Bambujaya Bilingual School

Education is the only thing that matters.

I recall one day in 2016 while living in Japan I visited an onsen. It was a beautiful onsen, a peaceful sanctuary, very ethereal. While lying on the tatami mat in my room I heard a voice ask me what had I done so far in my life. I was quite taken aback by the question, and started to contemplate what I have done with my life. As I considered, I felt I was doing well with my life and proudly listed all I had achieved – opened a school for my children, a centre for children with disabilities and disadvantages and a place for children to sing amongst others.
After listing my achievements, the voice asked me what I would do now.
I already knew what I was going to do for the next few years. I was going to focus on finishing my project in Siem Reap, a beautiful resort to welcome everyone to our ancestral home, the Angkor Temples.
To my surprise, the voice said “Ah another 5 star resort! We already have too many of those!” came back strongly.
Needless to say, I was a bit surprised and disappointed. As I saw my project to be more than another 5 stars resort, this one will be special. People would feel the spirit of what our great ancestors left behind for us.
However, the voice kept insisting – no matter what, it will be just another resort.
Then it dawned on me to ask, if not this, then what should I do now.
A clear reply was received. The only thing that mattered was education. That I should use the money that had been planned to complete the resort to invest in education. To open another school that will be different from the school I had already created. A school focused on the Khmer children. It would teach the Khmer curriculum as well as English. My intuition felt strong, I would only do the resort when someone was willing to invest money for it to be completed.