| I remember perusing through our program schedule at the beginning of the semester and thinking of Spring Break as so far away. Well now it's already passed! With only about a month left in the semester, I am certainly beginning to wrap up my time here; and thoughts of home have been crossing my mind. I have learned so much in the past few months, and I am looking forward to lengthy conversations (particularly with my siblings) regarding everything I have learned throughout my travels. Speaking of traveling, this past week was Spring break. I set off with two friends, heading to the bordering country Laos. We had signed up for a 3 day hike through the Laos jungle... Including an excellent mode of transportation from peak to peak: ziplining!!! We got to hike and zip all over the jungle, and spent our nights in treehouses overlooking the trees. We joined up with a mix of travelers from the UK, (though truly they had lived all over the world at this point), who became our friends along the way! We had nice chats as we hiked and learned a lot about British government, Rugby Union, traveling and many random topics that were all highly enjoyable subjects. After spending a day zipping around the jungle, we settled in our treehouse to eat sticky rice and Lao dishes, then got out the playing cards. Needless to say, I'll be returning with a new game to teach everyone; a game I learned in a thunderstorm in a wooden treehouse in the middle of the Laos jungle by the light of headlamps! Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our newfound friends, as we all headed in our respective directions. I learned so much from them, and finally made some traveler friends! We then continued on our way back to Thailand, where we were to spend Songkran in the North in the city of Chiang Mai. Songkran is the celebration of the Thai New Year, and involves the splashing of water to cleanse away the bad. Traditionally this is a small exchange of water between youth and their elders... but it has transformed into a massive holiday. Buckets of ice water are chucked without aim, watergun fights play out in the streets, and by the afternoon, water is up to your calves as you walk around. Within minutes of stepping out the door, you might as well have jumped into a swimming pool with all of your clothes on. I had been looking forward to Songkran since before I came to Thailand, and I got to experience it in its prime! Certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am glad to have had. Returning to Chiang Mai was something special to me, as I got to explore the city again and come across so many unique experiences. A very memorable experience was stumbling across a little vegan restaurant that happened to be having a movie night of some of my favorite movies (including Alice in Wonderland). I had been craving a bit of recluse from all the craziness of water-throwing, and I got to spend a delightful evening watching interesting movies and eating classic vegan foods (I usually eat Thai food every day here, and I love Thai food! But this was very Western vegan food). Spring Break really signifies when the momentum of this program starts to roll. Following Spring Break, there is only about a month left in the semester. This includes many final projects and exams. It also includes preparation for heading home, or possibly traveling around SouthEast Asia for many of my peers. While I am certainly missing home, I see this last month as my opportunity to really try everything I have wanted to; to really experience anything and everything that I may never get the chance to do again! So here goes! |