To achieve the Gold Level for the Hassan Youth Award (Duke of Edinburgh Award), I had the opportunity to travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We visited an island where we worked alongside locals to construct a house from bamboo. We used a machete to flatten the nodes to make the bamboo smoother and used it as flooring of the hut. For the walls, we formed a frame from bamboo and hammered dry leaves onto it. Working with my hands using the local construction techniques and materials was a great experience that opened my mind to the needs and practices of a different culture.