Canada, Cairo, Chiang Mai, and Everywhere Inbetween!

I never thought in a million years that my college study abroad experience would include an almost 4 week long trip to Canada to visit the love of my life, but it did! I'm back in Chiang Mai now with only a few more weeks left of my fall semester. I've noticed that for a few years now, I have had a constant and persistent feeling of bittersweetness almost every single day. Today, and everyday that I am here in Chiang Mai, I feel bittersweet to be where I am. I am constantly exploring new places, expanding my knowledge, learning new languages, trying new foods, and overall changing my life. But the trade-off to all of those spectacular things is that I am always away from my family, best friends, and now my other half. It isn't ever easy, and I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes breakdown and cry my heart out. But I know it will all be worth it one day. I am not a person who was born to stay in one place for too long.

Kristen, Arielle, Paige, Caroline, Allie, Me, and Annarose
in our treehouse on the beach!

Anyways, a lot happened before I went to Canada! I got a new tattoo, and went to Krabi for a fun beach weekend! I decided on a travel-themed emoji tattoo, because I always want to remember how my life has been impacted by travel, technology, and the ability to communicate with the people I love from wherever in the world I am. In Krabi, we had a lot of boat rides to various places. We visited Krabi town and Koh Phi Phi islands. Friday night was a night in Krabi that I barely remember, and saturday night we stayed in a treehouse on the beach in Koh Phi Phi. Apparently, on Friday night, I completely broke down and sobbed about how much I loved Vinny (lol). My life seems to always lead me to crazy places and crazy things. I love it.

Piccadilly Circus in the morning

I departed Thailand on October 12th and had a couple layovers in Mumbai and London before reaching Toronto. I didn't have much time in Mumbai, but the airport is absolutely stunning! While in London, I had to transfer airports, so naturally I decided to take the long way and discover a bit of the city along the way. I visited London back in 2009 when I was just 12 years old. Since then, London has transformed drastically. Part of the city has sprung up with towers and skyscrapers that weren't there 10 years ago. I got to take the tube and visit Piccadilly Circus, King's Cross, and passed by the Tower Bridge while on the train to Gatwick airport! I then flew to Toronto, and met Vinny that night at our Airbnb. That weekend, we visited University of Toronto, ate chicken souvlaki at this hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant, ate poutine, went shopping at the Eaton Centre, went back to our favorite Jamaican restaurant to eat jerk chicken, and spent a ton of time sleeping because I for one, was exhausted. That sunday, the 16th, we went back to his school in Guelph.

Guelph, Ontario

Not too much happened during the 3 weeks I spent in Guelph. Most of the time, Vinny and I would go to his classes, eat on campus (usually burgers or poutine because why not?), hang out, get coffee from Tim Horton's, and go on Walmart snack runs. Since it was the middle of Fall, the leaves were really gorgeous! For Halloween, we dressed up as Dr. Mcsteamy and Dr. Mcdreamy from Grey's Anatomy! And although we didn't really do too much, those 3 weeks were some of the most joyful, formative, and loving weeks of my life. Some people may question why I left my study abroad program for so long just to spend time with Vinny, but I do not regret it in the slightest. After all, I am here for an entire year. I needed those almost 4 weeks with him, and I know he needed them with me. Being a long-distance couple, we search for any possible time to be together that we can, and I am so grateful that we were able to spend this time together.

Mcsteamy and Mcdreamy ready for operation

I love Vinayak with all my heart, and I do believe he's the person I will spend the rest of my life with. This young man is my best friend in the whole world, and he's changed my life in so many ways. He has loved and supported me from the very beginning when we met, and he has never judged me, hurt me, or made me feel inadequate. In fact, he provided me the constant encouragement I needed this past spring to start my health and fitness journey, which I am still on and doing well! He helped me not only come out to my family, but to own and feel comfortable in my sexuality (And let's be real here; It's 2016, literally everybody is a little bit gay!). Also, he has made me a more emotional person which I have had trouble with in the past. This little brat annoys me constantly with "funny" things he finds on the internet, likes to make sharp turns and randomly change directions while we're walking together just to piss me off, thinks it's cool to trick me when we play Monopoly Deal, and likes to hog all of the chips and dip. But, I secretly love all of those things. I want you all to know how much I love him, how much he makes me smile, and just how much joy he's brought into my life. It hasn't been the same since, and I can't wait for more adventures with him. I'm quite the lucky guy, eh?

Me, Narjis, and Marshall

Little Monkey and Koala Bear

This picture is probably my fav

In the middle of my time with Vinny, he had to go home one weekend to celebrate Diwali with his family, so I went back to Loyola to visit my friends! It was so much fun to see everyone again.









On November 5th, I departed Toronto for... Cairo. Freaking Cairo, Egypt. It wasn't really any easier to say goodbye to Vinny this time than in August, and I cried quite a bit. This time, I knew when I would be returning. I'll actually be going to Canada for a little more than two weeks in January, so that comforted me a bit. My flight to Cairo was alright,and I arrived at about 5 in the morning. I had about a 6 hour layover... so hell yeah I decided to leave the airport! I immediately got into a taxi and headed to Giza which is about an hour away by taxi (with no traffic). Once I arrived, I hopped onto a camel and explored the pyramids!!! It was early in the morning and a little bit before the pyramids opened to the public (and I paid quite a bit more as I found out --- my whole situation with the taxi and the camel tour company was very shady). Therefore, I was there during sunrise! It was absolutely beautiful! The air was cool, and the sun wasn't beating down on me. My guide took me around to all of the pyramids and stopped in the middle of the tour so we could enjoy falafel together on the back of the camel. At the end, we saw the sphinx. My guide was quite the photographer and took about a hundred photos of me. He had me doing all sorts of things to get good shots. After it was all set and done, my driver swiftly headed back to the airport. There was major traffic, and it took 2 hours to get back to the airport. I was cutting it close to get to my flight! At times (out of the traffic), my driver was going 120+ mph. IT WAS TERRIFYING but also electrifying. I made my flight, and was on my way to Dubai. the Dubai airport was very dead while I was there, but it's very nice. I got food, and skyped with Vinny. My next flight to Bangkok was on the Emirates A380 (the double decker plane!), and it was the fanciest flight I've ever flown on! I arrived in Bangkok and eventually ended up in Chiang Mai and slept for a good 18 hours.

I only have a few weeks left, and I have some major adventures coming up! First, I'm going to Australia (?!?!?!!?) for 10 days starting on December 10th with Brie, who's also doing the yearlong program. Then, my best friend Ashley Cox is flying out to Bangkok and we're backpacking through Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia! We both fly back to North America early on January 5th. I'll have long layovers in Beijing, China, and Calgary, Alberta. I can't wait!

I will try to post again before I leave, but no guarantees. Haha.

Until next time,
Brandon

Tongue Thai-ed

สวัสดีครับ (Sa-wat-dee-khrap)! I've been in Chiang Mai for about a month and a half now, and so far, it's been a completely different experience than the first go around! Once I left Canada, I flew to Taipei, Taiwan, and had a 5 hour layover. The gates at the airport in Taipei all have a different theme, and mine just happened to be letter-themed (I love sending letters to people). Other themes included an African safari, a forest, and even Hello Kitty. I then flew onto Bangkok, and then onto Chiang Mai. I got here around 8 pm and settled in. Orientation started the next day, and classes started the following week. During orientation, we got to visit Doi Suthep temple again, which is absolutely stunning! It's even more stunning when the sun is shining, but that's okay! I'm here for a year, I'll definitely return.

My classes are going great; I actually ended up changing up which courses I enrolled in, so here's what I'm now taking this semester:

World Economic Issues

Sustainable Development

Global Health Issues

Gender & Sexuality Studies 

My schedule is set up pretty nicely since I have Thursdays and Fridays off! I would have to say Global Health Issues is my favorite class, for obvious reasons. My classes tend to be very discussion-based, and its honestly very important to me to be able to hear so many different opinions about different issues that are going on. 

But enough about my classes, you probably wanna know how I'm feeling here, so here we go. Remember, this is my blog and I'm not here to mitigate my emotions or hide things, so bear with me.

To be completely honest, I've had an pretty rough time here. I'm having no issues with adapting to the culture, food, language, etc. In fact, I'm learning a lot more Thai, so that's great. But, I've been dealing with some health issues and haven't been feeling very mentally-fit here. Actually, I would call what I've been going through as straight-up depression. I don't use that term lightly, because I know some people suffer from it constantly, and I don't suffer from it and never really have. I don't really know exactly how or why, but the second week here I just fell into some kind of funk. I wasn't feeling myself. But, it was more than just a funk. This felt different. I started sleeping a lot more, losing my appetite (and therefore losing a lot of weight too quickly), and not going out and participating in fun activities. My physical and mental well-being bounces off of each other and always has (maybe it's like that for a lot of people), and since both weren't good, I really wasn't feeling great. late this month, I ended up in the hospital for 4 days because I started experiencing weird physical symptoms (cracked lips, joint pain, eye pain, fatigue, lack of appetite, brittle hair). Apparently I had a bunch of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I got put on daily vitamins and I started feeling better very soon after. I mentally felt better too after the hospital visit. Those 4 days gave me a lot of time to think and reflect. I'm ready to experience Thailand again, and I'm excited to continue my health and fitness journey that I began in May. It's important to me to share how I'm really feeling, as I do not want to people to perceive that living abroad is all fun and adventure. It's pretty damn difficult sometimes. Many days, you just don't feel like dealing with the daily hardships that being a foreigner here brings. I miss my friends, my family, and the love of my life, and for some reason, homesickness hit me pretty hard this time. My oh my, how being away from Vinny has hurt. I have never felt the way I do about him. He's my best friend, and a lot of days I just want to hang out with my best friend, you feel? I miss that little brat so much that I'm flying back to Canada next month to spend my fall break with him! I'll also be taking a weekend trip to go see my friends back at Loyola! I leave October 12th, right after my midterms end. I'll be there until November 5th, and I'll get back to Thailand on the 7th. I'm really looking forward to this trip, and it's one thing that's keeping me going these last couple of weeks before fall break. 

Things are looking up, and I gotta remember how lucky I am to be here. :)

Until next time, 

Brandon 

Toronto, Trains, & Tim Horton's

Toronto, for some reason, has become one of my favorite cities I've ever been to. And now, I have some pretty incredible, unforgettable, and special memories attached to it.

For several reasons, August 11th was a huge day for me. I said goodbye to Caublasian (Ashley, Ashley, and Paris), had TWO biology exams, left the United States, and met Vinny for the very first time. I hadn't slept much all week, and I was honesty the most exhausted I've ever been once Thursday rolled around. Once I finally arrived in Toronto, I went through customs, and waited in the international arrivals area for Vinny to arrive. I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life for anything. No exaggeration there. I waited for about 20 minutes, and suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder. It was him! In that moment, everything in the world was okay again. To be completely honest, this summer has been especially challenging. Summer classes were beating me down. I was working hard on my health and fitness journey. I was alone most of the summer (which, come to find out, I don't particularly enjoy very much). And, I began to come out as bisexual to everyone (except my best friends and everyone at college who already knew). I think I'll write another post about that soon. But ANYWAYS, Vinny and I made our way to the airbnb on the Go train after about an hour of sitting and chatting at the airport. He was very nervous too, to the point where he was shaking when he first sat down next to me. I won't let him forget this. :) That night, we just got pizza from Gino's, and I ended up sleeping so good that night. 

Vinny and I at the ROM

The next day, we visited the Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM), tried street meat for the first time (A Toronto specialty --- various kinds of sausages/hotdogs), and walked around the University of Toronto. We actually saw a bit of the medical building. After some research, it's definitely on my list of schools that I will be applying to for medical school. Later that day, we got shawarmas and Vinny had me try Tim Horton's for the very first time. For those of you that don't know, they have Starbucks everywhere in Canada (just like the rest of the world), but what's even more popular in Canada is Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is famous for their coffees, teas, and donuts. I'd say it more closely resembles Dunkin Donuts than Starbucks. Probably their most iconic drink, the 'Iced Capp' is an iced cappuccino and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I instantly became addicted. I had it three times during my time in Canada I believe. I can't wait till I go back JUST for the Iced Capps.

On Saturday, we hit up the Kensington Market, Eaton Centre and Dundas Square (they spell center as centre up there). It's a very big mall downtown. We also saw the famous Toronto sign that lights up in different colors. Finally we got some bubble tea and just chilled that night. We didn't even really eat dinner, we just ate a bunch of snacks we had! I remember we had a fun day riding the TTC (subway) everywhere, trying to get back to our place. I actually highly appreciate the Toronto transit system; the trains come every 3-5 minutes (Chicago, take some tips).

POUTINE from Smoke's!

The only important thing that happened on Sunday was that I ate Poutine. Poutine needs recognition because my life was changed. Poutine is french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It is now one of my favorite foods on this Earth. America needs to start selling this stuff everywhere. Other than that, we tried to visit the St. Lawrence Market (it was closed) and the distillery district (which we arrived to too late). But nonetheless, it was fun to walk around the city! We also saw the Toronto sign again, and got to see the CN tower up close.

Monday was hard for me, because i knew I was leaving that night. We didn't do too much that day, but we did get to eat jerk chicken from Jerk King down the street, and it was so so so delicious. Once ten o'clock rolled around, it was time to get to the airport. Me and Vinny said our goodbyes, and it was off to Taiwan and Thailand! I already miss him like crazy. I'm not too sure that I can go 10 months without seeing him...

Perhaps another adventure soon? Knowing me, probably.

I'll update on how Thailand is going soon enough! 

Until next time,
Brandon

Thailand | Round Two

A lot has happened since I last updated. I'm going back to Thailand in just 17 days! 9 more incredible months of adventure, exploration, learning, weird smells, strange foods, elephants, and constant smiles. Before I make it to Thailand, I'm going to Toronto, Canada, to spend a week with my best friend in the entire world, Vinny! I leave the USA on August 11th, which is coincidentally the same day I left for Thailand back in 2014. Summer classes are almost done, flights are booked, visas are ready, and all I have to do now is pack my bags and say my goodbyes!

I'll be spending my sophomore year with the USAC program in Chiang Mai at Chiang Mai University. Chiang Mai University is one of the best universities in Thailand, and has about 50,000 students! I'll be living in an apartment with another USAC student, but I don't know who quite yet. Most of the classes that I will be taking this year will apply towards my Political Science and International Studies majors, so I won't be doing much with Neuroscience until I return to Loyola in 2017. Here's what I'll be taking this semester:

- Diplomacy in Southeast Asia
- Global Health Issues
- Reading and Writing Thai Language
- Sustainable Development
- Thai Civilization
- World Economic Issues

I'm probably most excited about Global Health Issues and Sustainable Development! While I'm abroad, I'm planning on working with the Chiang Mai 'Care For Dogs' Foundation, where I'll just be volunteering and taking care of some sweet pups. I'm also planning on interning with a local hospital and the U.S. Consulate. One of my goals this year is to occupy my time with any and all opportunities that are available to me. Last time, I wasn't as progressive with going for opportunities as I was so swamped with college applications and preparation, exams, and other things. I know for sure that I will be doing things that I don't know about yet.

As for how I'm feeling about leaving for another year, I do have to say it's a whole lot easier. I'm not exactly feeling very nervous or excited either, I'm just ready. I am however, feeling pretty blue about leaving my friends and family. That part hasn't gotten easier. BUT, I do get to see my host family a few times this year, and my best friend Ashley Cox is coming all the way to Thailand to backpack with me around Southeast Asia for Christmas break. Also, my roommate this summer, Noah, is coincidentally planning on doing the Chiang Mai program as well next spring, so I'll get to see him! I'm sure I'm going to meet so many incredible people this year, and I absolutely cannot wait; that's one of the best parts of living abroad in my opinion.

Possibly the best part of my experience this year will be all the countries that I will be visiting. I received an awesome travel grant to work with because of my blog and my previous experiences, and I am so grateful! Here's where I'll be going this year:

Canada, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, and Canada (again)!

Some of these destinations will be random weekend trips, some will be during my winter break, and the rest will be part of an around-the-world trek I am undertaking by myself while on my way home from Thailand. I know it sounds astronomically wild and maybe a bit dangerous, but there's so much world to see and I'm taking this opportunity and running with it! It's going to be a blast!

That's all for now, but I will update again before I leave. Follow my blog or add me on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter to stay up to date!

Facebook: Brandon Penrod (I'm sure I'll pop up).
Instagram: @bdawg3008
Twitter: @BrandonPenrod97
E-mail: brandon.penrod1997@yahoo.com

P.S. I know a lot of students interested in YES Abroad come across this blog, so if you have any questions or want to talk, please feel free to add me on any of the above platforms or e-mail me!

Until next time,
Brandon

Exchange: 11 Months Later

It's difficult to gauge the impact of exchange on daily life until after it's over and you've lived life outside of it. And once you do, you come to realize just how incredibly imprinted you are by your experience. The effect isn't always so obvious either. Of course, speaking with Thai people at Thai restaurants or seeing something explicitly Thai instantaneously brightens my day, but it's the subtle impacts that really catch me. Being able to view almost everything now with cultural relativism is the greatest effect of my exchange. I don't find myself pulled to one side versus another of social/political issues, mine and others' emotions, or controversial concepts. It is so easy now for me to put myself in another's shoes and view something like they would. That's something you truly don't understand until you're displaced into another part of the world and are forced to adapt. In addition, and this fact also correlates with being able to view the world with cultural relativism, I find myself so much more consistently calm, collected, and prepared. Emergencies do not phase me. Stress motivates me. I tend to lead in intense situations. When us YES Abroad students were abroad, we had to think on our feet. We sometimes had to make split-second decisions, and sometimes those decisions were big ones. There wasn't always someone there to hold our hand in choosing what direction of life we were going to go next.

This kaleidoscopic year was a bridge in which our paths in learning how to become autonomous adults was put on hyperdrive. And now that we're almost one year post-return, I don't know many people our age that are more mature, intelligent, open-minded, driven, or tenacious. I am in awe when I see what my fellow alumni are doing with their lives. One visit to Facebook takes you on a tour around the world. YES Abroad alumni have literally stepped foot on all 7 continents, explored countries you never even knew existed, assisted in major global health efforts, met and discussed with so many powerful members of our government and governments abroad, advocated for social justice for those underrepresented and disenfranchised, learned a plethora of foreign languages, won hundreds of thousands of dollars in forms of research grants and scholarships, attend(ed) the best of the best universities, continued the legacy of study abroad with further study abroad during college, and lastly but most importantly, sacrificed so much valuable time to bettering the world we live in.

We all share at least one thing in common. We are all hyper-adventure seekers who possess these vagabond hearts & minds that aren't satisfied with complacency, stagnancy, or the status quo. I became a part of the YES Abroad family 2 years ago before my program even began, and it's been such an exciting roller coaster with everyone so far. I exponentially learn every single day from my fellow alumni and current programmers. I truly appreciate the privilege of gaining global knowledge every single day; not everyone has access to that. I am so proud of our accomplishments and I know we will keep working so incredibly hard to impact the world just as it has impacted us. Alone, our accomplishments don't seem too big or meaningful, but together, we're already bettering this world in such a huge way.

20 years from today? I can't even begin to imagine where we'll be.

Until next time,
Brandon

Exchange Never Ends

     My life has carried on for almost 6 months following my return to the United States, but I continue to struggle with post-exchange reintegration and blues.

     A lot has happened in my life since May 15th, 2015. I graduated, moved to Chicago, and began college at Loyola University Chicago (Go Ramblers!). I'm majoring in Political Science and International Studies on the Pre-Law track. I'm still debating about a possible third major or a couple of minors; there's almost too many interesting subjects to even make a choice! My mind is ever-expanding from all of the flooding knowledge, and opportunities for my life both personally and professionally are popping up all around me. Countless new friends have entered my life and I've made several close relationships. Life seems to be going a million miles an hour (kind of like exchange). And, any time I feel like I need a break from college life, I remind myself of how lucky I am to be attending university in such a magnificent city with the support that I have. Not everyone has what I have; that's a sentiment I wholeheartedly learned while living abroad. 

     I think about Thailand every day. The experience as a whole affects almost every aspect of my daily life. It's 100% true that regardless of how one's exchange went, a little (or large) piece of that culture will forever become grafted into you. It's incredibly difficult when nobody around actually understands how impactful living abroad was to you. Looking back, I've never felt happier than as an exchange student. It wasn't because of lack of obligation, the immense freedom and carefreelessness I possessed, or the exhilaration of living in a foreign country. My great uncomfortability was the greatest factor in my overall happiness, ironically. Believe me, it was an interesting paradox to me as well when I realized it. Living life almost entirely out of my pre-exchange comfort zone made life itself incredibly interesting! Outside of my comfort zone was the place in which I learned the most Thai, ate the strangest things for the first time, gained the most cultural knowledge, and fostered the strongest relationships with my family and friends. While abroad, I was thrown into new experiences whether I wanted to be or not. Although I didn't appreciate the uncomfortability then, I definitely do now. 

     College is the place where you learn to establish that "uncomfortability" on your own. I have struggled with that a bit, as do many other students, and now I'm recognizing what I need to do to experience an even better college career. It's far too easy to fall into routine in college and forget that life exists outside of your 12x14 dorm room. It's also far too easy to become so entrenched in college life that you forget life exists outside if your campus/city. It's also possible to experience both of those at the same time, even in the same day.

     I recognize that there remains so much that I want to achieve in life, many things in which I can begin working on today. I have the tools to achieve my goals, so what's stopping me? It remains a challenge to me to remember that my exchange is over... it's now a memory. I continue to crave that "carefree" life that comes with living in a foreign country, but that's not my reality anymore. Many times, as this reminder rolls through my head, I become quite confused and upset. But, I'm almost at that point where I can finally let go of the irrationality and truly utilize the tools my exchange gave me to lead the life I want to live. 

     There's a lot of life to live, and living in Chicago has really shown me that just as much as living in Thailand showed me. Work hard to chase your dreams, and work even harder at the obstructions that are blocking you from achieving your dreams. 

Until next time,

Brandon 

     

The Emotional Rollercoaster that is 'Going Home'

     As I write today, I have 2 weeks left in my country. 2 more weeks of exploration. 2 more weeks of aggravating my palette with new and exciting tastes. 2 more weeks of finding myself and what I believe in. 2 more weeks of cherishing moments with my host family. 2 more weeks of speaking my newly-acquired language on a daily basis... I could go on forever. The past week and most likely the next 2 weeks have been/will be the most painful and difficult 3 weeks of my exchange. I am a complete emotional wreck; I've never quite felt like this before. This blended concoction of satisfaction, confusion, pure bliss, anxiety, love, and sadness that I am feeling perfectly captures my feelings throughout this past year. There is no one single word to explain how exchange students feel during these critical, last few weeks or throughout the entirety of their year abroad. One thing is certain: my life is about to be turned upside down once again in just 2 weeks.

     What I may be most confused about is how I will easily integrate back into a life not completely obsessed with exchange. For the past three years my life consisted of connection with past, present, and future exchange students. I would listen to music, close my eyes, and daydream about my daily adventures while on exchange. These dreams kept me going. They kept me occupied. They gave me a purpose and a will to keep pushing so hard with my academics. When I finally received the YES Abroad scholarship 2 years later, I was over the moon. I have lived and continue to live the daydreams that I once had... they've come true. What will my life be consumed with now that my exchange will be just a memory? It really is frightening to me. What I do know is that when I wake up every day and have the privilege of connecting with people from all over the world with just a few taps of my thumb, everything was 100% worth it, and everything will be okay.

     Many non-exchange students may be thinking: "But Brandon... you just spent a year on vacation in Thailand. It must have been so fun! What was difficult about it? Why will returning home be so hard?" My Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter really only show one side of my life here. As exchange students, we're obligated to project our positive experiences on social media, not the negative. There is enough negativity on social media these days, and my mission is to try to uplift someone's day, make them smile, and inspire them through what I post. I'm incredibly proud and humbled that so many people now look up to me and tell me that on a daily basis. However, it must be understood that my life here is not everything you see on social media. I'm not riding elephants everyday or marveling over the Bangkok skyline all the time. Many days are so frustrating that you just want to get away, and that's when irrational judgements and stupid mistakes get made. Sometimes, somebody makes a rude comment about your appearance and it sours your entire day. Other days, you feel so alone that all you can do is sob yourself to sleep to the blissful sounds of Lana Del Rey. What you see online stands a small representation of who I am and what I do. As much as the positive experiences shape my life, so do the negative experiences. I learn from all of my experiences, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

     These next 2 weeks, I am determined to truly live it up as much as I can. No street food vendor will be shunned, and no pair of elephant will remain unpurchased. 2 weeks may seem like a short time, but for exchange students, it's an eternity.

Until next time,
Brandon