Day 3

What is service learning?

It is more than just lending a helping hand. It is about stepping into unfamiliar spaces with open hearts and walking away with more than we ever expected. Through service, we often set out to give — but it is in the giving that we learn, grow, and receive.

Our students spent months planning for this trip, pouring thought and effort into every activity. We reeked of sweat after hours of games, dancing, and running in the sun. But that same sweat became a badge of honour — evidence of hard work, laughter, and new friendships formed not through similarity, but through curiosity and the willingness to figure things out together, despite language differences.

This afternoon, our hosts turned the tables. The staff and students of Prolet Primary prepared activities for us —teaching us how to make bamboo rice and cook it over open fires. The little ones also performed traditional dances, and we were warmly invited to join in at the end!

We completed our wall mural today — rainbows and hot air balloons that leave behind not just colour, but a little trail of Canberran spirit in this corner of Cambodia.

As we say our goodbyes, we know the lessons from just two days of service will stay with us for a long time — in how we see the world and the part we play in it, and in the quiet reminder that being able to give is a privilege.