Summary of VIA Cambodia Trip in Late November

Dear cadets,

Below is summary and additional information for the Cambodia trip sharing we had today. they might be information that your parents may be enquiring:

General Information:

1. The price cost more than the ones offered by commercial tour companies in newspapers due to the following reasons. The first reason is because school trips do not include visits to commissioned based shops where visitors are forced to buy items like jewellery or expensive goods. The second reason is because school trips includes higher tier insurance compared to commercial ones. The last reason is because the cheap prices listed by travel companies are usually for off-peak travel. Ours is during the peak period i.e. school holidays.
2. Silkair is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, the national carrier of Singapore.
3. We will offer a mix of halal food (with logo) and seafood (without halal logo) because halal food is harder to find in rural areas of Cambodia. This is because Cambodia is a predominately Buddhist country. It is easier to find halal food (though not many) in the city area of Phnom Penh. In fact, KFC and Saprino's pizza is halal in Cambodia. We will have 1 or 2 meals in KFC as its quite affordable (around Singapore $5 for a set 2 piece meal). Hotel breakfast buffet is definitely not halal but you can choose items like eggs, bread, seafood and vegetarian noodles to take. 
4. Safety is our number 1 consideration. We chose a 3 stars hotel over homestay and village stay. All hotel rooms will be air conditioned with proper hygiene and comfort facilities. 
5. The weather in Cambodia is comparable to Singapore during day time. Temperature drops to 22-23 degrees at night time and morning before 9am. You will not need additional investment in thermal wear beyond the same wind breaker you have at home. 
6. We chose Phnom Penh because it is the capital of Cambodia. Hence, the urban areas are more developed.
7. The sites we are choosing are mainly tourist sites, besides the school VIA and immersion programmes. Tourist sites are generally more heavily guarded by police. 
8. For the cheque, form K (consent form) and form C (additional subsidy form + income statements), collection will be between May 18 to May 22 after SA1. There is no collection before that as CCA is stepping down for SA1. Moreover, we want you to focus on exams but not bug you with payments. Deposit is preferably in cheque as it is a big amount to bring to school. You can use edusave to pay for the remaining amount once we confirm the actual price in July. For additional subsidies, it is only applicable for Singapore citizens. PRs and non citizens are not eligible as the money comes from MOE Opportunity Fund. Please look for me if you are eligible and forgot to take the form C today.
9. The official currency used in Cambodia is US dollars. 
10. There is a team A and team B. But all the SJAB students will be travelling in the same team. In the event of poor response, all 3 CCAs will be on the same team. 

Key Selling Points of Trip:

1. It is always a fun and unique experience to go overseas with friends who have gone through many things with you during CCA. It is even a meaningful experience to work on a project to help the needy with your friends. The greatest happiness in life is to give back to the community. This is a rare opportunity not found in most CCAs. 
2. Our track record. You can ask seniors who have gone on overseas trips.
3. It is a chance for you to experience something different, learn new things and move away from your comfort zone.
4. We offer an unique combination of activities that will always be different from what tour companies can offer. Each trip takes around 1.5 years to plan. There are aligned to our motto the Service to Humanity. 
5. We only offer overseas trips once every 2 years. The next overseas trip is in 2017. 

Key Considerations:

1. As mentioned this afternoon, the trip is not a normal sightseeing trip. It requires preparation in semester 2. But the process you will go through will be meaningful and a good learning experience.
2. It does require you to take a bit of hardship. The income gap in Cambodia is big. Hence, there are contrasting levels of poverty when you visit urban and rural areas. This hardship is in term of 3 areas. One is that you cannot be fussy over food. Cause Cambodia is a developing country. Cambodian food is generally less tasty than Singapore. Moreover, there is normally no air con in restaurants. In fact, most hotel breakfast buffet area are non- air con (except 5 star hotels). Dining utensils are definitely not bright and shiny like ones in Singapore. It will not reflect well on Singaporeans and our school if you make negative comments about their food or refuse to eat them. The 2nd area is in terms of hygiene. Cambodia toilet facilities and air quality is not on par with Malaysia and Singapore. You can find pictures in the internet, especially the village schools we will spend 1.5 days. The third area is in terms of the VIA activity. It may require you to get a bit dirty and do some small manual labour like putting bricks to build a well or decorate a library. But its a meaningful job and it is fun to do with friends. 
3.  You must follow instructions. Cause it is not possible to find a country as regulated, safe and secure as Singapore. In Cambodia, the vehicles do not abide by traffic rules and tap water is not safe to drink. Security wise, it is also definitely not at the same level as Singapore. Hence it is important for you to follow instructions and not to wonder alone.
4. This is not a shopping trip. There is nothing much to buy. That also means you don't need to bring too much extra money beyond money for tidbits and supper.

The final decision rest with your parents. The trip is not compulsory. Assuming your parents are ok, it is encouraged to sign up as it is a meaningful bonding and different learning experience. If there are any further enquires, you can find me or the SJAB teachers during flag raising or if you see me.

Thank you

Mr Yong