This past Sunday was my birthday—and a dream I’ve quietly carried with me for more than a decade finally came true.
Well, sort of.
As some of you already know, for 20 years now, Southeast Asia has become my home away from home. By far, it’s my favorite nook of the world and, more specifically, Thailand is the one place I keep going back to again and again.
But why?
The truth is, there are a handful of reasons—including, but not limited to: the people, the culture, the street food, the Buddhist mentality & spirituality, the mountains, the beaches, and the incredibly affordable cost of… everything.
But the one reason that supersedes all the above?
Me.
And how I feel when I’m there.
Alive. Inspired. Adventurous. Free.
(I’m tempted to scream with excitement after writing that, but Goose is peaced-out snoring right here beside me.)
Two of my all-time proudest travel memories have been introducing my dad and my sister to Thailand.
I’ll never forget what it felt like for them to finally get to experience the version of me that exists over there: playful, passionate, sweaty, and sun-kissed—conversing in broken Thai with friends and locals on the street, then having to strategically navigate, and or negotiate, our way around town.
What an absolute gift that’s been for me.
The only family member missing from seeing “Alien” in action? My mom.
(Alien is my nickname in Thailand because Thais cannot get the muscles in their mouth to form and pronounce the “dr” in Adrian—it comes out as “lee”—thus, Alien was born.)
Actually, my mom was all set to visit me in Thailand back in 2013.
But just a few days prior to her “trip of a lifetime,” she slipped on a flight of stairs and shattered her kneecap clean into two pieces. What a heartbreaking blow that was. We were all devastated and her trip ended up having to be cancelled. And unfortunately, life—as it tends to do—kept marching on and she hasn’t been able to make it over since.
However, this past Sunday, right here in Dallas, Texas, we took her to what might be the next best thing.
There just so happens to be a beautiful Thai-Buddhist temple tucked away in one of Northeast Dallas’ most unlikely suburban neighborhoods.
And, as our luck would have it, this particular Sunday, the temple grounds were filled with the exact (well, almost) same sounds and smells as every other city or town across Thailand.
Dozens of Thai street food vendors were stacked, shoulder-to-shoulder, dishing out all the Northern and Southern classics. The unmistakable high and low tones of the Thai language were being sung far and wide, while smartly dressed Thai couples and families moseyed through the intricately decorated, gold-trimmed, and lush green temple grounds—undoubtedly giving them all a nostalgic Sunday slice of their faraway, majestic motherland.
It was a wonderfully confusing juxtaposition for me and my body—to be standing beside my family here in Dallas, but also be surrounded by, and engulfed in, structures, smells, and a language that, if I closed my eyes tightly enough, I could’ve just as easily been back on the bustling streets of Bangkok.
Fortunately for us, one of the elderly (and extra friendly) Thai women informed us about a special ceremony that was currently taking place inside the main temple. I desperately wanted my mom to get a glimpse, so we quickly scurried our way upstairs.
We slipped our shoes off and quietly snuck in the front door, where more than 20 monks were gathered chanting in perfect unison. Their deep, humming voices ricocheted and reverberated throughout the entire sacredly decorated space.
With all due respect to the notion of cliché, it was indeed, such a vibe.
I looked down as my sister sat perched on the temple’s traditional red carpet, now biting her lip and dabbing her eyes. Immediately, I remembered how overcome with emotion she’d been while sat inside her first temple visits in Bangkok just a few months earlier.
Moved by everything happening around (and inside) me, uncontrollable tears of my own began welling.
My brain knew exactly where we were, but the rest of my body didn’t care. I suddenly felt immersed in that all-too-familiar feeling of being in Southeast Asia—alive, inspired, adventurous, free.
That’s how deep the impression is that that part of the world has left upon me—down to my bones.
One of the facilitators then came over and asked if my mom and I would like to sit. I responded in Thai, to which he smiled and launched into graciously over-explaining, in Thai, the purpose of the ceremony.
After understanding roughly 10% of what he said, my mom and I stood side-by-side in silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I peeked over to see the amazement on her face as she happily soaked in her first-ever Thai-Buddhist experience.
I couldn’t have felt more proud.
Afterwards, while we were heading downstairs to ching-chong (relieve ourselves), something I might’ve never realized I needed… happened.
Because she’d overheard me chatting with a few of the food vendors, and then with the gentleman inside the temple, my mom tugged on my shirt and said to me, “Wow, bubbason… I can’t believe you can talk to them like that. You really picked up a lot over there. And it sure does make yo’ mama proud.”
Now, I don’t want this to seem as though I’m patting myself on the back, but—spoiler alert—that is, indeed, exactly what I’m doing.
Here’s why:
Because of just how deeply and intimately Thailand has become woven into my life—and ultimately into the fabric of who I am and how I see the world—this moment of acknowledgement, coming from the last piece of the familial puzzle?
Yeah. It felt incredibly, incredibly fulfilling—and definitely something worth writing about and celebrating.
It meant that, after all these years, my dad, my sister, and now my mom, had all gotten to witness me in my element.
The“Thai-trifecta” within my family had finally come full-circle.
And while that may not seem like something worth putting so much stock into for some—because of the love I have for Thailand and the love I have for my family, for me, it absolutely is.
So… after all these years I’ve spent seeing the world, who knew that one of its greatest gifts would actually come from the people I love most finally getting to see me living in it?
On my birthday, no less.
With Gratitude & With Gusto,
Alien 👽🇹🇭
PS—a special khap khun krab to Ashlie for helping organize and capture these beautiful birthday moments!
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