Siem Reap

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An amazing small but bustling town in northern Cambodia, where no one is over the age of 30. I saw the awestruck temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm at sunrise, the history almost coming alive before my eyes. I soon discovered an awesome hostel with a pool, aircon dorms, a buffet brekfast and awesome people and decided to stay longer. We visited a floating village and took a boat ride out to the floating orphanage and floating restaurant with a crocodile pit. We laughed in delight as the local boys tyed a giant live fish to a huge wooden stick and gave it to us to lower into the pit, then pull with all our strength as the crocodiles grabbed it in their jaws.

I then discovered a tiny little school out between farms in a small village about 20 minutes drive by tuk tuk from Siem Reap.The monk that runs the school all by himself was soo greatful that I could help out and the kids were so eager to learn as more then 200 kids crammed into 3 small classrooms, that I was glad to stay the week and help out. This was an incredibly rewarding experience; teaching, singing, dancing and playing games with the kids. I stayed in a homestay with a local family that couldn't speak english and had an awesome time trying to speak Khmer and watching my house mother paint leaves in something that looked like glue and pop them into her mouth. I visited the Bakong Temple near the school and rode around the farms on my bicycle waving to the kids who called out: 'hello teacher!'.

Song (the monk) is eager for volunteers to help out at the school and teach english, so if you know of anyone who is going to Siem Reap, tell them about Chhan School. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and deffinitly a highlight of my trip so far.

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