A Birthday to Remember

One of my favorite experiences of my entire Gap Semester came in Chambok, Cambodia. Chambok is a small, rural village that sustains itself by offering homestays with local families. At first we were nervous about our three day stay, as there was no electricity or plumbing. But shortly after arriving, we realized what an amazing cultural and once in a lifetime experience it truly was. We hiked to an amazing nearby waterfall, swam in rivers, made rice noodles and bamboo sticky rice, learned traditional Khmer dances, spotted shooting stars, and even spent time with 6 adorable newborn puppies! My 18th birthday happened to fall over our three day stay, and I was able to start the day meditating with monks at the nearby monastery. That night, our wonderful hosts made me a traditional Khmer cake baked inside of a pumpkin. It was the most amazing birthday I could have ever hoped for.