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\nWeek 1: Green Gecko Project<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n \nThe division of Tourism, Hospitality and Events \nFinal year tourism, hospitality and event \nGreen Gecko: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n“We rely so heavily on donations such as this to keep the hospice \n\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n \nThe Green Gecko Project provides an important \nThe students were exposed and challenged by a \nShivani Nathoo<\/u><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n\u201cThe one week \nHannah Fallows<\/u><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n\u201cMy favourite \nWeek 2: Industry exposure in \nAccording to Lonely Planet Siem Reap is:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n\u201cThe \nDuring the second part of their trip students got <\/p>\n \nKelly-Marie Staunton<\/u><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n\u201cAs an \n\u201cThe night \nSammie – Jo Jackson<\/u><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\u201cThe tourist <\/p>\n
\nrecently travelled to Cambodia with final year students for 2 weeks, with
\nAmanda Payne and Dr Daniel Wright.\u00a0 <\/span>The
\naim and purpose of this educational visit was to continue the university
\nsupport for the Green Gecko Project and to expose students to industry related
\nexperiences in Siem Reap. <\/p>\n
\nmanagement students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) have
\nraised over \u00a348,000 for the Green Gecko Project \u2013 a school that supports
\nchildren who previously lived and begged on the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia.
\nFundraisers this year raised an impressive \u00a34000+ through a series of events designed
\nto test their management, organisational and team work skill. Events included a
\ncasino night, pool and football tournaments, a masked ball, inter-University
\ndance competition, music events and a murder mystery night.<\/p>\n\n
\nrunning and we simply wouldn\u2019t be here without support such as this from the
\nlocal community.”<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nlearning opportunity for students to apply numerous management skills including
\nteam work, planning, project management, communication and problem solving. It
\nalso provides an opportunity to learn the significance of corporate and social
\nresponsibility, an important subject in today\u2019s business environment. <\/p>\n
\nvariety of working activities whist at the Green Gecko Project, such as
\nteaching local students, working on a local farm, learning handicraft trades
\nand skills, organising and taking part in sporting activities, and been taught
\nsome local Khmer by the children. Here are some of the final year students
\ncomments on their experiences: <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\n
\nthat I spent in the Green Gecko School was one the most memorable aspects of
\nthe trip. The children are all very friendly and most could speak a good amount
\nof English. I spoke to quite a few of the Gecko kids, they talked about their
\nbackground and how they came about being part of this school. Many of the kids
\nhave big ambitions and have a bright vision of their future. Some of their
\nvisions include studying or taking up a career in the fields of business,
\nmarketing, dentistry, law, midwifery, tourism and much more. Some of the kids
\nhave already achieved so much and have a life-changing story to tell. Although
\nthey go to school 6 days a week, a few of the older children even have
\npart-time jobs to support their families. Another fact that I noticed from
\nthese children is that they lead a simple life. They have very little yet they
\nalways share and are in fact happier than some people in the western worlds.<\/i> <\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Personally, I learnt a lot from these
\nchildren just by talking to them. The fact that they know exactly what they
\nwant in life, their motivation and drive to achieve their dreams really
\ninspired me and reflect back to myself about what plans I have for my future\u201d. <\/i><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\naspect of Green Gecko was working closely with the kids. On our third day, we
\neach got to read 1 to 1 with them and get to know them more as individuals
\nwhich was lovely. On the fourth day, we had an English, maths and PE class
\nwhere the kids were able to teach us about the Khmer culture. Finally, on the
\nfifth day, we conducted an arts class with the kids, which they absolutely
\nloved! Working closely with the kids was an experience, which I highly doubt I
\nwill ever get the chance to do again and I am so pleased that I took the
\nmodule. Working closely with such positive children was so refreshing and
\nallowed me to consider my own life back home and realise quite how lucky I am.
\nGreen Gecko is a fascinating place and really allowed me to reflect upon my own
\nlife back home and compare certain aspects to those in Cambodia.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nSiem Reap<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\n
\nlife-support system and gateway for the temples of Angkor, Siem Reap was always
\ndestined for great things. Visitors come here to see the temples, of course,
\nbut there is plenty to do in and around the city when you’re templed out. Siem
\nReap has reinvented itself as the epicentre of chic Cambodia, with everything
\nfrom backpacker party pads to hip hotels, world-class wining and dining across
\na range of cuisines, sumptuous spas, great shopping, local tours to suit both
\nfoodies and adventurers, and a creative cultural scene that includes Cambodia’s
\nleading circus.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nto explore the true Cambodia, they visited, the Killing Fields Site, Landmine
\nMuseum, Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap, Buddhist temples and monasteries, butterfly
\ncentres, learnt local crafts and skills with at the Backstreet Academy, and
\nexperienced the Cambodia circus and much more. The second week also allowed
\nstudents to work towards research topics as part of their module assessments.
\nHere students conducted research into various topics such as authenticity,
\nservice quality, orphanage tourism and volunteerism, education and development
\nand political challenges, all within the context of their degree specialism. <\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nInternational Hospitality Management student, I visited the five star Grand
\nd\u2019Angkor Hotel as part of my research project, and experienced Cambodian
\nhospitality. Visiting the d\u2019Angkor hotel was insightful, with a five-star
\nexperience, and service quality. In Cambodia, I also visited local restaurant,
\nwhich served fresh food from scratch, and was priced at $3.00-$5.00 a dish.
\nDespite Cambodia being a third world country, the hospitality service was
\nexceptional, and the staff were very passionate about delivering five-star
\nquality service. Whilst experiencing the hospitality services in Cambodia, it
\nwas insightful to see the differences compared to the UK such as; serving cold
\ntowels to freshen up before dining, clearing plates away before the other guest
\nhave finished, and understanding the mannerisms such as; placing two hands
\ntogether to thank the staff\u201d<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
\nmarkets were a local attraction aimed at international tourists, with local
\ndelicacies, insects to be consumed. The insects were on sale to target
\ntourists, whereas the locals do not consume them. I sampled the spider and
\nscorpion, which both tasted like deep fried BBQ food.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/div>\n\n
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\nexperience in Cambodia was different for each place we visited, but all rich in
\nculture. In visiting a third world country, we were exposed to a different
\nlanguage, sights, smells and people. An essential part of visiting and
\nexploring a new country is the opportunity to experience cultural differences
\nand the experiences we were given had the ability to change our outlook on life
\nand were very valuable! We visited local Buddhist temples and got blessed by a
\nMonk. We entered the temples barefoot, sat down and prayed – whilst the Monks
\nchanted prayers of wishing us happiness, luck and prosperity in life, before
\nblessing us (remembered by a good luck bracelet). Tonle Sap was also very moving
\nand a highlight to see \u2018the way the other half live\u2019, whatever floats your boat
\n– literally! A floating man made village and a life on the water, all made by
\ntheir own resources, made many of us very emotional to see how much we take for
\ngranted. The Killing Fields and Landmine museum was also very educational and a
\nrealisation at that, extremely personal to be able to read the stories of
\npeople in the landmine museum and a few more tears were definitely shed again!\u201d
\n<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n