Shabbat and Reflctions

Firstly, about last night.  Before leaving for Chabad, all the kids relinquished their phones – a surprisingly painless effort.  The bus dropped us off at Chabad Phnom Penh where we met our two hosts for the evening – Avi and Matti – the Chabad Rabbi was away for a family simcha.  Avi and Matti only arrived 4 days ago from Brooklyn, and like us, they are still adjusting to the weather.  We made our way up the beautiful spiral staircase to the Shul on the top floor of the house where we welcomed the Shabbat in a familiar service, led by our own Rabbi Caplan.  After prayers, we went back downstairs for dinner, joined by fifteen guests to Chabad House – some Israeli backpackers and other permanent residents to Cambodia.  Dinner was delicious – fresh Challah, chicken soup, salads and dips followed by pasta and roast chicken and fruit.  We were very well fed!!  During dinner we heard a beautiful Dvar Torah from Timnah and Ashlee reflecting on the significance of this week’s Parsha, Shlach – all about being sent into unfamiliar territory and making the best of your situation – just like we have been doing.  After dinner we walked back to our hotel.

This morning we enjoyed a sleep in until 9.00 o’clock and for the first time ever, appreciated the peace and quiet that comes with no technology or alarms. After a quick breakfast we dressed and walked to Chabad House for Shabbat Services followed by a fabulous lunch of dips and Challah and Gefilte fish, salads and Schnitzel and cholent.  We also had the pleasure of hearing from Hannah and Tayla, who taught us more about the Parsha we had just read in Shul.  We were also privileged to meet fellow lunch guest Phil Weiner – he is an American Judge who travels the world of behalf of the United Nations, conducting War Crime Trials – he is in Cambodia for 2 years investigating crimes committed by the Pol Pot regime.  Phil spoke to us after lunch about his experiences as a judge in the trials of war criminals in Sarajevo and what he learned about the amazing work of the tiny Jewish community there during the war.  This community almost single handedly fed, nursed and protected Christians and Moslems without ever asking which side they were on.  His take home message to us was to always think about the impact we have on the world by our actions, and that when we are confronted by difficult situations, we should always choose to do good.  After lunch we walked back to the hotel for a swim and a siesta. Before Havdalla we enjoyed a  Siyum where we all reflected on the amazing experiences we have had on Cambodia 2015.  After dinner we had a wild ride through the city on tuk tuks, closing our day with a real buzz.

Tomorrow we take a river boat on the Mekong and then visit the Russian market to snap up a few last minute gifts and bargains.  Then we board the plane and we are homeward bound.  What a remarkable adventure.

Sandra Katz.

Here’s what your children had to say:

Joelle-

Cambodia has been one of the best trips of my life. I have experienced new things which I would never have experienced back home. I have learnt to appreciate how fortunate I am and how much one thing can change someones life. My highlight of the trip was building a house for an unfortunate family in Siem Reap. It really opened my eyes to see how grateful everybody in the village was. The kids were so happy with so little, and I will never forget the smiles they had. 

Gina-

Cambodia has helped me appreciate how fortunate every single one of us is. I learnt that people still live happy lives although they aren’t provided with the material possessions we have. Knowing they haven’t experienced anything superior they have proved that anyone can live a happy and loving life without all the luxuries we have. I’m stunned by the incredible relationships we built with children that don’t even vaguely speak English, we managed to create a happy and lively environment in such a short space of time. I hope everyone returns home with a more appreciative attitude and continues to help people who aren’t as privileged as us. 

Sasha – 

Overall, throughout this trip I have learn many things not only about myself or the group as a whole but the world that we live in. After seeing the children in the village, I have been exposed to a whole different lifestyle. Their culture and way of life amazes me and I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to see and meet such beautiful people. The kids are content and happy with life and really helped to make me grateful and see that we have a fortunate life as do they. They love their life and a great lesson we can take from them is that we have the ability to help people around the world and that we should be happy with what we have. I think that after this trip we will see that we are in fact very happy with our lives and that none of us take what we have for granted, because like the house of the family we met, it can all be taken away by a series of unfortunate events. 

Kiara-

Cambodia has been such an eye opening experience. Building what they know as a house but more like a cubby house was hard but so rewarding. Seeing the smiles of the family and also other villagers once we had completed was amazing, they were all so happy and grateful. It truly showed all our hard work was worth it. One of my highlights was the way of life the villagers were living and the kids. The kids were all so happy without all the materialistic things. They found our glasses and hats so much fun the play with and showed their friends. Seeing them play the games we taught them on the first day throughout the  next few days we were building was heart warming.This has been an amazing experience as it has taught me so much about not taking things for granted and to appreciate the little things more.

Maya-

Cambodia has been the most incredible experience. I have learned so much. I have learned to really appreciate how much I have and to be grateful for everything. The children and people at the village have little but despite that appreciate everything they have. They are always smiling and so happy. Building the house was a massive challenge for everyone. It was really hot and everyone was sweating. Some of us got injured along the way but they pulled through and kept working because we all new how important finishing the house was to the village and how happy they would be when it was finished. The killing fields and S-21 were so interesting and emotional. I felt a connection to what happened to the Cambodian people because its so similar to the Jewish holocaust. Throughout the trip and building the house especially, I have reminded myself and learned that the giver is more blessed than the receiver. Overall the trip was a massive eye opener for me and I have learned so much! 

Milla-

Summing up the whole entire trip I have learnt to appreciate the amazing things we have in life and that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own way. To me this trip has been an eye opener towards seeing things in a positive way. For instance, When we were building the house in Siem Reap I was amazed to hear and see the laughter and happiness that the village was filled with. The kids inspired me and made me see how lucky and fortunate we are to be going to Mount Scopus College and to be living in Melbourne with amazing facilities and a warm and clean country. It just showed me that these people living in Cambodia who basically live off nothing can be so happy and loveable. I fell in love with everyone because their laughter filled me with happiness and made me smile. I have learnt so much in life being on this trip. For example, I came to Cambodia not knowing anything about the history and I learnt all about the Genocide that occurred 40 years ago. Seeing all the amazing tourist attractions was incredible and the architecture. We have all formed as a family and enjoyed each others company and I’m so happy I came on this trip and cherished every minute and have not taken anything for granted.

Bunny-

My trip to Cambodia, as cliché as it sounds, has been an event I will never forget because I have been educated on a whole other lifestyle, culture and perspective on life. It’s one thing to watch a movie or read a book to learn about another place or lifestyle in the world, but to experience it first hand really showed me other ways people live and other priorities that people have. I now know that when the wifi isn’t working is a little slow, I want another pair of nike runners or the newest iPhone, I will take a second thought and remember that there are more important things in life such as happiness because the people in Cambodia have less than a quarter of what I have, yet they are probably the happiest people I have ever met. I also learnt to work as a team with the other students. I really felt as if we became a family because we built a house for a family together! Not many people can say that. We were all hot and sweaty but everyone pulled it together for these Cambodian people. I loved the enthusiasm everyone shared and how we all supported and encouraged each other. I loved every single second of this trip and I would love to come back soon! 

Alon- 

Coming to Cambodia was extremely important for me because it made me appreciate everything I have and not take things for granted. What I have learned from this educational trip was how lucky I am to have a privileged lifestyle and if I was just born in a country like Cambodia I would not have been as lucky as I believe I am. Looking at the kids on the first few days, seeing them laughing smiling and helping us and then seeing how little they have and what they do in their day-to-day lives, forced me to compare my life to theirs and seeing how much I complain for things that they have never even heard of. Rabbi Shamir explained to us that the biggest mitzvah is to help make someone develop their own independence instead of just giving money. This really hit home for me because I believe I experienced this whilst building the house and seeing the reactions of the villagers that when you give, you can receive a new sort of happiness that money can’t buy. 

Rachel-

Overall, my trip to Cambodia has been an adventure that I believe will stay with me forever. A moment on the trip that really changed my perspective on the way I look at life occurred on the building site. I had hurt my toe and was in a bad mood when all of a sudden some of the village children rushed over to the tent where I was lying. They all had concerned looks on their faces and grabbed a few of the fans that were lying around me and began fanning me. I was so taken back by the kindness they showed towards a total stranger who they had never spoken to before. I understood than that kindness can come in many forms and even the smallest things should make me feel grateful for what I have and for what others do for me that I may not always notice or appreciate. Whilst building the house I experienced many difficult challenges that I overcame and completed tasks that seemed impossible at the time. This trip has was so unbelievable and has absolutely changed my outlook on life and made me feel grateful for everything I am privileged to have.

Timmi: 

Before we arrived to Cambodia, all my knowledge of this beautiful country, came from books and second hand sources. It was not until we arrived here that I truly understood the true extent of poverty and hardship. The families that we met from the village, to the orphans from sunshine as well as students from the schools were so grateful for everything that we were able to give them, but at the end of the day I think It was us that learnt most about ourselves. We are very privileged jewish people, who live within the bubble of caulfield and Scopus. Stepping outside of our everyday lives was confronting. We see the difference between growing up in a first world country like Australia and a third word country like Cambodia and can’t help but feel lucky. We don’t realise how much we have and take for granted, until we see the difference right in front of our faces. We see how important it is to be grateful for every opportunity we are given in life. Throughout this trip, we have watched kids with so little be so happy yet we have so much and are never satisfied. This trip has given me the opportunity to help others in need and has also given me much needed perspective on the important things in life. 

Ashlee:

Cambodia has been the most amazing adventure I have had. I have grown as a person and have realised that I have so much in life. I really need to appreciate all that I have. These young children in the villages have very minimal and they are so happy although when we have everything and we don’t get our way occasionally our attitude changes dramatically and as our parents say we become ‘brattish’. These young kids have grown up playing with sticks and stones, no phones, no wifi and definitely no air conditioning. They are all so grateful. One moment that really stood out for me was when we were teaching the kids hand games and then we turn around a few minutes/hours later and all the kids were teaching each other how to play. Even though this is a very small thing to do it just shows how much you can make a difference by the smallest of things. Overall this experience has changed my life and made me appreciate all that I have. I feel very privileged to be able to have this experience.