Why Thailand?

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” Bill Bryson

“Why Thailand?” Asks nearly everyone I’ve spoken to about studying abroad. The question comes with a slightly confused and surprised look on their face. Every time it seems that my answer changes a bit. “Well, I like Thai food. I’ve heard good things about the country. It’s different from anywhere I’ve ever been.” While those are all accurate, I’m still not sure that I’ve even figured out exactly why I chose Thailand.

Studying abroad is about experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, and broadening perspectives. However, among those, my goal for this trip is to learn to say “yes” more. I’ve never considered myself much of a risk-taker. Instead, I play it safe and typically decline last-minute invitations, and, consequently, miss out. I’m shy at first and am not usually quick to make new friends. Traveling to a new country puts me in a situation where I make friends because of the fear of being alone and in order to make the most of my time abroad. Traveling to Thailand is all about the new and unexpected. I am completely breaking out of my comfort zone, and while I am excited, I am also nervous. I don’t know anyone. I don’t know the language. And I’ve never lived in a big city before. However, the Land of Smiles has piqued my interest and I cannot wait to make new friends, explore the city, travel the countryside, and the beautiful beaches of Thailand. I even have a bucket list of things that I hope to accomplish while abroad. 

I believe I’m going to Thailand because of the unknown. Most people that I know study abroad in Europe. While Europe is a continent that I one day hope to explore extensively, Asia is a continent that seems so different from the Western world. Rich in culture and history, I hope to learn all about it while I am abroad, and bring back all that I’ve learned.

In my previous travels abroad I failed at updating my family and friends, as well as keeping track of all that I’ve done. I wish now that I had written down and taken more pictures while I was abroad. I thought that I would never forget things, but I find myself now feeling as if the time I have spend abroad is more of a just a distant memory now. Blogging allows me to rekindle my interest in writing that has fallen by the wayside since college, document my travels, and update my friends, and my family on what’s going on in my life during the semester. I plan to say “yes” to as many opportunities as I can. I hope for this to be an exciting semester and I want to share my experiences in hopes that others will read it and want to study abroad and travel too!

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