Today was our first full day on the island, taking part in the service aspect of this trip in Cambodia. So far the food on this island has been amazing – for breakfast we had fried noodles, dragon fruit and bananas, and in my opinion it was our......Read More
Today we started the morning nice and early to the sound of animals. Afterwards, we biked from our homestay to the community centre, where we ate a delicious breakfast comprised of noodles, as well as some assorted fruits. After eating, my group of......Read More
Hi, I’m Diana Westlin, Sarah’s Mom and I’m absolutely thrilled about this Service Program. Having such an amazing opportunity to be able to work with people literally half way around the World! Back when I was a teenager, to the......Read More
Today we had a one hour bus ride and everyone got to know each other better. Traveling from Kratie to Sambour, the view was spectacular. From the lake view to the street of Cambodia, we indirectly got another taste of Cambodian identity and culture.......Read More
Starting with our classic 7.30am balcony meeting, we had our Khmer language lesson, roles and plan for the day. After eating a “western style” breakfast at the guest house, we climbed aboard our bus. The one hour bus ride was beautiful since we......Read More
The day started off with a traditional Cambodian breakfast as usual and then we boarded a bus to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia where the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were and continue to be sentenced. It is a very complicated......Read More
Today we had the honour of listening to Thavry Thon speak about her story of bravery, courage and determination. Thavry shared how she and her family challenged social norms by pursuing an education for herself and her two brothers. Thavry expressed......Read More
Phnom Penh is a very busy city. We had a great opportunity to stay at Starwood Inn for three nights. We had packed days filled with learning, exploring, walking, and having fun. The first day we were all extremely tired from our long day of......Read More
Our time in Phnom Penh was an exhilarating rollercoaster. The three days were filled with great historical knowledge, fun tuktuk rides, bai (rice), and unfortunately, some of us feeling sick. Although I expected the large masses of rice, everything......Read More
Today we experienced yet another day in the beautiful city of Phnom Penh. My favourite parts of the day were our rooftop meeting in the morning, and our discussion with Thavry, the author of “A Proper Woman”. Firstly, on the roof, we......Read More
We are wrapping up our time in Phnom Penh. We had an amazing day with a Market Challenge/Scavenger hunt in the morning and lunch with Thavry Thon author of ‘A Proper Woman’ and her friend Mie. The students were totally in awe and inspired by her......Read More
We’ve had an incredible day – there was so much to take in and process that I feel it is only in our reflections and discussions that are we even able to comprehend the enormity of what we have seen, heard and encountered in today’s......Read More
I struggle to put into words precisely the emotions I or any other members of the group feel. Visiting sites of such unimaginable horror, I attempt to comprehend the unimaginable atrocity. We visited first the S-21 prison, a former school which in......Read More
Our first full day in Cambodia was a heavy one for us all, and difficult to describe in words. The main focus was to develop a deeper understanding of the Cambodian genocide that began in 1975. The day started with a visit to S-21 prison in the city......Read More
Cambodia has already captured our hearts. What a wonderful place to be – right from the approach into Phnom Penh the excitement in the air was electric on board our Dragon Air flight. We landed with ease, and passed through customs without any......Read More
Dear friends and family of Appleby students, We have arrived!! Here is a photo of the whole group by a little fountain that we found in the airport. Despite being in the opposite time zone, everyone was raring to go with loads of energy! We had a......Read More
