By: Dani Howlett

Today was my last day in Thailand.  This past week has been filled with school (2 papers and a final) and random outings each afternoon and night.  Today, our professor threw us a going away party at

his house, which was INCREDIBLE.  He lives about 45 minutes out of Bangkok, and his place is so awesome.  The landscape design is incredible, and the house is full of very expensive antiques.  Our professor, Anucha Thirakanont, is an amazing person.  First of all, he is very smart and was a great teacher. Also-he is a mini celebrity in Thailand, which we didn’t really know until recently.  He has worked on numerous cultural projects, doing things like preserving the royal ‘Khon’ dance and working on other projects for the Queen (who he knows personally).  He dresses amazingly and has impeccable taste-which was reflected in his house. I could go on and on and on, haha 🙂 He’s been a really great part of my summer experience. I’ve also grown close to our program coordinator, Jane.  She goes out of her way so much to make sure we are all happy, safe and comfortable, and she is HILARIOUS. We went out to a couple of clubs with her last weekend, which was really fun:) Everyone loves her to death.

The last couple days have been filled with so many emotions, and goodbyes have been very difficult!  I have grown so close to my new friends, and it kills me to know that we probably won’t be seeing each other for a long time. Each and every one of us are wishing that we had done a full semester program-the summer program feels like such a teaser!

Despite a few tears and the difficulty to leave, I wouldn’t have changed anything about my summer.  I have learned so much about such a beautiful country and culture, and it has truly changed my life. Every local person that I’ve gotten to know has been exquisite-friendly, personable, and exceedingly helpful. We have seen numerous parts of the country, from the rice fields and rain forests to the bustling city and gorgeous beaches. My flight leaves at 5:50 AM, and I’m getting picked up from Amarin at 2:30 AM! (which is about 2 hours from now).I feel SO incredibly fortunate to have had this experience, and I really hope that I will be able to come back at some point in my life. Thailand is an amazing place, and the connections I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned here will stick with me for a lifetime.