Visal

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 
― Nelson Mandela

This past month some of the 3rd through 6th grade students went to Battambong, which is about 4 hours north-west of Phnom Penh. We had a great time learning about the legend of Reach Kol Neang Say Sork.

Visal

  Visal Sao is in 11th grade class. He has been attending Goldstone since he was 8 years old. Before he had the opportunity to learn here, he used to help his parents in the rice fields. Currently, his family do all that they can to help him, but with very limited resources, the majority of his financial support come from donors. 

Here is a personal note from Visal...

Dear Donors,

 Hi! My name is Visal SAO and I would like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity that you have given me to receive a better education. I was born on August 15, 1993, and I am in the 11th grade at Goldstone School of Hope Worldwide. I have two brothers and two sisters. I’m the youngest boy in my family. My parents are farmers. They live in the Takeo province. My parents wanted me to have a better future, so in 2002 when I was 7-years-old, I left my parents to live with my older brother in Phnom Penh. 

  In my free time, I enjoy playing sports with my friends at school, study the bible ( I became a Christian 2 years ago), and draw. In the future, I would like to open a home for the poor elderly. There are so many times that I walk down the street and see many old people begging for money. If I had the opportunity to go to a University, I would major in medicine. I would like to go to medical school at the International University in Cambodia. 

Once again, thank you for your love and support. 

Sincerely, 

 Visal Sao

Holidays!

 Typically, for me, the November that I am used to is one filled with pumpkin lattes from Starbucks and the smell of fall. This has been the first Holiday session that I have experienced, where on an average day it feels July. There are no pumpkins on the doorsteps of houses or Christmas decorations in the stores. So, even though I cannot be home for the holidays, I decided to teach the students my version of Halloween.

This year, the students learned about the Mexican festival Day of the Dead. They learned how other cultures celebrate this time of year, as well as, comparing this holiday with a similar one in Cambodia called Pchum Ben.  Both holidays celebrate ancestry, so it was interesting how some of the students interpreted the Mexican version. Besides throwing a fiesta to learn about another culture, I also took some of the girls in the 10^th and 11^th grade to a music festival. The festival focused on works done by the late 1800’s composer Franz Lizst. It was encouraging to see the students appreciate something that was so different from what they are used to.

This month was also the celebration of the Water Festival. During this time, Phnom Penh becomes the most popular city in all of Cambodia. In a typical year, millions of people come from the province to experience the concerts, the boat races, and especially the fireworks. This year some of the 11^th and 10^th grade students took the opportunity to do a little fundraising and sell water. Honestly, we did not make that much money, despite my attempts to negotiate in Khmer. However, we did have a great time building a memory.

Theara and Thearun

Theara and Thearun

            As I continue to settle into my role at Goldstone, I am realizing that the best part of my job is the ability to build relationships with the students. The majority of the students have been at Goldstone since they were 6, and they are the most creative, pure hearted and enthusiastic kids I have ever met. Many have had to overcome a lot of hardship, and there are some who are still battling through difficult life situations. Yet, through their struggles I have had the opportunity to witness their determination. They have more vision than many adults, and all they wish is to give back what they are able to learn here.   

This month I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight two of these students. Theara and Thearun are brother and sister who have both been attending Goldstone since the beginning.  

Theara is in the 11^th grade and loves working on the computer. He is also the designer for the school newspaper “The Goldstone Monthly”. He loves to play sports, his favorite one being volleyball. His favorite subjects are English, Computers and Christian moral class. He especially appreciates the Christian Moral class, because it reminds him to be humble. In the future, Theara would love to be an architect. He would love to help in Cambodia’s development by designing buildings. Once he graduates from Goldstone he would also like to give back by becoming a mentor.

Thearun is in the 10^th grade and also has an artistic side. Besides drawing she also enjoys riding her bike. Her favorite part about the school is the fact that there are many volunteers that come through. She loves that she is able to meet people from all over the world. In the future, Thearun would like to give back by becoming a doctor.

Both Theara and Thearun live with their mother, who is cook at Goldstone. They live in a very modest 3 bedroom house with their aunt and uncle and three cousins. Unfortunately, Theara and Thearun’s father was killed by a robber when Thearun was just a baby. Their aunt helps as much as she can by buying their school supplies.

   Here is a personal note that Theara wrote to let you get to know a little bit more about him, and to express his appreciation.

                

Hi my name is Theara CHHOY, and I’m 17 years-old and in the eleventh grade. I want to be an architect. I know that I need to study hard in order to be successful. I need to be good at math, Physics, and especially English. Ultimately, I would like to design houses. Since, Cambodia is a developing country it will have a lot of building growth. I really love to design with my computer. I like to use adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. In the future I really want to learn 3D Max and also Auto CAD. I hope that many of the buildings that we see in Cambodia’s future will come from my own designs. If I can have a chance, I would like to attend the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, because I think that I will have a higher quality of learning. If I have a scholarship to another country, I think it would be much better than a university in Cambodia, because I know that Universities abroad have a higher educational standard than Cambodia. When I finish college, I plan to share with my country the importance of getting a better education, because I want Cambodia to have a better future. When I finish my degree, I would like to come back to the Goldstone School of HOPE worldwide to volunteer for a year.

                I’m very grateful and thankful for all the donors that support our school. And, also for all of your contribution to our school! I appreciate your kindness and generous hearts toward our school. Your precious donations help provide all of the students at Goldstone School an outstanding educational opportunity we might not otherwise be able to afford.

                                                                                                                                  

A Field Trip to the Rice Fields

August, 2011

Over the past few weeks the students of Goldstone have been able to enjoy a break from school. However, some students are still taking this time to take advantage of the staff by continuing to study a few subjects so they do not fall behind.

            Besides the students spending their break to either study or visit family in the province, they have also had the opportunity to visit a rice farm. Last week, some of the students and staff spent the day knee high in mud and hunched over learning firsthand from the local farmers the importance of rice farming to Cambodia’s economy.  Personally, this experience gave me an opportunity to connect with the staff and the students on a deeper level. Some of the staff shared their experience as children planting rice during the time of the Khmer Rouge. Also, a student shared that he would plant rice with his parents when he was very young, before he had an opportunity to go to school. Overall, it was a very enriching experience and a great memory.

            This break has also given me, not only the time to plan and organize for the upcoming school year; it has also provided an opportunity to implement ideas to improve the school. Currently, some of the staff, as well as some Hope volunteers are working on a beautification project for the month of September. We plan to use a few Saturdays to work on organizing, in addition to, painting the school. Also, the students of the journalism club are working hard on the next Newspaper, which should be done be the first day of school.

Thank you again for all of your support.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Poole

ESL Instructor

Goldstone Academy of Hope Worldwide

Mobile # 089825104

Tiffanyd613@yahoo.com