I was given the pleasure of joining the Grade 1 and 2 students in their fieldtrip to Soun Tek Sorn Te Pheap (Peace Water Park) just outside the city of Phnom Penh. This was a real treat for the kids, who have all worked so hard this year at schol, and they were so excited about going.
We crammed as many students as we could into the school van and had the "overflow" jammed into the church ute before setting off for our fun day trip. It certainly was weather for being in the water with temperatures of 36 degrees and a feels like of 42+.
The park certainly wasn't what I had pictured in my mind - but I wasn't sure what to expect so maybe that has something to do with it. There were rivers of water flowing down slides of concrete into shallow pools. The kids were all pumped and ready to go, convincing me to slide, swim and climb with them again and again and again. The ground outside the pool was blisteringly hot to the feet so maybe that assisted me to quickly enter back into the water.
I do have a confession to make.....I did take a nap after lunch. (Shhh don't tell the insitute of teachers in Australa.) That would have to be a first for me, being a teacher and sleeping on the excursion, but I was just so exhausted so with my handbag as a pillow and a nearby platform (used for sitting on) I quickly drifted off in the shade while the kids swam. Hey I wasn't the only teacher on duty :)
Later my friend Vandeth convinced me that I needed to try the bigger slides with the big kids :). So with a foam mat in my hand we climbed the concrete tower to the top of the slide. The descent was certainly fast as your body was beaten around by the slide (a number of times I become airborne on the middle bump) and then the giant spash at the end which feels similar to being dunked by a massive wave at the beach. There was water entering my body from so many areas, so I said a quick prayer against any water borne diseases and joined the group back up the top.
We snacked on bread with condensed milk for spread, which seemed weird in my mind but doesn’t taste all that bad. Then it was one more round in the water before herding the kids into the change rooms and back into our vehicles to ride back to school.
This last photo made my day – that why I go and do these exhausting things, swim in strange places and eat unusual food, just so I can see this enjoyment on a child’s face.
