Monday, August 12, 2013

Ending Blog!

How have you changed personally?

I think I'm a lot more laidback and less likely to panic over things like I used to.  It's a lot easier making phone calls and ordering food at restaurants now.  Which may seem kind of silly, but it's really frustrating having to peptalk yourself just to make a phone call instead of just picking up the phone, dialing, and going for it.

How has your professional/academic goals changed?

They haven't really.  I still want to write books and try to get published and Thailand has helped me see another culture and another country. :)

What self-discovery surprised you?

I don't know.  I think how easily I adjusted to the new surroundings and new food.

How did you navigate through your fears and apprehensions that you had prior to studying abroad?

By winging it, really.  I let myself worry less and, with food, I did a lot of pointing and shrugging.  I ate a lot of things that I had no clue what they were called, which was kind of fun.  I was able to ask for help in stores when I needed it and I even tried haggling because I know Thai people are very friendly and helpful and they won't get frustrated or angry.

How has studying abroad impacted your view of the world?

I actually think it's helped me see the similarities more than differences.  But I really liked seeing all the differences.  I don't think it has impacted my views too much, because I have tried to live open-mindedly.  I think mostly it's helped me to evaluate my home country with more accuracy.

Single greatest benefit of studying abroad?

You get more chances of doing things you don't get to do in the United States and you get to really see what you are capable of doing. :)

What was your favorite experience and why?

Going up to Doi Inthanon with three friends.  I got to really see the nature of Thailand and I got to bond with new friends.  It was really cool being up on the highest mountain in Thailand where there were clouds and rain and mist.  It was a great time despite ripping my pants and recovering from a cold.

What advice would you give to future participants?

Don't let fears and anxieties get in the way.  Even language barriers aren't that bad, truthfully.  Go out to restaurants, visit famous sites, visit not so famous sites.

Would you study abroad again?  Where?  Why?

YES.  I like being immersed and going to school gives me some direction.  I think I would like to go to Europe, but going to Japan or South Korea would also be hugely different than Thailand.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Excursions

I think my favorite site in Chiang Mai was Wat Srisuphan, the silver temple.  It was a really unique temple and often it feels like most of the Buddhist temples in Thailand look the same, but the silver temple was so beautiful.  Despite not being able to go inside due to being a girl, I loved the outside and the silver trees surrounding it.

We also visited the Golden Triangle, which was really awesome.  Even though I haven’t gone to Laos or Burma, I saw them and that’s more than I could say about being in America.  I’ve never seen Canada or Mexico, but I can say I’ve seen countries bordering Thailand.  It was really cool to see the different rivers merging into one.  One was redder in color than the other and you could clearly see the difference.
 We went a lot of places during our program.  We visited a lot of temples and a couple museums, which were pretty cool.  I liked learning about the history of Thailand and the northern region of the Lanna Kingdom before it merged with Siam to create Thailand.

For Thai Civilization we went on a few field trips, one including the visit to the silver temple and a Hindu temple as well.  We also visited a preschool in Mae Rim and got to see what their schools were like.

We also visited Doi Suthep, a mountain close to Chiang Mai.  We visited the temple and the royal winter palace.  We weren't allowed in the actual palace, but we visited the gardens, which were really beautiful.

I made a couple of personal trips - a group of us went to Doi Inthanon, which is the highest mountain in Thailand.  We saw a shrine to King Inthanon, two waterfalls, and beautiful plants.  It was amazing being up in the clouds.  We actually got went and it rained a lot - so we were soaked after a short period of time.