Dear Future Me,

Holy smokes, I leave for Thailand tomorrow. This is insane.

As I make final preparations for my trip, I wanted to do something a little corny (okay, very corny) but also very meaningful; I wanted to write a short letter to my future self, and when this adventure ends in however many months, I wanted to look back at it and see if I have accomplished what I wanted. This post also serves as a thank you to all my friends and family, wherever in the world you may be, who have been nothing but incredibly supportive of my endeavour and I cannot wait to share all the amazing experiences I am sure to have with y'all. It is so nice to know that across the world, I have people that I can reach out to in times of need, or advice, or just general banter. It just goes to show that the world is such a small place, and although we all may live our lives worlds apart for whatever reason, our paths crossed for a reason too and that is beautiful to know. And if you're ever in Thailand for whatever reason, you better come visit!

So here goes... (apologies for not finding more synonyms for 'hope' - I'm a terrible writer.)

Dear Future Me,

Well, its now coming to the end of your adventure in Thailand and I want this experience to have been it has been everything you expected and more; that you got to visit some outstanding places, experiences things you never thought you would and make friends and connections that will last a lifetime. Additionally, I anticipate that you have used this time to work on yourself both mentally and physically and can come back to the UK (if you want to come back that is) with a fresh outlook on life; that you can take a look in the mirror and be happy with what you see. Most importantly, I really hope this experience has opened your eyes to whether a career in International Education is for you (I really hope so because I want to travel more!). 
I hope you had a wonderful Xmas/New Year break and got to spend it with incredible people in incredible places. And that your trip to Malaysia in December worked out and the visa situation sorted itself out by then! I have a checklist in mind which I have taken with me to Thailand and by the time this letter is read at the end of the trip that you can tick most of them off - riding an elephant, petting baby tigers, checking out the Bangkok Gay scene and taking a massive selfie with your class are the top priorities!

On a more personal note, I wish that everything that seems hazy and unsure to you at the moment has become clearer and you are happy with the direction its going in. This may mean saying farewell to some things/people as you leave Thailand or more positively welcoming new people and things into your life. I really hope the relationship between a special person in your life (and you know who you are if you're reading this too) has gone in the direction in which you think is for the best, and after months and months of emotional journeying(?) has brought you both to a place where you can be happy again. I want you to finish this journey having no regrets. Everything you have gone through on this trip has happened for a reason, even if you might think it wasn't what you wanted. Without meaning to sound too sappy (I am writing to myself after all), I want to say how proud I/you should be that you did this! It may have flown by and at times you may have wanted to pack it in, but you did it! And like I said before, I really hope this is just the beginning of an exciting career and goal.

If you realise that this isn't for you, then I know that there is a good reason for it. I've always gone with my gut instinct in the past and it has never steered me wrong so far. Just enjoy the ride and look at this blog as a wonderful way of looking back on what could be/has been a life changing experience for you.

Finally, I want to say this: (lets hope you can read Thai by then!)
หากคุณสามารถอ่านภาษาไทยแล้วฉันจะภูมิใจ หากคุณสามารถแปลมันฉันจะประหลาดใจ ;)

MC (Oct 2014)