The World Awaits

In the early evening of our free day in Melbourne, we got off the tram and I went right while my friends went left. They were heading back to the hotel and I was headed to Fitzroy Gardens.

As part of the Bridging Cultures Program, ISA Madrid students visited Retiro Park (Parque del Retiro) also known as the Green Lung of Madrid. Retiro Park is in the center of Madrid. This large park is full of history and has so much to offer such as a Puppet show, sports, culture, leisure, and many fountains and sculptures.

A Thursday night finds me sitting in a dorm I somewhat turned into home in the last few weeks as cars, buses, and people rush past outside. I didn't exactly have the classic honeymoon phase followed by culture shock many students face starting life in a new place.

I thought I would be spending my first weekend in Thailand in my new apartment, exploring the city I would be living in for the next four months, getting settled and comfortable. I did not know that the morning after I landed, my ISA group and I would be traveling to a city 2 hours away and staying for 3 days. Slightly taken aback, I threw some clothes into my bag, said goodbye to