1: It was a long ride to the Wat Temple, but Mai, Maimee, and I made it safely and was even there a bit earlier than expected. The moment I realized that this was the Thai temple was when we went inside and there were beautiful Thai temple furniture/props set up. They were open to sharing their space with us and really made sure we felt as if we were at home. In addition to that, I began to feel familiar with the Thai culture when Acharn Catherine started speaking Thai to the owners. I use to watch Thai Lakorns (Thai TV shows) all the time, but seeing it and hearing it live was mind blowing to me.
2: A personal goal I have in mind is to really take in everything I am learning. I want to take advantage of this trip and do more than just focus on getting my assignments done, even though that is very important as well, but I hope to take what I learn from this trip and pass it on to the people at home and to any upcoming opportunities ahead.
Hi Choua, thanks for sharing some really great points! I agree, I was not able to associate the place with a temple until I stepped inside and went up the stairs. I was also very impressed with the beauty of the ornate decorations that had been carefully placed around the room. I couldn’t help but to look around and admire this décor, and I’m looking forward to the amazing things we will see in Thailand! The language was really fun to listen to, but for me was the first time I had really heard it and was very difficult to pick up on. Their words are not very distinct and tend to flow together. I’m very glad we have our leaders who can communicate as well as some students who can too. 🙂 See you soon!