The Thailand Sun and Breeze

As I exited the plane at the military airport in Utapau (due to the riots, were flew in to a naval base), I could immediately feel the stares from all the Thai people. We were white. We were from America. We were special.

Baggage claim was dirty and busy; so many people who had to change flight plans. We waited for quite some time before retrieving all our luggage. We walked outside, and I immediately felt like I was on the red carpet. A long walkway to the bus that would take us to the base. People on either side, needing a flight home, selling something, attacking us with, "Taxi! Taxi!", or people just there to stare. We shuffled through the crowd, and found three Thai guys who were driving us back to the Baan Jai Diaow (House of One Heart) base in three seperate vans.

As I finally took in more of my surroundings, I immediately thought of Ukraine, and was heart-sick for it. It smelt of petting zoo outside, in the thick, humid air. The grass was brown, and crunched beneath my feet. There were unique-looking tress all around. I'm not sure how else to describe Thailand, or what I saw of it that first night. It's very unique. Unique people. Unique cars. Unique buildings. If I tried to describe it to you, something entirely different would appear in your mind.


The next day, as I sat in the Thailand sun and breeze, sitting on the grass next to a pond on the university campus, I could not get Ukraine off my mind... So many things about this place reminds me of Ukraine. the tall, old, rustic buildings. The stone and cement walls lining the long, flat roads. the smells. the air. The old cars... These things make me heart-sick for Ukraine. I long to go back SO badly...

Yet at the same time, these similarities make me feel at home. At peace. I feel like I could sit by that pond and write forever in my loose-fitted shirt and flowing skirt, my hair loose and curling from the heat, bouncing around my shoulders and kissing my face with the help of the breeze.


I may not know exactly what is to become of my life, but this place is so easly to love, and it has made at least one thing certain to me:


I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Ukraine.