My time abroad has been absolutely amazing and has really opened up my eyes to the benefits of being immersed in other cultures. I am grateful that we got to experience multiple countries on this trip, especially ones that are so vastly different. I think that living in one country my whole life made me assume that most places do things all the same or that we had the best way of functioning as a country. However, this trip has allowed me to see that other governments and business, in fact, operate quite differently than America, both in good and bad ways. In Singapore, the government has such a tight grasp on their people that it is probably the cleanest and safest country I will ever visit. In Thailand, the laws are more relaxed, and their is more corruption present, but the people are extremely down to earth and are so grateful for tourists and the income they bring into the country. I think I now see that America shows a bit more greed in every day culture, and I assumed that was in society everywhere. However, one of my favorite parts about the trip was tipping the locals in Thailand after receiving a delicious meal or doing an amazing excursion and seeing that you truly were changing someone’s life. The dollar is worth so much more than the Baht that it opened up the possibility to be extremely generous to the people. I learned so much about business, trade, and economics on this trip, but I think the most important thing I learned that kindness is universal and that immersing yourself in different cultures can allow you to grow as a person more than you would imagine.