CHAPTER FOUR
Global Education Programme ( GEP )
Camp Beng Pae , Cambodia Our trip to Camp Beng Pae , Cambodia was an enriching experience . We had the opportunity to explore the tourist attractions in the city and also serve in a rural village . Among our city experiences were haggling with shopkeepers in the night market , visiting the temples in Angkor , and watching Phare , the Cambodian circus show .
In Beng Pae , we met children who were born out of the Cambodian Civil War , who rode to school on a bike by themselves each morning , having never experienced many of the things we know and take for granted .
We also learned about Cambodia ’ s rich yet brutal history . During bus rides between destinations , we learned about the harsh history of Cambodia , together with its past relations with Thailand and Vietnam . Everything we saw during the trip was a result of the wars and conflicts that Cambodia had gone through in the past , making us recognise how limited our own history is compared to theirs .
At the same time , our ethics and ideals were challenged . We realised that the villagers there were stronger and more experienced than us at what we tried to do . Sometimes , in the midst of our work , the locals would come and help us . It made us question the importance of our service there , seeing as how the locals could do our job even better . However , as we persevered in performing our service work , we realised that this trip was to build up a stronger community spirit within our group while assisting in increasing the standard of living of the villagers .
Building a toilet
Making concrete rings
Overall , while we were blessed to see the server ’ s perspective this GEP , the children benefited a little from seeing and dancing with us . Our trip might just have inspired the Cambodians as much as they did us .
Mixing cement
Shooting a TikTok with the children
Setting concrete rings
90 ST JOSEPH ’ S INSTITUTION