I admit it – I was nervous about venturing out into Bangkok on my own. It was surprising to me, really, because I love to travel and have travelled internationally many times. I was really looking forward to my trip, too, but had begun to get anxious about a week before my trip. I think it all started when I talked to others who had been there. They warned me about the crowds, the pollution, and the strict dress rules for getting into temples. I suppose my expectations were set fairly low and I had resolved myself to treat the trip as just business.

When I arrived in Thailand, it was midnight (a day and half after I left my home!) so I didn’t get to see much but interesting people in the streets and colorful taxi cabs. When I woke up the next morning and looked out my hotel room window, I started to feel foolish for being nervous. After all, I had wandered through many a foreign town before, except that had been almost all in Europe. This was my first trip to Asia. Why would I want to stay in my hotel room? Sure, there was work to do, but when would I be in this city again? I decided it was time to face my fear and venture out on my own. It wasn’t that the fear went away; I just pretended that I wasn’t fearful. I was practicing my own “fake it ‘til you make it” advice. And I am so glad I did!

The first people I met were from Manchester, England. They had come to Thailand because on of their daughters was getting married in Chang Mai. Then I met a group of four women who had come to Bangkok on a girls’ weekend (how come I can’t get my girl friends to do something like that!?) to shop. A couple of them just happened to be Texas A&M graduates like me or had children who graduated from A&M. They were instrumental in helping me part with my money in the silk shop. Finally, I met two women, Debbie and Jane, who were from Texas (like me!) but their husbands’ jobs had brought them to Bangkok to live for a few years. They were so nice and helpful that Debbie even offered her assistance if (and when!) I brought my family back to Thailand. To top it off, they were working on starting up a new business! Amazing. No such thing as coincidence.

The trip that started out as just business turned into an incredible experience that left me wanting more. By facing my fear and taking the tiger by the tail (yes, the tigers in the picture were real and they were spectacular!), I found a new place to travel with my family and acquired some custom-made silk clothes to boot!