Thailand 

Gloriann McDonald - Bangkok, Thailand

When I was considering where to study abroad, I knew that I wanted to travel to a non-western location to study religion. When I arrived in the bustling city of Bangkok, Thailand, I knew that I had come to the right place. A short stroll out of my hotel room transported me to a crowded city lined with temples and shops selling larger-that-life golden Buddha images. Crowds of pedestrians parted for monks in saffron robes making their morning alms rounds and street vendors hailed passersby to examine their mystical amulets. I found myself in a country that not only practices Buddhism, but lives and breathes their religion as part of their national identity.

During my stay in Thailand, I visited ancient temple ruins, learned how to meditate and sat at the feet of some of the world's most revered Buddha images. However, as is the case with life's adventures, one of my most memorable experiences in Thailand came unexpectedly after class one balmy afternoon. Next door to my university in Bangkok is one of Thailand's most revered "wats" (Thai for "temple,") and housed within that wat is one of Thailand's premier Buddhist universities. My friend had met one of the professors at the Buddhist university and he had invited us to come sit in on a class. This was an honor not only because neither of us were Buddhist, but also because we are female (only males may become monks in Thailand.)

Every stereotype of a Buddhist monk was "blown out of the water" by what I experienced in that classroom. Where I had expected to see young monks in orange robes sitting quietly in meditation, I instead found young men my age goofing around and watching YouTube videos on their laptops before class. These college-aged monks, with shaved heads and nationalities spanning every country in Southeast Asia, were intensely interested in the young female westerners sitting in on their class and quickly exchanged email addresses with us. During class, rousing debates were started over the existence of the Buddha (with one monk attesting that he didn't even believe in the historical Buddha!) and many laughs were had as a star pupil debated the format of the final exam which was to take place during the next class meeting. In fact, I laughed more that day than I had on any other day during my study abroad experience.

I left that class with a deeper understanding of the human face behind the Buddhist religion. Behind those bright robes and solemn faces are people just like myself, getting an education quite like I am. This education has only been improved by the time that I spent in Thailand, and I now have a deeper understanding of a religion that I could not have gained from a textbook. Where will your education take you?