I first traveled overseas when I was 16, on a tour group to Paris. When I stepped off the plane into the Charles De Gaulle airport, I felt almost as if I had traveled to another planet. Until this trip, a family vacation to Orlando was the farthest I had been from my home in central Michigan, and I was blown away by the city, which was so full of life and history. I was overwhelmed, but also excited, and I fell in love with all of it: the people, the food, the art and architecture, and I wanted to spend the entire year there. I returned home determined to study abroad in college; I knew I wanted to travel as much as I possibly could. My studies in Spain and Ireland brought with them new forms of culture shock, dealing with different university standards and different educational customs, learning to live with a host family, and creating a life in a new place far away from all of my family and friends back home.
When I visited Theo in Japan, I again experienced a different kind of culture shock. Because I was not familiar with Japanese orthography, I can honestly say, that I now know what it's like to be illiterate. It's funny, because you can always remember being able to read your own language, and here I couldn't read any of the signs in train stations or on maps! I had to develop a system to figure out how to get around the city.
I know now to expect the slightly overwhelmed feeling that hits me when I'm trying to adjust to a different place, and I even enjoy it. There is no better educational experience than learning how to get around in a foreign country, to learn the local customs, and to meet new people. I now find the adjustment to life back home much more difficult than the initial culture shock of arriving in a foreign land. The things I've learned on these past trips are things I will bring with me to my travels in Chiang Mai. I will always be flexible, open to new experiences, and ready to let the adventure lead the way.
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