What was a highlight of your trip?
Emily: Hmm, highlight of my trip? That’s a tough one. So many stories come to mind, it’s hard to choose just one! One day sticks out, I think I’ve nailed it to be the best day of my life so far. It was on July 4th, and since we weren’t in America to celebrate Independence Day, the Thai leaders made it very special for us. That was the day we went to an Elephant Show, I’d always wanted to ride an elephant and I can now check that off my list! That evening, when it got dark, we set off floating lanterns (have you seen the movie Tangled? Those are the ones!) They lit up the whole sky, it was incredible. I remember that night, sitting by the swimming pool with some of my new friends, eating American apple pie that they made in light of the holiday, watching fireworks go off and realizing that I’m doing all of this while in Thailand. There, in that moment, everything was perfect. Doesn’t get any better than that, folks.
Describe your typical morning.
Emily: Ahh, mornings in Thailand! One of my favorite parts! I loved to wake up early and just sit outside and take a moment by myself to enjoy where I was; Thailand was just so incredible. There’s this freshness in the morning from the rain the night before and I seriously felt like I’d wake up to another day in paradise. The Rustic Pathways base that I stayed at was absolutely beautiful! Surrounded by rice fields and coconut trees, and just a short walk away from Buddhist temples and the marketplace. After I got ready for the day, my roommates and I walk over to the pavilion where we ate all our meals. The chefs were amazing and Thai food is delicious! I crave it so bad now that I’m home!
What about your afternoons?
Emily: After breakfast, we would jump in the SongTao and head out to the various service projects. SongTao rides were always a party! Singing, dancing, waving to locals… and blasting the music of course! I swear it was a competition for what could blow first- the speakers or our eardrums! ;) Haha it made the rides so much fun. You’d pass monks walking along the streets with their pet monkeys, rice farmers out in the fields, and drive through green lush jungle. The local villagers were some of the nicest people I have ever met. So friendly! They love Americans, so you can’t go anywhere without taking a picture with a native, or kissing their baby. The service that we did made the trip so meaningful. It was so humbling to see families who had hardly anything, yet are so happy and grateful. In my opinion, you get so much more out of service trips rather than just touring on vacation, because you actually get to see inside the homes and what the lives of these people are actually like, rather than just taking pictures of famous sites.
And evenings?
Emily: In the evening, we’d come back to the base with dinner all ready, then the rest of the night was filled with various games and activities. Never a dull moment! Some nights we’d take a ride on a water buffalo, play “Fear Factor” with local delicacies (like crickets, chicken feet, roasted frog), watch an elephant or snake show, get a Thai massage, or pick up a game of soccer or volleyball with some of the Thai leaders. They became some of my closest friends- they loved to joke around and made the trip so much fun!