Same Same, but Different

Hola! Insane that it’s been almost three years since my last post. I guess it’s true that I took a hiatus from my travel adventures! Truth be told, I stopped craving it the same way. Maybe because of the hectic nature of medical school, or maybe because I’ve had a couple more years on me - I have found myself craving for more stability and comfort, and less wanderlust. Yeah, yeah, I'm old and boring now 😂

But I'm off again - this time actually on the longest adventure yet! Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal over the span of three months, with a bit of India and Dubai sprinkled in between. Woo!!

So, after a hectic couple weeks of finishing my residency interviews, finalizing my paper submission, etc etc (wow when did I become so adult?!), I packed my bags and headed to JFK - accompanied by two of the sweetest human beings ever (shout out to Alex and Navid).

 

It’s a good thing they came because...I may or may not have been THAT girl who packed an overweight suitcase, and needed to unpack and unload some stuff for Alex to bring home, in front of everyone in line 🙈

Fun times.

Good thing I paid that "bad luck" tax early, because the rest of the trip was as uneventful as can be - 27 hours, 3 flights, one time crunched shuttle transfer between different airports later (yes boys and girls take notes, there are TWO airports in Bangkok, make sure you check carefully if you buy separate connecting tickets. Don’t be me), I finally landed in Mae Sot:

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this time around I’m not just traveling for the heck of it (although don’t worry I’ll make time for some of that too!). In Thailand I’m going to be volunteering at a refugee clinic near a city called Mae Sot that borders Myanmar. Super grateful they have space for me - I had to apply like, a year in advance to get it! In Bhutan I'll be working at a hospital as well, but more on that later.

So anyway, to summarize my completely uneventful day:

I found my cute little homestay for the month, where I unpacked and showered off that plane grime

I found a place that could feed me in English - phad see eiw moo

And made it home just after sunset - check out these cool windows from my room

I've done a lot of traveling for fun. But, it really feels good that this time around, it will be more than that - especially at this stage of my life nearing the end of medical school training. I'm excited to observe, learn, and work on finding a path for me to really make a difference in this world.

I'm getting delirious - probably haven't really slept since Thursday night, so Ciao! Gotta get up early for Monday morning clinic tomorrow! 👏