It is truly a blessing the journey you are about to start! Wherever you may go in the world, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and what you are familiar with is always both exhilarating and nerve racking. That is what my experience has been while traveling, but in this internship things were different because on top of being in a completely different country where I couldn’t even read the signs on the road, there was also the aspect of work and that in itself is a whole different journey as well.
I could sit here and tell you all the challenging feelings I went through at the beginning, and how I doubted myself a lot, while its still important to be grateful for those opportunities of growth – I want to focus on how amazing this experience has been. I cannot put it simpler than this: Living in Thailand has been the best experience of my life. An experience I so much needed, and I feel so blessed and grateful that I did. Im sure you will feel the same way when you look back on your internship because time truly flies by!
I learned a lot of different things, and connected with amazing human beings. My experience cannot be compared to other’s experience because it has always been my own, and we all have similarities but our experiences are so unique to the way we engage with the world and the people that cross our paths. So I encourage you to fully feel everything you are supposed to and will feel on this journey, dont try to hide it or ignore it, use that fuel and channel it into something you are passionate about and that brings you happiness. You may hesitate to connect or engage with people because of language barriers, but be creative! You have a whole body to express how you feel without having to speak. Cultivate curiosity in learning from people, ask questions, be respectful at all times, and dont forget to laugh and smile! You don’t need a translator to show affection and to show how grateful you are to people. Try to put yourself in others’ shoes, try to see the world through their lens, challenge the definitions of certain concepts within yourself, be open to conversations with whoever! Because that is the beauty of being in a foreign place; the small magical attempts in understanding each other.
Again, I could sit here and tell you how much I loved my experience, but thats for me to know and for you to find out. So go out there with a loving heart, spread kindness, be humble in everything you do, and learn as much as you can! Our experiences is what the world is made of and you can only find out one way: going out there!
I wish you nothing but the absolute best. Thank you for reading me.
With love,
Jennifer
