受惠同學的實踐

I joined a six-day trip to Cambodia from January 5 to January 10, 2009, which was organised by World University Service, HKUB, HKUSU. This trip involved three major activities: visiting some cultural heritage sites, doing voluntary service and having exchanges among students from Hong Kong and Cambodia. They all gave me different feelings and learning opportunities, which were more than what I expected.

Visiting cultural heritage sites, such as Angkor Wat, impressed me a lot. The architecture is so great and beautiful. Every picture on the wall tells a story about how ancient Cambodians lived and their beliefs. I learnt to appreciate the cultural differences between Hong Kong and Cambodia, which could only be experienced in person and not by listening to others or from watching TV programmes.

The second major activity of the trip was doing some voluntary work. I went to the Life and Hope Association, a Cambodian non-profit, non-governmental and non-political organisation, which provides housing for teenage girls who have been abandoned by their families. My group members and I visited the homes of the girls, talked to them and played games with them. In addition to the Life and Hope Association, I also went to Krousar Thmey Children Protection Centre which runs like a small village with a school, houses, playgrounds and farms. What I gained from such voluntary services was happiness. Though these children received only little help, they were still happy. Seeing their happy smiling faces makes me have no regret about going there. More importantly, I began to become more alert of the issues of poor people in Cambodia and other parts of the world.

The last important part of the journey was the exchange between HKU students and students of Norton University in Cambodia. I found that Cambodian students were very concerned about public affairs and wanted to make efforts to improve the conditions of Cambodia. I know I should learn from their attitude towards public issues and pay more attention to our society.

These six days were extremely meaningful. I gained a lot from the trip. Apart from experiencing Cambodian culture, I have undergone personal growth. My perspective on seeing things has become wider. Now, I consider things from different ways instead of solely from one viewpoint and am more concerned about people in need. I will try to be a volunteer more often. When helping others, I actually benefit myself.