By Loren Hyatt   July 2010

This summer PLF has had numerous visitors who have generously sponsored field trips, luncheons, medical missions, and post-exams parties for our students.  Please read below about some of the recent comings and goings of our visitors. 

Field Trip to Angkor Wat

Despite being well known around the world, most of our students have not had the opportunity to see the temples of Angkor Wat in person.  In July, PLF visitors and volunteers Marita, Narelle, Jakki, Randi and Veris decided to make a trip to the temples possible for a group of twenty students from Knar Primary School.  First time experiences for the children (besides visiting their temples)  included riding in a bus, eating in a restaurant, walking around the city (Siem Reap), visiting a grocery store (Lucky Mall),  understanding how an ATM works, experiencing automated doors, riding on an escalator, and freezing in the air conditioning!

Jumping for Joy at Angkor Wat

Excerpt from Marita's Blog:

First stop was Angkor Wat where the children got to listen to a guide tell them the amazing history of their people... they all listened intensely and took notes...

From Angkor Wat we took the kids into Siem Reap for lunch... for all it was their first time to Siem Reap and eating in a restaurant. The kids are so used to waiting for adults to eat their fill of food before eating 'the scraps' which is mainly rice that Lori told us we might need to encourage them to help themselves to the food and to eat the meat, not just rice... During lunch it was really cool to see them get into the swing of being able to eat everything on the table and alot of them finished their plates and went back for 2nds, 3rds and 4ths!! lol

After lunch we took them for a quick walk around the block.... half of them looked very wary and one boy grabbed my hand to cross the road and didn't let go until we were almost back at the restaurant! We then jumped on the bus and took them to Lucky Mall... Upon walking up to the entrance of the mall, we had all the kids stop just far enough away that the automatic doors didn't open up... One of the boys was then instructed to walk towards the door.. you should have seen his face (and the rest of them) when they automatically opened up!

By the time they all got inside the automatic doors their eyes were like saucers looking around at the shops, the escalators, experiencing the coolness of the air conditioning! Lori then took them all to the ATM machine where she showed them a card and helped one of the girls use the ATM to withdraw money while the rest looked on in awe!!

From the ATM we headed to the escalators.... it took the first boy A LOT of courage to jump on this moving staircase! A lot of them were too scared to try but with lots of encouragement they all ended up getting on... I ended up going up with one of the girls holding her hand... getting them to jump on and then jump off was very funny! We went up two stories and they were still nervous but having a ball! Disneyland Cambodian style! On the top floor we took them to the big glass wall at the front of the mall so they could look out... we then touched the glass to show them it was solid and that they could touch it too.. a lot were too scared.... At this point Lori told me a story about one school excursion where two boys both got on their hands and knees and crawled across the floor 'to the edge' they were that scared.... I held a few of their hands and helped them touch it.. I also then leaned against it to show them how you couldn't 'fall'... Can you even imagine this?! It blows my mind just typing about it.

Afterwards we all headed back down the escalators (a few hairy moments where I thought the kids were going to fall as they tried to balance themselves! LOL). We then took them into the big supermarket (exactly like the ones at home) and gave them a trolley... we took them to the cold food section so they could see how the food was kept cold... my highlight though was one of the oldest boys standing, completely fascinated, by the eggs.... all in cartons.. they are different to home, in that they are in clear plastic cartons rather than the cardboard ones.... so you can see all the eggs through it... he kept looking at it, then he would go to walk away, turn to have one last look and go back and just stare! Very sweet... maybe his parents are chicken farmers or something!

We then let them all choose an ice cream and some 'snacks' for the bus ride before taking them through the checkout.. here they got to see everything getting scanned and exchange the money that they had got from the ATM for the goods.... A really really great experience for everyone involved...

After that it was back on the bus to visit more temples in the afternoon.... We headed to Angkor Thom then to Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is the temple where Angelina Jolie filmed Tomb Raider all those years ago.. it was still beautiful and overgrown and this time it was a little waterlogged but made for some great photos as well as some interesting hairy moments trying to step over the water on some makeshift stones! 

At the end of touring Ta Prohm we sat down in a really beautiful part of the temple complex and just took it all in... the kids were fascinated by all the birds in the trees (perhaps ones they had never seen out in the rural area they are from?!). Towards the end they got up and thanked us for allowing them to have such a great day out learning their history.. they then sang us a beautiful Cambodian song. When they finished, one of the boys got up and sang a solo... it was beautiful and haunting and such a brave thing to do.... there were other tourists in the area that all stopped to listen and take photos and he sang his little heart out... Very very moving...

We left the temple and said our goodbyes out the front... the kids asked for us to tell them our names again as well as thanked us again and again before setting off back to school... I almost teared up but contained myself.... WELL WORTH the money spent! That is an experience I will NEVER forget.....

 ~Marita Spaulding

Barbara Returns for a Medical Mission with Son, George "IT Wizard" :)

Barbara Shooter and her son George Harding recently visited PLF for two weeks during which Barbara assisted PLF with many of the health issues that plague Knar Primary School while George worked to upgrade many of the computer systems used at Tchey Primary School and the Bamboo Shoot Girls Dormitory. George was successful at getting all the sugar upgrades done on 20 One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) computers for the children at Tchey next year (pictured at right)

Barbara returns for a second stint at Knar School after teaching English there and at Tchey for two months this last winter. She was instrumental in getting several children to the hospital to be treated for chronic illnesses and helped PLF to secure needed medical supplies and address many of the on-going foot infections so prevalent at Knar School.  Barbara's efforts are really making a difference in the lives of the children at Knar School. Her students (and all of us) look forward to having Barbara in the classroom again this winter.

Luncheons at Koh Ker Primary School and Knar Primary School

This summer PLF was able to provide school-wide lunches for all of the students at Koh Ker Primary School (220 students) and Knar Primary School (440 students). 

Post-Exams Party at Tchey School

Before at the end of their teaching stint in Siem Reap, volunteers Randi and Veris sponsored a post-exams party at Tchey Primary School.  The children were given birthday hats and a cake with candles.  They performed many of the songs that they learned while in class with Randi and Veris, including Happy Birthday.  It was a great way for the children to celebrate another successful year of school!

Read more about Randi's experience teaching on Silk Air Explorers

If you are interested in sponsoring a special event for the children PLF supports,

please contact Lori Carlson at .