It’s pretty weird to be sitting here writing my last blog post. Even though I knew this would happen, I can’t imagine how quickly the past 4 months have flown by. It’s truly crazy to think about, but it’s reassuring to know that I made the most of my time abroad, or at least accomplished enough to be satisfied with how I spent my time there. That being said, here’s the ending:
Figuring out how I’ve changed, personally, so soon after I’ve landed at home is a difficult task. I’ve had no time to sit down and reflect, but I can think of a few ways that I’ve noticed myself change:
First and foremost, I’m making a conscious effort to become more communalistic, as opposed to individualistic. I’ve recognized the classic American attitude in myself, the progressive, work-oriented, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of thinking. That’s not the way things work in Thailand. It’s family oriented, people care more about each other, people put guests first, and the group is more important than the individual. I’m trying to be more like that, and less geared towards a way of thinking that promotes the individual as the primary unit. I’m not perfect yet, but I’m getting better, and consciously trying to every day.
My professional and academic goals haven’t really changed much. They were fairly undefined before I left for Thailand, and remain that way after. I don’t have any specific goals in mind, and I’m currently in university, studying abroad, doing co-ops, to form those goals and figure out what I want. Studying abroad has changed those by cementing my interest in an international line of work, potentially dealing with developing countries, but it’s still not very defined in concrete goals and steps.
Off the top of my head, I don’t really know of any self-discoveries that I made during my time abroad. I really like spicy food. I get along best with British students. I’m allergic to every kind of mosquito repellent (including lemongrass and other all-natural ones.) Mopeds may be my favorite form of transportation. But, on a serious note, I can’t really think of any epiphany type moments of introspection that I’ve had during this trip. I’ve always had faith in myself to adapt to almost any situation, from switching high schools to university to a month-long dialogue, and I had faith in myself to do it again this time, and I was able to. It’s not a surprising self-discovery as much as a confidence in myself to know what is appropriate to do in new situations, and how to handle new issues as they arise.
I didn’t have many fears and apprehensions prior to studying abroad, and thus didn’t have the need to handle them during my time there. I was nervous about culture shock, but that turned into a non-issue, and it was comforting to know that I always had people in a similar position as me going through the same things as me, and that I wasn’t going through anything alone.
Studying abroad was the first time that I spent a significant amount of time in a developing country. I’ve spent time in poor areas around the States, but they don’t compare to the level of poverty that I’ve seen in Southeast Asia. That level of poverty was something I had never seen before, and is not something I’ll forget soon. I was amazed at being able to survive on a couple of hundred Baht per day, because it was so cheap for me, and these people were living on 30 Baht per day. It was really eye-opening to see, and changed the way that I view what I take for granted here.
The single greatest benefit of studying abroad was, hands down, how much I learned about other cultures and people. I lived, studied, traveled, ate, hung out, and spent all of my time with people from every part of the globe. People came from different places and different backgrounds and had infinitely different experiences. Living with these people for four months taught me an unbelievable amount about the world and people, and I seriously wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Picking a single favorite experience is tough. I’ll pick one that I don’t think I mentioned in any blogs, and that was very eye-opening. A few students and I asked one of our professors if we could go out for dinner with him, and he accepted, and he took us to a restaurant that was a parking lot converted into an attempt at a German pasture, complete with windmills, animals, and wait staff in dirndls and lederhosen. I kept laughing as we walked in, because it was so obviously out of place in the middle of Thai suburbia. Over dinner, our ex-pat professor talked to us about his time in Thailand, the cultural competency business he created, and his observations of the culture. It was incredibly interesting to hear about this from someone who not only studied it, but also came from a similar background to myself and the other students there. It’s tough to pick a single greatest experience, but this dinner stands out as something that I’m going to remember for a very long time.
The advice that I would give for future participants is to just do it. Do whatever you’re scared of. Have apprehensions, be nervous, but know that others have been where you are, and have succeeded. You’re not alone, you won’t be alone, and you’ll be able to conquer whatever fear you’re facing. Study abroad is something you’ll only be able to do at this time in your life, and it’s incredible that you have this opportunity. So say yes to whatever adventure presents itself, be a little bit scared, but don’t let that close doors for you.
I would study abroad again. I have no idea where, but it would probably be in South America or somewhere else in Asia. It would be tough going from somewhere as cheap as Thailand to somewhere as expensive as Western Europe or Australia, and I don’t think I could afford to do as much as I did in Thailand in either of those regions. If I studied abroad again, it would have to be somewhere where I could afford to do everything that I want to.
Aaaaand that wraps it up! The past 4 months have been an incredible, hectic, wild, surprising journey. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity, and I’m still in awe that it became a reality. It undoubtedly changed me for the better, and I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything. The people I met will not leave my thoughts for a while, and I’m looking forward to staying in touch with them. Hopefully this blog was interesting to read and keep up with- it definitely helped me organize some of my thoughts and make sense of what I was living. And I think that just about covers everything.
Thank you for reading.
