Yasmeen Abdul-Quddus

Had the opportunity to discover how different religons and cultures can have a big impact on ones lifestyle and beliefs. Yasmeen endured through challenges to find out how much she loved... Thai food!

I initially decided to study in Thailand because I knew that I could benefit through it not only broadening my understanding of the Asian culture, but also by it enabling me to become more intellectually and spiritually enriched. I believed that through this opportunity to mingle, live, and learn in a way that another culture does, that it would change the way I see life in its entirety. Studying in Thailand allowed me the opportunity to learn positive habits of the Asian culture and incorporate the positive influences of the Buddhist religion into my lifestyle.

The first major impact that Thailand had on me was much different from many other experiences that I have heard or witnessed through others. As a Muslim I do not eat meat that isn’t Halal. It is a dietary law of our faith. The meat has to be blessed, and it is meat from animals that are permitted under Islamic religious law (very similar to the Kosher laws in Judaism), we also believe that the way the animal is handled and slaughter is much healthier for the body. Nonetheless, I was shocked when learning how difficult it was to find food that met my dietary needs because almost everything had some sort of meat in it or pork, and how difficult it was to find food without scrambled eggs in it (I’m also allergic to eggs). Furthermore, in the area where I was living I had so much trouble finding food that met these conditions and pleased my palate all at the same time. It was a challenge but I later found ways around this and ended up adoring the food of Thailand.

This entire trip was an adventure to remember, one to be held in my long-term memory bank for a lifetime. However, the two most amazing parts of it all was first to witness first-hand how the people of Thailand interact with the King and Queen. They express the type of love, respect and gratitude toward their Monarchy that will never be seen in the US toward our government, and to me that’s remarkable. There were pictures of the King and Queen everywhere; in the public parks, schools, bridges, and even hanging from most of the buses interior rear view mirrors. Secondly, I was astounded by each and every one of the temples. I think I saw pretty much all of the different styles of temples that were built in Thailand - that’s how obsessed I’d become with them, lol. I even took a trip to Cambodia, just to see the difference in the temple styles and structure, but I was still more fascinated by the ones in Thailand than in Cambodia.

 After facing so many obstacles in Thailand when it came to my diet, my advice to others planning to study abroad would be to know all your needs well and research as much as you can on those needs to learn if the country of destination will satisfy those needs. Also, try to keep an open mind about what to expect from the country to choice because doing such will make your first few weeks abroad much more of an enjoyable experience than if you had not done so, simply because it may cause you to experience a culture shock at its extreme. Other then that, take plenty of pictures, have fun, meet new people, and try to explore as much as possible (never alone of course)!