Days 32-36: Camp days at Eagle Bay and Kawkawa.

2 days ago

5 min read

Srey Pich acting as if she just worked a 9 to 5 job and now has to make food for the family.

Well this is a unique situation. I told myself at the start of this road trip that I would not let the blog posts lag too far behind, and that I would cover a maximum of three days worth of activity. Then days 32 to 36 happened. It was a period of much needed rest for us, as we spent three days at Eagle Bay Camp, and two days at Camp Kawkawa, but it resulted in everyone on the team taking it easy and relaxing for multiple days straight. This was great for all of us, but it gave me very little to write about, especially since I could not be everywhere at once when everyone split up. So instead of a lengthy mega-post that covers five days worth of fun, all I can muster is a regular sized post that condenses much into little.

After waking up at our billets' homes in Scotch Creek, we went back to North Shushwap Christian Fellowship for a Thanksgiving service. The kids sat through the service so that the girls could perform the Lord's Prayer Dance at the end. After running the marketplace for a period of time, we departed the church to head back to Eagle Bay Camp, where we had previously spent a night weeks ago. The kids immediately went running around the camp with various chaperones, before settling down in the camp's rumpus room.

As much as I would like to write about each individual day at Eagle Bay, I feel like it would be an exercise in futility. Everyone took the time to relax, with frequent hikes around the campground coinciding with a constant stream of Khmer-dubbed films being shown in the rumpus room, the highlight being Shaolin Soccer, a hilarious Hong Kong film that I had watched just a few months ago. Breakfast, lunch and supper were all handled by Thawin, who cooked up a variety of delicious Cambodian dishes, as well as a western-centric meal of spicy chicken wings.

My favorite moments were the ends of each night, where the kids would approach me and ask, "may we play game?". I would tell them yes, and then set up my Nintendo Switch 2 for them to play on the rumpus room television. Leap divided the children into teams, who would take turns playing Mario Kart World, with points being tallied for which kids played the best. Once again, the boys got very competitive while the girls were happy just to play. I was glad to see nobody lose their temper, which is more than I can say for when I was their age.

At one point during our time at Eagle Bay, Shelly pulled the adults aside to discuss the pros and cons of the tour, so that we could better perform for next year. The Cambodians were all in agreement over the things they enjoyed, as they found the hospitality and friendliness of the Canadians to be a huge positive. Some were more homesick than others, as there was a split over who was willing to come back for another tour. One aspect that surprised me was how much the adults enjoyed seeing snow (sleet, to be accurate), something that I thought was exclusive to the kids. It's funny to be reminded that an element of Canadian life that most, including myself, find to be a nuisance, can be looked at with awe by others.

The end of our time at Eagle Bay saw us bid farewell to Rob, our bus driver up to this point. Rob had filled his contractual time driving for us, having gone above and beyond his role as bus driver for us. It was very sweet and heartwarming watching the kids connect with him. His replacement, Mike, has driven for us before, and his reputation preceded him, as the kids were excited to meet him. We are truly blessed to have two drivers who actually care about the team and are invested in the lives of the kids.

After bidding farewell to Eagle Bay Camp, we made the drive to Hope. Along the way, we stopped by Kamloops to take the team to a local Dollar Store for them to pick up small gifts and supplies for their houses back at Rescue. Just like the previous two tours, I found it a lot of hilarity in what the kids thought tried to pass off as good gifts and/or useful items when they were clearly trying to grab something for themselves. Also funny were the kids reactions to some of the Halloween items, as many of them would turn to look at each other with incredulous expressions.

After everyone had bought what they needed, we finished our drive to Hope, where we would do a small performance for the kids and youth at Grace Baptist Church. As the kids did a brief warm-up, I was treated to the sight of my mother, Shelly, trying her hand at the Praying Mantis Dance, something I never anticipated seeing. When the kids and youth arrived, we did a three-dance performance with one testimony and a demonstration of the different uses of a krama (the traditional Cambodian garment). Afterwards, the church served us a taco supper, and the team got a large amount of time to play with the youth. It was fun watching the kids figure out how to play the different games despite the language barrier.

After our time at Grace Baptist Church, we made the short drive to Camp Kawkawa, where we would spend the night and the next day relaxing. Once again, I was unable to keep track of what everyone was up to, as everyone had split up and did their own thing. It looks like the camp had some kind of full-size Foosball court, which I didn't even know was possible, and the adults were able to go kayaking out on the lake. I was later asked again by the kids if they "could play game", so I hooked up my Switch 2 to the downstairs television. This time the kids insisted on playing Super Smash Bros, which they had no idea how to play. There was lots of button mashing as the kids enjoyed seeing the characters on screen collide against each other, with nobody seeming to care about wins or losses.