Travega: This is only the beginning...

Some people ride on roller coasters or drive too fast. Others watch scary movies or even play or watch sports. Others choose to drink, dance or another vice. You get an adrenaline rush from these activities, your senses hyped, your eyes peeled, your heart pumping, your breath stopped as you are overcome with what will happen next, the unknown of the next few seconds. I have never liked these kinds of things. I do, however, have something that pumps with me with a constant flow of adrenaline, a passion infused obsession that leaves me scared and overflowed with emotion and hype. Traveling is my drug of choice.

After this semester I felt lost. My last trip to Czech Republic left me with the self-confidence, security and happiness that I had been searching for when I first left. But within a few months back I felt myself lost again-nothing giving me the excitement that I had felt when I had been traveling. My move to Thailand has been like a defibrillator to my heart that has sent a shock through my entire body; my head, my hands and my feet itch for everything that is around me. I am alive again.

As I walk out the door of my new apartment I am overwhelmed with sounds and smells, all foreign and exotic. “Sa-wat-dee Kah” the security guard says to me with a wai and a smile, “Sa-wat-dee Kah” I return as she politely laughs at my accent and shy wai. As I make my way out to the street I smell the sweet flowers and luscious, overgrown leaves that bloom all across the city. The birds are chirping, roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing and cats meowing; the city is waking up. The local stray dog, known as “Cafe” follows me down the street sniffing my heels. I get a whiff of the street market where the local people have just started to prepare their grills with foreign food that looks both tempting and strange. Pork on a stick, sushi, sweet corn, mango, Chinese apples, deep fried chicken, pad thai and lots of other things I can't identify yet. Traffic roars with vespas and motorcycles, taxis and tuk tuks that fill the city streets. I pass cafes that fill my nose with rich coffee, tea and fresh fruit smoothies-a local favorite. The weather is warm with a cooling breeze, it is perfect. If it weren't for my height, light hair, pale skin and overall demeanor, I would fit right in with the other university students in uniform. But the Thai people are friendly despite my alien appearance, they greet me and smile genuinely as I pass, wondering where I come from.

After the 30 minute walk, I finally get to my classroom where I meet my American friends. Today is our Thai Culture course where we learn about the history, traditions and the many quirks of the Thai people, distinctly different from my hometown and even European culture. Lunch in the cafeteria is always a particularly unique experience. Thai food offers so many variations of food but I am cautious of the spicy flavors and questionable meats; having had many friends getting sick from the new bacteria found in foods across the world. But spending less than a dollar for lunch helps me be more adventurous. “No spicy,” I say. “Yes, no spicy, no spicy,” the Thai woman responds. Only to find after one bite that this local and I have very different definitions of spicy. Nevertheless, I eat, hoping to build up my tolerance for spicy food and one day be fearless in the cafeteria.

After class there are endless things to do in the city. We attend the night markets, hike up to Don Suthep or plan dinners. We have seen so much just in the past week that I feel as if we have been here for months. At home, after class or work I am so warn out that I can't imagine doing anything else but lying around and regaining my strength, wishing days to be over so I can wish the next over as well, in a never ending cycle. Here, life is slower, pace is slower. “Jai Yen,” the locals say, “Chill out” have a “Calm Heart”. I can finally breathe here, time is of no matter as long as the soul is content. Truly the best way to live.

Enough talk, more pictures! What do you think of the new camera?

This is my apartment building-you'll never guess rent! I could really get use to this currency exchange rate!

Thai bars have lots of live music covering popular American songs. Downside-Thai's don't dance! They sit around on their iPhones and barely talk to each other, we took over this dance floor and showed them how American's do it!