Students Work with Monks and Kids in Phum O, Cambodia
Growing up, I was always taught that I was luckier than most people because I hadaccess to food, clean water, new clothes, and the latest technology. We grow up in a culturethat teaches us that all of these luxuries will bring us happiness. I assumed this to be true- that Iwould automatically be happier than those who have been referred to as “less fortunate-”however, the Phum-O community and children at the Cambodian Children Destiny (CCD) schoolmade me realize how happy we can be without such luxuries.
The trip started with 22 excruciatingly long hours of traveling. Despite exiting the planehot and exhausted, our group was still extremely excited to get to work. As soon as we gotthrough customs, we met with Sokhun, the Buddhist monk who founded and directs the CCDschool and is an avid chicken kabob and smoothie lover. Together, we drove to the school thatwe would call home for the next 10 days.
As well pulled up to CCD, we immediately felt loved because we were greeted by excitedstudents who already wanted to play with us. We found it easy to engage with the communityas we played sports and colored pictures with the students despite the language barrier. Whilewe did not understand Khmer (Cambodia’s language), our team was not deterred to talk tothem and learn the language. Throughout the trip, language was one of the biggest ways weconnected with the community. They would try to teach us Khmer while we would also helpthem with their English, but to be honest, their English was a million times better than ourKhmer.
The next 3 days was when we worked on the court.As we started building the court, I was shocked to find that CCD’s students were liningup to help shovel and carry buckets of sand and gravel with us. I saw this and all I could thinkwas that this would not happen in the United States. That first day, we worked tirelesslytogether from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. that first day and I’ve never felt so sweaty, hot, and tired!Once finished for the day, we played duck, duck, goose and soccer with the children, listened tothe students sing beautifully, sang “Lean on Me” very terribly, but confidently, and danced tothe song “Panama” with them until they had to go home. Although this was played maybe ahundred times and was stuck in my head the whole trip, it never got old because the studentswere always so eager to teach us their dance to it.
Not only did the students help, but on the second day, 14 monks came to the school tohelp us build the court. Many of us had the preconceived notion that monks were quiet menthat solely focused on prayer; however, we soon learned that they were just like anyone else,with a sense of humor, an open-mind, and hopes and dreams for the future. While we workedall day with them, we learned about their personal lives, their families, their journey tobecoming monks, etc. Going to Catholic school most of my life, I have always heard the phrases“we are one body” or “we are one family,” but I don’t think I fully understood what that meantuntil I started learning about Buddhism. Their rules and beliefs are slightly different from thoseof the Catholic faith, but are rooted in the same morals and values. I never thought that I couldfeel so connected to someone of a different religious background that lives 8,000 miles away,but on this trip, I found that connection.
Once we finished the court, we had a lot of free time. We played a local game calledBamboo Shoot, many variations of tag, and danced to the song “Panama” … again. In our sparetime, we took a tuk tuk ride around the village to see what surrounds the school, visited thetemple where Sokhun studied, and went to the market to buy fruits, vegetables, and chickensin order to make a traditional American dinner for all of the people helping us. We also went tothe killing fields to learn about the Khmer Rouge, the floating villages, participated in a talentshow, and visited Angkor Wat.
Going into this Courts for Kids trip, knowing only one person in the group, I didn’t knowwhat to expect. I certainly didn’t expect to befriend a Buddhist monk, meet guys more afraid ofbugs than I am, or love the community as much as I did. Despite some minor illnesses, cuts andbruises, losing snapchat streaks, a lot of bones in the chicken, and missing much of the WorldCup, I found that I was happy. These experiences have brought me more happiness than anypurchase ever could. I realized that these people are the happiest, most peaceful people that Ihave come to meet. I will never forget this trip, the people I met, or the simple joys weexperienced in the Phum-O community. - Kaitlyn and Mia, student volunteers
"The team from the U.S. were very hard working people. They showed that Americans are hard working people and direct to the point. Kids, teachers and monks helped out with the sport court. Everyone was really excited with the basketball court. Everyone said good bye with tears. This sport court is not only just the court, but it will remain a great memory and experience for everyone. Thanks for making this project happen to our school. We will never forget the friendship for this time." - Sokhun, CCD School Founder (and wise Buddhist monk!)"Stepping outside of my normal life routine was probably the best decision I've made. I'm a changed person in mind and body and I look forward to traveling on these trips in the future." - Ryan"For me, the largest message I received from this experience is that our purpose in life is not to serve others, but to create relationships that make both sides understand what it means to be happy." - Aiden "This trip has changed my perspective on how much I really need to live and be happy and how life can be a lot more simple and less stressful than we make it." - Erin"I had stereotypes of monks that were definitely not true.... Sokhun was the opposite of what I expected. He was so friendly and loved to talk to us. He also brought many of his fellow monks to help build the court and I was surprised at how young they were. My stereotypes were definitely proven wrong." - Ryan