Hello!  Sawatdee Kaa!

My name is Tori and I am a senior from Connecticut.  My senior project will be the school-sponsored trip to Thailand, led by T. Sonya and T. Deb.

                My original attraction to Thailand came from T. Sonya’s description of the trip.  She described her passion for traveling and her awe of the diversity of culture and tradition Thailand held.  Being a well-worn traveler myself (I was in five countries just this past summer!), I cannot begin to explain my excitement upon hearing her describe all the wonders that Thailand holds.  And so my decision to go to Thailand was set in stone and ever since, I have been waiting anxiously to go. 

                These past few days between the end of school and the start of my project have been busy.  I am staying at my friend Julia’s house where there is never a dull moment.  We have been shopping for last minute items on our packing lists, hanging out with friends, and we’ve even made a cake!  Inspired by the TV show Cake Boss, we decided to make our very own Thailand Cake!  Pictured below, you can see an elephant (we will be volunteering in an elephant sanctuary), water with a boat (we will be staying near and visiting beaches during our trip as well as visiting the floating marketplace in Bangkok), a zip line (well, we won’t actually be zip lining, but we will make some day trips to see some wildlife), and the beautiful faces of all twelve girls that will be going on the trip.  I hope this explains some of my excitement!

             Above is a picture of everything I am bringing with me to Thailand.  We are only allowed to have two carry-ons, so I had to pack light!  I wish I could say I am feeling a little nervous about traveling with twelve of my classmates for two and a half weeks, but all I can feel is excitement.  I cannot wait for the moment the wheels of the plane lift off of the runway and I am carried away to Thailand.  I have done a fair share of traveling and I cannot even explain how excited I am to be abroad again.  I love the feeling of walking out of my hotel (or hostel!) and walking down the street, being surrounded in a culture so fascinatingly different from my own.  In college I plan on studying international relations.  I have a dream in my heart of peaceful co-existence between nations.  I believe that understanding other cultures is key to international peace.  One of my greatest hopes of my senior project is to strengthen my knowledge of Thai culture so that I may start college in the fall with a great passion for international relations and the world abroad. 

                As I travel, I will be updating my blog with news and pictures about my adventures.  Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy following my blog!

-Tori