Day 2 - Culture Immersion

Today the team was fully immersed in the devastating history of Cambodia and how this has helped shaped the current culture.  We visited the Killing Fields where prisoners under the Pol Pot regime were brutally killed and buried in mass graves. A number of our team also went to S-21, where prisoners were tortured prior to being loaded into trucks and sent to the killing fields. We however finished the day on a high note as we visited the kids at Nu Picks orphanage. We played games with the kids and helped serve hungry kids off the street there dinner.  Being at Nu Pick's and seeing what he has done was an especially nice way to finish a day full of horrific history.

PERSONAL VIEW from Kylie Topperwein of the Killing Fields

In year 10 I conducted an assignment on Pol Pot, but by visiting the killing fields and hearing the personal stories was very real and confronting.  In particular I found the killing tree, where babies were killed by bashing there heads against the tree and thrown in the pit beside there mums, was extremely horrific and devastating.   What really struck with me was the philosophies used to justify these inhuman acts 'better to kill an innocent person by accident then not kill an enemy by accident', and 'to kill the grass you have to pull up the roots'. This has really put what we are trying to achieve on this trip into perspective. That we are not here to have a holiday, but to somehow help make a difference to a broken country. 

Mass grave of 450 victims dug up at the killing fields

Many remains have been dug up at the killing fields but more bone fragments and clothing are found everyday 

PERSONAL VIEW from Amy Chapman about Nu Pick's orphanage 

Tonight we went to Nu Picks and I expected the street kids to be sad and malnourished but every single kid was smiling and happy. We spent the time kicking the ball around, playing with balloons and making up games with bouncy balls.  It is amazing and surprising to see the difference between Nu Picks kids and those out on the streets of Phnom Penh. You can definitely see that God has his hand in this amazing outreach.  It is a relief to see that although this country has been through so much, there is a family who are will to give so much of themselves to try and make Cambodia a better place. I felt like I was able to help make a difference by playing and feeding the kids and showing them love but mostly they made a difference to me by showing me that you don't need everything to be happy. 

The boys helping dish out dinner to very hungry kids

Nu Pick and a group of very hungry kids off the street

PERSONAL VIEW of the day by Mal Topperwein

We were only there for an hour but it was such a different hour then what was spent at S-21 and the killing fields. There is such a polar opposite between the Pol Pot philosophy of terror and Nu Pick's of unconditional love. The way that Pol Pot was trying to poison the roots of the country is in such stark contrast to the nurturing philosophy that Nu Pick is fostering with his children.

Mangoes growing through the razor wire at S-21

Cell at S-21 where prisoners were tortured and sometimes killed