You
probably have seen or heard about “Cambodia Kingdom of Wonder”
on CNN TV commercial, YouTube or multiple travel websites on the Internet. It
is a promotional campaign used to preach about tourism potentials in this
country. Cambodia does not have complex high-end subways, jungles of
skyscrapers or giant shopping malls that other developed countries have, but
the richness in our culture, the long history of tradition, our friendliest
people, thousands of ancient temples, most beautiful bays and islands and the
amazon-like forests are what make Cambodia a wonderfully unique Kingdom. As a Cambodian, I cannot be proud enough to
be born in such a beautiful country despite the fact that I used to feel
self-pity for being a Cambodian myself. Not until I have chances to explore
Cambodia through family trips, trips with friends, volunteer programmes,
youth camps and stuff, I cannot help but fall in love with my country and my
people even more deeply.
Earlier
this year in April, I had chance to volunteer in Angkor Sangkranta 2015, the
celebration of Khmer New Year in Siem Reap Angkor, the most visited place in
Cambodia. There were a lot of sub-programmes in this three-day festival,
namely, ritual offerings, latten floating, star-studded concert,
Guinness-World-Record-breaking Madison Dance, Khmer traditional games and
many more. My role was to facilitate in Khmer traditional games—Kleng
Chhab Kon Mon—in front of Angkor Wat Temple, the UNESCO World Heritage
Site. The game was about an eagle trying to catch chickens. A group of about
five to ten people queuing and holding each other’s waist with
a person in the front as a mother chicken trying to protect her children from
being caught by the eagle played by the other person. The game is quite
physically challenging, but it’s worth playing since it brings about
team spirit and leadership skills.
Not
only did I facilitate in the game, but I also enjoyed wandering around to see
other festivities. There were cultural exhibitions organized by youths from
ten ASEAN countries and other parts of the world, which helped me to meet my
good friend from Brunei. We first met in Malaysia in ASEAN Youth Volunteer
Programme. That makes me realize how small this world is and how well
connected we are as ASEAN community. Aside from the exhibition, I went to the
Fantasy Village, where lives during Angkor Empire were astonishingly
displayed by the small clay puppests of ancient Khmer people doing their
day-to-day activities. There were a lot more to see and do during the event
but I was not able to. Out of those activities, what captured my soul the
most was Cambodian traditional dance since I was so into dancing. Everyone
was welcomed to join and got lost in the excitement from the loud music. We
danced; we played; we celebrated our New Year as one big family full of
loving brothers and sisters.
Three
days of work ended with just a blink of an eye. It did not seem to me as work
but a busy holiday, which made me a little exhausted but overjoyed with the
unforced smiles on the faces of thousand people I saw. It was the platform
where friendships were made among my fellow volunteers, where I was inspired
by open-hearted people I encountered with and where my volunteerism spirit
was valued. Mission accomplished!!!
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