Our short stay in Sihanoukville was made memorable by the beautiful staff of Don Bosco Hotel School. For two days that we were in this beach town, we did not step out of the hotel and chose to spend some quiet time and mingle with the students of this hotel school.
Supported by Don Bosco Foundation, the complex includes a hotel management school, vocational school and a hotel. The students who study at this school also learn the practical aspects of hospitality industry by training and working at the hotel in the same complex. What a great concept! And these students are coming from an underprivileged background where it is hard for them to support education. This school offers them the education at a very subsidized rate.
We spent few hours taking a tour of the school and the hotel, spoke to the students and the volunteer teachers. It was a fabulous and memorable experience. What touched us the most was the enthusiasm of these students and their willingness to learn and work hard. The joy we saw in the eyes of these young adults made us forget about the past tragedies this land went thru. After our trips to the genocide and, landmine museums, our stay at this hotel school came as a breath of fresh air. The images of future that we saw at this place were shining bright and full of life 🙂