Waking up at 5am!? 5am as a time zone is best recognised by most of us as the late night hour-when we have to unwillingly end our parties rather than as an hour when we board a bus and leave for a class meeting! But we actually pulled this off in Siem Reap and wow what a breath-taking experience it was!
Most of us have witnessed some special sun-rises in our lives. The spectacular views when a gorgeous orange glow and different hues of gold and red fill the horizon. On the Wednesday morning at Siem Reap, watching the sun appear from behind the majestic Angkor Wat was special! Apart from a spectacular spread of colors, the touching serenity of the temple grounds, the genuine smiles of the local people and the lovely cool breeze made it extraordinary. This dawn will linger in our memories for a long time.

The class intended to do yoga and other physical activities at the venue but the walk from the bus and the amazing atmosphere at the grounds of the temple persuaded us to just enjoy the experience of lingering by sitting comfortably on the yoga-mats. We made up for the exercise by posing in different yoga poses for the camera! When the excitement of the day-break was over and we had clicked enough pictures from the various cameras, it was time to return to the hotel for some food and a quick-change. Everyone was excited about the trip back to the hotel, it not only meant food but a re-union with some of our classmates. Three of our classmates had incidentally wandered off the group and there is no doubt that this story of “getting lost” will haunt them for a long time. The additional excitement for the day was in the agenda we had lined up. It was the day we would begin our contribution to sustainability by taking part in the “paint-a school” challenge.

Reaching the hotel cafe, we promptly filled our plates at the cafe. The Breakfasts at the Raffles hotel Cafe are an event in themselves; there is every kind of food imaginable at the breakfast buffet. One can easily fill his or her stomach just by tasting all the items on the offer. Every variety of morning bakeries, all kinds of cereals, made to order eggs and noodles, an extravagant variety of tropical fruits, juices, jams, preserves etc- the breakfast was total indulgence! In fact the Cafe breakfast even had champagne for those who want to convert a weekday breakfast into a weekend brunch. However, our class was too excited by the day’s itinerary to even think of drinking. We all donned our pink tee-shirts and boarded the bus to go to school to start our agenda for the day-Painting a local school!
After fulfilling our palates with delectable breakfast at The Raffles, we were fully energized and ready for our next painting-a-school challenge. We happily rode on bus in pink t-shirts with huge Angkor Beer logo. Outside observers will be forgiven for thinking we were from the beer company fulfilling our corporate social responsibility. Our destination for the day was a primary and secondary school located in the rural area from Siem Reap. On the bus, Chris Smith, volunteer coordinator of AboutAsia Schools told us that the organization was founded with a mission to provide Cambodian children with an education to uplift their standard of living.

Two areas they do this are by:
1. Providing volunteer teachers and assistants
2. Providing supplies, equipment, uniforms and facility support.

Currently, About Asia Schools provides aid to 25 schools and 12,500 students. This year (December 2011), their target is to help 36,000 students. In Siem Reap, the main industry is tourism. Unless children and young adults learn to speak foreign languages, they would continue to struggle making ends meet by toiling in rice fields and/or fishing. The only exit to a bright future is therefore through education. Again, without the aid from outside agencies like AboutAsia, the local people cannot afford $5 for a compulsory school uniform. The $5 needed for the uniform is an expenditure that these poor families cannot afford.

As we looked out the window seeing arid red soil and cattle on the field, we could not help thinking how fortunate are and how our daily preoccupations are so miniscule compared to everyday hardship the children in a developing country like Cambodia face. As the bus arrived, we were greeted by young school children in uniforms and slippers. Their excitement to meet us glowed on their faces with wide genuine smiles that warmly touched our hearts. While a group of us played with the kids, some turned to mix paint and distribute brushes. Roller brushes, small brushers and little paint containers were distributed to everyone. We quickly divided into two teams, one painting the school gate wall from the right end and another from the left end.

Everyone was enthusiastic and determined to help out. Being tallest in our class, Yash quickly used the roller to paint the top wall. Mark was equally focused on the side wall. Being more detail oriented Clara, Sarah, Dylan and Wei carefully painted scripts on the wall while Sachin, Tan-Chi, Yosuke and Saurabh were busy with balustrades. Even Prof Kimes was not to be left behind, she too jumped into the activity and helped both teams equally! We were soon joined by the Principal of the school in the painting. Everyone was willingly diligent in making their contribution to this worthy cause. Very soon many of us found our specialisations-Kai and Manish used the roller brushes really well and were being called by all for the finishing touches. Duta was nominated the head of one of the teams and he kept a watchful eye on the progress of work. We painted one side and switched to the other while waiting for the first side to dry up a little before putting the second coat.

It was such a rewarding experience to see how together we can make an impact, although this impact was small to begin with. On the way back to the hotel, we were all wondering how it would be good to be more involved. Luckily, Chris let us know some ways we can help:
1. Make donation to buy school uniforms and supplies
2. Volunteer to teach informal English
3. Volunteer to teach vocational education such as computer training, restaurant & hospitality services
4. Volunteer to maintain and improve facilities such as painting or landscaping

Here is calling on all CNI (MMH in Asia) class of 2011, let’s get together to help Cambodian children for a longer term. Let’s take on our next big challenge and be the legend!

Linibel and I have included pictures in our post, for more pictures of school painting you may also visit the post by our official photographer Qian at http:// blogs.cornell.edu/siemreapmasterclass/2011/03/03/school-painting-siem-reap-2-march-2011/

Linibel and Saroj