Day 9 - Time to say Goodbye.

Waking up slightly earlier than normal, we started on our reflections for the day. After grabbing a quick breakfast, we started preparing the sandwiches and balloons we intended to pass to the kids later. We were preparing for the handing over ceremony!

We had no idea that it would be this emotional for many of us.

We reached the school and were greeted by the students who were arranged in orderly rows. They were already waiting for us! Numerous Guests-of-honour were present for this event. The village chief, school principal, and various leaders of the village graced the occasion.

The event started off with national anthems of both Cambodia and Singapore. We heard the Cambodians sang their national anthem with great pride, followed by our own anthem. Speeches were made by both the Principal of Ta Touk Primary school and Mr Tan Teck Hock with our guide, Mr Khorn acting as a translator. After the speeches, group leaders and teachers from both schools went to the newly built kitchen to have the handover ceremony. After the solemn segment of the ceremony, we started serving the sandwiches that we had prepared in the morning, along with a cup of Milo. It broke our hearts to know that most of them have never seen a cup of Milo before, much less eaten a sandwich.

Their smiles left us good memories as we performed. We sang ‘Count On Me’ as a final act of appreciation and did our best to leave them a lasting memory of us. Thereafter, we went to fetch our handmade gifts and passed them to our favourite buddies. The smiles they give us were pricless. It brought tears to our eyes. After handing out the gifts, we started giving out goodie bags containing mosquito nets, some donated clothes and stationery items, that we had prepared the night before. All of them acknowledged the goodie bags with a short ‘aw kon’ which is ‘Thank You” in Cambodian.

After our final water parade at Ta Touk Primary, we held back our tears as we said our final goodbyes before boarding the bus. The farewell was unbearable. Memories from the past 8 days flooded our minds as said our last goodbyes, and gave our last hugs.

We went back to the homestay for lunch as usual and started packing our luggage. We were given a room for two to share as we checked into Ree hotel. We were greeted with the familiar amenities that we are used to back in Singapore. Perhaps it was a reward for the hard work, we were treated to a buffet dinner coupled with a nice performance.

Our final reflection session got us thinking about our roles to create awareness for social causes. What can we do when we get back to school? How can we create awareness of the situation in Cambodia?

P.S.: Are you proud of us, Ms Baizura?- Jun N Hethir

Credits: Rfiqi Andy Larry Hethir Justin Dilraj Suzi Emma for Ideas