Changing Cambodia – 2016-2017

Cambodia is a developing country, what this country want is people to be change agents and now this exists. In term of just approaching the Liger Learning Center, Liger did a really great job on connecting how each thing that they provide us affect Cambodia and also help to make changes. Everything that we give intention on always results as the effect of something. So, there are some reasons to prove that we’re changing Cambodia and we truly are.

A throwback to the exploration called “Geology of Cambodia”, this exploration gave such an inspirational things to help Cambodia. In this exploration, we are studying the history of how rocks form and geological history of Cambodia. Why it is shaped like the way they look now. The goal for this exploration is to spread information about geology to others Cambodian since there weren’t many sources about geology in Cambodia. In this exploration, we traveled to 5 provinces to see, learn about rocks and also do a lot of field research with pencil and notebook in each hand. In term of that, we are the first young bright mind Cambodians who came up with our own problems and solve it. For example, when we travel to the provinces, we saw lots of different rocks that look like ordinary rocks, but despite that we desperately curious of how that rocks are formed and decide to learn and find it out together. We were learning how Cambodia used to look like since it is the rare subject for our national curriculum. Moreover, we had created facebook group and blog for spreading the information about Geology of Cambodia to the public. While we are learning, lots of sources that we are using are from other countries. So, we eager to create our own source for Cambodia about this subject. We are changing Cambodia by commencing to learn a subject that Cambodia hasn’t thought of for a long time ago. By that, I hope that in the future, I have a chance to write a book about all the information about geology and share it to all over the country.

Previously, I am a part of the Khmer Rouge round 4 explorations, one of the final products for our exploration in term of what we have learned is hosting an event at DC-Cam in the favor of having an exhibition about all of the Khmer Rouge products from round 1 until round 4. In round 4, we are in the process of learning the downfall of Khmer Rouge and from now until the future. We have been to Killing field, S-21 and soon will be ECCC. By having what we have known, we want to inspire lots of other people to look back to their past and think. So, the good way of doing that is hosting an exhibition of Khmer Rouge products at DC-Cam since this organization is the most well-known place for Khmer Rouge documentary. We want to share our information about Khmer Rouge to High Schoolers, Workers and many other people to look how Cambodia has grown so far since the Khmer Rouge had fallen. In this exploration, we are trying really hard to come up with a solution to know which is the best way to share. Right now, we had solved it by increasing the next level of thinking and calculating problem to solve and it is also one of the change agents characteristics. In this point, we are trying to change Cambodia by the braveness and intention of young kids to do something that related to its own history. Now, we will do it. We are doing what Cambodia wants the young generation to do. I expect that everyone that join this event will be inspired.

Recently, there is an opportunity offered by Karen and MCC about being a long-term marine field researchers. As one of the students of the Liger Marine Research Team. This opportunity gives a really big impact on Cambodia on Marine Ecosystems. This opportunity is about doing work in a science field and also learning to scuba dive. The goal is to survey the fish population in different marine ecosystems such as Coral reefs, Seagrass beds, and mangroves along the Cambodian coastline of the Kep Archipelago. We will learn how to properly do marine survey including reef, invertebrates, substrates, seahorses, and seagrasses. We will focus strongly on marine organisms while having a good partnership from MCC. As we all know that illegal fishing such as trawling is really causing a big damage to Cambodia marine ecosystems. We came up with a possible solution on surveying marine organisms, including the way to protect our fish population for example by deploying artificial reefs and others project. Some of us will be taking an AP statistics class next year in order to learn how to make statistics of something or how to make a graph about something way more easier. This is a big impact on Cambodia as a new generation to study and do field research about marine ecosystems in a long term. Moreover, it is about the passionate on these students to eager not just to learn, but to implement and deploy our own projects in the real science field. This is a big adventure and challenge for us since we need to travel to our field work to do the projects every month. This opportunity allows us to involve and care more about our marine ecosystem since there are lots of things happening to our ocean. Historically, Liger had many different opportunities for students to learn about their marine biologies such as marine conservation in Cambodia, crimes in Cambodia and lots more project that involve marine ecosystem. This is what happens when Liger introduces them to their underwater marine ecosystems. We will start this project next year after our summer break. These eight students will have a strong commitment and strong intention to put all together the hard work for these long-term marine research.

To sum up, it is important for us as students to start to do something that helps to make changes for our own country. Throughout these projects, such as, Geology of Cambodia, DC-Cam event and one of the students that participate in Liger Marine Research Team, we can know how much Cambodian kids had done and about to start more of their inspirational projects. I hope that in the future, we can create something that more extremely impacts Cambodia as a young kid.        

 

Thank you!

ASE – Building Drone

After school, we have another schedule which called after-school extensions. We have lots of activities lead by different people to bring some fun for students after school ends. My extension is an innovation which is building a drone. In this extension, students get to choose what project they want to do such as building robot arms, submarine, CNC machine, drone…etc. On every Wednesday and Thursday after school, we have a one-hour extension spending on this project. We write our drone progress every day. First, we started off by 3D printing the drone frames, assemble it together, start looking at schematic and wiring the wires and the very last step is to start programming the drone, how it will fly. We are now started wiring all the wires together and expect all the best for this drones.  Here is what the drone looks like:

Expertise – Creative Technologies

Another curriculum, expertise, is where we learn all extra skills from a different field. One of my expertises is creative technologies where we learn technologies that differ from arts. We studied programming and electronics components. We have this expertise three days per week and one hour a day. Technologies also one of my favorite field to learn. I’ve learned some programming and getting to know more components including Arduino, breadboard…etc.

Currently, we are having a project. Our project is to create a mini robot to race with other robots. We have divided into small teams to work together. In that robot, we need to place Arduino, breadboard, batteries, motors, and wireless chips. Students need to design their own base and wheel to create this robot. We expected this project to finish as soon as possible.

 

Physics

One of our main curriculums is essential which contains all the main and important classes including Math, Physics, Khmer Literacy and English literacy. One of my favorite subjects is physics. First Lesson that we’ve learned is kinematics that talk about dealing problems with motions. We have learned kinematics, static equilibrium, static friction and kinetic friction. Physics is complicated, but when we develop those skills such as problem-solving and have the knowledge to understand the concept or theories of physics. We are sure inept in it. Our teacher gives homework and quizzes which makes us even more adept at solving those problems.

Here is an example problem that we’ve done:

LMRT – Liger Marine Research Team

What is LMRT? LMRT stands for Liger Marine Research Team. LMRT is a group of eight students full with passion and desire for marine biology to come together and create this long-term project to protect the ocean. This project will last 3 years to make these eight students become their own marine ecosystems researchers. We are going to survey fish, invertebrates, and substrate; furthermore, we’re going to create our own data for those surveys. To do this, we have a good partnership with Marine Conservation Cambodia, MCC, which located in Koh Seh, Kep archipelago.

On the 28th of September-3rd of October, the LMRT journey began. This first week is about getting us to be an official scuba diver. Therefore, we need to get through these four intense days to be a diver. The purpose of doing research here is about the underwater ecosystem, so the most important part of the process is to be able to dive. We have divided into two teams of four and each of us has our own dive buddies. We started off one team at a time since we only get four people underwater at a time.

On the first day, I was really nervous because I understand all the dangerous, adventurous and risk-taking. We all understand the consequences of this if something goes wrong. Neither way, we already decided to choose to join this team; therefore, we need to put all the courage and determination to this no matter how dangerous we know it is. The dive that we’re going to do is pool session which means when we practice all the skills, but this dive will not count as a real dive because it’s just when we practice all the skills. On the first day, we practiced clearing our masks, finding neutral buoyancy and getting comfortable breathing underwater. We also have another pool session in the afternoon which we learned about taking off our BCD and regulator and put it back on. For some reasons, I’m panicking during the activities, but I’m still alive.

Second Day, in the morning, we do a little bit of pool session, then the plan for the afternoon is going to dive at Koh Angkrong which is near Koh Seh; furthermore, it is beautiful and satisfying, as well as, it’s way deeper. Since I love fishes and creatures underwater, that day I’ve completed my dream because I saw Double banded soapfish, Jellyfish, Diadema urchin, Clams, and many other life-worth seeing creatures. It was a big yet the best one so far with an immense smile on everyone’s face.

The rest of the day of this trip was just doing more skills as a lot as possible, especially, skills in emergencies cases. Then, another step that we need to do is the academic test about the whole scuba diving with 50 questions and multiple choices questions. Before dinner, we did the test and after dinner, we will check the answer. As a result, we all pass the TEST! I got 47/50 which is 94%. But, this isn’t determined 100% of the whole scuba system, what’s more, important is practicing and getting comfortable with scuba diving because it’s isn’t human nature to go and breathing down there underwater. Thanks to Karen and MCC for letting this opportunity happened. Thanks so much for fulfilling my dream.  

Our Team

 

Animation

One of our school curriculums is called “Exploration”. It’s a seven-week long project where students gather in a group with their facilitator focusing on one specific topic. My first round exploration is Animation. In this exploration, we’re learning how to draw as parts of creating an animation; furthermore, we also get to learn some basic animations from our mentor. Our mentor is from an animation company called, ithink Asia. We got to visit that place and learn some basic animations stuff and drawing with tablets. Ithink Asia is an animation company created in Cambodia where they’re looking for Cambodian animators and train them. The director of that place had an enormous experience regarding over animations. He is involved in creating animations such as Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me, and many others popular animations. Currently, he is working as a team on new animation talking about Khmer Rouge base on true story. It is called “Funan” which will be air in 2018.

We’ve learned a lot of drawing skills that could be applied to create animation. Speaking of creating animation, seven weeks long is not enough for us to create an animation; therefore, there is an internship that offered by ithink Asia for our group if we want to pursue doing more animation. Since I realized that animation is what I wanted to do, I am planning to apply for that internship.  

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Khmer Rouge

My round 5 exploration is focusing on Khmer Rouge. This exploration has continued for 4 rounds and this is the last round. Round 1 which focused on the rise of Khmer Rouge, round 2 focused on during Khmer Rouge, round 3 focused on the fall of Khmer Rouge and last but not least round 4 focused on the downfall and after Khmer Rouge. In this exploration, we relook at the timeline of Khmer Rouge and discuss how they fall; furthermore, what happens after they fail. In every course that we took, we get to visit places that are relevant to our topic; therefore, we took a visit to the Choeung Ek Killing Field, S-21, and ECCC. 

Our first trip is to the killing field, the killing field was a place that Khmer Rouge soldiers used to execute people. Khmer Rouge had turned the peaceful Choeung Ek village into a miserable place where they executed thousands of people and buried them in mass graves. Nowadays, this place is under conserved and serve as a museum for new generations to visit this historical tragedy place. As this place has been developed, there are audio tours available more than 10 languages that help even foreigners to understand this brutal regime. We took an audio tour around the killing field trying to get the feeling of how would people at that time feel when they were sent there. It was creepy and at the same time emotional to see people having abnormal fate and experienced this terrible genocide. 

Image result for Choeung ek

But, before all of these people were executed, they need to experience another torturous sanction place called S-21. S-21 was previously known as a normal high school and was turned into a prison during the period of Khmer Rouge regime. This prison was led by Kang Kek Iew was also known as Duch. He was sent to trial at Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia, ECCC, he was charged with crimes against humanity, murder, and torture as his role during Khmer Rouge’s rule. He was then sent to life imprisonment. Overall, we visited the S-21 and it’s even more creepy than the killing field. They wouldn’t allow people to die easily but torture them until the end of their breath. There were only seven known survivors. This place also offers audio tours in different languages and get people to reflect on what it looks like to be tortured. 

Image result for s-21

Our last visit is to the ECCC, Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia. The ECCC’s plan is to come to an end of the remaining people including Nuon Chea and Kheiu Samphan after doing this trial for over than a decade. On that day, we have presented the closing statements of the trial. 

Image result for ECCC Cambodia

It was astonishing to be a part of this exploration since history also a part of favorites thing to learn; furthermore, to deeply understand this immense part of the history of Cambodia, The Khmer Rouge Regime.  

Geology of Cambodia

During of our fourth round of exploration in 2016-2017, I’ve been assigned in an exploration, Geology of Cambodia, which focuses on exploring rocks and geological history of Cambodia.  We went to provinces in Cambodia including, Kep, Kampot, Kampong Cham, Koh Kong, Mondulkiri, and Ratanakiri. We explored rocks that are made mysteriously around Cambodia and other parts of geology including tectonic plates. 

Our final product is to be able to understand how to explain the process that we have learned throughout the weeks to explain and spread the words to other Cambodians.  We also created a facebook page where we posted and shared all these information that we’ve learned to other Cambodians.   

Facebook Link

Exploration trip – Climate Change

As I said that I’m in Climate Change exploration. In this exploration we have a trip to go to Koh Seh. Koh Seh is near Vietnam border. We leave on Monday 30 January and come back on Friday 3 February. First we ride a bus to Kep, then take a boat to that islands. This islands is 1 hour further than Rabbit island. We go there to understand about marine conversation, ocean acidification.

This place is such a very nice place. We also did some snorkeling in this amazing ocean. We did snorkeling to see coral reefs in Koh Seh and also some snorkeling in Koh Angkrong. These place has an amazing coral reefs.

While we are learning at there, some of my friends are doing some project about ocean. A couple of my friends, Soliday and Venghour are deploying their project called artificial reefs and a couple more students. One name, Somphors, is deploying his project called using rattles to grow consumable algae is red sea lotus. Another one, Sreynith, is using rattles to grow seagrapes.

I can say it was an amazing trip. We met awesome people and have an unforgettable memories. Big thanks to our teacher, Karen, who organize this trip well with flexibility.