The time seems to be flying by without slowing down. I can’t believe that last week was mid-terms, and I’ve already returned from a wonderful trip from Thailand. Yes, that is how I spent my mid-term break. I joined six of my classmates on a beautiful journey through Thailand. First, let me start by saying that mid-terms in China is the exact same as in the U.S. – although it has been some time since I last took exams, some sixteen years to be exact. It is still daunting as ever, but I made it through. As time goes on it seems as though I am getting more and more comfortable with living in China. Yes, the language barrier is nerve racking but I try my best to at least learn some basic words and phrases. I hope soon to join a small group of local students in hopes of picking up more of their language for mine.
My trip to Thailand started off with a long journey from Tianjin to Beijing where I spent two relaxing nights a wonderful hotel, all thanks to Marisa for her super employee discounts. Our flight was early in the morning, so we had to take a taxi since the trains were not running yet. Our flight from Beijing was delayed and we missed our connecting flight in Guanzhou to Bangkok. No worries, China Southern Airlines was more than accommodating. They arranged for us to stay in a hotel in Guanzhou until it was time to catch our flight which was rescheduled from 10am to 11pm. In addition, our transportation to and from the airport was arranged, including dinner. Hat’s off to China Southern Airlines!
Arriving in Bangkok was another ordeal. We already missed one full day of our vacation and my taxi driver from the airport to my hotel got lost for hours, driving around in circles throughout Chinatown in Bangkok. No need to fret, once I arrived at the hotel at 6:00am, I quickly checked in, unloaded my luggage and I was off exploring the narrow streets of Chinatown at 7:00am. It was thrilling and I was blessed to be able to take in all of the sights, sounds and smells of all of the small food vendors lined up in alleyways ready for business. The following night, I was back at Bangkok Int’l Airport to fly to Phuket. The picture attached is of myself and a local Thai restaurant owner I met during my stay. I ate at her restaurant every night. Great food, great service, and I made a new friend. The remaining stops that I made in Thailand were to Phi Phi Island, Krabi Island and back to Bangkok.
Thank you, Thailand, for your wonderful country and hospitality. Happy I returned safe and sound as well as all of my classmates.
Kind Regards,
Dawn
