From Philly to Siem Reap, A Journey of Home Bonds!
Time flies! Three weeks from now, it will be the end of my freshman year. It is hard to believe that I will be a sophomore this fall because I feel like I just graduated from high school last year. Writing this blog, I miss my home country, which I haven’t visited in a year.
The time arrived: I went to Cambodia in late June 2023. I was very excited, as I had not been there for a year since I came to the U.S. At that time, I had to drive from Philadelphia, where I stayed with my aunt, to JFK Airport in New York. It took around 2 hours to get to the airport. I was very happy because I would see my beloved country again soon. The trip took almost 30 hours because I had to transfer a few times to arrive in Cambodia. I had to fly from New York to Frankfurt, Germany, and then from Frankfurt to Singapore. After that, I had to take another plane from Singapore to Phnom Penh, which is the capital city of Cambodia. After that, I had to take a car ride of around 5 hours from the airport to my home, since I live in another city called Siem Reap.
When I arrived in Cambodia, the thing that I wanted the most was Khmer food (Cambodian food). I missed that taste so much. There are many different restaurants here that have Khmer food, but in Cambodia, I get a different feeling while eating it. It’s not the taste of the food that’s different, but the people I share it with, my family, friends, and sister. A dish of food that I eat in my home is full of joy and love, made by my mom.
On this three-month visit, I also traveled to Singapore. It was the best time for us since we tried many foods and different cultures. Singaporean food is not really sweet, salty, or sour. Being so used to Cambodian food for its strong flavor, Singaporean food surprised me a bit, but I enjoyed it. It’s healthier because they do not use much oil, sugar, or salt.
Three months in Cambodia felt like one week, but finally, I had to come back to the U.S. to continue my education. Maybe this is not a dream trip for everyone, but having quality time with my family made it a dream trip for me.
