We're coming home...

We are on our way home now! We are currently at Incheon airport, South Korea, back where I first posted.

We spent the morning on a 4hr bus ride to the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. We stopped off for our final meal together in Cambodia before heading off to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This was an "office" designed for detention, interrogation, inhumane torture and killing after confessions. It was very moving especially when you think about how recent it was. Some of the images and rooms were quite grim but a real eye opener for us. We did not have time to visit the killing fields which is a shame but this really did remind us of some of the reasons for taking on a project in Cambodia.

After this we went to the airport and said an emotional goodbye to our tour leader, Rith, and one of his helpers, Hay.

We have over 4hrs left before we jump on an 11hr flight back to London. Fun times.

Boat trip

Today we visited two very beautiful islands. The first island we didn't actually dock at but had the chance to jump off the boat and do some swimming and snorkeling in the lovely green sea. This was great fun and was enjoyed by all. We then enjoyed a nice lunch on board the boat.

We were welcomed by lovely white sand and crystal clear waters at the second island where we had the opportunity to get off the boat and spend two hours swimming and sunbathing.

The past two days have been heaven and the rest and relaxation has been appreciated by all.

We enjoyed our final dinner by the sea tonight which was lovely and we are looking forward to heading into Phnom Penh tomorrow and do some sightseeing before heading to the airport in the evening.
 

Free Day in Sihanouk Ville

I found out today that the place we are in is spelt Sihanouk Ville (not Sihanoukville)]


Free day today. Which meant having to organise stuff ourselves for once. Mr Tongue and I ran along the beach at 7am and did a couple of circuits. We then wanted to hire a kayak and though they were at the end of the beach where we could see wooden docks. It was only 200m away, but these wooden docks were actually a small village and the contrast in wealth and conditions was extraordinary. It was like a different country but the same stretch of beach.


We spent the morning on the beach playing with tennis balls and volleyballs. A couple of the kids went to the spa for what they described as an "amazing"massage. It was buy one get one free as well! Bargain! We had our first bit of rain today. Fell quite heavily but then was hot hot hot after. Typical. We wanted rain all of last week to cool us down on the building site and then when we don't want it to, it starts to rain. We appear to be in the middle of a storm now as I type. Very scary. Feels like a hurricane!


For lunch half of the group staying at the resort whilst the other half ventured into town. The group that stayed pretty much lazed around not doing much. Very tiring stuff. The adventurous group found a public beach and settled there. Reports tell me that it was not great and was full of tourists, backpackers and people trying to sell something..


The rest of the day was spend lazing around the pool. We grabbed a ride into town for dinner at a place called Holy Cow which was nice.


Tomorrow, island hopping and boat rides. Should be fun.


PS. Breakfast is awesome!

Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Today has been incredible.

It all started with a 10hr bus ride which sounds bad but was actually really good. Not sure why. It was really comfortable and I suppose the company was niot too bad. Some of the boys managed to get some lovely pictures of everyone sleeping. Attractive.

When we arrived at Sihanoukville, we got a bit lost but it was worth it. When we pulled into the hotel, I'm not quite sure anyone believed we were actaully in the right place. The resort we are staying at (Sokha, Sihanoukville) is absolutely incredible. Probably the best place I have ever and will ever stay at... The rooms are incredible and there is a private beach. And two awesome pools. And watersports. And a free gym. And a free spa. And so on...

After getting over our disbelief (I'm still not sure we are in the rigt place - this is a school trip right???), we chilled out in the pool and I tried to swim with little success.For dinner, we had seafood pizza, followed by crab and squid and brown soup. Vey nice. Very local. Very cheap.

We had a quick walk down the beach which was very romatic although the atmostpher was slightly ruined by Miss Routeldge who kept screaming at little crabs she though she could see.

Tomorrow, we have a free day. Plan is to chill out. Mr Tongue and I have devised a beachside duathlon which we shall be doing at 7am in the morning. Looking forward to catching some rays.

Which way is the beach???

Angkor Wat

Today was a pretty chilled out day. This was the case from the start with breakfast at 7:30am and coaches leaving at 8am (as opposed tobreakfast at 6:30 and leaving at 7am).

We visited the historical site of Angkor Wat, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, temple complexes in the world. We visited two other temples before climbing the main one. There were stairs up, but you basically had to climb. Not one for those with a fear of heights... However, the top was a breath of fresh air - there was a constant breeze cooling us down from the Cambodian heat.

There was a revolution at lunch today (possibly inspired by the views of Angkor Wat). Many of the kids were fed up with the Cambodian food and went off menu by ordering additional Western food as well as getting sweet and sour food for their rice. Some had burgers and chips whilst others had panninis. Consequently, dinner plans were scrapped and we went back to the amazing resturant we went to yesterday but with a western set menu which was nice. The kids were overjoyed! The chicken still had lemon on it though.

After dinner we walked the markets some more and Mr Tongue bought even more stuff.

Tomorrow we hit the road for the "holiday"section of our visit. We will leave at 7am and go south to Sihanoukville. I believe all the campling and hiking is over, although I did manage to convince one of the pupils that we were camping on the beach (which would not have been too bad). As far as I'm aware, there is no fixed plan of action although there are rumours of a boat trip and jumping into open waters which should be fun for me considering I can't swim!

Not sure waht Internet access will be like for the next few days so may not be able to blog again until our stopover at South Korea. We're staying in a hotel so it should be fine.

We built this house...

We built this house out of bamboo and wood (to the tune of Starship, "We built this city")

We built it! No pictures yet as I'm not sure how to do that on the hotel computer but we have done it!

Over the last four days, we have been camping at a village school about 1hr from Siem Reap. The showers consisted of a scoop and a rather large bucket/bin; toilets consisted of squatting with some rather large insects.

The first day we were building was mainly prep work. The team was spilit into two as there were two houses to be built. We stripped bamboo and lay the floor of the houses. It was very hard work  espicialy in the heat but the kids soldiered on and made good progress.

On the second day, we started making the wall frames out of bamboo and wire - not a nail in sight. People got lots of cuts on fingers and the dusty sandy environment did not help. We managed to finished the frames on one house, ready for weaving.

Third day was mainly weaving. Actually, it was more attaching as opposed to weaving, palm leaves with more wire. This meant more cuts. Lovely.

The forth day was a half day as the monks were due to arrive at 2pm for the house blessing. We split the team so that there were more people working on one house as it was slightly bigger and had a bit more to do. Despite a slow start, both houses were done by 12pm (and decorated with baloons!).

We have decided to name the houses Elsa and Berwick.

The food has been amazing (well, I have enjoyed it!) The kids don't seem to like it as much as me which is great for me as I get to clean their plates! Quiute a few are craving burgers and pizzas. Others are fed up with the lemon flavouring. Nevertheless, everyone seems to be having the time of their lives.

Tomorrow, Angkor Wat. Should be amazing.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Good morning Cambodia!

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia at 1am local time and it was straight to bed for a 6am wake up. It was 22km trek day! The first few kilometres were pretty much straight up which was very tough with the sun. Apprently it is monsoon season but it is really dry and there is a distinct lack of rain. The top was quite nice and we ended at our waterfall campsite which was amazing.

The next morning we treked back down another route. There were a lot of stairs this side and it was a much shorter route.

We visited both building sites and met the families we will be helping which was very emotional.

This morning we are off for 4 days to finish the buildings off.

Everyone is still alive!

Incheon Airport, South Korea

We have made it to South Korea!

Korean Air is amazing. I had so much legroom! The food was good. I had a Korean dish called bibimbap which is essentially rice with stuff. The kids were very excited about the entertainment on offer during the flight and general features of their seat (James had a little mini rave with a light show, taking full advantage of the light switch on his entertainment remote...) I also beat Mr Tongue twice at chess... The kids were well behaved despite being 15 mins late for the first meeting point. Everyone made it onto the plane at Heathrow as well despite a minibus malfunction!

This airport in South Korea is also incredible. I am writing this blog from a tablet pc courtesy of Samsung. There is also free Internet! Yes, free! Or complementary... A rarely used word in London.

We now have a 5 hour wait for our 5 hour flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Will update as soon as I can whilst in Cambodia! Keep checking back!

We lost the kids - some peace at last!

Teacher's Duathlon

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/teachersduathlon

On Friday 25th May 2012. A month after winning the Welling School Fun Run (read all about it here http://wellingincambodia.blogspot.co.uk/) and still buzzing off the adrenaline, Mr San completed the Teacher's Duathlon - run 15miles into school and taught 5 outstanding lessons.

He made it in on time and chose the Bonus Ball winner, after completing the first half of his duathlon (the run) in 2hrs12mins. He left his house in West London at 5:45am... Having never run more than 13.1 miles, Mr San was absolutely shatter saying "that was stupid! Why did I do that?!?" as he collapse on some chairs in briefing.

His route from West Kensington to Welling took him a tour of South East London's finest. He ran past the MI5 building onto the Oval before taking the lovely sights of Camberwell and Peckam, reaching New Cross and onto the first of two hills - Blackheath Hill. This had no descent after it so Mr Sabn had very little opportunity to recover. He ahd to navigate a large roundabout after been overtaken by Miss Green (3rd place finisher at the fun run) on her bike before embarking onto Shooters Hill which went on forever! As he entered Welling high street, he ran past fellow Cambodia team member Luke Shelly and saw pupil Alby Hurrell-Cook at the bottom of Upper Wickham Lane. Alby ran with Mr San, taking him to the finish line where he was greeting by a bg cheer! As he entered reception, he recieved a chocolate gold medal from the Learning Zone!

His 5 lessons were varified by Mrs Brady (Marnie Wilson told her the lesson was oustanding), therefore completing his challenge!

All this was in aid of the Cambodia expedition. Please give generously!

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/teachersduathlon

(Note: Mrs Brady tok a sample of 1 class which was judged outstanding by a pupil. Extrapolating, all 5 lessons must have been outstanding within a 95% confidence interval...)

Welling School Fun Run

Friday 27th April 2012 saw the inugral Welling School 5k Fun Run. After weeks of rain and a quick rain shower at 10am on the day, it looked like it was going to be a wet run. Alex McWhinnie who mapped out the route even changed the course last minute and removed the field as it was in no condition to be run on. However, it turned out to be an absolutely glorious afternoon, perfect for a fun run.

Mr San leading the way

The Mayor of Bexley, Cllr Sams, started the race and was present for the announcment of the results, despite planning on leaving before the end. He was very supportive of the event and he appeared to have a good time.

Mr San of the Maths department crossed the line first in 19m11s. He ran an absolutely beautiful race, turning up a gear in the second lap giving him a 50m lead and stretching in field. And from here on he lead till the end - no one could match his pace. Watch his winners interview here (courtesy of Mr Morgan, also of the Maths department).

The competitive run was dominated by the Maths Department with Mr Dix close behind with a sub 20 minute time. Miss Green of MFL came third, beating Head of Maths, Mr Tongue, into forth. James Harrington, one of the Cambodia team, was the first pupil to cross the line in 5th. A special mention to Stephen Garret (10HOL) and his tutor Mr Shadick who forced each other to run! Stephen also managed to raise £60 for Cancer Research - well done Stephen. Some leaked secret footage of the awards ceremony has been found, posted by anonymous source...

Below are some photos of the day, courtesy of Welling pupil Sam Lonsdale and Mr Morgan of the Maths department.

The Top Five, from left to right, Mr Tongue (4th), Mr Dix (2nd) Miss Green (3rd), Mr San (1st) and James Harrington (5th)

Scandal! Miss Beer and Ms Tyler-Maher walking the fun RUN with Miss Pomfrett and Mr Scriviner

Ms Senior walking like an Egyptian

Team MFL

Among the non-competitive runners was Mr Rivo (Rivo-san) of MFL and Japanese club, Ms Latham from the Learning Zone and Miss Beer, who walked with Ms Tyler-Maher. Finally, Luke Robertson and Emily Neil or the Cambodia team "ran" the race three legged. Thanks to everyone who took part - it was a lovely day and an amazing event.

Is this the start of an annual event?

Welling School 5k "Fun Run"

On Friday 27th April 2012 (next Friday), we will be hosting the first (I think) Welling School Fun Run. You can run, walk, crawl or dance your way to the finish line. Fancy dress and racing Lycra is encouraged. Speed stripes are also encouraged. Motorised transport is not. THIS IS OPEN TO ALL STAFF, PARENTS, PUPILS AND FRIENDS.

You can

a. Run competitively (Mr Tongue vs. Mr San is the one to watch) and try to win one of the three medals available!

b. Run for fun!

c. Crawl for fun...

d. Walk it with Miss Beer

e. Other.

It costs £3.00 to enter and this money goes towards Cambodia Team. You can enter online via the following link http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/wellingfunrun or speak to Mr San and he'll sort you out. Once you enter you can fundraise for the Cambodia Team by getting sponsorship. Alternatively, you can fundraise for a charity of your own choice if you wish to. If you enter online, a charity page will be set up for you and you can choose your charity, be it Welling Cambodia or any other of your choice.

The Mayor of Bexley will be starting the race at 1530 and will crawl until 1700 (see what I did there...)

Attached is a poster for the Welling School Fun run. Please encourage your tutor groups to enter.

Speak to Mr San for more details or training advice.

Spring Fete

Brownies...

An unsolicited email from Mr Ross in music who enjoyed a pre-launch Premium Super Indulgent Brownie... only £7...

"I don't know what you did with those brownies, but MY GOD!!! that was THE BEST chocolate brownie I've ever eaten; and probably amongst the finest confectionery I've tried in general... I'm a huuuge confectionery fan haha, so profuse compliments to the chef!"

 Thank you Sir, I look forward to baking more...

Barn Dance 23rd March 2012

The Welling School Barn Dance 2021 was a great success. Fun was had by all. There was lots of handholding, hi-fiving and running around underarms (with a cheeky tickle if you were lucky). It got pretty hot.

Thank you to all the staff who supported the Barn Dance in the planning stages and during the actual event. It was a fantastic evening and James Harrington was classed the 'BEST BARN DANCER!' (I beg to differ...) Please congratulate him when you see him!

The band (Paul & Co) were great and managed to get everyone involved. A good time was had by all and they were "certainly impressed by the way everyone joined in, and the general atmosphere – it was a real credit to your school".

 

Lots of money was made thanks to someone outbiding themselves for a bottle of wine. Some tried to pin (stick) the tail to the donkey with varying levels of success.

Cakes for Order

We are offering you the chance to order in freshly made cakes which will be delivered to you on the date requested. You may need these for your hard working faculties, a 3 hour meeting or for a friend's birthday. Or to just treat yourself and enjoy at home.

The orders that can be made are below. If you have any special requests, please let us know and we will see what we can do for you.

8 Chocolate Crispy Cakes - £3.00
8 Chocolate Cornflake Cakes - £3.00
12 Chocolate Brownies - £5.00
12 Premium Super Indulgent Brownies - £7.00
Victoria sponge with Butter Cream - £5.00
Victoria sponge with Fresh Cream - £5.50
8 Butterfly Cakes - £4.00
8 Cup Cakes with Icing - £4.00
8 Plain Scones - £4.00
8 Fruit Scones - £4.50
Chocolate Sponge Cake - £6.00
Carrot Cake - £6.00
Walnut and Honey Cake - £6.00

For more infromation, special requests or to place an order, send an email to: routledgen@welling.bexley.sch.uk
Alternatively let one of the Cambodia team know!

Hope we are tempting some of you! I hear the brownies are incredible...

"Yee Haw!" Barn Dance is hitting Welling!

Friday 23rd March 2012 - 7pm till 11pm.

Welling will be hit by cowboys and cowgirls. And straw. And a cash bar........ Get your checked shirts and jeans on for what will be a "barn" hell of a good night.

Fundraising Progress

Winter Ball

Saturday 26th November 2011 was the day of the Winter Ball. A time for staff and parents to unwind and get their groove on.

San Dance crew mentally preparing for an epic dance off

There was an auction where Cadbury World tickets were bought for £22 and a selection on Danone ("mmm Danone") branded goods, including a cool bag (a bag that keeps things cool, not a "cool" bag, although it is pretty cool) and a pen, were sold for the mighty sum of £9. One person managed to get the Head of Mathematics for a dance at the cut rate of £7. I don't know who was more disappointed.



£7 for the Head of Maths? Rip off!


There was talk of a dance off but rumouir has it, one of the contenders got scared after seeing the silky moves of his opponent. They were like Mick Jagger apparently. Maybe next time...

We raised £485.98 on the night which is incredible.

Thanks to all those that made it work!


Until next time... keeeeeep dancing!

Stars in their Eyes

What an incredible afternoon filled generally with talented young students and staff members!

Charlie Murray blew us all away with her incredible rendition of Adele's "Someone Like You". Adele is always a tricky artist to cover but Charlie did a fantastic job. Definitely one to watch - remember the name "Charlie Murray".

Welling School was represented by four inspirational teachers who shall remain nameless - you know who you are! You were all amazing and the students enjoyed their performances.

Lastly, Ben Campbell's X Factor sob story added to the passion in his rendition of Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing". It was a touch-and-go at one point but Ben found the courage andd strength to carry on. There was not a dry eye in sight. We managed to get some exclusive photos from an unknown source (some say it was Matthew Kelly...)

 

Total raised: To be confirmed

A big thanks to Mr Southgate and the music team (and Mr Southgate's jacket) who were absolutely fantastic at making the event run so smoothly. Your efforts were appreciated.

Matthew Kelly may or may not have had this to say: "Tonight, Welling School, I am going to be... in fact, I am impressed".

Cambodia Documents

Documents for Cambodia and now be found on the right (>>>).

If you would like to share any other documents, let Mr San know.

Happy reading.