Day 1: Landfall

After a seventeen-hour trans-Pacific flight, we arrived at the Changi Airport in Singapore, and I stepped foot in Asia for the first time. Being able to stretch out my legs was a welcome change from  cramped and awkward attempts at sleep in an airplane seat.

I will be spending two weeks in Cambodia as part of a Community Service Learning Exchange set up by the Global Education Network. Six students and faculty members from my school, Kirkwood Community College, will be meeting with people from schools in Australia, Canada, and Singapore to work on a community project--building a classroom for an elementary school.

But first, we had to get to Cambodia.

Flying over the Rockies

Kirkwood students on layover in LA

The other Kirkwood travelers and I flew out on Tuesday, June 5, but we didn't arrive at Changi until 7:30 Thursday morning. It is the most beautiful airport I have ever seen. Our six-hour layover went by quickly. We wandered through a butterfly garden, explored the cactus garden, and even enjoyed a free automated foot massage. Our course leader, Carlos, treated us to cookies made from the stinky Durian fruit.

Koi pond at Changi Airport, Singapore

Then in just a few short more hours we arrived in the city of Siem Reap, where we will stay for most of our trip. As soon as we stepped through customs and into the humid, tropical air, we were met by the city's pervasive and persistent tourism industry. Many young men offered to hail us rides, but Dee from Global Heritage Tours had already arranged our transport to the hotel.


At the Memoire Siem Reap Hotel, our party of six was outnumbered by hotel workers eager to serve us. They opened doors, presented us with glasses of green juice that tasted like pineapple, called the elevator, accompanied us to our rooms, and delivered our bags. They smiled at my attempts to greet them with soursdey--"hello" in Khmer.

The balcony off my room, overlooking the pool

After a much-needed shower and a change of clothes, we ventured into the street to find dinner. Since it is the rainy season and tourists are scarce, many vendors hoped for our business. Drivers of carts called tuk tuks offered to give us a ride. Multiple workers stood outside each open-air restaurant holding out menus. We finally settled on a buffet that featured a live show with music and dancing. The buffet offered an assortment of local foods, but it was clear this place was designed for tourists: menus and labels for the tureens were in English, and American dollars were accepted as payment (provided the bills were crisp, with no rips).

Food and performance in Siem Reap

Then it was time to battle the jet lag with some sleep in an actual bed. On Friday the other school groups will arrive, and we'll begin to get to know each other and Cambodia.