As I reflect on the past 10 days of being here, so many emotions run through my mind. For starters, I am so grateful for this culture, and I am falling more and more in love with the Thai people as each day goes by. Not only the love that they have for one another, but the love that they give to you; a foreigner, through the smile and the wave as you walk by, it is just indescribable.

Coming to a different country, 7,000 plus miles a way from home, you’re going to feel as an outsider. But, as I said before, the smile helps; a ton. But something else I have noticed? The laugh of the children. The screaming through the zip lines through the jungle. The joy of the New Year. It’s all the same. It doesn’t matter which race you are, which country you are from, or what color eyes you have. It all comes from the heart, and it’s true; it’s natural. We were in a small village the other day and we handed the children pencils. They were overjoyed from this small token of appreciation. The laughter that came from these children just melted my heart. Somebody said, “It sounds the same, doesn’t it? Laughter is just laughter.” It is so true, and I am so grateful for a simple laugh. It lightens one’s heart, and the question arises; why do we judge? Why do some people make such a big deal about the difference of the skin color or the language some people speak? Because deep down, we all have the same laugh, the same scream and we cry the same tears. No matter what, most of us all feel the same.