Thailand reflection

So my Thailand experience was one that I will never forget. It was a pretty amazing experience and I couldn't be more thankful for it. It was a spur of the moment adventure and probably one of the coolest, most spontaneous things that I have ever done. I learned so much and it was crazy to see such a different place: Asia. Its a pretty crazy thing to grow up in one place for so long and be so clueless about the world around you and then get an experience like this. The culture, the people, the scenery, the poverty the language and so many other things are just so different. We tend to think that our way is the only way and the right way (it's part of being an American) but... when you get the opportunity to go somewhere that is completely different and things don't work the same way as they do in America you just really get your eyes opened and adapt and accept that things are different. Its a good thing and for me, I was happy to learn a lot, I was happy to see so many things, do so many things, eat so many different things, and although its completely different and the people there have absolutely nothing, they are so happy and know the true meaning of "the little things that matter". This experience has taught me a lot and I learned how to see life through different RESPECT-icals. Who are we to judge? Striving to look the best on the outside isn't what's important, this concept sounds so simple. I think that if everybody got the amazing opportunity that I was so blessed to experience, so many people would learn that life is really not a competition to see who can have the nicest car, the most expensive purse, and the biggest house (although these things are also blessings). In other cultures, the meaning of true happiness is so much more simple. Try your hardest to go day by day not judging other individuals and learning everyday that there are other ways that things work out. Your way or our way is not the only way or even the right way, its just the way we know. My abroad experience is teaching me that the world we live in is a lot bigger than Missoula, MT and Green Bay WI and things work out differently everywhere you go. When you catch yourself judging others remember to ask yourself, "Who am I to judge?". Work on improving your own life before comparing and judging others. Always try and remember that there are other right ways besides the one you know.

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
-Gandhi