Project Cambodia 1

14 Sept '06

Day 1 – 0430hrs – Changi International Airport, Terminal 1 – The day that would impact the rest of our lives here forth started with Edwin and me rushing to the airport in my dad’s car. Expecting a battalion of BB Blue to receive us at the airport when we arrived, we eagerly scoured the area for signs of the SP Primers, and perhaps, signs of life in the wee hours of the morn. There were none. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Edwin spotted some lifeless bodies lying motionless on the plastic chairs laid out neatly in front of the Foreign Exchange counter. We made our way over, and Lo & Behold! They were alive! Hahaha. We were then informed that the rest of the Primers were out scavenging the airport for food. Knowing that there would be not much to eat during the early morn, Edwin and I had already eaten before coming to the airport. We just grinned at each other. Fast forward to the next item on our agenda, the flight! It being the first flight Edwin and I had ever been on, you could predict that it was special for the both of us. Location wise it wasn’t exactly perfect, or so I thought before the trip had begun, but it would have to do. Hahaha. My first flight. Hmmm. I was exhilarated when the plane began moving. Thoughts in my mind were running at the speed of light. The plane was moving! The plane was moving! But it was moving BACKWARDS!

Hahaha. Yeah yeah, my first flight was progressing in the wrong direction, but it was absolutely necessary. The rest of the flight was quite smooth. Waiting patiently in Cambodia was another shock. There was no aerobridge to connect the terminal to the plane and we had to walk on the aero-park to the terminal building with all our baggage. My my. But did we enjoy it! We were then bundled into a mini-bus and we were all prepared to endure the rough 5 hour journey that would bring us to our destination, Kampong Cham! We were then introduced to a elderly gentleman, and his young nephew, who were to be our best friends and guides for the continuity of the entire journey, and they were Pastor Im and Mr Navy! Thank goodness we were all trained to receive change with open arms in the days training organised before the trip. Expecting to rough in out in tents under harsh weather conditions, eating food our of mess tins, the next best thing other then eating off the ground, and only having our torches to depend on for light, we were ALL shell-shocked when we were taken to a cosy hotel! Sounds too good to be true, but yes! It happened! We couldn’t believe our luck. We were then kindly briefed by Danny and Lionel that we were to be taken on a brief tour around the area to get ourselves more familiarised with Cambodian culture and their way of life before being thrown into practically the simplest ways of life in Kampong Cham. We all nodded, and followed along throughout the whole day as we were grossed out at the Tuol Sleng Museum, an ancient terror spot and tourist attraction, and were treated to first class meals for lunch and eventually dinner. Dinner was followed by phone calls home to reassure our worried parents that we had arrived safely and after a brief reflection period, we all headed to bed for an early night.

Sunderason