A Birthday Party in Cambodia

As I was packing to leave for Thailand, there was a knock on my bedroom door. My dorm sister Sophea was waiting on the other side to tell me that it was dorm director Sophal's birthday and that they were about to surprise her with a round of "Happy Birthday." I quickly made my way downstairs and arrived just in time to sing.











A few of the students from the men's dorm were also there, including Sophal's brother, who presented Sophal with a small cake. Sophal cut the cake and handed out the slices. Sophal's brother snapped a photo of each person receiving their piece of cake.














Students then began smearing icing on each others' faces. Five people got me. While normally I would not enjoy having cake frosting all over my face and in my hair, I was just happy to see that the students were comfortable enough with me to smear my face. Then we all ate supper together.