I have been in Thailand for four days and I have already learned so much about myself. It was very interesting to see how Buddhism influences the country, for example at message school they were really calm and they blessed the person which came from the Buddhism teachings. The monk chat was my favorite part of the trip and learning about the lives of monks and Buddhism, I always thought of Buddhism as a religion but from listening to the monk I now understand that it is a way of life it’s a philosophy that focuses on the individuals and bettering themselves so they can better their surroundings. It was interesting to compare and contrast Islam to Buddhism and how much similarities were there between them. The main thing I found interesting between the two of them was not planning anything and staying in the present, the reason behind this in Buddhism was to help the individual to avoid suffering and disappointment and the Islamic reason for not planning was to have faith and trust in God that He has a plan for you. I also found it interesting that being a monk was a way of cleansing one’s self and taking control of their mind through meditation and leading a simple life.  The elders house Baan Thammapakorn was an amazing experience I really loved seeing the elders and how happy they were, the home was very different than American homes for elders but  there was a sense if belonging in the Thai homes. They took care of each other before their caretakers there was one instance when we gave them lunch there was one table that one of the ladies didn’t receive a plate and before she said anything the ladies sitting with her said something to us, it was an amazing experience and I had a wonderful time with them. If this was only the first four days I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip will be like