First Donation of the New Year! - 1/8/10
The alarm sounded at the early side of 6:00am and it was time to start my dazzling old red Dailim moto-bike and make moves. After heading back to Orussey Market to fetch some more supplies, including world maps for the classrooms, Cambodian Threads was all set to return to Prak Bongkong village once again. I picked up Barrie, CT’s newest highly motivated team member who came to help donate, and we were soon across the Mekong River and ripping through the countryside. The Heng family home shone brightly in the early morning sun and there was Naysim, Nay Chheng, and Mama ready to greet us with delicious breakfast fruits. Because I needed to get back to teach my own university class by 10am, we saved the chit-chat and moved quickly to the school.
The principle and the director were there to escort us to the 8th grade classrooms. The children were attentive and excited to see what the unusual surprise would be. I broke out the big world maps and we played a game in which students were asked to come up and find countries. It was astonishing how long it took them to find Cambodia. Most of the children were unfamiliar with the world map, even the big countries, America, China, and Australia, were not easily found. Goes to show what a world map could do for the children who are studying geography. A map is a powerful tool for education. It was a really fun game and everyone enjoyed it! I rewarded the participants in the map game with extra notebooks and pens before the entire group of 70 odd students collected in the courtyard.
Yet again, Naysim was invaluable in helping prepare school material and translating an inspirational speech I whipped up. She was there, side by side, helping throughout the process. The children, aged 12-14, were so appreciative of the notebooks and pens! As the supplies were handed out, I paid close attention to the reaction of the students. Seeing their eyes light up upon receiving the gifts made all the effort on Cambodian Thread’s end worthwhile.
I talked with one of the teachers who also studies education at Pannasastra University in Cambodia (the same university I teach at). He was very enthusiastic during the donation and was smiling wide every time I glanced over. When we spoke, he made a point of acknowledging what Cambodian Threads is doing: “It’ so great what you are doing for these children. In this village, the opportunities are limited, but the children are good students. With the supplies you give, we can study hard. They are very happy, I am very happy, yes it is a great day!”
As the morning bell rang, all the young learners came out of their classrooms and surrounded our giving for the 8th graders. I soon realized the scale to which this community still needs help. Yes, they are rich in smiles, but they are disadvantaged in many other respects. As I walked through the herd of young learners, handing out the remaining pens discretely so not to create a riot between hundred of children over school supplies, I promised myself that I would be back to help again. It was inspirational.
After talking with the teachers and handing them each a stack of notebooks and pens, we shook hands and left the school to cheers. We stopped at the Heng home to watch as the craftswomen were weaving their beautiful silk artwork. It is truly mesmerizing to watch them work their medium. The new batch of scarves that they are crafting this month will be gorgeous! I’m excited to see the scarves and send them back to the Cambodian Thread’s team in America. Finally, we shook ourselves free from being hypnotized by the silk weaving and departed. We drove our way through the rural landscape before hopping the ferry back across the Mekong en route to Phnom Penh. I made it back to my class just in time. It was a successful first donation of 2010!!!
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