I slept in again this morning and it was just as fabulous as yesterday. I didn’t sleep in as long this morning because I needed to get up and pack my things. Luckily my room was designated the late checkout room, so I technically didn’t have to be out of my room until 5:30 pm. I wanted to make sure all my things were packed before the other girls began bringing in all the items they needed to shower and store in our room before our departure later in the day.
After finally getting packed and dressed, I headed back in to town with another girl from my class and a few other people. We walked around the markets and bought several last minute items before having lunch at a local café. While having lunch, a child came up to us and began talking to us in excellent English. She knew all about the USA and who our allies were, along with the president, president’s wife, children, president’s dog and previous president. It was very impressive. Luckily, I got her to repeat much of it on video for me. I also bought an oil painting from a land mind victim. I wanted an oil painting the whole trip, but never could find one that I wanted for a decent price. I was so glad to find one, especially with so much meaning behind it.
Next, we headed back to the hotel and laid out by the pool for a little bit. Yesterday and today, I didn’t use sunscreen, so I didn’t want to stay out in the sun too long. I laid out for about an hour today and overall was able to get a pretty decent base tan, about a shade or two darker, than I was before the trip. Thankfully I didn’t get burned. I headed in to begin showering shortly after laying out. I knew it was going to take forever of 8 girls to get dressed and ready, so I began early. After all, of us showered and got ready we gathered our belongings and headed down to the lobby. I had the idea while we were getting ready to collect all the toiletries we were leaving behind and take them to the orphanage. I arranged with my professor to meet them at dinner, and I went on to the orphanage. Upon my arrival, I was greeted just as genuinely as before. After handing over my full bag of toiletries, including my straighter from 7th grade, I was given hugs and many thank yous. As I left in my Tuk Tuk, I heard the same farewell goodbyes as the night before.
I beat my class to dinner and waited while skimming the menu. The first meal I chose ended up not tasting too good. I was disappointed that my last meal of traditional Khmer food was not very good. I quickly ordered a pasta dish and it was delicious. We walked around for a little bit after dinner waiting on our bus to pick us up and take us to the airport. I ended up buying patches from almost every country I have visited. I want to sew them to a piece of fabric with the month and date I visited, and frame it, to save for when I am older.
Finally, it was time for us to get on the bus to head to the airport. We waited at the airport to check in for what seemed like forever. There were so many lines and check-ins we had to go through. We went from the ticket check in to the departure tax counter, through security, to the Visa and Passport check, then into the terminal. After that our tickets were checked once or twice again before boarding the plane. While waiting in the terminal to board the plane, I reassigned seats for the flight from Siem Reap to Seoul and from Seoul to Atlanta for all my classmates. I tried to accommodate requests so that people were sitting with other students that they wanted to sit with, etc. It was really challenging, but I enjoyed the organization and it kept me busy while we were waiting on our plane to arrive. After boarding our plane, I waved goodbye to Siem Reap, Cambodia, knowing sadly, that I probably would never return again. I sighed and took a deep breath, preparing for the 30-hour journey ahead of me, knowing I had just completed one of the best trips of my entire life. I was sad to know that it was coming to a close, but so thankful for the opportunity to experience everything I did.
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