Cobras Who Travel

After traveling for about eighteen hours across four time zones, I left Chiang Mai airport at 11 a.m., feeling surreal and lopsided. I walked outside into the broad daylight, breathing in hot air that constricted my chest and accumulated sweat on my forehead within seconds. Back home, it would be midnight, and the weather would be too hot for May, yet the streets were lined with cars and motorbikes zipped through traffic. My first thought was: what have I got myself into?

International. A word I would’ve never used to describe myself, which brought on the mental images of European transfer students who’d come to the United States for school. I was an international student now. In this country, the word used to describe me was foreigner, American, Westerner, and “farang” (the Thai word for white Westerners). Mentally, I had been thinking of myself in a foreign place. The reality was that I was a foreign student in someone else’s home country. It seems to be the small things that can shift the world by one hundred and eighty degrees: for me; it was the word international seemingly stamped on my forehead.

I learned that Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a slow place. The sun rose at 6 a.m. The bright sunlight would shine through my windows, impossible to ignore, even with thick, heavy curtains. When it got up, it got you up as well. I usually spent my morning trying a new cafe and then walking to class. Once I was done, I’d hang out with classmates, go to dinner, check out some temple I hadn’t been to before, or hike to local waterfalls. On weekends, my classmates and I would take trips together, whether to a big city like Bangkok, a picturesque vacation spot like Phuket, or even an entirely different country like Japan or Taiwan.

Life felt slow in Chiang Mai, but each day was different. There is no time to waste when you are in a different country for a short time. Therefore, every day was lived to its fullest extent. Each day was endless, and yet weeks and eventually months blurred into each other so fast. Life felt slow then, but looking back, it all moved in a fast blur. I did everything I could think of and didn’t miss out on a single day. Thailand taught me bravery in some capacity and the ability to live and figure things out on my own. It taught me the value of spontaneity. Life is lived to the fullest when you don’t know exactly what will happen, which is perfectly okay.

Traveling and studying abroad is undoubtedly a process and has a learning curve. It can feel extremely overwhelming and stressful at times, but it’s absolutely amazing once things are taken care of. I enjoyed my experience abroad and found it to be life-changing, meeting so many new people and learning so many things. I encourage anyone who wants to study overseas to relentlessly chase their dreams and ask for help when they feel overwhelmed and confused by the process. Good luck, travelers, and see you when you get back!