Week 20: Thailand

Welcome back to my blog!

On Tuesday, I flew from Sydney to Bangkok. My plane was 20 minutes late, which doesn't sound like a lot except I had a 60 minute layover scheduled and had to go through Thai customs. I somehow managed to make my 2nd flight to Chiang Mai. 

Thailand is a beautiful country. It's hot and humid, the people are friendly, and the food is spectacular. It's been a great week and I've still got a few days before I have to leave. I'll put some pictures at the end of the post.

Being a tourist always makes me feel strange. Travel is one of my favorite things. I love to experience new places and see how other people live. The part that bothers me is that feeling that I'm barging into someone else's space. 

I try my hardest to tread lightly, but I see so many people who make jokes out of the culture they're visiting or treat holy sites like playgrounds. When I see people like that, I wonder if they know what they're doing. And that makes me worry that I'm doing it too.

This has been true for lots of trips I've taken, but it rings even truer here. The debate over cultural sharing is a hot issue on the internet, but I've never been satisfied by the conclusions any side comes up with.

Yesterday was the start of Vassa, which our tour guide calls "Buddhist Lent." We spent the night in a village in Lampang, where we got to participate in a ceremony at the temple. Everyone held bunches of flowers with a candle, and some monks led us in circles around a giant statue of the Buddha as they chanted. I don't know what they were saying, but the ceremony was still beautiful. 

Other than getting to sit in on (and partially join) a Buddhist ceremony, much of our trip has been very touristy. We've visited a lot of night markets, which all sell very similar clothes and trinkets for extremely low prices. I took a bike tour around Chiang Mai, learned how to make Thai food in a cooking class, took an incredibly short boat trip to Laos, and photographed a lot of temples. 

I'm trying my hardest to be a considerate visitor. It's easy to remember to be respectful at a holy site (especially because people are quick to reprimand any misbehavior there), but it's harder to remember that etiquette is different here than it is at home. So while I'm here, I'll learn as much as I can and try my best to be respectful. I don't know if that's the right answer to the question of ethical travel, but it's what I've got for now.

And here are the pictures!

On a bike tour of Chiang Mai! #thailand #temple #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jul 4, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT

Ending my first day with a cocktail and some live music! #nightmarket #thailand #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jul 5, 2017 at 7:39am PDT

At the market learning about Thai food! #cookingclass #thailand #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jul 5, 2017 at 7:37pm PDT

A view of Myanmar #thailand #myanmar #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jul 6, 2017 at 10:21pm PDT

A couple of us took a boat into Laos for a quick visit #thailand #laos #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jul 7, 2017 at 2:25am PDT

I'll see you next week from another country! Which one? Come back to find out.

Week 19: Beyond the Sea

Hey!

First, I want to thank everyone for the incredible support and love you showed me after last week's blog post. Your comments and messages made me smile this whole week.

Another thing that made me smile this week was the trip I took. On Wednesday, I flew up to Cairns. For those of you in not-Australia, Cairns is a city in the north of Queensland, right on the Great Barrier Reef. I think you know where this is going.

If not, here's a picture I took of a sea turtle:

I made a friend #seaturtle #greatbarrierreef #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jun 30, 2017 at 5:11am PDT

The Great Barrier Reef has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. At the very earliest, it was when I was 8 and saw Finding Nemo for the first 10 or so times. I was enchanted by the idea of so much color and diversity in one spot. The distance made it even cooler, but it also made the idea of actually seeing it seem far-fetched.

That is, until I started planning my semester abroad in Australia. With most of the distance already covered, I was able to go up for just a few days. And it was so worth it.

I spent Thursday out on a boat, trying very hard not to get seasick. I got to snorkel at two different locations along the reef and saw some incredible coral, fish, and other sea creatures. Of course, I rented a waterproof camera so I could document the experience.

If this were a different kind of travel blog, I would encourage you to make the trek to the Great Barrier Reef. They didn't crown it a Wonder of the Natural World for nothing.

I would rather talk about how incredible it is that such a complex ecosystem exists on our planet. I saw dozens of species in the few hours I was underwater. There were fish, turtles, clams, coral, and birds. And those are only the ones that I saw. Coral requires very specific conditions to grow and it's wild to me that those conditions actually occur.

I don't want to get all preachy (or maybe I do), but we're steadily ruining those conditions. If water temperatures rise, the coral won't reproduce, which means that the whole ecosystem that relies on coral will disappear. All of those colorful fish, anemones, sharks, turtles, and birds will lose their food and Earth will lose its largest coral reef.

It would be presumptuous of me to offer any solutions, as I am a college student with no expertise in this area. What I can do is ask you to learn about the environment and how best to help protect it. Here is a link to the Australian Marine Conservation Society's website.  Feel free to check it out or to do your own research.

Thanks for bearing with me during my foray into eco-blogging (sort of?) As a reward, here are some more pictures I took while snorkeling!

Some more pictures from the #greatbarrierreef #snorkeling #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jun 30, 2017 at 5:44am PDT

I'll see you next week with a post from not-Australia!

Week 18: All That I Know Is I'm Breathing

It's been a wild semester, but it's over. Now that I'm "Traveling" (which is what Millennials call people on unbelievably long trips), I guess it's time to get real with you. 

This whole thing has been a lie, and I've been in hiding in New Jersey this whole time. 

Okay, that's a lie. But I do have something that I've been meaning to write on this blog all semester and haven't figured out how. 

I have anxiety.

I don't talk about it a lot. I rarely let people see me when it gets bad. But it's there and it's been with me as I travel through Australia. It'll be with me when I travel the world this summer. And it'll be with me when I get back.

It's been tough at times, sure, and sometimes I've been a panicky mess 10,000 miles from home. Even with those times, I've had a great semester. 

You may be wondering how I managed everything. You might have anxiety yourself and be thinking that you could never go on a semester abroad. Well, I learned a lot and I'm more than happy to share some tips. 

Disclaimer before we get started: Every person is different and everyone experiences anxiety differently. These may not work for everyone.

1) Make sure you're not getting in over your head.
Trips are stressful. Being in a new place requires adjustment, as does starting at a new school. It's okay if that's too much for you, but if it is, maybe this isn't the right choice for you. Talk with people you trust (a therapist if you're seeing one, parents, mentors, or friends) to try to figure out if you're up for handling a very new situation far away from your usual support system.

2) You don't have to do everything.
Being in a new place is exciting. There are sights to see, people to meet, and classes. Your new study abroad friends might be going out every weekend and you'll be invited on plenty of excursions. FOMO is real, but it's totally okay to say no. If clubs freak you out, it's okay not to go to them – I've been here 4 months and I haven't been once. If you miss a thing or two (or twelve), that's fine. And if you need to, take a day off to recharge

3) You are in school. And that's a stressor too.
You're probably used to school by now. The school you're going to will be different somehow (trust me) and you'll have to adjust. But you're also going to have to balance a normal courseload with all of this adjusting and exploring. This is totally attainable, but it takes some planning.

4) Don't expect to feel better just because you think you should.
This has ruined some experiences for me. I'm having a bad day when I've planned to do a fun thing and I can't enjoy myself enough. Then I get upset because there's no reason for me to be so unhappy. Then I'm even less happy. Rinse and repeat. It's okay to feel whatever you feel. Even if you're staring at a beautiful vista in a new city. Sometimes you're going to have subjectively bad days on objectively good ones. It happens.

5) Make yourself at home.
You're in a new place, but you're there for a few months. Set a routine. Explore your neighborhood and find your favorite restaurants. Pick a spot in the library and make it yours. Make friends in your classes or join a club if you can handle it. Sit in the park for an afternoon because there's plenty of time to act like a tourist. Let some days be regular. You'll remember them too.

I probably have more to say, but this is getting long. I hope you find this enlightening (or possibly even helpful). Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts or questions. Thank you for reading my blog. Have a great week!

Week 17: The Last Post of the Semester!

Hey guys!

I'm currently running on fumes right now while juggling two papers, but let's not talk about that. This is my last post before I finish this semester! Fortunately for you, the 10 or so people still reading my blog, I've got another 2 months before I actually get back to the US.
I should mention that today is Father's Day! I'm not going to give my dad a sappy post because I know he'd like that too much. But happy Father's Day to you, Dad.
When I last posted, I was halfway done with my classes. This week has mostly consisted of writing (okay, it's mostly consisted of trying to write and winding up on Netflix or something). But in between trips to the library, I've had some nice moments.
On Wednesday, my apartment finally got around to having a group dinner. We ordered pizza and had chocolate fondue in our living room. It's been rare for all of us to be in the same place, so it was nice to take a night off to just hang out with friends. 
After dinner, a few of us went to Darling Harbour to see Vivid again. We didn't have much time before they shut the lights off for the night, but we did get to sit in front of the Contemporary Art Museum and watch the projections for a little while. Here's a photo:

Back at #vividsydney with friends #ishouldbestudying #sydneyharbour #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jun 14, 2017 at 5:32am PDT

Everything else that's on my mind is school related and I don't want to write about school. So I'm going to leave it here. I'll see you next week for my first week of VACATION!!! (That word sounds so good right now.) Here's one more photo to tide you over.

The Law Library is a great place to study if you can find a seat #finals #usyd #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jun 17, 2017 at 8:06pm PDT

Week 16: A Brief Reprieve – A Basic Update

Hey all!

So I'm in the thick of finals right now. Last night, after many mishaps ranging from a SEVERE lack of motivation to Microsoft Word deleting my outline, I submitted my third out of five final assignments. Now I'm completely finished with half of my classes!

I've got two more papers to write. Since they're due a week from Monday, I was able to take an easy day today. I slept in, which was glorious, went grocery shopping, and cooked myself dinner. The only school-related thing I did today was read a book– it was Fun Home, a graphic novel that I'd been meaning to read for over a year now (ever since I saw the Broadway musical).

My time in Sydney is winding down, but lately I've been too busy to do much of anything fun. Maybe in the coming week I'll be able to sneak away for a cool activity, but it might have to wait until after the 19th, when I'll (hopefully) be done with these last papers.

I do have some cool things to talk about though. I found out yesterday that I'll be working in a psych lab next semester! I'm really pumped about this opportunity to do some #adulting and gain some #relevantexperience while I'm at it (that's how you use #hashtags right???).

And on the total opposite end of the spectrum from school, I booked a trip up to the Great Barrier Reef for right before I leave Australia. This is a bucket-list item for me, which is strange because I don't have a bucket-list.

But for right now, I've got to get back to the grind for my last week of paper writing. I'll see you next week as I'm finishing them up (or, if I can be on top of things for once, when I've finished a day early *fingers crossed*)

Until then, I hope the rest of you have a week that is much more restful than mine!

Week 15: Please Enjoy These Photos While I Die of Finals

Hey friends!

So it's the night before my last week of classes. By midnight on Friday, I'll have (hopefully) taken a quiz, finished a 1,500 word take-home final, written a 2,000 word essay, and created a 1,650 word short story. Ideally, at least 2 of those things will have gone fairly well.

But I can't think about anything but finals for more than 2 minutes before my mind goes back to the mountain of work that I have to do. So I don't have anything to write about today. Or if I do, I can't focus on it long enough to mold it into a blog post.

Instead, I'm gonna post some photos that haven't made it onto the blog yet. Sorry to anyone who follows me on Instagram; you've seen these all before. If you're not following me on Instagram, you should do that.

One last photo before bed. From a street art alleyway #imsotired #butthisissocool #hosierlane #melbourne #orientation #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Feb 21, 2017 at 2:54am PST

A view of the bridge #harbourbridge #sydneyharbour #sydney🇦🇺 #tourist #orientation #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Feb 25, 2017 at 7:04pm PST

Second cliff was 15 meters! #adventure #outdooradventurephotos #abseiling #rappelling #weekendaway #bluemountains #arcadiaabroad #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Mar 11, 2017 at 8:47pm PST

Card catalog at the state library #lowtech #library #solomission #locallandmark #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Apr 1, 2017 at 10:45pm PDT

Some gift shopping before Mother's Day! #boomerangs #sydney #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on May 12, 2017 at 7:56pm PDT

The Three Sisters 2 months later #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on May 27, 2017 at 10:44pm PDT

Scroll to see the opera house lit up in pretty colors! #vividsydney #australia #brandeisabroad #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on Jun 2, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

I hope you enjoy these pictures. I'll see you next week when I'm warming up for my second (and last) round of finals.

Week 14: The Blue Mountains Revisited

I’ve got two more weeks of classes. Three weeks until my last paper is due. The end is in sight and I don’t quite know how to feel about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m so ready to be done with lectures and essays. Especially essays. Two and a half months without any homework is a dream. But soon after I finish the semester, I have to leave Australia.

This morning, I woke up before 8 AM (a Herculean task). I met up with a classmate and a few of her friends, and we drove out to the Blue Mountains. I’ve been before, in the 3^rd week of my trip. It was there that I successfully threw a boomerang, rode the world’s steepest railway, and went rappelling.

Today, we did none of those things. We walked to some waterfalls and ate lunch at the Echo Point lookout. It was a nice break from the city and all the work I have building up here. Nature has a way of making me stop worrying about the things that are stressing me out. Maybe it's the vastness of the mountains that makes my problems seem inconsequential, or maybe it's just getting away from my regular scenery. Either way, it's welcome relief, even if it's short-lived.

It was a good day. I got to meet some new people and share a day with them. Oh, and I took some pictures because how else would everyone else know I went somewhere cool?

Day out with friends #bluemountains #waterfall #emilygoesabroad

A post shared by Emily (@emilyhannahk) on May 27, 2017 at 8:18pm PDT

When I got back home, I took a long nap (the consequences of waking up too early, I guess). Now I’m back to the grind, with 5 papers and a quiz in the coming weeks. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post on schedule. After that, I’ll be travelling and therefore should have plenty of time to ramble at you through the internet.

See you next Sunday (probably). And thanks for reading!

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