Mai Pen Rai

The Final Countdown

Well, here we go! I have less than a week til I am off for Thailand. Five days...only five! Yikes. I cannot believe it. I have been waiting for an adventure like this practically my whole life. But now that it is coming up so fast I am riding a rollercoaster of emotions. What's with that? One minute I am so excited and pumped, and then the next I am terrified and doubting my capabilities. But whatever my emotions are, it does not change the fact that I am going to be living in Thailand for three months. So I better strap on my boots and get ready!

Everyone has been asking me what I am going to be doing on this grand adventure to Thailand. And to be completely honest, I don't exactly know everything yet. What I know for sure is that I will be in a village up in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai (also known as the northern capital city). I will be interning at an orphanage, which is a local NGO. My goal is to learn as much as I can about running and sustaining programs like local orphanages, because who knows? Maybe one day that is something I will be doing full time. And it sounds like they have a number of projects they would like me to help with or run, so I am sure I will be busy! Also, I have been asked to teach English once a week to children in Chiang Mai, which of course I agreed to. So I will be spending my weekends in the city with the rest of the BYU group. We will also be doing excursions throughout the program. There's going to be some pretty cool adventures, like riding elephants and water buffalo, or zip lining through the jungles, so stay tuned for pictures!

I have done a lot of preparation for this trip. I have taken a prep class, international development and social work courses, and we can't forget the NINE shots I have received. But I know that I am about to embark on an adventure that is going to be so different than anything I have ever known/seen/experienced before. And while that kind of unnerves me, it excites me beyond words. I am about to live my dreams. Although I am sure it's not going to be all fun and games all the time. The orphanage has agreed to hire me on as an intern to work for three months. This is no vacation. I am sure it is going to be hard or frustrating at times. I just hope in those moments I will be able to keep the right perspective and use all trials as learning opportunities. Sound cheesy? Hope not. Basically my motto for Thailand is Mai Pen Rai. This is a common expression used everyday, in English meaning something along the lines of "no problem" or "no big deal". I know that I am going to get super stressed at some point on this adventure, but I just have to remember Mai Pen Rai, the world really isn't about to end so there is no need to worry so much. Calm down and enjoy life!

Well, here we go. So much to do in this short little time. I will do my best to keep this blog updated on all my adventures of my travel to and from Thailand. I'm sure I am going to have stories about the people and kids I work with, as well as encounters with big bugs and critters (although hopefully I can avoid those giant monitor lizard things which I am so terrified of) and dealing with the humid climate...My adventure awaits. Wish me luck!

Peace and blessings!

Oh and one last quick note. Seeing that this is my first post...and first blog for that matter, if you are curious about the title I gave it, I named it after my favorite book. Sound familiar? I hope so. It's Dr. Seuss' book Oh, the Places You'll Go! I would recommend checking it out, it's a classic :)