Apart from the students, teachers and Principal, the gathering included some village elders and the Commune Chief was the guest of honor. The team officially handed over the classroom to the school in a simple ceremony. First was the ribbon-cutting, after which a symbolic key was handed over to the Principal, who opened the door and entered the brand new classroom that is furnished with tables and chair and a blackboard. We were told that the room would be used as a pre-school classroom (hence we bought small sized tables and chairs).
Ceremony over, the team went on to serve all the students breakfast, comprising an egg-tuna sandwich and a cup of hot Milo. The team also distributed goodies to the students, each having a piece of new t-shirt or pants, 2 kg packet of rice and a packet of Oreo biscuit. The students were grinning from ear to ear. We were told they do not get to eat bread often and hence they were thrilled. They were all wearing a big smile as they dispersed after the event, with their precious bag of rice and other goodies.
After lunch, the team visited the Senteurs D'Angkor Workshop. This is an initiative to promote the local culture and create jobs. They used local material and ingredient. For example, most of their packaging comes from the leaves of the sugar palm tree, which grows in abundant in Cambodia. The products they make includes natural soap, moisturising creams, aromatic candles and various spices (Kampot pepper, lemongrass, ginger, chilli) for traditional Khmer cooking.
For the most of the team, the significant event for the day was checking out of homestay and checking into the hotel.
Dinner was at the Jasmine Angkor Restaurant. Besides traditional and western food, they also have a stage where traditional Khmer dances, depicting the daily lives of the Khmer people in different eras are performed
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