Thailand had always been number one on my travel bucket list; so, when I saw the flyer for this trip, I knew it was time to take a massive leap out of my comfort zone and sign up. Needless to say, the trip exceeded all my expectations. My favorite aspect of Thailand was the extreme cultural and environmental differences from what I’m used to. Originally, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Thailand; it was either going to be a complete culture shock or I was going to find myself comfortable in the change. While Thai culture lived up to the expectations set by the internet, it surprised me in so many ways, too. What struck me most upon entering the country was how friendly everyone was; probably due to a tourism-centered economy and large Buddhist presence, but I think this says a lot about the Thai culture.

Seeing the Buddhist temples was one of the coolest and most breathtaking parts of the trip. One could simply walk down the street from our hotel and find some beautiful, probably a hundred-something year old temple hidden behind some shops. You didn’t have to go far to find another, and each was decorated with a similar ornate detail that was unique to Thailand. We visited What Phra That Doi Suthep, a famous/tourist-y temple. While my stomach failed me that day, the view and the beauty of the temple did not! We got our fortunes told through shaking a can of sticks and seeing which fell first. Apparently, all of us are cursed to unlucky lives; however, in that moment I felt pretty fortunate. There’s nothing quite like the architecture of a Buddhist temple here in the US, and I hope I get to see something like it again.

I had always thought Buddhism an interesting practice, and getting a perspective from a Buddhist monk (who was probably our age) was so different. It also shocked me for some reason to see monks doing normal things, such as shopping at the night market and doing chores. I guess I always pictured the calm, meditating monk, so when I saw one running around vacuuming one of the first days it caught me of guard—but also made me smile!

Another thing that surprised me was how much I liked the service project—despite the hundred-degree heat and the fact that I am not the greatest with kids, I had an absolute blast. The fence went up smoothly and these kids were so cute and fun, even though we didn’t speak the same language. I remember passing a soccer ball with one before dinner, then having a little boy teach me and a few others some Thai words as he did his homework.

Another great part of the trip was the food—Thai food was my favorite type of food prior to the trip, and now this opinion is only solidified. I had Pad Thai and a Thai tea almost every day. While not every one of the noodle dishes were created equal, the authentic Thai food never disappointed. I think some of the best food I had was what we made in our cooking class, and I fell in love with the soup Tom Yum Gai. One thing I know is that I’ll never be able to look at my favorite Thai restaurant here at home the same way again.

Probably the best part of the trip was visiting the elephants—I have seen some unhappy elephants at the zoo, but this was nothing like that. When we first arrived, I just remember seeing the eccentric midwestern man who helped run the nursery. He was feeding a baby squirrel, then just slipped it into his pocket and gave us some denim outfits to change into. Seeing him made me more inspired to keep adventuring after the trip ended. We changed into the outfits they gave us and went to feed the elephants cratefuls of tiny bananas. The elephants would grab bunches of bananas at a time, and try to take your arm, too, as you fed them. We then went on a walk with the elephants and got to bathe them in the river. One of the baby elephants wrapped his trunk around my leg like I was a tree and almost knocked me over twice, and I’d let him do it again. It struck me how happy and playful the elephants were; despite being these massive, somewhat intimidating creatures, you could tell they just wanted attention. The nursery itself was incredibly beautiful as well, and was a perfect display of the different plants and terrain in Thailand. A couple of us took a nap under an elevated hut, to fully experience the beauty around us; and in that moment I experienced more peace than I had in a while. This was hands-down one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I’ll be lucky if I get to do something like this again.

The trip to Thailand was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Deciding to go out of the country with a group of people I didn’t know was totally unlike me; but I ended up meeting so many amazing people and having an absolute blast. I fell in love with Thailand and its culture and can’t wait to go back. Until then, I’ll be perfecting my Thai cooking and looking forward to other trips.