What's Not Lost in Translation by Dave Zablocki

Communication is a difficult process for everyone, even when everyone speaks the same language. When we met with the students from the University of Chiang Rai University, CRU, everyone was excited - both Thai and American. I didn't pick up on that from talking with students, but from the giddy atmosphere and the excitement written on everyone's face. Something, on both sides, had all of us excited. We didn't need to be able to speak with one another to understand the unspoken agreement to which we all had already committed to. We, no matter the complexities of our personality shared one common denominator; we wanted to learn more about different people and a different way of life. The Thai students were extremely welcoming and kind. All of us had to be patient and creative when trying to communicate. "My guy" from CRU was named Nest. He was about a foot shorter than me but was the coolest cat around. My new friend was so nice he even came to the hotel to pick some of us up to show us around Chiang Rai later that night. And, I can call them my friends as it's "facebook official" now. When one is able to have a friend that lives in a foreign country show them around, it makes the experience much more interesting. Not only because they can help you navigate the city and find the hot spots, but because one gets a deeper more intimate understanding of their culture. I wish people always had the respect for one another that all of us showed that day. The word Thailand actually means freedom; so, we Americans probably have much more in common with them than we think.