Week 1: Green Gecko Project
The division of Tourism, Hospitality and Events
recently travelled to Cambodia with final year students for 2 weeks, with
Amanda Payne and Dr Daniel Wright. The
aim and purpose of this educational visit was to continue the university
support for the Green Gecko Project and to expose students to industry related
experiences in Siem Reap.
Final year tourism, hospitality and event
management students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have
raised over £48,000 for the Green Gecko Project – a school that supports
children who previously lived and begged on the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Fundraisers this year raised an impressive £4000+ through a series of events designed
to test their management, organisational and team work skill. Events included a
casino night, pool and football tournaments, a masked ball, inter-University
dance competition, music events and a murder mystery night.
Green Gecko:
"We rely so heavily on donations such as this to keep the hospice
running and we simply wouldn’t be here without support such as this from the
local community."
The Green Gecko Project provides an important
learning opportunity for students to apply numerous management skills including
team work, planning, project management, communication and problem solving. It
also provides an opportunity to learn the significance of corporate and social
responsibility, an important subject in today’s business environment.
The students were exposed and challenged by a
variety of working activities whist at the Green Gecko Project, such as
teaching local students, working on a local farm, learning handicraft trades
and skills, organising and taking part in sporting activities, and been taught
some local Khmer by the children. Here are some of the final year students
comments on their experiences:
Shivani Nathoo
“The one week
that I spent in the Green Gecko School was one the most memorable aspects of
the trip. The children are all very friendly and most could speak a good amount
of English. I spoke to quite a few of the Gecko kids, they talked about their
background and how they came about being part of this school. Many of the kids
have big ambitions and have a bright vision of their future. Some of their
visions include studying or taking up a career in the fields of business,
marketing, dentistry, law, midwifery, tourism and much more. Some of the kids
have already achieved so much and have a life-changing story to tell. Although
they go to school 6 days a week, a few of the older children even have
part-time jobs to support their families. Another fact that I noticed from
these children is that they lead a simple life. They have very little yet they
always share and are in fact happier than some people in the western worlds. Personally, I learnt a lot from these
children just by talking to them. The fact that they know exactly what they
want in life, their motivation and drive to achieve their dreams really
inspired me and reflect back to myself about what plans I have for my future”.
Hannah Fallows
“My favourite
aspect of Green Gecko was working closely with the kids. On our third day, we
each got to read 1 to 1 with them and get to know them more as individuals
which was lovely. On the fourth day, we had an English, maths and PE class
where the kids were able to teach us about the Khmer culture. Finally, on the
fifth day, we conducted an arts class with the kids, which they absolutely
loved! Working closely with the kids was an experience, which I highly doubt I
will ever get the chance to do again and I am so pleased that I took the
module. Working closely with such positive children was so refreshing and
allowed me to consider my own life back home and realise quite how lucky I am.
Green Gecko is a fascinating place and really allowed me to reflect upon my own
life back home and compare certain aspects to those in Cambodia.”
Week 2: Industry exposure in
Siem Reap
According to Lonely Planet Siem Reap is:
“The
life-support system and gateway for the temples of Angkor, Siem Reap was always
destined for great things. Visitors come here to see the temples, of course,
but there is plenty to do in and around the city when you're templed out. Siem
Reap has reinvented itself as the epicentre of chic Cambodia, with everything
from backpacker party pads to hip hotels, world-class wining and dining across
a range of cuisines, sumptuous spas, great shopping, local tours to suit both
foodies and adventurers, and a creative cultural scene that includes Cambodia's
leading circus.”
During the second part of their trip students got
to explore the true Cambodia, they visited, the Killing Fields Site, Landmine
Museum, Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap, Buddhist temples and monasteries, butterfly
centres, learnt local crafts and skills with at the Backstreet Academy, and
experienced the Cambodia circus and much more. The second week also allowed
students to work towards research topics as part of their module assessments.
Here students conducted research into various topics such as authenticity,
service quality, orphanage tourism and volunteerism, education and development
and political challenges, all within the context of their degree specialism.
Kelly-Marie Staunton
“As an
International Hospitality Management student, I visited the five star Grand
d’Angkor Hotel as part of my research project, and experienced Cambodian
hospitality. Visiting the d’Angkor hotel was insightful, with a five-star
experience, and service quality. In Cambodia, I also visited local restaurant,
which served fresh food from scratch, and was priced at $3.00-$5.00 a dish.
Despite Cambodia being a third world country, the hospitality service was
exceptional, and the staff were very passionate about delivering five-star
quality service. Whilst experiencing the hospitality services in Cambodia, it
was insightful to see the differences compared to the UK such as; serving cold
towels to freshen up before dining, clearing plates away before the other guest
have finished, and understanding the mannerisms such as; placing two hands
together to thank the staff”.
“The night
markets were a local attraction aimed at international tourists, with local
delicacies, insects to be consumed. The insects were on sale to target
tourists, whereas the locals do not consume them. I sampled the spider and
scorpion, which both tasted like deep fried BBQ food.”
Sammie - Jo Jackson
“The tourist
experience in Cambodia was different for each place we visited, but all rich in
culture. In visiting a third world country, we were exposed to a different
language, sights, smells and people. An essential part of visiting and
exploring a new country is the opportunity to experience cultural differences
and the experiences we were given had the ability to change our outlook on life
and were very valuable! We visited local Buddhist temples and got blessed by a
Monk. We entered the temples barefoot, sat down and prayed - whilst the Monks
chanted prayers of wishing us happiness, luck and prosperity in life, before
blessing us (remembered by a good luck bracelet). Tonle Sap was also very
moving and a highlight to see ‘the way the other half live’, whatever floats
your boat - literally! A floating man made village and a life on the water, all
made by their own resources, made many of us very emotional to see how much we
take for granted. The Killing Fields and Landmine museum was also very
educational and a realisation at that, extremely personal to be able to read
the stories of people in the landmine museum and a few more tears were
definitely shed again!”
“Cambodia
was a life-changing experience, as it gave me an insight into what another
hospitality culture is like.” Kelly-Marie Staunton.
“Overall
amazing and life changing experience, definitively given me a new outlook on
life and would do it all again in a heartbeat” Sammie - Jo Jackson.
“Overall,
the trip was exciting, thought provoking and most definitely a once in a
lifetime opportunity!” Hannah Fallows.
“To the 11 final years students who
approached every challenge with a positive attitude; UCLan, the School of
Management and division of T.H.E for supporting the field visit; the travel
office for their hard work in logistical planning; to the Green Gecko Project
for accommodating us; all T.H.E final year students for raising money is
supporting such an inspiration project, and everyone else at UCLan and in
Cambodia who has supported and assisted in this successful and life changing
opportunity… a massive thank you for all of us!!!” Amanda Payne and Daniel
Wright.
