind you, nothing prepares you for the flexibility and spontaneity required to teach over here.

We have now begun prepping the classroom for painting, which is very exciting. The girls teaching at the school have asked the kids to draw some pictures so they can be involved in the process too.

On Wednesday we had dinner at Soria Moria with the translators and Dayvy. Every dish and drink is $1! That night, Morgan, Meg, Ella and Lauren took the bus to Sihanoukville, where they spent hours in the ocean on beautiful beaches, relaxing and restoring energy for the week ahead. At the end of the week Vara from Antipodeans came to see us on placement and then we had dinner with her at Angkor Amazon. It was great to be able to talk and share our experiences with her.

On the weekend we went to Battambang, which was lots of fun! We rode on a bamboo train which literally consists of a narrow train track, a set of two steel wheels and a bamboo platform! We also climbed 300 steps up to Wat Banan Temple, which was absolutely beautiful. Sunday was spent recuperating and resting for our final week of placement!

Cambodia a real eye opener for UniBreak volunteers

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Healthcare & Teaching
WRITTEN BY: UniBreak Volunteers

Last weekend was very busy and full of touristy adventures in contrast to our week volunteering. On Saturday, Skye, Jess, Tara and Amy went on an 80km bike ride around the countryside of Siem Reap, which was absolutely stunning. The other volunteers went to see the floating villages of Tonle Sap.

On Sunday we were up at 4:30am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which was absolutely gorgeous despite the cloudy weather. The rest of the day consisted of exploring Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm, and Louise and Caitlin went zip lining! In the afternoon, Jess, Caitlin and Louise ventured out to a waterfall with Siphuong (one of our awesome translators).

The children at Krapeu village school and MHDC children are just incredible; their excitement and willingness to participate is overwhelmingly beautiful. At the village school we have been learning the alphabet, numbers, colours and family - so we made a 'rainbow wall' and put up drawings of their family - which they were incredibly excited about! At MHDC, the girls have been focusing the extremely energetic nature of the children into learning the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colours and clothing. These children don't get to choose the family or country they are born into, yet they make the most of the opportunities they are given. The optimistic, big dreaming mind sets of these children is exactly what Cambodia needs in it's future.

The girls on home visits have done an amazing job getting around to each house and assessing people's needs. Seeing the conditions and circumstances these people live under has been an incredibly humbling experience and change in perspective for the group. One of the houses they visited had a man suffering from extremely severe burns, which needed to be properly cared for at a clinic. However, they cannot afford the expense of treatment, so the family tirelessly cares for him, changing bandages and tending to the burns. It isn't until you see the everyday lives of these people and the battles they fight, that the hard hitting reality of poverty is truly realised. I think it is something that everyone living in a first world country should experience.

At the end of the week the groups rotated into their respective placements, so everyone is continuing to plan and adjust to a change of environment.

This weekend we caught the night bus to Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh, which was a very bumpy ride where sleeping was never guaranteed. But 8 hours later we were there! We all left Phnom Penh different times, however most of the group visited the Killing Fields and the S-12 Genocide Museum, which was an extremely sobering experience. People found it very hard to fathom the atrocities and horror that is Cambodia's all too recent history. On a lighter note, a few rounds of deserved rooftop cocktails, exploring Phnom Penh and the Russian Markets made it a great weekend!

Notre Dame Exercise Physiology Students in Siem Reap

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Exercise Physiology
WRITTEN BY: Notre Dame University

The first week of our exercise physiology practicum placements in Siem Reap, Cambodia, was an eventful one. It involved introductions to our placement centres, a day course on child protection training, outreach clinics in the villages surrounding Siem Reap and a number of adventures in the heart of the city.

The three placements we are working at are the Angkor Association for the Disabled, Cambodia Diabetes Association and the Siem Reap Physical Rehabilitation Centre. In our allocated groups of 4 we will spend 4 days at each placement completing health assessments on patients and prescribing appropriate exercise programs where necessary. The difference between clients we will see here as opposed to those in Perth is that almost all of the Cambodians have Type 2 diabetes due to a variety of reasons but mainly because of their diet. Many of the clients also complete low or no amounts of physical activity due to their busy working lifestyle and lack of facilities.

During the first week we also spent 2 days at outreach clinics in villages about an hour out of Siem Reap. These clinics are run by CDA and involve villagers coming in to get their blood glucose levels checked during a quick health assessment and then collecting medication from the CDA doctor. It was our job to take anthropometric measures as well as blood glucose and then prescribe 3 exercises that patients could complete at home.

Both villages, but especially the village we visited on the second day that is usually flooded at this time of year, provided an amazing experience in an unfamiliar environment. We will complete another 2 outreach clinics in the remaining 3 weeks.

The other side of our trip here involves exploring Siem Reap and taking advantage of their dirt-cheap and extremely delicious food and drink found around the appropriately named “Pub Street”. Restaurants of all cuisines provide quality food and drinks usually for less than $10 a meal. So far Chris has managed to stick to his rule of 1 beer per day, and on Friday night the group ended up on a pub-crawl through some of the bars and pubs in the heart of Siem Reap along with 75 other tourists from various countries around the world.

All in all it has been a great start to the trip (other than Matt and Jess being sick for a few days) with everyone settling in to our accommodation and starting to know our way through the bumpy streets of Siem Reap.

Week Two!

Our first weekend in Siem Reap saw the majority of the group (including Tanya and Chris) nursing hangovers for the best part of Saturday, after a late finish on Fridays pub crawl. Our recovery method eventually turned into a game of soccer at a local pitch, where we played with 6 Cambodian boys who had way too much energy. Once we had sweated out the previous night’s alcohol we watched Fremantle play the Eagles on a big screen and had a greasy lunch.

The next morning we woke at 4am and went off to see Cambodia’s most well known tourist attraction, the temples of Angkor Wat. Even though the sunrise was hidden in a cloudy sky, the experience was incredible and we ended up seeing close to 10 different temples in the area. After such an early rise and close to 8 hours of walking up and down stairs we were wrecked and slightly delirious. At one point we caught Mathias yelling at 2 ants to stop fighting each other…

The start of the working week commenced as per usual, with Wednesday the last day of our first of the 3 placements. On Thursday afternoon we went to a primary school and in pairs, ran different games and activities for the students. The next 2 hours were a blur, with close to 250 kids rotating through the 6 groups. If I had to describe it in 1 word, I would either use hectic, or mayhem. I have never seen kids having so much fun before in my life, and I don’t think any of us could wipe the smiles off our faces either.

On Friday we had a half day at our placements before catching a bus for 7 hours to the capital, Phnom Penh.