Hi guys! Have you missed me? Of course you have! So my journey home was actually pretty good. 15 hour train ride went really fast thanks to surprisingly reliable cell coverage in the middle of the Thai jungle. I got to hang out with my friend Carrie in Bangkok which was awesome. I did some last minute souvenir shopping and got a henna dragon because I’m hardcore. Then it was off to Korea. I made friends with a Thai guy named Popcorn on the plane. I was helping him with his English. He wanted to make sure he was saying “shredded pork” right and wondered what the green stuff at chipotle was called (lettuce). Definitely some crucial vocab words right there. Thanks to free tours buses from the airport, I actually got to go explore Seoul a little bit. I didn't have time to see much but I was able to get 2 donuts, a red bean slushy, and a Captain America sweatshirt which is both awesome and ironic because I bought it in Korea!
Then I finally made it back to the US, kicked it there just long enough to throw down some café rio and cake and then left the country again. Now here I am in London. That’s 3 different continents in a week. Not too shabby. J Don’t worry, I will definitely be filling you in on my Euro adventures, just not now. I know the suspense is killing you. Hang in there. For this one wanted to sort of tie up my Thailand adventure for y'all.
So my last day in Thailand was pretty surreal. The fact that it was ending was hard to believe. I dropped of my bike and said goodbye to the group. I knew I was going to see everybody back in but it was weird to thing our adventure together was over. I did some last minute errands in the city, drank one more milo, had one last delicious bag of pineapple, and stocked up on a ridiculous amount of Thai snacks. I sat by the river and looked back on the last 3 months. I’m so pensive. Anyways, there were definitely some hard moments with miscommunications, a bit of homesickness, and some culture shock. But overall it was an incredible experience with great new friends, awesome adventures, and delicious food. I’m not going to say that I’m a brand new person or that going to Thailand changed the course of my life, but it did teach me a lot about kindness, respect, and gratitude. I interacted with so many wonderful people and witness so many little acts of kindness. While teaching, I fell in love with my students and realized just how important education is. Being in Thailand really helped me appreciate all the incredible opportunities I’ve been given and everyone and everything in my life. Although I was sad to leave Thailand, I knew it was time to move on and prepare for the next great experience. I don't know what the future has for me but I know I'm excited. I am reminded of the words of Michael Douglas (also known as Tum Tum the three ninja) “I hope there’s more food on our next adventure.”
Peace!
