Mathew Dean

I love international travel and getting to know the local population through learning about the cultural blend of history, food, and language. This trip made it comfortable and easy to develop personal connections by giving us both a broad overview of Khmer history and direct access to people’s personal histories, insight into their daily life, and continuous language lessons.

Khmer history, culture, and language were largely left out of my world history education, so this trip did a remarkable job of filling in my mental blind spots around pre–Khmer Rouge history and post–Vietnam War history. Since I was largely ignorant of Cambodia’s history and culture, it didn’t so much change the way I see Cambodia, but rather it allowed and encouraged me to finally see Cambodia for all it has to offer.

Before embarking on the trip, I was concerned about the difficulty of traveling through a country in which I knew absolutely nothing about the language, but our guides made it so easy to pick up enough usable Khmer that navigating streets and markets became shockingly delightful. This, coupled with the patience, warmth, and genuine friendliness of everyone we met, made me fall in love with Cambodia so dearly that even before leaving, I’m already planning and budgeting for a return trip.

Visit a local family in Battambang

Since it has been a few years since I traveled internationally, this journey reminded me how important it is to see myself as a world citizen, not just an American. As my trip comes to a close, I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to travel through Cambodia, a place where the landscape is beautiful, every smile is genuine, and every meal is delicious.

When every moment of every day is filled with meaningful experiences, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the most touching ones. However, both the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Metta Karuna Reflection Center left a huge emotional impact on me. The quiet strength and resilience of the people, along with their continued commitment to compassion in the aftermath of heartbreaking historical events, were incredibly moving and inspiring.

I was also deeply touched and grateful for the people we visited to learn about traditional crafts and the local food industry. Despite our awkward efforts, they graciously took time out of their day to explain their work and even let us try our clumsy hands at their crafts. In addition, the warmth and kindness shown during my post-trip homestay made me feel that everyone in Cambodia has a huge heart and a ready smile.

Countryside cycling in Battambang

Each day of the trip brought moments of connection and learning. The example set by our guides, always patient, helpful, full of humor, and incredibly open in sharing their personal family stories, was truly touching. Another standout memory that will stay with me is the scent of vendors preparing charcoal in the morning, the delicious aroma of grilling pork, and the savory, mouthwatering flavor of skewers of beef and chicken, made even better by the vendor’s smile when I learned to say “yum!” in Khmer.

The warm greetings, enthusiastic smiles, and genuine affection from everyone we met, from the nuns and monks at the pagoda to the children excited to practice a little English and even more delighted when I responded in Khmer, created moments I will never forget.

I was also captivated by the riot of rich colors brought by the wide variety of flowers across the landscape. I never grew tired of photographing them, and I’m excited to make a flower photo playlist when I return home. Equally unforgettable was the profound sense of connection to the past offered by ancient structures like Bayon Temple and Angkor Wat. Walking through buildings that have stood for more than a thousand years was simply awe-inspiring.

And last but not least, this journey reminded me of the importance of living life with a compassionate attitude.

Khnom srolan Kampuchea!!!