The Family Comes to Visit

Part of me feels like the last eight days were a dream, but then I look and our fridge and cupboards are full for the first time and clothes that I haven’t touched are now replaced with ones I have been desperately wanting from home. These things, along with hundreds of pictures, remind me that the last eight days were, in fact, real.

"Snow" at Universal Studios Singapore

            Eight days ago, we woke up way too early and got on a plane to Singapore, easily the cleanest city I have ever been to, with some of the most helpful people I have ever met. Missing the train or bus we needed by merely seconds over and over again seemed to be a trend that we had mastered. Our first night there, we were met with rains that left us dripping in seconds and made the mistake of taking a taxi that cost us way more than anticipated. The highly anticipated Orchard Road left us feeling like we were once again in America with H&M, Starbucks, Subway, and more designer name stores than I have ever heard of. Orchard Road is one of the World’s Best Holiday Decorated Cities and, for the first time, the holiday season seemed to be upon us. 

57 stories above Singapore. The view for
our late Thanksgiving dinner.

Orchard Road

            

           Drinking bubble tea, exploring China Town and Marina Bay filled our first full day in Singapore, though it didn’t take us long to realize that we were no longer in cheap Cambodia (I think it’s safe to say that Singapore is more expensive than America). That evening, my parents and Sydney landed. It was so good to see them! Though they had been traveling for over 24 hours, we all returned to Orchard Road to see the lights and give them their first taste of Southeast Asia. The next day we spent the day at Universal Studios Singapore, something that Amber and I had been anxiously anticipating. The weather was perfect and we had the time of our lives riding the massive Battle Star Galactica rides, Transformers, and many more. As we were leaving Universal, we got “snowed” on, the closest thing to snow we’ll get for the next year. That evening we had a delayed Thanksgiving dinner, 57 stories above Singapore at the Sands Marina Bay hotel. The view was incredible, and though it was as far from traditional as it gets, it was nice to have some kind of Thanksgiving dinner together.

            On Monday, Amber and I had the privilege of briefly introducing my parents and Syd to Phnom Penh. After a quick overnight stay, we got back on a plane and flew to Siem Reap for a short 36-hour trip touring the famous Angkor Wat, Bayon, and other temples. Apart from the tuk tuks everywhere, Siem Reap could not have been more different from Phnom Penh. It was nice to see somewhere in Cambodia that is quite pretty, has lots of trees and is relatively quiet. The amount of effort and work that was put into the building of each and every temple is astounding. Though the number of temples we toured in our time there was a bit overwhelming, I am so glad we had the chance to visit.

Family at Angkor Wat

            Our return back to Phnom Penh was filled with a short, but fun day showing my family markets and teaching them the art of bartering. They also got to see CAS and the classroom we teach in everyday.

            The time came and went so quickly and it’s still hard to believe that my family is now home in America once again. Though I don’t know if it was harder to say goodbye to them in the airport in September or when they left Cambodia, I am so glad they got to see a brief piece of the life I’m living this year.

            Now it’s back to reality. Time to be a teacher, grade papers, and do what I came here to do. I am so grateful and thankful for my parents and sister. It was so good to have them here and I can’t thank them enough for taking the time and spending the money to come to Cambodia and do all that they did for us this week. I am so blessed to have such a great family and am so thankful for the last week I got to spend with them.

-Alex

Some of the kids at one of the temples in Siem Reap