Pad Thai and a side of Sushi

I love my job! I remember meeting with a career counselor at BYU when I was still deciding what to study. She asked me what I liked to do and I said, "Travel, can I major in that?". Luckily, she had more insight and encouraged me to seek a degree what would actually make me employable.

As part of my job responsibilities, I was asked to attend a conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose was to discuss the best practices in maternal and child health and family planning in the Asia and Middle East region. So 15 countries all met together to discuss what was working and what isn't in their countries. It was an amazing learning experience to rub shoulders with very impressive people.

I took advantage of the opportunity of being in such an amazing country and tried to act like a local as much as possible. I drank from coconuts.

Got an "fish" pedicure. Which is basically where you put your feet in a fish tank and all these tiny fish eat all the dead skin off of them. Sick, I know, but the end result is amazing!

Spa treatments are so cheap there I also got a regular pedicure, a manicure, a facial, and a hour and half massage!

I visited the many temples.

Learned to dance--I missed the dance gene!

Attended sacrament meeting in Thai.

And even used interested toilets.

On the way back I decided to stay a night in Tokyo in order to relive some childhood memories of being forced to eat with chopsticks, taking 7 am Japanese classes, and not owing any English books.

I didn't have a lot of time but I did manage to eat one of the most amazing (and most expensive) meals of my life eaten with real chopsticks, served by women in kimonos. And I explored a little of the city. Tokyo is the largest and cleanest city, I have ever seen. Unfortunately, my knowledge of head, shoulders, knees, and toes in Japanese didn't serve me well but I hopefully next time Dad will be able to come with me!