Yesterday team A made the journey north to Siem Reap via bus. We left Phnom Penh at about 9am and looked forward to the day ahead (!!!!????). After 7 hours on the bus, we finally arrived in Siem Reap. Time for a chill out and then in to town for dinner. Mixed fruit shake and noodles and chicken for $2!!! The humidity was high today and a few of us from down south are begining to struggle. Couple of sickies but nothing major at this stage (thank goodness).
After a good night sleep (for most of us), we headed off to the building site at 8:30. Off to Life and Hope Association and to meet Venerable Somnieng (the monk who heads Life and Hope). He is an amazing man who has recently completed his business degree in the US, living in a dorm at a Catholic University!! He has the most amazing sense of humour and he made us all feel very welcome. Most of us were eager to get to the building site so after a brief introduction and a tour of their sewing program, we headed off.
Split into 2 teams we tackled the projects. Learning to use a machete to trim bamboo and smotth the edges, building the frames and starting to make the wall frames for thatching. To say we were proud of the team is an understatement. They all worked hard and followed instructions so well and only a few blisters and knicks!!! Venerable Chaan reported about how pleased the community was with the work that was completed today. This is great acknowledgement. We have been unable to wipe the smiles off everyone's faces, even as we head to bed. Tomorrow may be another day and I can guarantee we are looking forward to it and can hardly wait.
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