Maureen Bird

We are quite a mixed group. Our ages are from 48 to 88. We have a doctor, nurses, chiropractor, naturopath, nutritionist and pharmacist. So we are well taken care of medically. We also have lawyers, teachers, business people and numerous others. In addition, our team sports many replacement knees, hips, shoulders and toes. There are two total double mastectomies and heart surgery. Could you do it? Certainly!All it takes is a willingness to work.

We are building a new classroom at a school in town. Last Friday a group dismantled the old small room. Yesterday we were back slogging it out. We moved all the bricks away, broke up the concrete floor and dug the trenches for the new foundation. All of this was done by hand.

This morning we return to mix the concrete – by hand.

Team One returns home tonight. They are tired but pleased with the work completed. More later on the Landmines Museum and the work at BCI Orphanage.

In addition, we have to get back to the Rice Orphanage. We tried on Monday but the rains came, our van was getting stuck in the mud and we had to back out before the road washed away too much.

Maureen Bird

Sunday was a Buddist Day to honour the dead so it was appropriate that we went out to Tonle Sap Lake with Ronnie Yimsut. This is the largest lake in South Asia. During the time of the Khmer Rouge, Ronnie, most of his family and almost 90 people were sent to dig a canal. After five days with no food or water, sleeping in the open, they were too weak to continue so the soldiers slaughtered them.

Ronnie, at 15, was the sole survivor. The remains are still there and it is now marked with a pagoda of memory, which we could see in the distance. At our launch site or the lake trip, Ronnie and others attempted to attack a guard outpost. Their grenades were duds but Ronnie killed two soldiers. As a Buddist Ronnie feels regret for taking these lives to this day.

Our journey through the canal took us to the fishing village where the school is six good buildings on barges. The monks confirmed there would be 200 students to receive our gift kits. So imagine our surprise to see over 300 children as well as over 100 adults waiting for us. Fortunately, we brought extra articles.

We then participated with the monks in a memorial service.

On the lighter side, 7 of us went after our return for a Cambodian massage. This was an experience like no other. There were 5 of us in one room on floor pads with five masseurs who worked on us in unison. They found muscles in our legs we didn’t know we had. Their knuckles worked deep into the soles of our feet. We were stretched into impossible positions. And they are strong!
Then another cup of tea, a payment of $6!! And we were on our way. Monday we are back to work.

Maureen Bird

This is a question we are asked many times. But as much as we may watch documentaries, we cannot comprehend a situation until we experience it ourselves. Some of us have been working at a free school for children near the city dump. This is where we helped with a concrete floor and yesterday we distributed kits to the school children. They were sweethearts. Playing games, skipping rope and singing songs for us. They are learning English and Japanese to prepare them for future jobs in hotels and restaurants. There is a strong focus on morals and discipline. And the no fighting symbol was that of two hockey players – take that NHL!

Our next stop was the dump itself where many of these children actually live. With garbage trucks dumping new loads and rubbish smoking, the people were poking through for anything saleable. Their homes were sticks and plastic. Some had crude sleeping mats, some only the ground. It was heartbreaking to think that this could be for their entire lives. There was a naked baby wandering through areas of broken glass beside her pregnant mother.

The school owner is talking about setting up a nursery. The death rate must be so high with such danger, inhaled smoke and no medical support.

When we return you will hear far more about this beautiful country where the population is working hard to rebuild their lives and where there are still 5 million mines to be cleared.

We feel very safe near our hotel. We have our own tuk-tuk drivers who will take us out and wait for us. We’ve seen little begging but we do see land mine amputees selling things like books to make a living.

Saturday is a day off and many of us will make the pilgrimage to Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world.