Day 1......or is that day 2???

All team members have arrived safely with luggage intact. Not bad for only having 45 minutes in Singapore for the Vic team!!
The flight in at sunset was great. Watching a sunset from above the clouds is not something everyone gets to experience.
By the time we all had a bite to eat and found our rooms, it was time for a very well earned rest - for some of us it had been a 24 hour day.

This morning saw a team of eager members just wanting to get the program started.  First stop was a visit to Wat Damnak for a Khmer language lesson.  Our students thought they had seen the end of the classroom for a while, but instead they participated for 2 hours in the language class.  We think the teacher forgot that none of us can read Khmer script, so practice drills proved to be interesting.
Everyone asked questions and our teacher, Nen, was very open to answering questions about being a monk and a little about Buddhism.

After lunch, the students worked in small groups to hit the market and buy items for the health/education packs.  They bought kramas (or scarves), soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, combs, hair ties, children's books, balls, pencils, pens and hats.  Welcome to the world of bettering.  The leaders who supported the students were impressed with their skills, given that they had never had to barter before.  They enjoyed and embraced the challenge and handled themselves in a wonderful manner.

The Military Museum again proved interesting.  Both tour guides gave their version of the recent history of Cambodia and all students have come away with their own perceptions of what they heard. Some students were shocked by the recent history and were confronted with a guide who had been extensively injured both during the war and in the years after as a result of landmines.  He had lost the vision in one eye and had also lost a leg.

Tomorrow our next project begins and we are at Children's Development Village working with the Monks from Wat Damnak.  It will be an early start and a long day - but one that history tells us will be a successful day.

Internet is proving a challenge and we hope we will be able to post to tomorrow.
Cheers