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Start the Countdown!

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I have three weeks to go until the most incredible adventure of my life! I am up to my ears in packing, giving goodbye hugs to friends and family, and practicing how to say "I need more sunscreen!" in Thai. I also received the greatest news in the world today that I have received medical clearance, which was the last type of clearance I needed. So I guess this is, like, really happening?! I cannot wait to see what is in store for me. My next post will be coming to you from The Land of a Thousand Smiles itself, so stay tuned! Happy Holidays all!
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The Silent Homecoming

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It's 5 am and I'm wide awake.  Could be from the jet lag from Saturday's flight, or just the unanswered questions building up in my head. Probably both. Mavet and I only go outside to walk Callie, and the streets of Baltimore are practically empty. Apart from the occasional passerby who bows their head and puts space between you both, it's a ghost town.  With a slight skid and a thud, the plane landed at Dulles airport, and I expected to feel something: Relief to be on home soil, sadness to be pulled from site, anxiety to get through customs and grab my luggage, anger that there was no time to catch my breath.  I thought I would feel a wave of happiness when my mom bounced out of the car to embrace me after not seeing each other for 15 months. I thought I would be shocked to see Mavet and Patrick-the friends who are letting me quarantine with them-at the realization of how much they've changed. I thought I would relish in that first bite of frenc
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“Jai-yaen-yaen”

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Excuse the Instagram screen shot, but this is the only picture I have that captures the essential moment of the week: MEETING MY HOST FAMILY! The morning we were leaving the hotel, everyone was excited. We were finally going to be able to put our Thai to use. I rehearsed my lines over and over (in Thai) “My name is Emily, I am from America, I have three sisters, my dog’s name is Tilly, I like spicy food...” my teacher (aajan) told me I was ready. I felt ready, too. We ate our last meal at the hotel (which was the hotel’s attempt at mashed potatoes special for us), loaded our stuff on the bus, and headed to meet our families at the Don Chedi hub. When the busses pulled in, my heart skipped a beat. Alright Em, phase 2 of training, here we go. We got out, sat down across the aisle from the host families, and endured an excruciatingly long opening ceremony. No one was paying attention to the speakers because we were just too excited to see who got who. When it was finally over, nam
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