What an incredible summer it has been!  Over the past few months, I have embarked upon 14 flights, trodden the soils of six nations, crossed many time zones, and enjoyed countless foreign delicacies.  It has been a journey of journeys, one embedded in another, all of them combined to give me the incredible experience that was my summer before senior year.

First, Switzerland was breathtaking.  Among the daily trips to international organizations such as the UN and WHO, we took a weekend trip to the Alps (relevant post) and an academic tour of CERN.  The sheer density of visiting so many landmarks in just a month was exhilarating to say the least.  I must say, my favorite part of the program was the personalized UN pass we received and were allowed to enter UN premises with.  There is nothing like waking up in the morning and saying to yourself, “I’m going to study at the UN Library today.  I wonder which diplomat I will run into at the cafeteria there.”

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Then, my trip to Taiwan was one I had been anticipating and yearning for a long time.  It had been more than three years since I set foot in my home country, and it felt great to be back.  On top of visiting family and relatives I hadn’t seen for years, this was definitely a trip to make up for all the Taiwanese food I hadn’t eaten for the past few years, despite being on the West Coast of North America where authentic Asian food is aplenty.

Leaving Taiwan certainly wasn’t easy.

Next, we crossed the South China Sea to Bangkok, Thailand to visit my dad and friends.  It’s amazing how much has changed but the memories still feel the same!  It was two and a half weeks of amazing food, company and sightseeing.

We spent two weekends at beach resorts, one of which was on a beautiful island, unwinding from the stresses of daily life.  My sister and I enjoyed our first aromatherapy spa treatments and I regret not trying them earlier when I still lived there!

Of course, I had to pay a visit to my high school, International School Bangkok, and discovered they had installed a wonderfully dignified statue of our mascot:

Eleanor Fang