KIDS NEED EDUCATON – VILLAGE 15 SCHOOL FIELD TRIP TO WAT PUTH KIRI
JUNE 10th, 2018
By Margie Lycas
At 6:30 AM, the alarm rudely informed me that it was time to drag myself out of bed and get ready for the field trip to Wat Puth Kiri, a relatively new temple in Takeo Province consisting of a large sitting buddha atop a mountain and eighty four thousand replicas perched along the pathway on one side of the mountain. The previous night, I had stayed awake with Mol and Navie until they ended their shift at the Pub a mere three hours prior. I’ll bet they were even more exhausted than I was. They work way too hard, yet still manage to dedicate a significant amount of their time to ensuring that the students at the Aogaah school get to experience things that they would never dream possible were it not for the generous donations of the trip sponsors who paid for the busses, the lunches, the water, and the entrance fees.
Darith, his wife Seangleng, and their boys Borin and Sakarach greeted me at the entrance to my hotel, eager to participate and assist. We rode down Russian Federation boulevard in Darith’s tuk-tuk until we arrived at our turn off near the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the Toul Kork district. Although I have been to the school on numerous occasions in the past, I was still struck by the dichotomy in scenery. Ramshackle one room houses made of scrap lumber and topped by corrugated aluminum lined the garbage strewn dirt paths along the defunct railroad tracks while brand new multimillion dollar skyscrapers loomed in the background. The street on which the school is located was paved a few years ago and many of the houses were made of concrete and had running water and electricity, but most of our students are not lucky enough to reside in such dwellings. The majority live on the other side of the tracks.
Although we arrived a bit too early, the school was surrounded by several dozen excited students dressed in their finest clothes. The younger students had neither ridden a bus nor ventured beyond their neighborhood. The older students had been on past Aogaah field trips and recount tales of such trips to their friends and family. They now envision themselves gaining meaningful employment and residing in a less filthy part of town. To facilitate that upward climb, they study as much as possible. Many had never ridden a bus nor ventured beyond their neighborhood.
Ian and his girlfriend Vin were next to arrive on the scene. He smiled as broadly as the kids as he took candid photos of them and complained about our early departure time. He spends a significant amount of time traveling to the countryside to provide free medical care to needy villagers when he isn’t facilitating and assisting in Aogaah events like this one. As our resident photographer, it is rare to see him without his trusty camera. Today would be no exception. Irreplaceable Aogaah teachers Sarath, Chamroeun, and Vichra arrived shortly thereafter, along with equally irreplaceable Aogaah staff Mol and Navie, and Aogaah supporters Glenn and Solita. By this time, all of the ninety six students who could attend the event had arrived at the school and were helping to carry water and food onboard the busses. They were each given an Aogaah placard to wear around their necks and climbed aboard a bus in anticipation of the trip ahead of them. The younger kids boarded one bus while the older kids took the other one.
Our two and a half hour journey took us past the airport and onto highway three to Takeo Province and onward to Wat Puth Kiri. The students were surprisingly well behaved. Of course, I was on the bus with the older kids. Ian was on the bus with the younger kids and did not concur with my assessment. Unfortunately, many of those kids had never been in a vehicle before and suffered from motion sickness throughout the journey. However, this did not deter them from bolting excitedly out of the bus upon our arrival.
The older students assisted the staff and volunteers in distributing lunches and water to all attendees. Many of the kids gathered around the reservoir as they ate. I received a lifetime of hugs, smiles, and idle chat from the kids as I sat alongside them peering down at the water below.
As soon as our cleanup crew ensured that we left no trace of human intervention upon the landscape, we gathered together for our climb up the mountain to see the buddha statue at the summit. Although the path was quite steep and the terrain was slippery at times, the children left their adult counterparts in the dust trying to catch their breath as the heat and absence of canopy served to remind us why we brought so much water.
Upon reaching the summit, Seangleng presented me with a towel to wipe the sweat from my brow and and led me by hand through the crowds to the base of the statue, where we lit incense sticks and placed them in the receptacle designated for such a purpose. The smoke stung my eyes as we paid our respects.
Our descent was less arduous of a task. Ornate railings lined the hundreds of steps as we gazed upon the eighty four thousand golden buddha statues which aligned the mountainside. Ian was taking pictures of the attendees and scenery throughout the journey. We paused on several occasions along the way to absorb and appreciate the attention to detail and countless hours of labor that must have gone into the construction of such a site.
After walking around to the other side of the mountain to board the busses, the students and their adult companions contemplated their experiences, enthused to read more about the history of the Khmer empire. We boarded the busses in silence, drained from our exertion. After ensuring that all attendees were accounted for, we began our journey back to Phnom Penh.
On our return trip, we took highway two instead of highway three. This detour took an hour longer but led us past an aqueduct and a lake, as well as some magnificent scenery. The students had their eyes glued to the windows when they weren’t attempting to roust their sleepy companions.
After arriving back at the school, we paused yet again to thank the people whose generous donations which made this trip possible. Trips like this are funded entirely from donations apart from the contributions for school funding. Were it not for the support of our contributors, the kids would not be able to attend school, but were it not for the special funding for the trip, these kids would never leave their neighborhood. In particular, Aogaah would like to thank Bill, who donated $10 per week for a year, and Bryan and the Palm Beach Club, who donated the rest of the funding for the trip. Those people are regular Aogaah donors in addition to being donors for the field trip. I, the Aogaah staff and board of directors, and especially the kids, want to express our heartfelt gratitude to them for allowing the students to participate in this enriching and rewarding experience.
Darith, his wife Seangleng, and their boys Borin and Sakarach greeted me at the entrance to my hotel, eager to participate and assist. We rode down Russian Federation boulevard in Darith’s tuk-tuk until we arrived at our turn off near the Royal University of Phnom Penh in the Toul Kork district. Although I have been to the school on numerous occasions in the past, I was still struck by the dichotomy in scenery. Ramshackle one room houses made of scrap lumber and topped by corrugated aluminum lined the garbage strewn dirt paths along the defunct railroad tracks while brand new multimillion dollar skyscrapers loomed in the background. The street on which the school is located was paved a few years ago and many of the houses were made of concrete and had running water and electricity, but most of our students are not lucky enough to reside in such dwellings. The majority live on the other side of the tracks.
Although we arrived a bit too early, the school was surrounded by several dozen excited students dressed in their finest clothes. The younger students had neither ridden a bus nor ventured beyond their neighborhood. The older students had been on past Aogaah field trips and recount tales of such trips to their friends and family. They now envision themselves gaining meaningful employment and residing in a less filthy part of town. To facilitate that upward climb, they study as much as possible. Many had never ridden a bus nor ventured beyond their neighborhood.
Ian and his girlfriend Vin were next to arrive on the scene. He smiled as broadly as the kids as he took candid photos of them and complained about our early departure time. He spends a significant amount of time traveling to the countryside to provide free medical care to needy villagers when he isn’t facilitating and assisting in Aogaah events like this one. As our resident photographer, it is rare to see him without his trusty camera. Today would be no exception. Irreplaceable Aogaah teachers Sarath, Chamroeun, and Vichra arrived shortly thereafter, along with equally irreplaceable Aogaah staff Mol and Navie, and Aogaah supporters Glenn and Solita. By this time, all of the ninety six students who could attend the event had arrived at the school and were helping to carry water and food onboard the busses. They were each given an Aogaah placard to wear around their necks and climbed aboard a bus in anticipation of the trip ahead of them. The younger kids boarded one bus while the older kids took the other one.
Our two and a half hour journey took us past the airport and onto highway three to Takeo Province and onward to Wat Puth Kiri. The students were surprisingly well behaved. Of course, I was on the bus with the older kids. Ian was on the bus with the younger kids and did not concur with my assessment. Unfortunately, many of those kids had never been in a vehicle before and suffered from motion sickness throughout the journey. However, this did not deter them from bolting excitedly out of the bus upon our arrival.
The older students assisted the staff and volunteers in distributing lunches and water to all attendees. Many of the kids gathered around the reservoir as they ate. I received a lifetime of hugs, smiles, and idle chat from the kids as I sat alongside them peering down at the water below.
As soon as our cleanup crew ensured that we left no trace of human intervention upon the landscape, we gathered together for our climb up the mountain to see the buddha statue at the summit. Although the path was quite steep and the terrain was slippery at times, the children left their adult counterparts in the dust trying to catch their breath as the heat and absence of canopy served to remind us why we brought so much water.
Upon reaching the summit, Seangleng presented me with a towel to wipe the sweat from my brow and and led me by hand through the crowds to the base of the statue, where we lit incense sticks and placed them in the receptacle designated for such a purpose. The smoke stung my eyes as we paid our respects.
Our descent was less arduous of a task. Ornate railings lined the hundreds of steps as we gazed upon the eighty four thousand golden buddha statues which aligned the mountainside. Ian was taking pictures of the attendees and scenery throughout the journey. We paused on several occasions along the way to absorb and appreciate the attention to detail and countless hours of labor that must have gone into the construction of such a site.
After walking around to the other side of the mountain to board the busses, the students and their adult companions contemplated their experiences, enthused to read more about the history of the Khmer empire. We boarded the busses in silence, drained from our exertion. After ensuring that all attendees were accounted for, we began our journey back to Phnom Penh.
On our return trip, we took highway two instead of highway three. This detour took an hour longer but led us past an aqueduct and a lake, as well as some magnificent scenery. The students had their eyes glued to the windows when they weren’t attempting to roust their sleepy companions.
After arriving back at the school, we paused yet again to thank the people whose generous donations which made this trip possible. Trips like this are funded entirely from donations apart from the contributions for school funding. Were it not for the support of our contributors, the kids would not be able to attend school, but were it not for the special funding for the trip, these kids would never leave their neighborhood. In particular, Aogaah would like to thank Bill, who donated $10 per week for a year, and Bryan and the Palm Beach Club, who donated the rest of the funding for the trip. Those people are regular Aogaah donors in addition to being donors for the field trip. I, the Aogaah staff and board of directors, and especially the kids, want to express our heartfelt gratitude to them for allowing the students to participate in this enriching and rewarding experience.