70 Days Till Departure & Reflecting Back

70 days till I leave my home here in Thailand for my home in America.

Where did the time go? I seriously only have 2 months till I go back to AMERICA? I'm almost positive that I'm being lied to and actually have more time. We'll see about that.

What I may miss most about Thailand:
beautiful temples everywhere you look.
Pictured: Doi Suthep Temple, Chiang Mai

As I've said before, journaling is an important aspect of exchange for me. Journaling provides a written log of my experiences I can reflect back upon (which I am now doing!). To future exchange student and all YES Abroad semi-finalists, start journaling NOW. Record your feelings. You will thank me later when you're looking back on your own exchange experiences and feeling a strong sense of nostalgia.

My journal is my private account of life, and it's not something I'm willing to just throw out into the world for everyone to read. However, a particular passage I wrote stuck out to me while reflecting, and I've decided that it may be a good idea to share it. Read for yourself and take a step into my mind during the first 2 weeks of exchange:

Ahhhh, it really rattles my brain feeling the same emotions that I did 6-7 months ago. Let's be real here, I was a tad melodramatic in the first paragraph, but those were my raw emotions speaking at the time! I remember feeling like I had sacrificed my life for this experience... as if it were a second life or something of the sorts. But, in reality, it's another year of my life... it's simply being spent doing something I never could have imagined. Through the ups and downs, I'm having the time of my life.

And one more thing, I am STILL adjusting. You are always adjusting wherever you are in life, regardless of how long you've lived in a particular place, whether you realize that or not. That is one of the greatest lessons I've learned about life during this experience.

Until next time,
Brandon