Football (soccer) in Laos (*Reposted from May 2009)

Phally (our student) was chosen to play on Cambodia’s first under-16 national women’s soccer team. The newly assembled team had only three weeks to practice before their first friendship game in Laos. When Phally returned, we asked her to write a short report of the trip. Fong (who is also our student) translated the text into English and we decided to publish it almost un-edited.

My name is Bpehk Phally. I’m studying in Chrey secondary school. I’m 15 years old. On 14th/05/2009 I went to play football in Phnom Penh. And then, a week later I was chosen to go to Laos. I was very happy that I was chosen. When I went to Laos by community football of Cambodia’s bus, there were 35 people including delegation and their helpers and the trainers. I went from Phnom Penh to Laos for two days. I stayed in a hotel in StungTreng province for a night with all of other women’s football. The next morning we woke up very early and we continued to go to the border. When we arrived at the border at 7 o’clock, we stopped there for 30 minutes to make a passport. The people who live in the border of Cambodia and Laos welcomed the Cambodia’s national girl team a lot. And then we arrived in Vientiane city, the capital city of Laos, and stay there for two days with all of other Cambodia’s national girl team and all the teachers. The people who live there were very kind and friendly to me and to all other women’s football team. The next day Sam and the other teachers toke me to visit the temple there. After we visited the temple at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, we played football with the Laos national girl team. They won 2:1. When we finished playing football, we went back to the hotel. In the evening we had a party with Laos’ national girl team. We were very happy there. After the party finished, I said goodbye to the teachers there and to the other team. And then we turned back to Phnom Penh at 9 o’clock at night. All the teachers and me were sitting on the bus until in the morning. When we arrived at the border, we stopped for a moment and continued to Cambodia again. And then we arrived in Kratie province and stayed in a hotel there. The next morning we continued our traveling and we arrived in Phnom Penh at 5 o’clock. I never thought that I won the football match and was chosen to go to Laos. And I was very happy to go to Laos with my friends and my teachers. In the end, I want to say thank you to my teachers that give me an opportunity to go to play football in Laos.

- Phally