Wednesday, June 5 Siem Reap

 


Today was our first day in Siem Reap! We started our day a little earlier than usual (in preparation for our 5am start tomorrow to see Angkor Wat) and following our morning check in we enjoyed breakfast at the retreat center (our first taste of Nutella in weeks!) Then we got to take our final language lesson with “Professor” Pum before boarding tuktuks to the PEPY learning center.


At PEPY, we met 25 Cambodian students around our age. We participated in a handful of activities where we got to practice our Khmer as well as help them practice their English. We also learned a few Khmer dances, and did the Macarena and chicken dance with the students. 


We then boarded the tuk tuks again to the old town market, where we had around 45 minutes to grab lunch with our new friends and get to know them. Some of us chose to go to nearby restaurants while others ate inside of the market itself. Lots of us also traded social media handles with our friends to keep in touch. 


After our new friends left to get back to their classes, we were given a few hours to explore the market more. Most of the boys got matching Cambodian “Rolexs“(or Patex Philippes for the more adventurous) while others bought little souvenirs and even Versace underwear! 


Following our market exploration, we reconvened and took tuktuks to the Angkor Wat tourist center where we all bought tickets, so we don’t have to wait for them tomorrow. We then retired to a cafe and took part in a debrief activity before dinner. 


The activity centered around the orphanage problem in Cambodia and other similar countries throughout the world. It turns out that many orphanages here are merely a scheme to rake in donations from tourists. Many will take advantage of rural families by basically trafficking their kids away to cities, where they are forced to dance for tourists. Our activity involved acting out different roles in this trafficking chain, and having a long and detailed discussion on how and why these orphanages exist. 


We ended with friendly conversation over dinner in the cafe and even got to enjoy some cake and sing a belated happy birthday to Sophie L., before heading back to get an early night’s sleep.


-Clifford and Isla 










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