By Julia Evans
Today was sadly our last full day in Cambodia. We left the hotel at 5:15 am so we could arrive at Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. It was breathtaking and we were
all able to take beautiful pictures. We stayed at Angkor Wat for about an hour
and on our way out of the temple, we saw a few monkeys.
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| Morning Sunrise! |
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| Angkor Wat Sunrise Selfie |
After seeing the
sunrise at Angkor Wat, we went back to the temple to relax and eat breakfast.
Some students took advantage of the pool while others took a well-deserved and
needed nap. Some students also went to the old market before lunch and bought
paintings, shirts, and other souvenirs. We all met up at Belmiro's (owned by a Boston native) for lunch. We ate pizza, pasta, and sandwichs and were able to talk about the
rest of the day's plans. After lunch, we went back to the hotel and were reunited with our buddies! My buddy's name is Pina Krim and I was so excited to see her again. We first met our buddies on January 2 when we took a walk around the
school. I was really happy when I saw Pina again because we really bonded when
we first met each other and she was easy to talk to. When we saw them at the
hotel, we gave them some Bullis shirts and gifts. I gave Pina a friendship
bracelet, notebook, and shirt and she gifted me a cute keychain.
Next, we
boarded the buses and drove to the Landmine Museum. At the museum, we met a tour
guide who had been working at the museum for 5 months. He had lost his foot
when he was ten after stepping on a landmine in the jungle. He met the founder
of the museum, Aki Ra, and lived with and worked for him. The founder of the museum started looking for landmines and
founded the museum because of his experiences as a child soldier and the
effects that they have on citizens of Cambodia. We learned that they are still
six million landmines left in Cambodia and 2-3 people die or are injured every day from stepping
on them.
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| Landmines that have been found and disarmed |
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| Students listen intently to the tour guide. |
After learning more about the somber but important history of
Cambodia, we drove to Banteay Srei temple. There, we explored the temple with
our buddies and our tour guide, Samadey, explained more about its
history. The temple was small but beautiful and had many intricate carvings and
statues. Next, we drove back to the hotel to say goodbye to our buddies and get
ready for dinner. It was sad to say goodbye to our buddies but our time with
them was so much fun and we will make sure to stay in touch. After lots of hugs
and pictures, we went back into the hotel to get ready for dinner and get our
Caring for Cambodia shirts.
We spent the evening at a cooking class where we
learned to make spring rolls, green curry chicken, and bananas flambé.
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| Aniya, Max, Coley, Meghan |
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| Karsen, Roya, Sam |
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| Graduation certificates! |
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| We made spring rolls and green curry. |
This Cambodia trip has taught me so much about how important it is to expose yourself to
different cultures and try new things. It was hard to step out of my comfort
zone but when I did, I was able to learn and try new things like frog and
spider. The temples we saw were gorgeous and it was amazing that we were able
to see so many of them. I had a lot of fun teaching and working at the schools
and I know that all of our hard work made a difference. I will miss all of
the students I met and my buddy, Pina, but I will keep the memories I made
forever. I hope that those who have the opportunity to go to Cambodia or on any
global studies trip to take that opportunity and make the most of it. Going to
Cambodia was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m so blessed that I was able
to see this beautiful country.
