Tania Gole, Grade 11
UWCSEA (Dover)
What lies ahead in my life?
This is one of the questions we may have asked ourselves from the beginning. However, what if this is the wrong question, and perhaps this would be more meaningful :
How will I contribute to this world, or what impact will I make to someone else's life?
I am exceptionally grateful to be able to have an education, a family, and a home. Many of us have never experienced the hardships that others have gone through as we have never walked in their shoes.
My Grade 8 Tabitha Cambodia Trip in 2017 was a life-changing experience, and it completely changed my mindset. I am using this opportunity to share that experience today.
In order for us to qualify for this trip, six months of fundraising was required. This would include coordinating events, working in shifts, and even participating in a 24-hour fast. After our time was up, collectively, as a group of sixty students, we raised over $80,000.
Finally, we were able to go to Cambodia to build forty houses in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces.
Day one of our trip was History day. We first visited Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh before we made our way to villages. As a thirteen-year-old at the time, I wondered as to why we were there, and I remember saying to my friends - should we not be building houses?
Janne Ritskes is the founder of Tabitha, and we were lucky to hear more from her about why the foundation exists and more on Pol Pot's reign in Cambodia and the devastation it caused.
Tuol Sleng is Cambodia's notorious prison that, in the 1970s, tortured and murdered 12,000 people.
The museum depicts the prisoners suffering, and pain is shown by blood marks of the prisoners counting the days they were held, the broken bathroom walls, and the rusted chains that held the prisoners.
The Killing Fields are several sites in Cambodia where more than a million people were killed during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. As we walked through the graves of thousands who were buried, I now knew why this was essential for us to understand. The whole day motivated me more to give it my all in the remaining three days - I understood the purpose of us being there.
Two days of building twenty houses seemed nearly impossible. The Tabitha Trip in UWCSEA Dover has existed since the beginning, and the foundation is one of the first global concerns the college has supported.
So if all past groups had done it, why couldn't we?
Unfortunately, after the first day of housebuilding, we had only finished four houses. A big day was ahead of us. Sixteen houses were a challenge and something that had never been done before.
On the first day, my mind was near to giving up. However, it was the villager's smiles that drove me to build as many houses as I could.
The housebuilding included bracing, nailing, and putting up walls. The two days were tough, emotionally, and physically draining. Despite this, the atmosphere in the air was of inspiration and determination.
As the rain poured, the handover ceremony involved giving the blankets and houses to the families and seeing their reactions. It was a defining moment for me.
Saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Phnom Penh. The drive back, put things into perspective. Many of these children have limited opportunities, living a childhood without the basic needs of food, water, clothing, and shelter, but also sanitation, education, and healthcare.
The trip left an indelible mark on me. The Tabitha Cambodia trip was a once in a lifetime experience as I still reminisce about it three years later. During the fundraising, students would mention Tabitha Cambodia as a fantastic organization without actually knowing the extent of what they do. Tabitha changes lives for the better, it is vital for families in Cambodia, and I am so thankful that UWC organized this trip and that I was able to go.
The trip has taught me three valuable lessons, that should be shared :
I hope that my journey was able to inspire some of you. One of the greatest pleasures in life is when we give to those who don't have enough. We all have life-changing experiences, and one of mine was this trip.
This is one of the questions we may have asked ourselves from the beginning. However, what if this is the wrong question, and perhaps this would be more meaningful :
How will I contribute to this world, or what impact will I make to someone else's life?
I am exceptionally grateful to be able to have an education, a family, and a home. Many of us have never experienced the hardships that others have gone through as we have never walked in their shoes.
My Grade 8 Tabitha Cambodia Trip in 2017 was a life-changing experience, and it completely changed my mindset. I am using this opportunity to share that experience today.
In order for us to qualify for this trip, six months of fundraising was required. This would include coordinating events, working in shifts, and even participating in a 24-hour fast. After our time was up, collectively, as a group of sixty students, we raised over $80,000.
Finally, we were able to go to Cambodia to build forty houses in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng provinces.
Day one of our trip was History day. We first visited Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh before we made our way to villages. As a thirteen-year-old at the time, I wondered as to why we were there, and I remember saying to my friends - should we not be building houses?
Janne Ritskes is the founder of Tabitha, and we were lucky to hear more from her about why the foundation exists and more on Pol Pot's reign in Cambodia and the devastation it caused.
Tuol Sleng is Cambodia's notorious prison that, in the 1970s, tortured and murdered 12,000 people.
The museum depicts the prisoners suffering, and pain is shown by blood marks of the prisoners counting the days they were held, the broken bathroom walls, and the rusted chains that held the prisoners.
The Killing Fields are several sites in Cambodia where more than a million people were killed during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. As we walked through the graves of thousands who were buried, I now knew why this was essential for us to understand. The whole day motivated me more to give it my all in the remaining three days - I understood the purpose of us being there.
Two days of building twenty houses seemed nearly impossible. The Tabitha Trip in UWCSEA Dover has existed since the beginning, and the foundation is one of the first global concerns the college has supported.
So if all past groups had done it, why couldn't we?
Unfortunately, after the first day of housebuilding, we had only finished four houses. A big day was ahead of us. Sixteen houses were a challenge and something that had never been done before.
On the first day, my mind was near to giving up. However, it was the villager's smiles that drove me to build as many houses as I could.
The housebuilding included bracing, nailing, and putting up walls. The two days were tough, emotionally, and physically draining. Despite this, the atmosphere in the air was of inspiration and determination.
As the rain poured, the handover ceremony involved giving the blankets and houses to the families and seeing their reactions. It was a defining moment for me.
Saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Phnom Penh. The drive back, put things into perspective. Many of these children have limited opportunities, living a childhood without the basic needs of food, water, clothing, and shelter, but also sanitation, education, and healthcare.
The trip left an indelible mark on me. The Tabitha Cambodia trip was a once in a lifetime experience as I still reminisce about it three years later. During the fundraising, students would mention Tabitha Cambodia as a fantastic organization without actually knowing the extent of what they do. Tabitha changes lives for the better, it is vital for families in Cambodia, and I am so thankful that UWC organized this trip and that I was able to go.
The trip has taught me three valuable lessons, that should be shared :
- Gratefulness
- Do something valuable
- Make a difference
I hope that my journey was able to inspire some of you. One of the greatest pleasures in life is when we give to those who don't have enough. We all have life-changing experiences, and one of mine was this trip.
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