The Grand Palace of Bangkok. Absolutely stunning architecture! This site used to house the Kings, and their elephants.  

First Thai beer, and around Bangkok!

Once we arrived into Thailand, we spent a very memorable but short-lasting two nights in Bangkok. Needless to say we will definitely be back there. On Saturday we left Bangkok and headed north to Khao Yai National Park, where we embarked on a muddy, sweaty, and leech-filled hike. A few more hours in the van and we arrived at  a small resort in the Northeast Region (known as the Isan Region), where we would spend the next five days. The 43 of us on the program spent long hours getting to know each other, and of course practicing Thai! Over four days we accomplished 16 hours of (very intensive) Thai instruction. Our Thai instructors are awesome! Many of of them graduated from Khon Kaen University (KKU) with an English Major. On Wednesday we finally made our way over to Khon Kaen University, where we will be spending the next four months! More to come about KKU in the next post! Miss you all!

One flight down!

13 hours, 6 TV episodes, 3 movies, and less than 2 hours of sleep later, I made it to Tokyo! The flight was very uneventful but it went by so quickly which I'm extremely grateful for. Flying over Japan was breathtaking; everything looked so green, spacious, and healthy, and I even flew over a small windpower farm! I'm looking forward to meeting a couple of other students from my program who will be on the flight to Bangkok; wish me luck in finding them! Upon arrival we will spend a total of 6 nights, 7 days getting to know one another and learning about Thai culture and the language. We spend two nights in Bangkok, and 4 nights in a resort way outside of Bangkok. I cannot wait to meet the people I will be spending the next four months with, and to share everything with you! Bye for now and talk to you in Thailand. ลาก่อน (Goodbye in Thai... I think)

The last days

Last Sunday night dinner!

My last few nights with family and friends were more than I could have asked for! Everyone has been encouraging and supportive in just the right ways, and it has made my traveling much easier than I expected! Catching up with school friends was the best way to spend my last night. These girls are all incredible , and they gave me the best advice. I will truly miss all my friends and family this semester, but I can't wait to share my experiences with everyone!