Hi readers! This is Calla, here to tell you all about March 31st 2026, our final day in Cambodia. We started off the day with breakfast at our hotel and a tuk-tuk ride to the botanical gardens, where we were introduced to our way of the day - meditation. At the gardens, we set out on a journey to find the perfect photo spot. One of our chaperones, Ms. Sharma, brought with her a vintage, glossy wooden 4 by 5 camera. Unlike our own digital cameras, the 4 by 5 camera is not nearly as forgiving. The slightest wobble of the subject or the camera itself can cause the image to go completely out of focus, uneven lighting can cause the exposure to be too bright in one place and too dark in another, forgetting to close the lens before you take the shot can ruin the film… there was a disciplined method we had to follow that allowed me to focus on the photo and nothing else. Although we all wanted to see the final results, we will have to wait until Ms. Sharma develops the film in the dark room for us to see our black and white film photographs.

Other than honing our photography skills, we also enjoyed the blooming botanical gardens and forest. Lush greenery of so many different textures, blooming flowers and pineapple plants, rivers of water surrounded us. We saw ostriches, bearded dragons, peacocks, roosters, geese, and a particularly playful monkey.

Lunch was at the botanical gardens, where many of us had already enjoyed mango smoothies and iced honey lemon teas... drinks were a highlight for the group throughout the trip; no matter where in Cambodia we were, fresh fruit smoothies seemed to never disappoint. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for some rest time before a final reflection session with our chaperones and tour guides. We discussed the trip, tracing back to the very beginning, when we first landed in Cambodia, our faces flushed with both excitement and the heat which, we would later discover, was bound to get much more intense. My favorite activity was one where we blindly showed our appreciation to each other. We sat in a circle, closing our eyes, as multiple people were pulled up to tap others who applied to the prompt read by Mony; for example, one prompt was "People who have been kind to you this trip," while another was "People who shared good stories with you". I think it was incredible to feel how far we had come as a group, most of us not even knowing each other before we went on this trip, and yet, many of us are leaving with newly formed friendships and a plethora of bonding memories.

And then, just like that, it was off to our last activity in Cambodia: the Phare Siem Reap Circus. All their performers had trained at their school in Battambong for at least 10 years before joining the circus, and all those years of training clearly paid off. I had never been to a circus before, so I had no idea what to expect, but I was not disappointed. The energy inside the tent was electric. Live drums thundered in our ears, catapulted men flipped in the air, acrobats slid down poles head first and caught themselves with their feet. An magical finale to end off a magical trip with a bang.

[picture coming soon!]

As I'm writing this on the plane back from Singapore to LA, part of me can't wait to go home. I've missed Los Angeles- my family, friends, my dog, and maybe most of all, the "cold" weather (at least relative to Cambodia)... but a big part of me also already misses Cambodia- the fresh fruit, the daily adventures, the rich history, the pride in our tour guides' voices as they talked about Khmer arts. My very first GIP trip was wonderful, an experience I will truly never forget. We all agreed in our reflection time that we learned so much about Cambodian culture and arts, which was the written goal of this trip. But we also learned so much about ourselves, about each other, a hidden, unwritten result of this trip. I know I speak for all of us when I say that the Cambodia 2026 trip was a blazing success!

Signing off,

Calla

On March 30, we started the morning early at 4:30am in order to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. In the dark, we rode the tuktuks to the entrance of the temple and selected spots to enjoy the view. We sat peacefully as the sun slowly rose over the temple, lighting up the dark sky with hues of pink, red, and orange. We were all moved by the profound beauty of the sun peeking out from behind the towers of the temple, casting rays of light onto our surroundings. After a quick breakfast, we walked into the temple and were given the chance to explore. Many of us chose to climb the steep stairs up to the top of the three towers. The view from these towers was breathtaking, and we were able to look down at the temple grounds and out towards the dense jungle in which Siem Reap is located.

Exiting the temple, we stopped by Starbucks to refresh ourselves with cold drinks and air conditioning. On our way to the tuktuks, we saw many monkeys and baby monkeys that were so cute! One of the monkeys stole a tourist's water bottle and was able to open it and drink the water. After, we took the tuktuks back to the meditation center and relaxed until lunch. The highlight of our lunch was the delicious mango that the center provided.

After lunch, we took the tuktuks to a school in Siem Reap called PEPY. At PEPY, they strive to empower older, high school to university age students and give them tools such as computer skills and leadership opportunities to allow them to pursue their dream careers. We saw this in the classrooms, as the students learned how to use Excel Spreadsheets and present in English. We also got the chance to meet many of the students who told us about the mission of PEPY. We formed small groups with the students and got to know them by asking each other questions. After, we participated in fun dances where the students taught us some Khmer dance moves and performed for us. Overall, the experience at PEPY let us interact with people around the world and see how even though we come from vastly different backgrounds, we have many similarities and are able to connect in a meaningful way.

On our way back to the Meditation Center, we stopped at a local supermarket where we bought many delicious snacks and fruits. Back at the center, we rested before leaving for dinner. After our dinner, we returned to the Meditation Center to quickly pack before settling into our new hotel in Siem Reap. We were all very relieved to sleep in a cool place, and went to bed with big smiles. We look forward to our last full day in Cambodia tomorrow!

- Gu and Karina