This year Seattle Prep students have been given the opportunity to experience a completely different lifestyle and culture through the Vietnam and Cambodia service trip. On this trip students will be able to see beautiful landscapes, eat delicious food and work with wonderful people they might not have never met otherwise. Wyatt de Valle 20’ is really excited to try all the new cuisine because he “just recently started cooking and hopes that these new flavors from Vietnam and Cambodia will translate into his cooking.” This trip is not just a fun vacation for these Prep students, it is also an opportunity for them to give back. One of the ways students will do this is by giving shoes from home to children in Vietnam.

When signing up for the trip Lilian Brendlinger 20’said, “I didn’t know much about Cambodia but now I’m really excited to go and experience their culture. I am most excited to see Angkor Watt.” Angkor Watt is a temple in Cambodia that is both Hindu and Buddhist. It is a destination in itself and the Prep students are going to get experience this wonder first hand.

Liv McAuslan 20’ is also really excited about going on then trip but she is most excited for going to a school in Cambodia and working and helping young kids. “I love kids and I think it will be really meaningful to spend the day with them and truly understand what growing up in Cambodia is like.” She is also looking forward to, “giving back to the community by teaching an English lesson and playing with games with the students.” These activities will help Prep students have more compassion for students all over the world who don’t have the luxuries that are provided at Seattle Prep.

Ms. Ford is one of the faculty members organizing the trip this year and is exciting that Prep is going back to Vietnam and Cambodia. Ms. Ford says that “we decided to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia again this year because we see value in our students experiencing other cultures and traditions while building our global community and being of service to the Vietnamese and Cambodian people they encounter on this program.”

Ms. Ford also commented that the trip is “is focused on cultural immersion, comparative religions and service. This program helps us to create students who are deeply committed to the Grad at Grad values.” This trip is a great way for Prep students to understand and be immersed in a brand-new culture through service and other activities as a group. This social awareness built on the trip can be implemented in Prep students daily lives by being more empathetic towards their peers and families and being open to new people and cultural beliefs.