It’s hard to believe I’m writing this from my room at home in North Carolina and that a few days ago, the group was arriving at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok getting ready to depart Asia.

We found Bangkok to be quite different from anything we had seen yet, even Chiang Mai. We realized quickly that we had been spoiled by the (relatively) clean air, manageable traffic, and easy public transportation of Singapore. Bangkok turned out to be quite a confusing and hectic city, but our hosts from Mahidol University led us through our three day trip without one hiccup.

The first full day in Bangkok we visited Wat Po and Wat Pra Kaew, two huge temples in the heart of the city that were overwhelmingly beautiful and intricate. Despite the heat (and the dress code that did not allow for short pants or bared shoulders), we managed to cover a lot of ground, and we even got to see an emerald Buddha. The evening’s activities included a night bazaar and a fascinating puppet show featuring the story of how Ganesh, a Hindu deity, came about.

The next day was one of my favorite in Bangkok, because we got to visit a temple outside of the city that houses the only female monk in Thailand. Venerable Dhammananda was very welcoming and offered a very interesting and engaging discussion on Buddhism and women’s roles in religion. She had an extremely magnetic personality, and although everyone in the group comes from different backgrounds and religions, we all enjoyed listening to her speak and learning about her life. After our talk with her, we returned to Mahidol University for a cooking lesson, which turned out to be very hands-on and fun! Everyone pitched in to make green curry chicken, Pad Thai, cut fruit, fried rice, and dessert. It was quite the feast, and I’m looking forward to going back over my notes to try and recreate the dishes here at home.

On our last night in Bangkok we spent a lovely evening on a dinner cruise before we all went our separate ways. The next day, a few left early in the morning, and we parted ways with a few more around lunch time. Others we said goodbye to at the airport, and as we made each stop closer to home we lost a few more people until our group was whittled down to a tired bunch that made the final leg of the journey from Texas to North Carolina.

It’s hard to believe that I won’t be spending every single day with those 25 people, and it feels strange to look outside my window and not see tropical trees or the tiles of the PGP foyer roof. While I know that I will see my fellow travelers often at Carolina, I can’t help but think that we have reached the end of something truly unique.

We were all brought together from different backgrounds, with our individual ideas and beliefs and with our own preconceived notions about what we were going to experience. And in the end, our individual experiences became tangled up in everyone else’s, and no matter how different those experiences were, we all share a common bond. It was with heavy hearts that we said farewell to Asia and to each other, but I don’t think I speak only for myself when I say that this summer has left a lasting imprint on me. I am honored and thankful to have had the opportunity to meet so many exceptional people and to have shared the last seven weeks with them.

A big thanks to everyone who made this amazing summer possible: we couldn't have done it with out the support of our donors and everyone back home at UNC, Dan Gold, our professors Andy and Layna, our Singaporean guide Zhiqi, our NUS professors Dr. Quek and Dr. Lockhart, our "T.A." Sarah, as well as countless others who worked hard to help us make the most of our seven week tour of Asia.

Thanks for making this an unbelievable summer!

Olivia