Famous for its ancient holy destinations and beautiful architecture, it is without a doubt that Cambodia has plenty to offer. Michelle Lim, 20, a final-year Nursing student, decided to embark on this journey after encouragement from her family.
“One of the most memorable experiences I had was to help out in building roads. It shocked me to see children as young as seven, out in the scorching sun, helping the adults,” she says. During the road building session, they played simple games with the Cambodian children.
She adds, “It surprised me that simple games like this were able to keep the [Cambodian] children entertained.” Final-year Electrical Engineering student, Daryl Tan shares, “This guy told me that in Cambodia, people with knowledge would teach people with little knowledge. People with little knowledge would then teach people with no knowledge.”
“Upon hearing [that], I felt that some of us should be ashamed, because we are too self-centered,” the 19-year-old adds. Oh Ming Hua, 19, a final-year Mechanical Engineering student, also met someone who made an impression on him.
“There was a guy who… told me that his dream was to become an English professor [and] find a Singaporean wife,” he shares. He adds, “For someone I met for five minutes, to share his personal life with me makes it interesting.” On his Cambodian friends, he says, “During that short period, I felt that [they] were closer to me than my friends in Singapore.”