I had the honor to go to Cambodia last summer and it honestly changed my life. I know that it’s super cliché to say that going abroad can change your life but it’s the truth. I went on the trip with 5 other girls who I didn’t really know but I ended the trip with 5 super close friends.
During the trip, we were able to work with a company that helped local villages with development. Everyday I got to work with these amazing children who just wanted to learn and succeed in life. I swear everyday something new and amazing happened. This was my first trip abroad without my family and it was so different than staying at fancy hotels and only doing the popular tourist attractions. In this experience I was able to really live with the locals and understand how they enjoyed life and what they did in their free time.
How can someone make so many close connections in a month and a half? Everyone I worked with was inspiring and truly kind and courageous people. By the time the trip ended they became people I care about. It was so hard leaving the people I spent everyday with.
This trip became one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. Everything I learned from this trip can not only be applied abroad but everywhere. Studying abroad literally changed the way I think about the world and I really developed as a person during the trip.