The plane touched down in Phnom Penh just after noon. Mara stepped off and was immediately hit by the warm, sticky air. It was her first time in Cambodia, but her mom had grown up here.

Her little brother, Boran, was already asking questions. 'Why is it so hot?' he said, fanning himself with his backpack.

That night, they walked along the riverside, where street vendors sold grilled meat, fresh coconuts, and sugarcane juice. The city buzzed with color, smells, and music.

They visited the Royal Palace, Wat Phnom, and the Central Market. Mara heard Khmer all around her and started picking up simple words like 'sous sdey' and 'akun'.

In the second week, they stayed with relatives. The house was simple but welcoming. Chickens walked freely in the yard, and every evening the family gathered to eat together.

Mara's cousins taught her how to say 'delicious', 'tired', and 'how much?' in Khmer. She laughed when she got the tones wrong.

Next, they took a bus to Battambang. The countryside was green and open, with rice fields stretching as far as they could see.

In Battambang, they rode the bamboo train, visited temples on hills, and saw local performances with music and shadow puppets.

They continued on to Siem Reap and woke up early for the sunrise at Angkor Wat. The sky turned orange behind the temple towers.

They explored Ta Prohm, where trees grow through the stone, and Bayon Temple, filled with smiling faces carved into towers.

In Siem Reap, Mara made a new friend named Srey Leak, who helped her learn how to write her name in Khmer script.

On their final day, they visited a local market to buy souvenirs. Mara chose a silver bracelet, and Boran picked a wooden toy buffalo.

At the airport, Mara looked out the window and whispered, 'Chum reap lea, Cambodia.'