Reflection on Medical Certification and Service in Thailand

This trip to Thailand was amazing in so many different ways. I am different from other students in this program in a way that I am not coming from America. Because Rustic Pathways (the organization that offers this program) is an American organization, most participants are Americans as well. So I have to take a separate plane from Korea to Bangkok, where the group meets. I am studying in the Philippines, so I do take planes a lot, but it is first time for me to be alone in the plane without anyone I know of. Also, because my flight arrived in Bangkok at 1 AM, and the meeting time is at 9 AM, I had to have a sleep in the airport. All of these were part of the challenge, and I loved it, since I admired Tom Hanks in the movies Terminal for sleeping in the airport. When I arrived, there were so many people for different Rustic Pathways program. Most are from the States, but there were also people from France, Venezuela, China, Singapore, Japan, etc. So this was a great time for me to make more friends. Most of my friends were from either Philippines or Korea. Making friends from different places around the world gave me an opportunity to hear and share ideas which may either be different of the same. For example, there were people from China. Because they were also from international school, their views were rather objective. They did say that the government does censor on some sensitive topics but they added that censorship does not hinder them from having objective views. Many students were there to experience medical stuff since that is what they want to study or do in the future. However in my case, it was more of eye opener and widening my perspective through new experiences and interaction. Thinking about my experiences and looking at pictures I took, my goal has been met in many points, not to mention that it was a great escape from the repetitive daily life I was having in Korea and the Philippines.