Pre-departure Reflections

How do you fit 2 and a half months worth of supplies into two backpacks?

I’m so excited to begin my Southeast Asia adventure tomorrow! At 6:30pm, I will be boarding a flight headed first to Dubai, then to Bangkok, Thailand. After over 20 hours of air time and several other hours spent exploring airport terminals, I will arrive in a place much further than I’ve ever traveled before. New sights, foods, culture, and more will await me there.

After spending the last few weeks reading papers and watching movies about the history, culture, and foods of the countries I’ll be visiting, I’ve had time to reflect on what I believe this trip is going to mean to me and what I’m going to learn. As I move through both the well-traveled and less-traveled roads, the variety of lifestyles and cultures I’m going to encounter will be incredible and I believe many of my view of the world and traveling will be challenged. From the bustling cities of Bangkok and Saigon, to the rural villages that dot the countryside of Laos, there will be no end to the diverse experiences I’m going to have. I’m going to learn about Buddhism through a stay in a Buddhist monastery. I’ll experience firsthand the interesting, but oftentimes tragic, history that these countries have faced in ancient times as well as in the colonial era,  war torn Cambodia, and beyond. In middle school, I created a history project on the Misty pilots in the Vietnam War. I am anxious to see this history come to life when I visit the underground network of tunnels the Vietnamese used throughout the war. Through home-stays, volunteering, and learning traditional crafts and food, I believe I will be able to catch a glimpse of how their society works, though I know that two months could never do justice to the complexity of multiple countries.

In the past few decades, tourism has led to both positive and negative effects on countries perceived as tourist destinations. I plan to have the utmost respect for those opening up their home to me and offering their hospitality to a stranger. I want to learn how to travel without threatening cultures or disregarding the environment that provides so many people their livelihood.

In my experience, traveling helps to create an open mind and an open heart, encouraging those who participate to reach outside of their comfort zone and grow so much as a person.  I hope to come away with a broader world view and interpersonal connections with the people I meet while at all times respecting the places I’m visiting. I’m looking forward to this opportunity of a lifetime and sharing it with you all through this blog.