I am in Greeley, Colorado and I have been for almost two months now. Part of me has wanted to weep from this since the moment I got off that plane, but luckily, that has not bee the dominate reaction I have had to this homecoming. In fact, I am finding a lot of little surprising things to be absolutely grateful for. Yes, things feel just like normal here. Yes, nothing is in a language or system that I cannot understand. Yes, it doesn't feel like an adventure anymore. BUT, I am starting to see things with different eyes.
I have had the privilege to be the Ambassador two very gracious and wise Thai students, and it is through them that I realized that the adventure does not end. Soria and Denis (and a whole bunch of other international students) are a delight. And I have been exactly in the place that they are in, but I have never thought about it from the mentor's perspective. I was once upon a time the lost and clueless foreign student (though for them, they hardly act like that, they don't need me honestly). I am really familiar with the feeling of clueless-ness that comes with being from a different culture. But I have never felt like this. I have never know what it felt like to be a mentor to someone from a different culture. And I always used to laugh with my friends that would host me when I was traveling. Sometimes I would point out things or ask questions and they would say something along the lines of "Never thought about it before" or "I never noticed that before." It was humorous to me because I knew exactly what was happening; I was a new perspective and a new pair of eyes noticing things that my native friends never did before. I had very little knowledge, however, that I would soon be feeling this myself.
A few weeks ago I took some Thai students on a day trip up to a mountain city called Estes Park. For me, Estes in pretty typical. It is even a little too busy for my tastes now as a Colorado native. I have been there dozens of times, seen sceneries like that all my life. It was nothing special. However, as we turned into the Big Thompson River Canyon, Soria, Denis, Milly and Kookkai were so excited we actually stopped the car and took tons of pictures on the side of the road! I told them that we weren't even technically in the mountains yet but they didn't care. That day we hiked up the Lumpy Trail to Gem Lake and their compliments were numbering in the thousands. It made me completely see my home state (and even my country a little) completely different. I was lucky to enjoy some DELICIOUS Thai food at the top of the lake and they told me all about why they thought this was one of the most beautiful places in the world. I think completely differently about Colorado than they do, and at this time it was so enlightening to hear positive things about my home state. Because while I try whatever I can do to get out of here, Soria admitted to me that one of her greatest dreams is to live in a cabin in a forest like this one. And I am thinking about how beautiful Thailand must be, how can they possible say that Colorado is anything in comparison? This whole day definitely gave me a new perspective on it all. And I desperately needed it. It is like they are helping me see my home with a totally new set of eyes. Not to mention that I feel like I am learning so much from them about Thailand. They are fantastic! So, hope you enjoy some pictures from our trip!
And then I have experiences like living in the Farr House. It is crazy in so many good ways. One of the first experiences I had with my new family was driving around in Greeley (a pretty small and inconsequential town compared to others if you ask me) trying to find the layers we have never noticed before. And it was no surprise that we discovered things about this city we had never know before. There are so very many cultures here, there are so many different people here. My eyes could not have been opened wider. And all my roommates are so different and hold such a wide variety of perspectives. It has been one month and I cannot tell you the number of conversations I have had with them that have taught me something new. All in all, I am blessed with a pretty adventurous life right now. This is not what I expected when I came back from Lithuania, but in very good ways!
I have had the privilege to be the Ambassador two very gracious and wise Thai students, and it is through them that I realized that the adventure does not end. Soria and Denis (and a whole bunch of other international students) are a delight. And I have been exactly in the place that they are in, but I have never thought about it from the mentor's perspective. I was once upon a time the lost and clueless foreign student (though for them, they hardly act like that, they don't need me honestly). I am really familiar with the feeling of clueless-ness that comes with being from a different culture. But I have never felt like this. I have never know what it felt like to be a mentor to someone from a different culture. And I always used to laugh with my friends that would host me when I was traveling. Sometimes I would point out things or ask questions and they would say something along the lines of "Never thought about it before" or "I never noticed that before." It was humorous to me because I knew exactly what was happening; I was a new perspective and a new pair of eyes noticing things that my native friends never did before. I had very little knowledge, however, that I would soon be feeling this myself.
A few weeks ago I took some Thai students on a day trip up to a mountain city called Estes Park. For me, Estes in pretty typical. It is even a little too busy for my tastes now as a Colorado native. I have been there dozens of times, seen sceneries like that all my life. It was nothing special. However, as we turned into the Big Thompson River Canyon, Soria, Denis, Milly and Kookkai were so excited we actually stopped the car and took tons of pictures on the side of the road! I told them that we weren't even technically in the mountains yet but they didn't care. That day we hiked up the Lumpy Trail to Gem Lake and their compliments were numbering in the thousands. It made me completely see my home state (and even my country a little) completely different. I was lucky to enjoy some DELICIOUS Thai food at the top of the lake and they told me all about why they thought this was one of the most beautiful places in the world. I think completely differently about Colorado than they do, and at this time it was so enlightening to hear positive things about my home state. Because while I try whatever I can do to get out of here, Soria admitted to me that one of her greatest dreams is to live in a cabin in a forest like this one. And I am thinking about how beautiful Thailand must be, how can they possible say that Colorado is anything in comparison? This whole day definitely gave me a new perspective on it all. And I desperately needed it. It is like they are helping me see my home with a totally new set of eyes. Not to mention that I feel like I am learning so much from them about Thailand. They are fantastic! So, hope you enjoy some pictures from our trip!
Oh my God incredible!
And then I have experiences like living in the Farr House. It is crazy in so many good ways. One of the first experiences I had with my new family was driving around in Greeley (a pretty small and inconsequential town compared to others if you ask me) trying to find the layers we have never noticed before. And it was no surprise that we discovered things about this city we had never know before. There are so very many cultures here, there are so many different people here. My eyes could not have been opened wider. And all my roommates are so different and hold such a wide variety of perspectives. It has been one month and I cannot tell you the number of conversations I have had with them that have taught me something new. All in all, I am blessed with a pretty adventurous life right now. This is not what I expected when I came back from Lithuania, but in very good ways!
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