Home Buddy Turned Travel Buddy

by Ramsel Eclarin (Thailand)

I didn't expect to find Cambodia

I came from the Philippines but I am living in Thailand for 10 years now as a teacher. Been long overseas but never been into exploring any single neighboring country for any good reason. As I am a killjoy and have the ability to spoil one’s travel plans, when everyone would ask me “let’s go somewhere”, for sure no one can ever go. I am very sure, they would like to drag me to travel around miles and miles away from home. Hate the sound of traveling and feeling that I come short of nice luggage, disinterested in long trips and also, I lack the detail- skills on travel apps and accessories. So I make it a point to attract each one inviting me to the house to stay back. Then let me into doing the honor of getting meals and forgot everything planned. I terribly acted this way, but everyone would be glued on the sofa and would be busy with gadget things and just waiting for the food served! Until one day in November 2018, this body moved like lightning when a very good friend asked me out “let’s volunteer in a village in Cambodia” they want you there, you’ll see. I am very glad I came to say YES to a travel buddy which gave me an awesome travel experience in Cambodia. Third week of December 2018, travel light luggage packed up, amazed of this me and myself, couldn’t believe a usual seat emptied, that I was heading off to a train station for my first destination called “Siem Rep” from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet only a few hours away to bordering Thailand and Poipet Cambodia. Travelled light, felt the natural atmosphere at the border. You could see people barking for picture taking, visa thing and all for their job benefit and my passport document-benefit. Nevertheless, I and my travel companion managed to do it sticking to plan that accessories like border entry assistance will never be expensive. I was amazed by the free visa and all and the easiness to get entry into the Poipet border. Just a few minutes waiting, a van had been arranged with some other groups of foreigners traveling to Siam Rep too. We arrived Siem Rep “the place where many local products are seen, hotels are nice with their natural landscape upfront, you can see busy streets with “tuk-tuk” are hired for an easy commute. We were welcomed by a veteran volunteers’ organizer in the place. He introduced to us his Volunteering Organization where it accommodates foreigners to help with English communication with the Cambodian locals. I didn’t expect to find a person who got a golden heart, Mr. Bob Landen, a very well known foreigner, the longest living foreign national in the area has to help Mr. Sy sustain and bring all children in the Danom village to study English. Mr. Sy, who himself founded and built a school made of wood and bamboos, yet you can see him with a leg impairment, standing still and actively teaching all the village children. That was an amazing thing I ever saw on that travel. As a teacher visitor, my heart was jumping of joy to be in their classroom willing to learn despite difficulty and poverty. Mr. Landen brought us to a village school, there my eyes widely opened for great things while traveling and what volunteer teachers must do, share, experience and radiate the love in the classroom. A classroom called “I didn’t expect to find how lively and how lovely the children singing dancing, and writing and listening and talking and all that they do. I extremely love these kids enjoying English learning with lots of fun with me and with my travel buddy. Living Cambodia “Bob’s Story” at https://bkp.group/important-news/living-cambodia-bobs-story/ inspired me a lot. I wanna go back and play and sing and dance with the rural kids in that wonderful village school supported by Mr. Landen. The globe is too small to see people like Mr. Bob, whose passion is to get people to come together for a common cause, bring life and love to children through education down there in a remote area in Siem Rep, Cambodia.