In Thailand, the year is 2560. Although it technically is the same year here as anywhere else in the world, because Thais go by the Buddhist calendar, everyone refers to this year as 2560. The planners, calendars and online websites all declare boldly that it is now the year 2560. Odd? No. In every way this actually seems to make sense.
Greetings from Macau! I want to start this post by reviewing some of the complications I faced while coming to my exchange program. First, I was stuck in Seattle, as one of my connecting flights in China was canceled. Even worse, I couldn’t get the flight company, Juneyao Airlines, to book me a new fight nor give me a refund! This forced my hand to pay 1.5 times as much as I originally paid just to ensure I would arrive in Macau on time from Seattle, taking a rather large chunk out of what little I had saved/borrowed for going abroad.
Continue reading “A Rough Start … and a New Favorite Hangout!”
I am currently sitting in a cafe in Nimman, Chiang Mai, a place I like to think of as the SoHo of Thailand. The streets are filled with hip restaurants, massage studios and thrift stores. The cute cozy cafes offer a place for free Wifi and cups of caffeine for around 30 Baht ($0.80). Jazz music softly plays in the background as I reflect on the past month and how I got to this exact spot.
I wanted to encapsulate my experience overseas by compiling a video to share with anyone intrigued by the thought of visiting Thailand someday. Here is a glimpse of the breathtaking landscapes, jovial citizens and beautiful traditions of Chiang Rai, Thailand that I am grateful to have encountered during my Winter Break abroad. Enjoy!
Continue reading “VIDEO: Two Weeks of Teaching and Traveling in Thailand”
I grew up as a military brat with parents in helping professions. Naturally, I have long had the desire to travel the world and contribute to assisting a community in Southeast Asia. For my time abroad, I chose to be a volunteer for International Volunteer HQ in Thailand, where I would teach English for two weeks.
Continue reading “If You Had Two Weeks To Live, Where Would You Go?”
As we ring in a new year, we’re excited to welcome a new crop of study abroad bloggers for Winter Break and Spring Semester 2017! Before you start to follow them on their exciting adventures around the globe, let them tell you a little about themselves.
Continue reading “Meet our Winter Break and Spring 2017 Bloggers!”
One of the best things about studying at University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) was the 10-week semester. While all my friends in San Diego still were still studying for finals, I was finished with my semester and ready to travel home. At this point I had a few options, I could go home a few months early and twiddle my thumbs or I could take a detour and travel through Vietnam. I picked the latter.
After being in Korea for more than three months it is safe to say that I have noticed some things I am not particularly fond of. These are things that not everyone does, but I have noticed them more often than not. Also, there are a bunch of things that you won’t find in America that I would gladly accept if they migrated across the Pacific.
Overall, I would say I am a rational person. However, I do get those impulsive tendencies where I just want to do something. Being in a different country has sparked the feeling more often than not. One of those impulsive trips was going to Yeouido. I didn’t know what I was going to do or where in Yeouido I wanted to go to — all I knew was that I wanted to go. I attempted to invite people to come along, but all were either busy or sick. The impulsive adventure had to also be a solo one.
The global experience, as told by SDSU students 