Pilgramage Reflections
Cambodia
Our pilgrimage started in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. On our first day we were immersed into the culture by first learning the devastating history of the Khmer Rouge Regime through our visit to Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields. Whilst in Phnom Penh we visited two non profit organisations aimed at helping Cambodian men and women. Friends Cafe provides training and employment for children on the streets to aid in giving them greater opportunities. The Daughters of Cambodia organisation saves girls from the sex industry and supplies them with dignified employment and rehabilitative services including counselling and free medical care. After these confronting experiences, our spirits were lifted by the children we met whilst staying at St Peter Apostle Parish with Father Rajat and Father Carlos. He took us to visit Vietnamese children who lived on the floating villages in KomPong Chhnang. Despite the language barrier there was no difficulty in forming a connection. We danced and sang together, and taught each other games and short phrases.
Before we left Father Rajat’s, we helped some of the students plant mango trees around the Parish and helped build a kitchen for a local family. In our final stop at Sister Denise’s, we travelled to the Thai boarder to a town called O’smach where we built a house for a family, with the assistance of our friend Rhett, a victim of landmines. On our final day we had some quiet time to reflect whilst we made three wheelchairs for more victims of landmines who stay with Sister Denise.
India
We started our Indian journey in Kolkata attending a beautiful mass each day at the ‘Mother House’ where Mother Theresa lived and worked. We visited the Child in Need Institute and the Mary Ward multi-purpose activity centres which have been set up to provide basic educational opportunities in slum areas.
After an overnight train ride to Hazaribargh we were warmly welcomed by the Jesuits and our companion Father Bob Billings. We visited schools in small villages set up by the Jesuits who continually work towards creating better opportunities within these communities. It was heart-warming to see these kids laughing and having fun. They openly included us in their traditional dance during their Muharram festival. An extremely rewarding experience to see the output of the funds raised making a difference to people’s lives.
We had the opportunity to celebrate village mass with the Santhali people and shared a meal with this community and exchanged stories and laughter, A special part of this experience was the local welcoming we received, which included the formal traditional washing of our feet.
One of the most memorable days was visiting our host families where we got to see India through the eyes of the locals and experience its true culture. Leaving India we have all taken back a new outlook on life and have truly seen the value in kindness and the power of a simple smile, as Mother Theresa said “Smiles generate smiles just as love generates love.” This quote is located at the entrance of the museum of Mother Theresa in Kolkata, where we had the opportunity to celebrate mass and visit this inspiring museum and tomb which reflects on the beginning of her order. During our time in Hazaribargh we managed to see the extension of her works in the Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity.
Northern Territory, Australia
As a group of nine Year 11 students and three staff members we had the privilege of being welcomed into the Indigenous community of Beswick, known to the Indigenous people as ‘Wugularr’. We were touched by the people’s willingness and openness to share their culture with us through partaking in various traditions and practices. This helped us to better understand and appreciate their incredible connection to the land and the way in which they use its resources.
The girls had the opportunity to collect, strip, dye and weave pandanus leaves with female elders. Meanwhile two of the male elders, Freddy and Andy took the boys out bush to share their in depth knowledge of the land and the traditional art of didgeridoo making. Both were lengthy processes but the knowledge and skills they shared through laughing and telling stories was priceless.
Overall the trip was something we will never forget and an experience each of us will carry into the rest of our lives. We spent the last few days at Kakadu National Park learning more about the land and how to preserve it as well as understanding the stories shared in the form of rock art. We are extremely grateful for the whole Wugualrr Community, especially those at Djilpin Arts as well as Gavin Castiglioni, Ruth O’Donnell and Ms Murphy who accompanied us for the two weeks.
Timor Leste
The Timor-Leste Pilgrimage was an incredibly profound experience. The pilgrimage offered an opportunity for us to expand our horizons from our comfortable lives in Perth and to be involved in and try to understand the lives of people whose experience of life is wildly different to our own.
Most of our pilgrimage was spent in Baucau. Here we visited and spent time with the school children from local communities at Garuwai and Buibau, teaching and interacting with students as well as painting classrooms and a new toilet block. At Baucau’s Ponte Leste English School we met students our own age and were able to garner an appreciation for what their everyday life is like. We also experienced traditional Timorese music, dance and art through Cecilia’s Music School and Rita’s Tai making. We all feel immensely grateful to have been wholeheartedly welcomed into the homes and schools of everyday Timorese people.
On pilgrimage we formed new and lasting friendships, learnt about a different culture and were inspired by the hope and resilience of the Timorese people. These rich memories and a drive to stand with those less fortunate will stay with us all for life.
