5th Day – Up close and personal with Land Mines
We have reached the 5th day of our journey together
and set off in high spirits to continue our work on the classroom.
The students of Bak Pka have been warming up considerably to
us and now wait eagerly to meet us at the school gate when we arrive. Our
students too are happy to interact with these new friends they have made. Though small in size, the truth is that many of these students are already 11
to 13 years of age. Poor nourishment has led to their small size in comparison
to our tall students.
Today, a new task awaited us! The classroom has already been
filled with a cement mixture as a first layer and we helped to transport
pails of fine sand to fill the classroom floor as a second layer. That was hard
work as the sand was quite heavy but our students did really well and even sang
whilst working to encourage themselves.
Alzac and Wayne doing a balancing act after transporting a pail of sand
Another group was tasked to begin painting the walls of the
classroom. Being inexperienced painters, some of them managed to get quite a
bit more paint on them than on the walls!
Farah – getting the hang of painting walls
Rain came upon us quite suddenly and we were quick to dash
into the small library room of the primary school. Rain made the ground muddy
and difficult for work to continue. Our students took the time to bond and
practice their performance so that they could present their performance proudly
in front of their new found friends and the rest of the villagers.
Lastly, to end the day we went to visit a Cambodian Land
Mine Museum. The students could see first-hand for themselves the remnants of
different types of land mines and the terrible damage they have caused to the
people of Cambodia. Some students
spontaneously made small donations into the donation box in support of the
de-mining efforts and wrote encouraging words in the guest book. Looking back
in the book, we even found some messages left over from our previous batches of
OVIA students!
Group Shot! Ending the day on a happy and meaningful note
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