We went to Baray High school on our second day at the village. There were about 30 girls and we taught them basic English. For a start,we gave them some plain sticker to write their names, so that we can get to know one another. After which, we played Human Bingo with them. They were enthusiastic during the game. After the Bingo game, we shared with them a story. The story was about how we should persevere in life and not to give up easily. Thereafter, we encouraged them to write down their feelings and share their thoughts. We also had another sharing session on our own lives and experiences. Many of us brought our photo album we shared our life stories. The girls really enjoyed themselves even though there were points of time when they could not fully understand us due to the language barrier. We enjoyed the time with the girls and we hope to visit them again.

After that, we had a once in a lifetime chance to sit on a horse carriage. The horse carriage ride was fun and interesting as the horse carriage brought us deeper into the village as well as to the market. The ride to the village and the market was definitely an eye-opener. In the market, we got to see some traditional Cambodian delicacies as well as saw many people selling different kinds of food, including poultry, fish, fruits and dried goods. When we took a ride deeper into the village, we had a chance to witness the living conditions of the villagers. Most villagers lived in huts with zinc roofs that are elevated by slits and they rear chickens and ducks under the houses. They also set up stalls around their houses selling food items. We passed by schools and saw children playing. Although the ride was bumpy at times, I believe that we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

We had a culture exchange programme in the night after the horse cart ride. Some of the youths and small kids from the church came over to where we stayed. Some of the youths dressed up and performed a series of culture dances to entertain us. We were invited to join in the dances and we had great fun with them. After that, we took out our photo album and shared our life stories with them and they shared their experiences with us too. Following that, we had a campfire together. We sang the friendship song, “As we walked to the left, as we walked to the right, as we walk as we walk…” Everyone was so happy and enthusiastic. We enjoyed the campfire very much.