I highly recommend travel for the fresh perspective it provides, and the opportunities to make new and deeper connections – in the brain and with other people.
No words needed. Creative expression and fun connected us.
A cherished playground is now in use at her school in rural Cambodia.
I hope you enjoy the following images and videos which I know are just a peek into an extraordinary trip. I came home from Cambodia with new friendships forged in tears, laughter, hard work and other breath-taking moments, and plenty of insights for the book I’m currently writing about talking to strangers and the power of connecting. The book where most of my time is focused at the moment, but I’m pausing to share this for anyone who wasn’t inundated with all the facebook posts documenting the journey. And for those who were, but still want more!
Business owners (and a few passionate employees and teenagers) from Australia, Singapore and the UK met in Siem Reap, Cambodia in the first week of January for the B1G1 Study Tour. We traveled to discover one of the countries where our business giving has been making a difference and do a little more hands on giving. We were all so incredibly inspired by the passion and determination we found in students and teachers alike, from schools to social enterprises such as restaurants and the famous Cambodian Circus.
This video will give you a snapshot of life in Cambodia and a glimpse of DAY 3 –
[youtube]http://youtu.be/BJcKkhYqNxY[/youtube]
Day 4 – we built a playground way out in the country – the trip out there was an adventure in itself and more bonding time – this little video is a chat about connecting with strangers, in a jam-packed vehicle, which I’m sure will put a smile on your face.
There’s a moment in the video where fellow-traveler Aynsley talks about Warren from About Asia Tours – who introduced us to bio-sand water filters and other fascinating low-tech/low-cost/high impact projects. Warren is one of many we met who stepped out of the comfort zone and impacted so many lives as a result!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/mZ_TmCtSjO4[/youtube]
And by the time you watch this next one – you’ll be beaming along with the children who helped us build and paint their first ever playground at their school! It was an amazing day, working hard together with new friends, for excited children, teachers and parents and I was especially grateful to be sharing the day (and the whole trip) with Ethan, our fast-growing up son.
The Joy of Giving – [youtube]http://youtu.be/K5xh_61xDc0[/youtube]
And we thought the previous 4 days were amazing – but the conversations with students on Day 5 really brought us undone and inspired us immensely. Grab your tissues for this one –
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Rdc20ytD-l0[/youtube]
I’m still dwelling on this day and a specific connection with one of the students that I will never forget. It will be written up in my book – please be patient. Just know that it was profound, but you can probably imagine that from the video :)
Thank you. Thanks to every one of you who have been part of this journey of giving by being a client/customer of ours over the years. Every book sold supports a family, every coaching session provides education in developing nations. We are so grateful to be able to partner with you to invest in your future and the future of many more precious souls.
Cheering you on,
Love Kerrie
Connecting with a beautiful student at a scholarship workshop.
PS. If you’d like to read about each day in more detail, check out B1G1 facebook page
and Aynsleys fantastic blogs –
Arriving and Introductions to the whole team
Our first day together – temples and villages
The second part of our first extraordinary day
The next fascinating day – water filters, mushrooms and more…
And the next – cycling and kindness…
Day 4 – the long road, the playground and more giving…
Day 5 – stay tuned – or watch above video again and wait patiently for my book :)
