i'm home and i've had time to soak this whole experience in. i've done the jet lag, the picture uploading, the laundry and unpacking.. really all that's left is my final paper for the class and then i could completely forget this entire experience.
to say the least that will not be happening.
people said that this experience would change my life. i knew that it would be something i would never forget, but i wasn't quite sure how the life changing would take place. but somewhere along the way, between london and beijing, good ol' me got tweaked a bit.
i don't remember many other times when i've been that happy. every bit of me was pleased.. i was with great people that i want to be friends with forever, i was in places experiencing things i'd only seen in movies or pictures, i was laughing, i was learning, and i was having those moments that i never wanted to forget.
here are some FAQs from my trip..
what was your favorite country?
thailand. i loved the mixture of tourism, real vacation, and culture. we stayed at a great resort, the people were so kind, the tourist attractions allowed you to learn more about the people and the culture.. they weren't just structures they were experiences.
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| can you say you've written an elephant in thailand? yeah didn't think so. save your money and go now because you need to! |
i think this actually took place in thailand. we rode this somewhat ghetto boats to the floating markets. we had water splashing in our faces, which we were told to cover our mouths because it could make us sick. there were signs posted to watch out for crocodiles. then the whole floating markets experience was so unique and fun. floating around, getting pulled in my vendors, trying to make deals with them.. definitely something that's no eiffel tower or necessarily a glamorous shopping experience, but so fun!
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| not me, but some of my best friends at the floating markets! |
i think either microsoft or marriott. microsoft was fun and entertaining, and i left with more respect for the company. same with marriott. they both were companies that i would love to work for based off their presentations and want to support more after.
what was your "study abroad moment"/favorite day/ etc?
our last day in paris. our last day in thailand and in china were very close second and third, but everything about our last day in paris was perfectly imperfect. we started out by going to versilles. the line was super long, but we may or may not have found a way to the front. we went through the palace then rode bikes around the grounds. then i had a delicious ice cream cone. after that we attempted to go the the french open. i wouldn't give many more details because it didn't turn out too well and its a sore spot for some. then we did some more sightseeing plus two awesome art museums. ever heard of the lourve? yeah that was one of our stops. we ended the night watching the sunset and the eiffel tower sparkle on top of the arc de triumph, an amazing view of the city. we were all in somewhat goofy moods and we just messed around, laughed a lot, and took tons of pictures of course. it was light hearted and we weren't students- we were friends. then we headed to the eiffel tower one last time. we just layed on the grass, talked, and loved life. but seriously. not to mention in between many of these locations we were RUNNING. sprinting. we had to fit everything in and we always thought we were late. it made everywhere though, even home to the hotel :) i think i liked this night so much because it was maybe my first glimpse into what the rest of the trip held for me, and i started catching on to how awesome all these people i was traveling are.
boys?.. these questions came in every way possible :)
i am SO glad we had a surplus of boys as compared to other study abroads, most study abroads actually. i think i was with a guy 95% of the time we were out and about and i didn't know how much that would mean to me. i am a pretty independent person so i never thought having guys around would mean anything to me, but i'm really grateful they were there. they all were great guys. so far, no study abroad romances from anyone. crazy huh? but they all are guys i would hook my friends up with, they're seriously the best.
so, how did my life change? i think i'm finding the answer to this more and more every day. i appreciate the world as a whole more. i have respect for other's way of life. before i didn't really care much about life outside of my bubble. now i feel like i would rather spend my money on more experiences and travel like this as opposed to "things." it was also a testimony builder. everyone around the world needs the gospel, and that's why missionary work is so important. people most definitely have different attitudes towards other people in the world. i would much rather interact with the loving thai people than someone from paris. is that horrible to say? but i know that my impression from the few people i interacted with isn't one i should use to judge the people of that entire country. i also want to make sure i leave the right impression on people of other nationalities visiting america, and being willing to do what i can to make their visit enjoyable, despite language and culture barriers.
but it also just made me grateful for the good u s of a. we have freedoms that other countries don't. aka religion is a big one. i like all the different landscapes, people, cultures, and foods i enjoyed, but i really like what we have goin' here too :)
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| our first business visit, conoco phillips did not disappoint. |
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