"Nothing could have prepared us ..." Nathan Beencke

A group of Marist College North Shore students spent an enlightened fortnight in Cambodia as part of college's annual 'immersion' program designed to give students a taste of life outside their more privileged parameters.

But all the briefings, pictures, videos and advice did little to prepare the young men as they stepped off the plane and into another world. College captain Nathan Beencke said: "We had a little bit of an idea what to expect – the 38-degree days – but it was definitely a culture shock, even just leaving the airport."

For Marist teacher and one of the immersion program's organisers, Tony McDonnell, his involvement with Cambodia happened seven years ago by chance when he was a "last-minute stand-in" for one of Marist's former principals. "From day-one, the idea of the immersion program – particularly for a school like Marist North Shore – was to look at understanding ourselves and taking ourselves out of our normal, privileged lives to view the world from a different position, and in another pair of shoes."

Every day was planned right down to the minute, student Karl Davis said. "We are still getting our heads around the whole experience." Even at the final dinner on their return, the boys were still coming to terms with the "out-of-body experience" they felt looking at the photos.

"We are just all so grateful for the experience – most people never get to do what we did and, if they do, they're usually much older," Karl said. "The trip has changed a lot of people's ideas about what they want to do when they leave school. Some of us are considering gap years [in poor countries]. Many of us really want to go back to the school for a week, and if a lot of us did that, it would have the greatest impact. Being there gave us great life lessons and it was really good to have learned them early on."

The nine boys and three teachers spent much of their time in Cambodia working at Sala Lavalla, a school for disadvantaged and disabled children which was established 12 years ago and is run by Marist, Br Terry Heinrich.
After checking in at their Phnom Penh hotel – a 45-minute tuk-tuk journey from the school – the boys lugged their bags up several flights of stairs to reach rooms equipped with such "luxuries" as a bed and a fan.

En route to the school, the boys saw first-hand "all the misfortune and horrible things that have happened through the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime and the Killing Fields", Karl said. The sobering sights did not end when the group reached the Lavalla where "we finally felt we could lend a hand" to help the Cambodians. As soon as the boys arrived, they saw that "only a handful of the 90 kids had all their limbs".

"At the school, we taught English and, those who could, Music, and we worked on a landscaping project," Karl said. "It was a big shock when we left." The boys were stunned at how emotional they became after the fifth day when it was time to leave "the kids" with whom they had "really connected". The children really looked at them and used their eyes and their touch to talk with the big boys. "That made it real," Karl said. "When they say 'thank you', they put their hands together in front of their faces and bow...it just means so much more."

On the first day, the boys took the children to the Phnom Penh Water Park. "That place goes against all our OH&S and other regulations," Karl said. "But the kids only get to go once a year – when the Marist boys come over – and it's a very special thing. They just grabbed our hands and took us on the slides."
The children range in age from about 10 through to the eldest who is 20 – "but that doesn't mean he is in the advanced English class," Karl said. "Nor do the 15- or 16-year-olds look like [their counterparts] in our society because of poor health. They are a lot smaller, but a lot cuter, too."

Br Terry selected children in the province – the poorest of the poor – interviewed their parents and assessed the conditions under which they lived. "Most of the kids' disabilities are from polio or landmines," Karl said.
Mr McDonnell was a rock, Karl said, particularly when one of the Marist students' suffered acute appendicitis. "That happened at the end of the trip and he needed an urgent operation, so Mr McDonnell stayed on with him." The rest of the crew suffered "mostly stomach bugs" possibly because "we were quite adventurous with what we ate – straight into the local delicacies" which, on the first night, included "deep-fried frog with special intestine".

Most people never "experienced" modern history, Nathan said, "and only hear about such evil existing in humanity. Learning about all the brutality, and seeing the kids for the first time, this is a world away from our own." Karl said the boys kept a journal where they could document their feelings daily.

On one of the day trips into Phnom Penh's city centre, the group visited non-government organisations such as the Tabitha Program, where they spoke with a woman who lost her whole family under the brutal Pol Pot regime. "She said she forgave them – a woman who has gone through so much hardship and has come out of it smiling." The boys also learned the harsh reality of human trafficking in the region through discussions with a missionary nun.

The boys also visited Siem Reap and saw the "monumental" Angkor Wat temples that, Nathan said, showed how "humanity was also capable of the most remarkable things".

Nathan said the 'immersion' program was a topic discussed among all Years at Marist. "We've been hearing about it since Year 7," he said. "But nothing prepares you for the people, the traffic, the heat and the smell, and walking around in a big group and seeing everyone wide-eyed looking at us and trying to talk to us. It's no holiday, but a chance to really learn about a country so different from ours; to learn about ourselves; and to make a difference where we can."

Even though only a few boys get to make the annual trip, "the whole school supports the program". "We do heaps of fundraising to put towards the projects we do over there". "Our school's support is absolutely amazing," Nathan said. "We took library bags which had their school crest printed on them as a gift to each student and teacher at the school."

One of the big fund- and awareness-raising pushes happens on 'Rice Day' at Marist College, Mr McDonnell said. "That's the day when the only thing the boys can buy at the canteen is a rice meal and water."

Boys who joined the school's Solidarity program could pay five-dollars to sponsor one of the bags and were allowed the chance to write to one of the students at La Valla. "They talked about who they were and what they liked doing and the kids just loved to get something from an Australian student that shows them how similar they were. And we took two guitars over for the school to keep."

It is a long process to become a member of the 'immersion' team, and one not for the faint-hearted, Nathan said. There are many meetings where former visitors tell prospective travellers about what to expect and how to manage their Year 12 studies in the lead-up to their trip. "Then we have to write a letter of application to Mr McDonnell, Br Michael and Br Peter. Then there's an interview and a lot of questions particularly about how you will cope [living and working under trying circumstances] with the other boys – we have to make sure we're compatible. A lot of boys miss out and that's really tough. You feel very lucky to be chosen but you feel for the boys who want to go, but can't. But if you miss out, there's always a chance to go after school and for up to three months." Those accepted are then responsible for their fares and expenses.

For Deputy Head Master David Forrester, the 2010 trip was a first. "It was truly an amazing and transforming experience," he said. "We found out a lot about ourselves and about the beautiful natures of the Cambodian people – they have so little materialistically, but so much spiritually. And we were truly inspired by the work we did there. I will never lose sight of so many wonderful images which I am sure will live in the hearts and minds of the boys for the rest of our lives."

Mr McDonnell said a lot of schools had immersion programs. "But we made the decision that if we were going to do it, it would not just be a trip away, it had to have a spiritual component and the actual work side of it makes it most suitable for Year 12 boys because there are more important things in life than the HSC," he said. "And it's not just about the actual immersion. We spend a lot of time in the preparation. We have an immersion retreat weekend and do a lot of work about personality types and helping us live comfortably with each other. We learn some Khmer and then we do three, three-hour evenings to help the boys give English lessons to the children. It is also very important for all of us to understand the history and the fragility of the country today."

Mr McDonnell said the experience also underscored for the boys the need to stop and reflect by adding a "spiritual component" to the very busy HSC year. "While we were there, we spent an hour every afternoon looking back on our day and that then becomes a necessary part of the day."

The boys underwent a debriefing process – "a reflection" – when they arrived back at the college.

"Most of us were quiet on the plane leaving," Karl said. "We were trying to understand what we had just experienced. We got so much more out of it than we originally expected and we really achieved as a group."