 Children playing Dog & Bone during the 'games' program Well, all good things must come to an end. Overall, Project Sunshine 2017 was indeed a great success in touching the hearts of our brothers and sisters of the world. Through multiple setbacks in programs, overall health and morale of the team, the team went out in one piece and came back in one piece. Nonetheless, we made great friends that will last a lifetime. Success comes without a failure, and here are a few concerns I felt during the trip. Of course, we must also thank the hardworking souls that put their 200% throughout this trip.  A short morning gathering before the day starts Program The program was great. There were many interesting parts catered for us to interact and let us help the children at the orphanage. I'd say, the best part of the program was when the program wasn't running at all. It was where I could better care for the children. Although I wasn't directly involved in the main program, I work behind-the-scenes to prepare meals for the team, and got a first hand look at the preparation methods in rural cambodia. Despite the language barrier, I was able to communicate to the elders and the children, to help them in food preparation. On one occasion, it was a session of preparing carrots to be sliced for an omelette. Through cutting, I saw the amount of detail and attention that was put into to cut the carrot into thin, 5mm thick pieces. Everyone was seen check their work, making sure that they do their best. The level of detail was impeccable that it made me realise how Cambodians honor their work and how they want it to be correctly portrayed to its viewers/users.  Damn the level of detail :D Despite my experiences, the program also suffered shortfalls in the flow and quality, probably due to the lack of experienced leaders and guidance by their mentors. Well, we're all learning, yet success will always come with Failures. I believe through practice and guidance, program leaders can rise and do a better job in future. However, it is hard to wonder in the long-term effects of our work to impact the greater community in the Orphanage. For example, the act of gardening may help to grow vegetables for the people in the Orphanage, but does it help them to be self sufficient? Or would these plants survive the harsh climate of Cambodia? In another case, would building a toilet improve the hygiene situation in the Orphanage? How will that benefit the children? Would our actions continue to be felt in the Orphanage? Or would it remain as a fond memory, represented in a picture? Hygiene & Health Singapore is a hygienic and just society where healthcare and clean surrounding are commonly found in both closed and open spaces. As we head overseas, we may find ourselves in tough situations where the overall hygiene and health isn't up to our way of life. During the trip, I observed many shortfalls in hygiene where we may had missed, leading to the many occasions where some team members fell ill (including myself) to it.  The cradle of cross contamination a) Cross Contamination of Poultry & Raw Vegetables Largely found in the kitchen on an elevated straw mat, the straw mat contained both poultry and raw vegetables where it was placed there as a holding area before it is cooked. During this process, liquids from both fresh and raw foods converge at one spot, causing a mat of dangerous substances and swarms of houseflies that roam around, further spreading the contamination. b) Unclean Poultry & Raw Vegetables Prepared on unclean surfaces, both poultry and raw vegetables were prepared on the ground, on top on different straw mats. Vegetables were skinned, sliced and placed into clean containers for use in cooking later. However, some vegetables were not washed before cooking, thus retaining the bacteria caught during the preparation process. c) Cross Contamination of Raw Foods & Clean water On one occasion, I observed Ice being added into clean water to create a refreshing drink for all to share. Despite not knowing the source of ice or the cleanliness of the production process, it was worrying to see foreign content being added into clean water, used for drinking purposes. d) Food Handling & Storage Musty storage solutions and the lack of hygiene while serving foods may have caused some form of contamination to cooked foods when serving. Although the risk is low, it is still important to ensure all food handlers are adequately equipped with protective equipment. Despite the shortfalls in hygiene, I believe the defining factor includes the drastic differences in the way of life. We may be suited to our likes of hygiene, but our friends may be suited to another way of keeping it clean.  Moments before we start the day Morale
Project Sunshine is a trip hosted by the Cambodian Scouts Association, led by 15 Singapore Scouts, representing the Singapore Scouts Association, it was an international trip that kept our connections in both countries at bay. Despite the funfair in our work and why we are present, it was present that we were held back by many rules and strict discipline, that prevented many of us to comfortably network with our cambodian counterparts. On many occasions, the singapore team were keeping within their cliques instead of interacting with the cambodians. Thus, it affected the morale of the team, where we were guarded by boundaries despite us being overseas - paid to get trapped. Politics amongst the ranks and inter-leader relations tighten the situation as leaders become onlookers and onlookers became followers (someone just want to stir shit up). Despite the lively spirits, many were disheartened, tired and stressed throughout the trip when seen through some of the members. I believe sometimes it is important to relieve ourselves from our main purpose, and comfortably grow and interact with the people around you. It is important for everyone to understand why there are here and know how to show their thoughts to others. Despite it all, Project Sunshine was a meaningful trip where I got to experience working with our brothers and sisters in Cambodia, made new friends, understand more in their culture and touch a heart or many. Honestly, I did not learnt much, but I did it more like an experience. I believe one should always treat these trips as experiences, not objectives. By treating it non-objectively, we're able to see things in a different perspective yet understand why we do it in a large focal point. That's all folks!
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 The procession to the Stupa (Day 6-7) It was day 7. The day we were suppose to leave Phnom Penh. The day begun with breakfast at the Guest House, followed by lunch and the Messenger of Peace program at the Killing Fields. Having been to the Killing Fields before just last year in October 2016, I had experienced and felt the sorrow from the fields. Upon entering, one can feel the sadness that feels the entire soul, and the horrors of what the Khmer Rouge had done to its own people. The scent of death, large mass graves, pecks of bones and skeletal remains heightens the level of sadness where it's common, to see people suddenly feeling a tad bit sad while in the compound.  May peace be with you :) Having been to the Killing Fields before just last year in October 2016, I had experienced and felt the sorrow from the fields. Upon entering, one can feel the sadness that feels the entire soul, and the horrors of what the Khmer Rouge had done to its own people. The scent of death, large mass graves, pecks of bones and skeletal remains heightens the level of sadness where it's common, to see people suddenly feeling a tad bit sad while in the compound. We begun with a ceremonial march to the stupa at the centre Choeung Ek Killing Fields. After removing our shoes and bowing as a sign of respect, we placed flowers and headed into the Stupa. The Stupa housed hundreds of unknown skulls, skeletal remains and clothing, represented as per how each person was murdered in this very compound. It is hard to believe that hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people were murdered, where most of them include talented and well-educated individuals. The act of cleansing the nation by removing people that are 'not-aligned' with the Khmer Rouge's values reduced the nation's population by around 3.42 million. Entering Choeung Ek Killing Fields as a seasoned individual, I reminded myself of the crimes that the Khmer Rouge did against humanity and the terrible acts that they committed to innocent people. I remember one exhibit that spoke of how the 'Killers' had to kill innocent people even if they did not want to. Had he not done so, he would had been murdered too as he was thought to be disrespectful to the Khmer Rouge. As I walked past mass graves and a tree stained red with the blood of babies who died after getting their heads smashed, I recall how the Khmer Rouge was once known to be the 'Great' ruler of Cambodia. From what I understand, it is said that the Khmer Rouge even had a seat the United Nations (UN) where there were internationally recognised for their actions on making Cambodia great again. Even so, the rest of the world did not know much about the acts of what the Khmer Rouge did to 'cleanse' their people. In eradicating the opposition, the Khmer Rouge exercised control over its people and held the accused in prisons all over Cambodia. One of it, remaining till this day includes the S21 Prison. After interrogation, trialed prisoners from various prisons will be sent to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields to be executed. From the prisoner's point of view, they had little clue of what happens as the overall experience from prison to death was surrounded in secrecy. For example, loud music played from the Killing Field imitated a joyous occasion to prevent the cries of the prisoners from leaking out from the compound. Simple tools such as pickles, axes and blunt weapons were used to execute prisoners in a mass scale. Once execution was complete, a highly dangerous pesticide called DDT was used to hide the stench that came from decomposing bodies of the dead.  I'd like to extend my gratitude to Seng Hou in doing his best, out of his duties in caring my other half when I wasn't able to do so After the walk, the group gathered at a shelter where we were briefly given a talk on the history of Cambodia. Throughout the talk, I became increasingly worried about my other half where I couldn't pay attention to the talk. She was still in hospital and there were no news of her diagnosis. Soon after, the group went off to the media viewing gallery and I remained outside to be alone. I received a call from her and overhead the diagnosis that the doctor gave. She was fine. I was relieved. Despite the great news, she had to remain in the hospital till the very next day as she chose to be under observation. Next, we headed off to the nearby restaurant and we had our final 'After-Action Review'. This was where we reflected and gave feedback on the good, bad and improvements for the trip. We then went to dinner and the last night was a great one after all.  It's someone's birthday! The next morning, we packed and got check-out. Our bus took us to the S21 Prison, where some of us were given a choice to enter. I chose not to enter and spent the morning at a nearby cafe drinking some ice cold Angkor Beer. Soon, we headed out to the Central Market, where I purchased gifts for myself and my other half. Very soon, we were on our way to the airport. Arriving at the airport, we helped to unload the baggage, where I gathered my luggage and her's together. Our flight was about 2 hours away and we went through immigration in a breeze.  The perfect drink for a hot weather  Overlooking the seas near Singapore  Back home to Bae <3 After about 2 hours, we reached Singapore, where we bade farewell to the rest of the team. We did some last minute duty free shopping, and spotted Martyn ^^ I met her parents at the airport, we had dinner and I got home in a jiffy. That's all folks!
 Finally some illegal 'together-time' ^^ (Day 6) On the way back to Phnom Penh, I was still feeling nauseous and unwell, despite it, I was fortunate to have the company of my other half in the same bus with me. Through these days, it had been hard for both of us. Trying to meet or interact everyday was already a trouble by itself. World scout laws and Singapore laws prohibited myself and my other half to hang out together while on an overseas trip. It was hard, yet we went through it and survived. After about 2 hours, we reached our guesthouse in Phnom Penh, somewhere near the Royal Palace. For the next 3 days we'll be spending nights there with our room mates, which had been assigned to us before the trip. Okay Guest House was the name of the guest house. Check out the full review soon!  Legit like a guest house!  It was a beautiful morning! After settling down at our rooms, we headed out for breakfast at a nearby restaurant. We both ate fish porridge while she drank a cup of hot chocolate. I was recovering and still had diarrhea going on. Next, we went to the University, where we were introduced to the universities facilities and its story. The school was modern, clean and spacious. However, its toilets were a tad bit short on the height. We were brought on a university tour and were given a 'short' introduction on the university's history, curriculum and student reviews (plenty of it). As it was the university's school holiday, all but the Cambodian Red Cross was available to host us by the time we come.  Fish Porridge for Breakfast  The university's inner compound  Yay another photo with Chenda ! Next, we went on to Aeon Mall for lunch and shopping. Free time was given and I went around thinking of what to buy for my other half, as our monthsery was the next day 28 March 2017. Aeon Mall is a huge 3 storey complex that hosts multiple local and international brands. It features a hypermarket, multiple cafeterias and many other retail, health and F&B outlets. Well, I wished I hadnt been sick all while. I could had just bought my favourite foods - Bubble Tea (DaKaiXing), Frozen yogurt (Llao Llao) and some cakes. During this time, my other half (Let's call her Bae) was being admitted to the hospital was she complained about having continuous diarrhea. She was finally admitted into a ward and I was then keeping her updated on the things that unfolded around. Next, we visited the Cambodian Scout HQ - located within the Prime Minister's Office compound, we felt like kings when we enter. As i=it was a governmental building, the experience was exhilarating as we walked through the doors at the compound. The Cambodian Scouts HQ was simply a room that serves as an office and meeting area for the leaders to use. Certificate presentation was carried out and we were each presented with our certificates, a cambodian scarf and their woggle. All of which was a controlled item in cambodia as there were no scout shops in Cambodia.  #amazeballs  Finally a picture with Mr Meetz ! Great knowing you bro! Well, right after that as we were about the enter the vehicle to head back for dinner, I was stopped by our contingent leader for a reminder to not contact Bae so she could rest. I was even scolded by some other leader :( #idc #kennotanyhowcutcontact
The night went on and my mood was shifted in thinking all about Bae as I followed through the night. I didn't had any appetite to eat, nor any feel to smile. That was when I was very worried about her condition. As if my situation couldn't get worse, the night carried on being like that. I finally head off to sleep after much thinking. The day ended on the last day, 4am.  Busy busy bee (Day 4-5) It was day 4. We got up early to head over to the nearby market in Takeo Province. The main food team, which consisted of only myself, Mrs Hoo and Kim, Tuk-Tuk over to the market. Powered with our shopping lists and cold hard cash, we stormed the market, buying what we can for the finale dinner. The menu was - Chicken Rice, Onion Omelette, Vegetable Fritters. At the market, we encountered many different types of vegetables, poultry and spices. These ingredients include powdered curry leaves, eggs sold in bags, and fly infested raw chicken. Walking around, one could feel the hype and the many 'aromas' coming from the raw meat and spices 'rojak' at every corner of the market. Apart from raw food, the market also sold household goods, hygiene goods and snacks. Prices wise, it was more affordable than expected, a chicken less than 10kg costs a mere US$5? Soon, we were almost done and went out to grab a cup of sugar cane (US$1) before heading back to get more ingredients.  Flies are a norm, yet the chicks are thin #ahem  Kim & Mrs Hoo on the Tuk Tuk Before long, we're back to the orphanage to start preparing the food for the finale dinner. As a team, we prepared the vegetables together as our Cambodian friends help prepare the meat. A few hours later, cooking begun and I started to prepare the vegetable fritters, mixing them by hand. I then went to help out in the frying of the egg. As rural as it may seems, it was difficult in controlling the heat from the fire as the wok was placed on a charcoal pit. Thus, frying was done systematically. First, oil was added. As the wok wasn't those non stick kind we had at home, more oil had to be added. Secondly, the egg mixture was added. The egg mixture had been mixed with caramelised onions and some seasoning to create what we call, the Onion Omelette.  Preparing the Vegetable Fritters  Cutting a ton of curry leaves #overload  Frying the Onion Egg Omelette - Put Oil, Put Egg Mix, Ta-da! Its ready After cooking for awhile, I went out to rest and consumed lots of water. Immediately I felt nauseous and thought it was just another stomach issue. As the minutes passed, it got worse and I found myself back at bunk trying to mitigate the situation by resting. About an hour later, I got up, drank some chicken soup and went out to vomit. Eeeeewwww 🤢 Disgusted, I vomited like how the merlion did. Our first aider, Jeremy Nonis administered first aid on me by giving me some anti acid pills and got me to rest more. I felt so bad messing up the orphanage's Garden and porch :( Then for some forsaken reason, I was rushed to the hospital with a few others. Still half asleep and drowsy, I was placed into a pickup and drove to Takeo Provincial Referral Hospital for treatment. Together with me included people that had similar conditions as me. Once reaching, we were seated and waited for the doctors to begin their proceedings. The hospital looked slightly modern but wasn't properly sanitised nor had staff in proper attire. A little more run-down and it'll look like Old Changi Hospital. Doctors (were they even doctors? ) went around in shorts and their white coat. I was attended after about 15 mins simply just for the doctors consultation. Then asked to wait. During this period, I went to the rest room to vomit my lunch out. Eeeeewwww disgusting 🤢The doctor attended me and I was given some medication (US$3) and was told to consume some coconut water. Next, I visited my team mates and saw them rested at the hospital's rooms. They seem well and I was taken back to the orphanage to be with the rest. Once back, I took a shower and immediately went to rest. At 5am, my alarm rang and I saw myself heading out to the toilet and back to consume more of my medication. Well, I thought I was a-ok - what happen next, remains in my mind till this very day. The 'skies' turned grey and I saw myself vo-merlioning out the Coconut I drank earlier and the rest of my medicine. Disgusting indeed. And guess what, I vomited on my best buds face and yeap, all was bad. I was weak and fearful of another relapse of vomiting. I was then attended to, by my dear Cambodian friend Chenda, he washed me with a towel, cooked and fed me meals and kept me feeling comfortable. I was touched indeed, and no one else could match up with him. Well if you're reading this, I'd like to express my gratitude and thanks for being a great brother in scouting despite our language barrier.  Fat me and Chenda, who cared me for the past day and night. Thanks bro! It carried on for about the rest of the day up till the closing ceremony, where I missed the entire days worth of activities as I was resting in the bunk. Walking out of the orphanage, a sense of happiness rested with me as I boarded the bus. However, another feeling of sadness that overcomes shortly after when our fellow friends that we had spent over 4 days with are going to be missing us.
Through the 4 days in Takeo Province, I've experienced and learnt that we cannot take our living spaces granted - that poverty does not exist simply because one compares their state of living to another, but it is simply the way of life at that country. It is just a social taboo and culture that is prevalent in the entire nation. From experiencing the locals way of life, I've seen that Cambodians are detailed and honor their work. As such, they take time to finely tune their work and only give the best, especially if you are a guest. Next up, the city of Phnom Penh  Day 2 to day 3 went just as per schedule. Programs planned went on with some changes along the way, and yet I was only involved in some activities. Myself and a female leader, Mrs Hoo permanently based ourselves in the kitchen. With the almighty help from our Cambodian Scout In charge, Kim, we were able to prepare, cook and serve hungry people. Before I go into the depths of my experiences, initial observations enlightened me as how fortunate I was to have modern and clean kitchen facilities at home. From a mere look, one would think 'eh! This is our kitchen?!' but upon looking deeper, the kitchen consists of an outdoor food preparation area, outdoor cooking area and a open waste area. The food preparation was done on the floor, on the stone table and on chopping boards were washed and dried in the adjacent room. At the side, there were 2 large bowls of tap water that were constantly filled up whenever the water level runs low. ULWBC Exploration Course     In the preparation of poultry and seafood, these were prepared on the concrete floors of the kitchen. Fish was dissected and prepared in a bucket of water while chicken was prepared on straw mats that appeared to be unwashed. Still, chopping boards were seen with knives such as choppers and kitchen knives (medium sized) While preparing raw meats, the preparation of vegetables were taking place on a separate place. Small - Medium sized vegetables such as carrot and ginger were prepared on a stone table while larger vegetables such as Cabbage and cucumbers were prepared on a different straw mat on the floor. Vegetables were not washed but simply sliced and placed into large pails. Vegetable wastes were simply thrown into a nearby waste area or thrown onto the floor since vegetables were organic materials 'returning to nature'. Despite preparing food in different places, the level of cross contamination between poultry and raw uncooked food was still on the high due to the exchange of liquids between meats and raw vegetables. There were swarms and swarms of houseflies and fruit flies that surrounded almost every corner of the kitchen.  In terms of the exchange in meeting our counterparts in the kitchen, I got the chance to help out in the preparation of vegetable such as carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and onions. During the exchange, I begin to realise how Cambodians were detailed and serious about doing work, even in the finest of details. The level of detail was even present in the carrots that were sliced. On another example, cucumbers that were normally sliced top down were now sliced side ways.  In the preparation of say an omelette, all ingredients were mixed together in a batter that went on into the wok. However, this caused the batter to contain slightly more water than usual due to the onions. Thus, frying the omelette was difficult and certainly more unhealthy as more oil was added to the wok to compensate for the batter adhering to the wok like glue.  Through detailed work and time saving methods of cooking, lunches became a time of fun, laughter and lots of smiles. Due to our language barrier, I tried to use hand signs, gestures and smiles to communicate. Despite that, Cambodian's were largely very helpful and took initiative to help whenever we were preparing food.    All in all, I've learnt to embrace happiness over tough situations whenever there is a language barrier, that a smile is all it takes for individuals to come together. By respecting their culture and understanding why and how they do it, I realised Cambodian culture in a greater perspective, which brought new light to the country. I am honored indeed and fortunate to have a chance of working with our Cambodian counterparts at the orphanage.
 Credits: Link (Day 1) The day begun early. Having slept a mere 2 hours the night before, I perform a last check before heading over to meet my friends before heading to the airport. Upon reaching the airport, we gathered and helped to load off boxes from a HQ vehicle. These boxes contained gifts and donations for our cambodian counterparts. Each box weighs over 5kg and it had to be attached to everyone's check in luggage. Soon, we checked in and went about photo-taking, a scout ceremony and a pre-trip briefing  Our flight was Jetstar 3K 593 from C26, the damn end of Terminal 1 Departure Hall. Seriously, the damn end. Once we're in, before long, it was time to head into the gate. 20 minutes later, boarding begun and we boarded the flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.   From Left - Martyn, Zikri, Myself  Inflight Meal! Black Pepper Chicken Before I start telling you more about what am I doing in Cambodia again, let me tell you why am I there. I am there as a Rover Scout Participant for Project Sunshine. Project Sunshine is a goodwill community service learning project aimed to help rebuild and kindle friendships between Singapore Scouts, Cambodian Scouts and Orphans at the Enfant D'Asie APESCA Children's Home in Takeo Province, Cambodia. Undertaking the role of the overall media and In-charge of Food & Beverage, I held a role to help ensure that our people and everyone remain happy and full after every meal. Design wise, I completed all aspects regarding the Project before the actual trip. The collaterals I completed include the design and fabrication of the event badge, banner and posters to aid promotion and fundraising of the event. A couple of hours later, we landed in Phnom Penh and was greeted by Cambodian Scouts. From there, I purchased my SIM cards with Cellcard for just USD $3 for at least 3GB for mobile data. Before long, we boarded the bus and we were driven to Takeo Province, a 2 hours ride away. During the ride, I got to know Heng, a rover scout. Being his first time in this project, he was excited and wanted to do something to make a difference in the project. It was great knowing him. During the ride, I got to know that he was studying Law at a local university.  My bus buddy for the ride to the orphanage  During the ride, Cambodian Scouts (CS) and Singapore Scouts (SS) sang and danced to the tune of Cambodian pop music and classic english songs. After a long ride, we finally reached Takeo Province and were greeted by ASPECA's Orphanage children. Next, we were brought to our living quarters, located near the kitchen. Living in Takeo Province, living conditions were largely different than city ones. Our beds were large metal beds with a straw mattress laid beneath for comfort. Ventilation was A-OK as my bed was located just beside the window. The room held about 10 males and had just one power socket but enough lighting for the night. Toilets were dark, manual and a water well was available within the toilet without any flushing system. Overall, the first look at our 'resort' was going just right for me. One should never expect too much from back country living quarters. Soon, dinner was served at 7pm. It was beef stew with deep fried chicken, plain rice and bananas. Bananas were so special as black seeds were embedded within the fruit. The perfect combination of beef, spices and vegetables made the soup a delicious soup of a kind. During dinner, we somewhat realize that the food provided was a little too much. When we were done, the leftovers were passed to the chefs at the back - which I found it to be weird. Shouldn't they eat with us?  What a wide spread!  Chickens were skinny but tasty ! After dinner, we met up at the library where music was playing and the orphanage's children were dancing. Martyn joined in the dance and carried on dancing with the kids. Soon, we had ice breaker games and got to know the Project Sunshine team well. The night ended with a daily After-action Review (AAR). An eventful day indeed.  Martyn dancing to the beat of Gangnam Style |
About
Project Sunshine is a Goodwill Cultural Exchange & Community Service Learning Project organised by the Scouts (17-26 years old) of Singapore Scouts Association and Cambodia Scouts Welcome to the blogroll for Project Sunshine 17'. Scroll down to hit the Flashback for a time travel down, or simply scroll. For the trip album, click here © 2017 BrenchTravels All Rights Reserved. Where22-29 March 2017
Enfant D'Asie Orphanage at Takeo Province, Cambodia Flashback |
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