A Student's Perspective

(This is written by Northwestern student Caity)

Before coming to Asia for this internship, I had barely any idea what to expect in any of the countries we were going to. The two weeks in China were a little hard for me for a few reasons, one being that I got sick the second week, and another being that I’m not a city person, and China is rather crowded with people and tall buildings. So heading into Thailand, I was worried that I would hate it and be miserable for all of November because Bangkok is “another large city filed with millions of people everywhere.” It would be crowded, noisy, hot, and humid. I was excited for a new culture, but I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. However, Thailand was not at all what I expected. So much has happened in the past month, I don’t really know where to begin. So, I’ll highlight a few of my favorite memories from the trip.

My first favorite memory is when Maly and I got to have communion with our cell group the first Sunday in Thailand. There was something beautiful about being able to worship God on the other side of the world with Thai believers. When Kwan, my cell leader, was praying, even though it was in Thai, I could feel and share her thankfulness and joy that came from knowing Christ and His sacrifice for us.

My second memory is from one weekend when we went to the crocodile farm and zoo. I got to feed and sit on an elephant, but more importantly, I got to feed and pet a baby tiger! I can check that one off my bucket list. I also can now say from experience that I am allergic tigers. J

Another weekend, my cell group took a mini road trip to the beach in a different province. We spent a Saturday and Sunday relaxing and enjoying one another and the beautiful creation around us. It felt like a family vacation, and in a way, it was. When I woke up Sunday morning, I heard all sorts of tropical bird sounds outside- it was pretty cool. And then I got up, went outside, and saw house sparrows and pigeons. Go figure. J

My fourth favorite memory from this trip is when I got to have Thanksgiving Dinner with John and Laurie Hill. I have known the Hills my whole life, but I hadn’t gotten to see them since they moved to Northern Minnesota several years ago. Laurie (or Mrs. Hill as I call her- old habits die hard) was one of my first teachers when I was little kid at church. She taught me about music and Jesus, two of the most important things in my life. Who knew that they would show up to teach English at the same school in Thailand I was teaching at? It was a blessing to be able to share a meal and a good conversation with them after so long, and I hope they enjoy Thailand as much as I have.

Finally, I have many wonderful memories of spending time with students. I went to see two movies with my students (something I hadn’t expected but greatly enjoyed), shared lunch with them every day, played games with after class, and generally just hung and made friends with them. One of my students insisted on buying me a little something at most of our meals, whether it was a smoothie, coconut ice cream, jack fruit, or some other form of fruit or treat. I tried to tell him that he didn’t have to do that, but he insisted saying that Thai people love to take care of their guests and friends, and besides, he liked to watch me eat Thai food because I wouldn’t be able to do that in America. J I love my students, and I’m going to miss them.

There were countless other adventures that our team went on with our Thai family from Santisuk, and there were so many fun nights spent laughing with my teammates at nothing while grading essays for our classes. Our team grew closer this month, despite our crazy schedules that usually didn’t line up with one another very well. But I feel blessed to have had this experience in Thailand, and I definitely want to come back to Santisuk in the future, if I can. God surprised me by making me fall in love with this country and the people here instead of being miserable all month and wanting to go home. The staff at Santisuk and my students made Thailand home for me this month, and it’s going to be very hard to leave. However, I am excited to see what God has planned for us in SE Asia, and I can’t wait to go home and eat some potatoes and cheese. J