Final sessions and 'Au Revior'

Well the final day has come. As I sit enjoying a coffee in a corner cafe on this final afternoon, I find myself reflecting. The traffic of internationalists continue to ebb and flow through the main arteries of Siem Reap, converging at its heart - the 'Pub Street' precinct. At the corner of the street's western intersection, The hum of Tuk Tuks provides the back beat to the afternoon's soundtrack, the melody peaking at times with the call of, 'Hey, Tuk Tuk?' from the drivers attempting to solicit passengers, at times with gusto and at other times half-hearted, their voices portraying disinterest as if a mechanised button had been pushed which, at the sight of a tourist, plays the monotonous recorded message, 'You want Tuk Tuk?'. The backbeat synthesises seamlessly with the differing dialects of passers by, contributing to the thrum as afternoon gives way to evening.

I cast my mind back through the events of the past weeks here, the teaching, the projects, and the trips to the rural and impoverished Siem Reap surrounds. My mind then arrives at the commitments made and the ideas for future work. 

I look forward to working with Togh Main and VDCA on future endeavours on return to Australia. Firstly, I plan to give VDCA an Australian fundraising contact. Australians interested in supporting VDCA are able to avoid administration costs and bank fees eating into their generous donations by using me as an intermediary; I will direct the financial contributions directly to Togh and the specific projects that people wish to support.

Secondly, working with Dy Malivann on the cultural exchange program, I look forward to fundraising from here for technical equipment needed to maintain the program, promoting amongst Australians and scheduling Australian volunteers to take part in the exchange via Skype.

And finally, I am really looking forward to exploring the opportunity to coordinate a Cambodian immersion program at SJFC that will allow students to actively engage with some if VDCA's projects. This, I believe, will balance students by giving them another perspective on happiness and an appreciating view of their own life by being exposed to a comparatively different degree of social development. Discussions have begun with administration, but there is still much to flesh out in the detail before the College will commit, I think. That said, an immersion program to Cambodia with contact with VDCA would add further depth to present cultural exchange and foster more meaningful communication and relationships between students across geographical and socio-cultural divides.

Now, to end. It has been a thoroughly thought provoking and rewarding experience personally and I believe that many others have benefited from this initiative; from Cambodian students receiving lessons in English and Information Communication Technology (ICT) within the cultural exchange project, teachers participating in ESL teacher training workshops, through to the awareness spread to you - the reader - of the wonderful work being done by VDCA in Siem Reap and at Anlung Pi. To VDCA's director Togh Main and his inspirational team, keep up the fantastic work you are doing in brightening the future of so many lives. To those who have been lovely enough to read my posts and contribute to this initiative in any way, I say a big thank you; I hope you can continue to support me in my support of VDCA into the future in any way you see fit. To my wonderful family for all their support and positivity at all times throughout this initiative, thank you and I love you! Au revoir Cambodia, until next time...

R