Day 8 - Rest, Relaxation and Reflection

It was a laid back day for the team as we took in the sights and sounds of Siem Reap. Those that hadn't been before trekked out to  view the famous Angkor temples.   After lunch it was time by the pool, massages or markets. Later on the afternoon the team went on a sunset quad bike ride through the rice fields. Today has been a really nice way for the team to relax after a physical and emotional week. 

PERSONAL VIEW by Jo Clack of the Trip and the Temples 
This morning part of the team went to the Ankor temples. The temples are amazing with the beautiful carvings that tell forgotten stories about slaves, gods and ladies who carry giant snakes. We went to 3 temples but my favourite was Ankor Wat as we could climb right up to the top to get a fantastic view.

I have really enjoyed my experiences on this trip but my favourite time was  at the hospital as I like to help others and keep myself busy. There was a particular girl who touched my heart who was involved in a factory accident. Initially it was just her hand that was amputated but due to infection she had had to have the limb amputated a number of times. When we saw her she had just had an operation to amputate at the shoulder. I had a few tears in my eyes as this was quite personal to me as this girl is the same age as my daughter. 

My most embarrassing time however was driving the quad bike into the rice paddy field not once but twice. I have decided that quad bikes are not for me. 

While exploring the temples the team found a rather odd statue

Jo deciding the track was too mainstream 

PERSONAL VIEW by Matt Sharp of the Trip and the Quad Bikes. 
Today we went quad bike riding to finish off the trip. Riding in the countryside I felt at peace. Seeing Cambodia from the bike felt like I was alone seeing behind the scenes. I could see the bigger picture of why we were here and it made it more real.  

I really enjoyed building the house for the orphaned kids. I am someone who likes to get there hands dirty and see the results of my effort.   Here we need to make sure we do a really good quality job this is all that they have, they can't afford to fix it. Doing what we have done has made me feel like I accomplished something important. 

PERSONAL VIEW by Athol Prior of the Trip
This trip I have loved getting to know the Raw Impact team members, especially those from Cambodia. Troy is a visionary Team Leader & CEO, who is originally from Darwin & more recently from Perth. Alex is a development project facilitator from Newcastle who being fluent in Khmer, is also a translator. Katrina is a nurse from England, who works in the area of developing health & nutrition projects. Emily is a university student from Perth who is working on a family sponsorship program. Lastly, (young) Troy is from Sydney & works as a logistics/IT specialist. 

The Cambodian staff include Daroth, who is a highly skilled audio visual specialist,  and his two assistants Salin and Rado. Then there is Samphal - who worked his way up from being a refugee to becoming an agricultural specialist. Plus Saran, who is an accountancy whiz and who was my work partner on the build site. And finally, Lakena who is an English teacher,  translater and who will be an international voluntour team team leader.

The Cambodian staff are very representative of their country,  being relatively young, intelligent, and with a heart for service. However, they have also been impacted by Cambodia's history: one of them lost an uncle to Pol Pot and another was shot and wounded by the Vietnamese army when Pol Pot was being deposed.

I have found the Raw Impact team to be one big family committed to making a difference in Cambodia,  and I feel privileged to have been accepted into their family for the last week.