It was sometime in late January to early February 2008 when word broke out on stage of this Humanitarian aid Project, that Mr Paul Hodges set up with so much effort and work involved. He made a presentation about it in a fall school Assembly. He said to us all if anyone wanted to go to get a form saying it does cost $3500. For some reason I decided to take on this challenge with a lot of worry of financial difficulty. At lunch, I had the forms. That night I handed them to my dad to sign; he was even worried to sign it due to the fact of a $500 deposit was needed, luckily I managed to convince him that I would find away, thinking in my head how the heck am I going to find $500 upfront little known the rest as well.
One night at youth group, I think it was the 2nd night of youth, because the first night for this year was the first time I met Chelsea Male’s friend Jasmine Clarke, anyway back on track this night I mentioned this to Paster John Gollan about this trip, saying nothing about the deposit cost only the fall amount.
A few weeks past, at this time it was a Friday the last day of the week having dislocated my elbow and having some bad news that I was told I did not make it due to the fact that I did not make the due date for the desposit and there was no room left for anyone else at this time.
Well so I thought, that night at youth, paster John told me that the Bribie Island Baptist church congregation decided to aid me with $500 however, I told him that I didn’t make it.
Until Monday began, I told Mr Hodges about this cheque of $500 and about Paster John telling me this good news. By Tuesday, I was back on a roll and yes with a dislocated elbow. By Thursday I had received the pack to help me fundraise, as soon as I got it I started to collect donations That day, which I managed to raise about $100 plus I was able to get some contacts to help with this project to give to Mr Hodges, as soon as I got home, I had emailed him to tell him.
By Sunday night, I had received the $500 cheque given to me by the Bribie Island Baptist church. It was such a good feeling to have such an amount in my hands ready to hand in on Monday.
The fundraiser
Monday came. that day I handed in the $600 to the office, at this point, I was a head of everybody else without knowledge of this
The 3rd or 4th week at Cadets I spoke to Mr Darryl Neild about this project at first, he said nothing. Until next week or next week after, he told me to write a letter and asked if I could email him it ASAP and to ask my dad if he would approved of it and said they would properly only give about $50 - $100.
By this time Mr Hodges ordered in some cholates to give to us to sell, he had a few left so I took the last 4 boxes of chocolates to sell. So now, every Thursday after the PRE Tafe course was finished for the day I would sell chocolates.
Team 2 was a foot I still hadn’t written that letter due to busyness.
Wednesday had come I had explained that I had been busy so the night I came home I began the letter sent it, he read it and edited it on Sunday
By Monday he emailed it back and asked if my dad could ring him, so he did
This time I started to worry due to the fact I only had $900 and at this time I need to get about $2000 by the deadline, I asked Mr Hodges for 1000 raffle tickets to sell, I managed to get 200 off him, but if I could sell them to come back for more
By Wednesday at Cadets, he gave me some contacts to send this letter to and one that needed to be sent by Thursday tomorrow.
Next week come, it was Wednesday once again, at stand easy (food Time) came, he had got everyone’s attention to present on behalf of the Navel Association Pines Rivers a $500 cheque. Now I had about $1400
By June a meeting was set up on a Monday by Mr Neild for me to come to one of the Pines Rivers meeting to speak about this project I received $500 from the HAMS Perth QLD association and $100 for clothes by another member.
On Saturday the 21st of June, the church had an auction to aid me on my way, that night an amount of $800 or more was raised. Thanks to Burnie and Lynette Jackson for the idea and running this event. It was done I had made the amount of $3500 but now had to hand it in also over the term 2 holidays I had received letters with $100s and $200s, and near the beginning of term 3 my dads bosses boss Michael Vos donated an amount of $1000, I was well on truly on my way.
The troubles, the good and the better
Now it was term 3 now in August, Mr Hodges travel agent realised my passport was 2 weeks out of the 6mouths needed on validly, so I had to print off the forms off the net to be filled in and payed for. Luckily, that I had received more that what was needed. Therefore, I took the forms to school so Mr Hodges could fill in the payment side of them,
Monday came; I left them on the beach so I could complete them when I had returned home. However, they were sent already by my grandparents trying to do a good deed so I was hoping it was going to get threw ok, sadly 10 days later the forms returned. I had to send them back filled in properly, worrying with time closing in,
10days later it was complete, the forms was not sent back but the passport had come,
With the extra amount of money, I had a hiking bag, vaccinations and doxycycline hydrochloride tablets.
The weekend at Alexandra Conference Centre or something like that
It was now Friday the 29th of august 2008.
It was the end of the day at high school where the Cambodian team waited to go to the conference centre to stay the night in cabins at the campsite. It was 30mins away from the highway. The males had room a3 and the girls had room a2
The girls had a cake and scott jeromy and ben hid the cake. I knew about it, but didn’t let on, they gave it back the next day (when ants got over it, don’t worry they just took it out of its plastic casing thing and put the plasic casing in the girls room to make it look like we ate the cake. The girls got all worried about that damn cake) then most of us had a piece of cake even though ants had marched all over it. Now that was settled we packed the boxes, got an idea how to pack our bags the best way to fit more in and how to prepare an English lesson (basic) for Cambodia.
13 days to go from Sunday the 31st
now Monday had passed, this Wednesday I have a photo shoot with the orchard ass.
Again
Now it is Tuesday the 2nd of September 11 days to go, now my worry has the lest but what shall I expect out of my comfort zone for that I only know to expect in words not in actions, soon I will see the truth. The day of the photo shoot was here it was Wednesday the 3rd of September 2008. went to school to get the photo for the local rag. Done it was over now I am prepared on this side now to get ready for the next.
The new beginning
It is Friday the week before I depart for new land to see. Dad and I finely made the first move and moved out of the controlling grandparents that kept expecting more and only think of what they do not what anyone else does for them they say thank you then forget they helped them. So we moved out of there place. at this time we are staying at the manse temporally trying to find everything bits and bobs.
The 2nd day at the manse Monday the week I depart. Today I managed to tidy the rooms, get rid of unneeded junk good thing I didn’t have school today due ti the fact of taking the whole day to clean the rooms. Tomorrow I have to go to school.
The day before
It is now Friday 12am in the morning; soon I will be in Cambodia. It was now 2127hrs, I was going to head to bed at 8pm but I got banging on the door thinking what on earth, so I was about to answer it. I knew who it was so I went around to the back door and fellow them in the front; oh, by the way it was my youth group. As soon as I got back up stairs they wished me happy birthday as I wasn’t going to be here in Aussie for my 18th they gave my a present, it was a pen a note book a activity book and most important a birthday card. Now the time is 2135 I'm heading to bed night.
The 13th of September 2008
Cambodia here we come
The time is 6.25am in the morning waiting in the airport. Got up at 4ish to 5ish to get to the airport,
The time is 9.17 we are on the plane now the time is 9.35 am prepare for take off.
It is now 9.40am the plane is taking off now in the air at 9.44am.
Had branch at 11.27am
The time is 1415 Singapore time 48mins to go
1439 just crossed the northern hemisphere
1506 landed in Singapore
1530 wow Singapore airport has theses guards with guns and these travel laters, the are kind of like escalators, they are fun
To Cambodia
1523 Cambodian time, we are still in Singapore in the plane going to take off the time at the moment is 1623 here in Singapore time set watch to Cambodian time
1600 we are now going to take off
1645 had tea Singapore time is 1745 had tea served 10mins ago
1740 Cambodian time looking over Cambodia now landing soon,
1745 landed in Cambodia
1829 noticed the humid heat as soon as we got outside now in van and as soon as we left Phonm Phen airport we all look outside with amazement and shock. We saw many motorbikes scooters ect. With 3 people on nearly every one and flash cars worth top dollar now most of them where left hand drives like the yanks but some where right hand drives likes of back home although you know your in Cambodia when the powerlines are a mess and the cars are packed like tin cans. Then soon after we realised we where on the wrong side of the road they use they drive on the same side as the yanks, don’t get me started on there driving, over here honking your horn doesn’t mean get out of my way I'm coming thru, it basicly just means I'm just letting you know I'm coming thru, I love the traffic lights system, it has a count down thing 70secs for green 70secs for red and same with the red man and the green plus the green man starts walking faster, now I thought this was 3rd world well the litter, some slumes and beggers on the street well the slumes wasn’t on the street but just of the road slumes are home made houses. Some slumes had tv anteners on them.
1937 at the place we are staying the Okay guest house a backpackers motel. The room that Tyler, Jeremy, and I stayed the main door I could touch the top of the door with my head and touch the ceiling with my hands barely reaching
Sunday the 14th of September
0600 2nd day here, it is very humid. Food is cheap. Most of it ranges from $1-$3. so $5 would get you a really good meal. Now I hear this is one of the dearest places apart from tourist spots. Love to know what cheap is. Also a bottle of water 1500ml got for about 75¢ by the way this is set in US$
0857 in van going to church
1059 at the old high school where in the pol pots revolution came it was turned in to a prison or should I say a toucher camp. The got every one out of the city saying the yanks where going to send another bomb into Phnom Phen over 2,000 where tortured and killed here.
1200ish or 1300ish we had now going to the killing field
1424 at killing field
2100 or 2200 went to bed
15th September 2008
07ish had brekkie
0830 walked to palace
0843 got to palace
After that walked around the city for a bit and I got to ring home for $1 for 4mins to landline and for 2mins to a mobile phone to Australia. I rung Chelsea Male, but she didn’t answer her phone, had then went on a took took went to pho for lunch it was good food I got the squid rings yum had lots of chilli yum and yum
1700ish 1800ish Had tea
2305 went to bed
16th September 2008
nearly at breaking point with one of the team members stupid insults and jokes about sheep only less than three weeks to go
The Orphanage
17th September 2008
6ish got up we came to the orphanage last night now at the orphanage our first night we slept on some mats on the floor hard as rock even with the sleeping bag.
6.30am we when down for the first meal of the day Breakfast… yip you guested it RICE lots and lots of RICE!!!!
8am to 8.30am we had our first Khmer language lesson
9am the hard work began our first project, to dig really deep holes 3 meters round and about two meters deep, we dug two of them, if you are wondering why we were digging theses holes, well to keep it simple so big tanks could be put down these holes to store pig poo, Why pig poo?? Well if you don’t know then I’ll tell you that pig poo makes gas and they use the gas to cook on a gas oven, interesting. Everyone was helping we basicly didn’t get that far until the Khmer Orphans came to help dig, this project took days and days it rained for some oh just to say to a point of digging we hit clay, it doesn’t help when it rains then dries just a little bit, made digging harder, miss Williams, Ben and Mr Hodges worked really hard digging the holes so did every one but they where in those holes most of the time, I would say more than anyone else in the group of people, the Khmer orphans helped lots so did everyone.
1230 had lunch more rice
1230-1430 we had a two-hour break to reflect and do what ever then back to work on the holes
1730 had rice for tea
2000 went to bed tonight I tried folding my sleeping bag so my hips up would have a good night sleep.
18th September 2008
0600 woke up
0630 breakfast (rice)
0800 – 0830 Khmer lessons
0900 worked
1230 lunch yip more rice
1230-1430 two-hour breaks to reflect and do what ever then back to work on the holes
1730 tea rice
Unknown time- lost my watch cant find it
19th September 2008
6ish woke up
0630 had breakfast (more rice)
0900 worked
1230 had lunch (rice again)
1230-1430 two-hour break to reflect and do what ever then back to work on the holes
1730 had tea (rice)
10 days until I turn 18
2000ish went to bed
20th September 2008
did the normal thing except only worked half day
21st September 2008
6ish work up
6.30 breakfast RiCe
7ish got took tooks to get to church
0900 church starts we got to the church too early
1230 lunch rice
1730 tea more and more rice
2115 found my watch sometime today wow going to bed soon
2120 going to bed
22nd September 2008
6am work up
6.30am had more rice for the first meal of the day
8am to 8.30 am Khmer lessons
0900 to 1230 just did some hoeing the gardens
1230 lunch rice and rice and rice after that we came back to the village
1500 finished prepared English lesson then went back to the orphanage to the one we are staying at
1630 at main orphanage just looked at more of the village it was good
2100 after tea at 1730 we had a fire crarker war starting at 6ish to 7ish pm
2108 going to bed starting to feel sick abit off colour
23rd September 2008
in the morning mr hodges touched the wall and afew tiles came crashing down he managed to catch two, but the other two broke
0600 woke up
0630 rice for breakfast
0800 to 08.30 Khmer lessons
0900 worked
1130 lunch rice
1500-1630 teach English games
1730 had tea rice with damper at the end
2105 going to bed
24th September
0610 woke up
0630 rice for breakfast
0800 to 08.30 Khmer lessons
0900 worked on clearing field for crops
1130 lunch rice
1203 went on took tooks to get to the church to see the weavers and wood workers at work
1500-1700 teach English games and have fun games
1730-1800 tea more rice
1800 –1830 went to shops
2100 went to bed
25th September 2008
today I woke up feeling sick as a dog had brekkie at 0630, at 8am to 9am learning khmer lessons
9am - 9.30am brick laying on the toilets and after 9.30am until 1130 we started to hoe the scrub away from the fence line to stop the barbwire rusting sounds easy but its not specially with red ants having a feast on feet plus my watch strap just came off.
26th September 2008
woke up at 6ish
had brekkie at 6.30 wasn’t feeling to well, as soon as I got back I slept and slept I had no energy until I woke up about 11am where the team was giving the boxes, after we gave the boxes we played with we went water sliding apart from me as I didn’t feel that good, them then lunch came I was nearly in tears they all came out of one room singing happy birthday to you happy birthday to you clapping there hands that’s not the part when I started to bore my eyes out it was after they had finished singing, they presented me with a birthday card with two photos on it when I was smaller than I am now, I knew who sent them, (my dad)
27th September 2008
today was a sad day we woke up 15mins early than normal but that wasn’t the sad part we went to breakfast area earlier but that also wasn’t the sad part, we got given gifts that wasn’t the sad part but today was the day we would leave the orphanage and go to see Angkor Wat, tears came from everywhere us them everyone it was today to go leave. We left at 7.30am we got a wave off.
6 hours to Angkor Wat when we got there we brought our tickets to see the temples after we did that we stayed in at the Sydney Hotel
now it was time to rest easy to refect on what we did
N.B a baby scorpion crawled up my leg while I was in the dunny so I walked out calmly and said there is a scorpion crawling up my leg while I was in the orphanage
28th September 2008
woke up at 4.30am
explored the temples 1st temple we saw was to see the sun rise but the sun didn’t show due to clouds for tea went to see cultural dancing at koulen II
29th September 2008
it is now my birthday I am now 18 at 0920 we went to the floating village. A village on the water we got a boat to see the village, some random girl climb on to our boat and tried to sell us drinks hahaha lol random.
We got back to the hotel at 1145
1210 went to old market
went for a bite aka lunch
1835 waiting for tea at this bar place got a pizza to eat, they had a cake for me as I was turned 18
2159 going to bed
30th September 2008
6.30am in van going to go back Phnom Phen
8am had French fries
1025 just had a fast stop
12ish back in Phnom Phen
1550 on boat for a crise
1st, 2nd 3rd October
time to relax and ect
2nd of September we went to the Russian markets again but my first time because I wasn’t feeling to well and about 3pmish we were at the airport ready to go home when we got to Singapore some of us brought some stuff from the shops ect we didn’t leave Singapore until 3 hours from arriving the plan back to Australia was boarding at 0015 Singapore time one hour ahead of Cambodian time
we got back to Australia at 0900 the 3rd of October
