A mdo Tibetan Herders Travel to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia for Twelve Days (2016)

There are huge differences between my home area and the countries I visited. Thailand is a nation of friendly people and abundant natural resources, including marine environments. The utilization of local resources included training elephants and crocodiles to perform to attract visitors. In contrast, most people in my home area depend on herding and farming. Locals lack the economic means and know-how to use local resources effectively. Travel to modern, urbanized countries gives new ideas for a better future we want to help create. My father enjoyed the journey. He appreciates unique architecture and designs and especially appreciated the Thai temples. He also thinks travel helps him relax and feel free from life's many stresses. However, my mother didn't enjoy the journey very much. She doesn't like noisy, crowded urban areas. Instead, she likes quiet places, and often goes to monasteries to chant, circumambulate, and prostrate. A few days after the journey, when we looked through our photos, she said, "I don't see much difference between these countries and ours. They are both full of tall buildings and cars. I felt exhausted when I traveled around the city. I should go on pilgrimage and prostrate." This discovery journey helped me realize the significance of studying other people's culture and life, which offers insight into the world and helps eliminate ignorance and misconceptions. I discovered how little I knew about the world and how useful English is in connecting with cultures and people beyond my local world.