A very very Merry Christmas one and all! I'm back from Cambodia, safe and happy, but a part of me is missing Cambodia- the place, the people, the company and the things we did. The trip has been awesome and I must say... this would be the best YEP trip ever! Don't ask me if I would go on another trip in the near future but this is the status quo at the moment.
Lest I forget my feelings and thoughts as I have not been writing my journal dutifully (actually this is the first time I didn't write a journal proper), I shall share some of my after-thoughts here. I have to attribute the bulk of the good trip to having a good OC. The road before YEP hasn't been all smooth-sailing and in fact, at some point in time, it was over-taxing, people juggling YEP stuff with other stuff and studies. Nevertheless, I'm really glad we made it and the trip has been worthwhile. Anyway, I was forced to grow up fast in the first few days in Cambodia. Being one of the very few people who have been to Cambodia before, running the itinerary was challenging initially and I had to cope with last minute changes to the itinerary (as I was not able to discuss this with the driver before arriving and just had to trust that the coordinator had conveyed the messages to him), every single moment required some decision making. It was really an exciting experience. Back in the village, I took some time to re-adjust the expectations. The initial phase was pretty challenging as members constantly seeked help (sometimes even for menial tasks haha, ok I don't blame them as most are staying in a village for the very first time) and at some time, I stepped on the fine line between telling them everything that needs to be done and letting them find out what needs to be done themselves. It got pretty frustrating but I was glad that the team adapted to the new environment pretty fast and well and by the 3rd day, I could see them settling in.
The days in the village were very good. The villagers were very hospitable, taking the initiative to interact with us. We could very well communicate beyond language, using exaggerated expressions and hand gestures to get our messages across and sometimes ending up in laughing fits. Li Xian and Wei Jian both got a new christian name, Rosy and Tom respectively, to help our Cambodian friends remember their names better. The OC interacted well, through mural painting and the interactions and activities with the villagers. And for me personally, I think I grew a lot during this one week- I regained faith, I learnt to cope with the language barrier, the importance of keeping everyone well-informed, learnt how people could be self-sufficient with the limited resources they have, to cherish the things we possess now- family, friends and some intangibles, to learn to be contented with the simple things in life- the intangibles and of course, I learnt to harvest rice, to pump water out of a well using a generator, cook a few more dishes etc etc. Note aside, staying at this village has been fascinating. It was my first time sleeping above pigs, ducks, chickens, lots of dog, my first time stroking cows, my first time visiting a brick factory, my first time attending a christmas event at the province church.
All in all, the trip has been good. Thank you all for all the wonderful things that have happened. One of my regrets though, would be me not being able to staying throughout the entire trip. Nevertheless, I hope the trip has been equally good, if not, better for the team.
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