Sleep...we can get it when we're dead right? That's what we keep telling ourselves. Ty didn't
sleep a wink Wednesday night and I think I went to bed at 4am. I woke up nearly every
hour through the night last night, so work should be fun today ;-) We feel like
we're on drugs because we cannot sleep! Ahhh, it's killing us. Praying we
can make a quick turn around, like tonight would be good!
Anyway, as some of you know we didn't just go to SE Asia for a leisurely travel.
We also had a purpose:
to build a sports court for kids in a rural area of Cambodia. This was probably the hardest work
either of us have ever done in our lives. Not kidding whatsoever! Forget all those high
school daily doubles, extra hard days in the yard or on the house, etc. This was like Crossfit
workouts all day long! The reward: seeing all those kids dressed up for the court inauguration
and their excitement and smiles when they finally got to play on it!
sleep a wink Wednesday night and I think I went to bed at 4am. I woke up nearly every
hour through the night last night, so work should be fun today ;-) We feel like
we're on drugs because we cannot sleep! Ahhh, it's killing us. Praying we
can make a quick turn around, like tonight would be good!
Anyway, as some of you know we didn't just go to SE Asia for a leisurely travel.
We also had a purpose:
to build a sports court for kids in a rural area of Cambodia. This was probably the hardest work
either of us have ever done in our lives. Not kidding whatsoever! Forget all those high
school daily doubles, extra hard days in the yard or on the house, etc. This was like Crossfit
workouts all day long! The reward: seeing all those kids dressed up for the court inauguration
and their excitement and smiles when they finally got to play on it!
Take a peek into our week in a small village in the Kralanh district, which
is north of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The start of the court, which was prepared by some of the locals before we arrived...
We carried 100lb cement bags...
We squated, pressed, & farmer's carried super heavy buckets of gravel, sand, cement, and water...
And we occasionally took some breaks...I've got one good lookin' and hard workin' husband!
Used all sorts of makeshift tools to make this court...bamboo tools, sheet metal, weaved baskets, etc.
A butcher's knife for cutting open bags...why not?
The kids of the court...those who attend the school and those who helped!
Ty's buddies, one of which he gave his tennis shoes to...
(leaving shoeless so this guy could have his shoes!)
The community of women who prepared food for us.
Amazing work with just wood fire stoves and one electric stove, pots, & the ingredients!
Day to day with the Stanwees...
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4 and wiped!
And a completed court!
We had a mini dental clinic with the children, which made me tear up a bit...
When asked, the children said you are suppose to brush your teeth 3 times a day.
When asked to raise their hand if they had a toothbrush, NOT ONE single child amongst
4 classrooms of 30-50 children had a toothbrush. NOT ONE single child raised their hand.
This child below doesn't go to school, but when the Peace Corps volunteer told him about
this clinic out in the community, he hovered around the school all afternoon until we
had leftovers so he could get one. She gave him an entire bag of supplies.
Doesn't it just break your heart?
one toothbrush in hand...
a smile to the face...
now has a ziploc bag in hand of goodies!
Courts for Kids always does a mini clinic at the end of the trip, once the court is complete...
Some of these kids have never held a basketball. Many know soccer and volleyball,
but this clinic became so much fun to watch them learn a new skill!
Even this little one snuck into the clinic somehow!
If anybody is interested in going abroad, getting involved with the community in a third world
country on many levels, living (somewhat) like the locals, and of course, getting one
heck of a workout for several days...get in touch with Courts for Kids!
country on many levels, living (somewhat) like the locals, and of course, getting one
heck of a workout for several days...get in touch with Courts for Kids!
(drawn by Abby E, another high school volunteer)
Hi Cori,
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend and I are also going on a SE Asia trip for 6 months in January, and this is a fantastic idea! How did you find out about this charity work? Would love to also do something similar..
You're blog is great, and also quite funny! I'm getting some really good tips from you, the what to pack list is printed and in my handbag :-). Thanks!
Martina
Hey Martina!
DeleteI imagine your trip will be amazing! How cool to be able to spend 6 months over there...you sure won't have to be in any sort of rush and can enjoy an area as long as you'd like before moving on to the next! I have a few more blog posts to do to finish off Cambodia, so stay tuned for those. If you need any other suggestions on places to eat, places to stay, or other suggestions for things to do let us know and we would be happy to share more of our experience with you. I know we posted a ton of information, but I also feel like we left out so much because it made for such long blog posts.
Thanks for reading the blog and keep checking back to see new SE Asia travel ideas!
-Cori
And about the nonprofit...we heard about them through our Aunt. They are based out of our home city, but go all over the world. Google Courts for Kids website and you can see what they have available for next year. If you want a week long or more of organized volunteering, I'd suggest getting online and doing some research to see what's out there. I googled 'short term volunteer abroad programs SE Asia' and one of the first ones had several options! If you want ideas for various day events, Big Brother Mouse in Luang Prabang reads and/or talks with kids who want to learn English and a guesthouse in Cambodia (I'll have to get back to you on the name of it because it's not coming to me at the moment) provides ways to go to villages to help out and/or you can help children learn to read. So many opportunities and to be honest...that is the best part to our travel. You feel so much more a part of the community rather than being a tourist to all countries. Such a wonderful feeling and makes a world of difference in your travel purpose!
DeleteGood luck! Hope you are able to find a little something extra to make your trip that much better!
Hi Cori,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all of the tips (again!).
I already looked at the Courts for Kids website, and they don't seem to be out there this upcoming year. I've also seen on google, and so far have seen that you have to pay to take part in many volunteering jobs.. and it's not inexpensive either.. I'll have to see if we can find something reasonable, the truth is our budget is extremely tight! Anyways, it seems like a great opportunity and wonderful feeling to make a difference in our world!
I may just have to ask you on tips for where to stay.. thanks for the offer! For now, we bought our tickets and are very very excited, my mind is already over there :).
-Martina