Let me take you on a trip to Thailand, a place of wonder and beauty. I grew in the U.S., but have always wanted a connection to my Thai and Filipino culture. This summer, I traveled to Thailand for the third time.
The first time I went to Thailand was when I was five-years-old, with my family to visit my mom's side. We stayed for a week, seeing Bangkok and meeting many relatives. I do not remember a lot, but I do know that I wanted to come back and had learned more about Thai culture. The second time was also for a week, but when I was 15-years old. I had more respect and was grateful to be traveling aboard. We did more touristy activities that we did not do the first time and got to immerse ourselves.
However, this last time, I only traveled with one of my brothers and our great aunt. I think this time has been my favorite because I am older and appreciate it more. It was also my first time out of Bangkok, traveling to Phuket, getting a more beach vacation vibe. As I have gotten older, I have been trying to learn more Thai, and getting to converse with my relatives in their native language makes me proud of myself. Also, Thai food is such a comfort for me, so I always love getting authentic cuisine.
Since I went in the summer this time, the weather was extremely hot. Which after having a cold North Dakota and Boston winter, it was nice to be in a warmer climate. However, a lot of time was sent in different Bangkok malls. It gave me a nice chance to see what is trendy in Thailand at the moment and do some fun shopping. My relatives also brought us to the river market, a fun shopping experience on the water.
I want to keep to going back and seeing more of the beautiful country. I always see something new when I go and it helps me practice my Thai. It is important to me to know about my cultural backgrounds, which is why I am very excited to be going to the Philippines for the first time this year. I do hope to keep visiting Thailand as I grow older, but also to see more of Asia in general.