My research

Once I found out that Thailand would be my home for the next two years, I began absorbing any information I could on the subject. The following is a list of observations I have made during my research:

- The wai (a Thai greeting to show honor, respect, or gratitude) has distinct rules
- Sandals and shoelessness is common
- Buddhism is sacred
- Thai hospitality is unmatched
- The King is incredibly loved and revered
- Yellow is worn on the King's birthday as well as on Mondays
- Thai food is delicious, combining spicy, salty, sour, and sweet
- Classrooms are teacher-centered
- The cities are not a good representation of the outlying areas
- Rice is a staple

I'm sure these will seem like broad overviews once I begin my service. This list will most certainly be improved upon before I depart and be compared to my in-country observations, as well as my post-service thoughts.

Testing Testing 1 2 3

I have been keeping hand written travel journals my entire life and this is my first attempt at an online version. It's not that I don't enjoy the ease of typing, I rather perfer it. The fact of the matter is that paper journals are flexible, fit into most backpacks, and aren't public!

When I first heard about these "blog" things, I thought to myself, "Why would I wan't someone to read my journal?" I'd look at other peoples' blogs and become uncomfortable reading about their personal lives, like they were writing to Dear Diary. It almost felt like I was invading privacy. Through the years though, I've witnessed blogs evolve to be used for many different purposes.

My journal entries are private for a reason and they'll remain hand written the old fashioned way. What you will get here is a general overview of my travels abroad. More or less, I'm using this blog as an opportunity for friends, family, and anyone interested to easily follow me on this journey. Oh, right...almost forgot: I'll be in Thailand for a couple of years. No big deal.