My trip to Asia was different from any trip that I have ever had before. I traveled to South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. I arrived in Seoul, South Korea first to visit my sister who is an English teacher.
  My sister’s house is an apartment in the suburbs. The beds consisted of a one inch cotton mattress. Needless to say, it was not very comfortable, but that is the Korean way of living. The only thing stranger than the beds are the bathrooms. The bathroom and shower are all in one with no curtain. Koreans put their washer in the bathroom/shower because that’s the only place it fits. The heating for the house comes through the wood floor. They also leave their trash outside of their houses in small yellow bags for someone to pick up later.
  What I found different about the food in South Korea was that they like to display raw meat on menus to make it look appetizing. They enjoy eating a lot of seafood snacks, which I thought to be distasteful, but it was all part of the culture. They eat rice and kimchi every day. Kimchi is fermented cabbage. They cook the kimchi in pots that are underground and leave it there for months on end.
  In restaurants, they cook your food in the pot that is in the middle of the table. Pizza Hut is like a Red Lobster because you have a waiter and the food is twice as expensive as back home. There were some unisex public bathrooms at the restaurants, so I felt slightly awkward when men walked in to use the open stalls.
   Koreans also drive without any rules. I heard stories of people being ran over because there are no right-of-way laws. If their car is in the way and needs to be moved, they sometimes leave their phone number and keys in the car so someone else can move it if they need to.  
  Later, my brother-in-law took me to the Ivory Coast Embassy where I met many French-Africans. They spoke to me in French, but they were very nice.  I also visited some Korean Palaces and saw the architecture and material they used. It was amazingly educational.
  When I visited the school where my sister teaches, I got to meet some of the children. I observed their style and habits. Their hairstyles and the clothes they wear are different from ours. I got a better view of the Korean language when they spoke.
  Then, my sister and I flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country. I saw many different types of people. There were many Mosques and I got to hear the Muslim chant outside for the first time. Every Friday, the streets were busy because the Muslims were going to the mosque to pray.
  Some other places we explored were interesting as well. We went to the Batu Caves where we had to climb two hundred and seventy-two steps to get to the Hindu temple at the top. It was a huge workout! Then we went to the top of the Petronas Twin Towers where we saw a view of all of Kuala Lumpur. The towers are based on the geometric principles typical of Islamic architecture. At night, we experienced a relaxing firefly boat ride on a river.
  The local food in Malaysia is a little less expensive than in the US. They have a popular road at night where everyone comes out to eat from the various shacks set along. Kuala Lumpur looks very industrialized because there’s a mall on practically every corner.
  Malaysians don’t have many rules on the road either so I saw people speeding all the time and park in weird spots. I also saw that there was a lot of smog and pollution since there were many cars. Another thing that was different from home was that motorcycles are considered taxis.

  Another place we went to was a nearby city called Melacca and saw antique Malaysian houses. It was a museum where you could see the generations of style and the way they lived. There was history behind the town since it was established by the Dutch. Most of the food was spicy, so I naturally avoided it.
  Next we went to Phuket, Thailand, for a few days. It is a tropical and humid environment. There was some different fruit that I had never seen before. We went on a speed boat for the whole day and went on an excursion to five different beaches and islands. We went to Monkey Beach where we fed monkeys and went snorkeling and fed the fish. Finally, we went to relax on the beach where Leonardo Dicaprio made his famous movie The Beach.
  My trip to Asia was a culturally rewarding experience, and I have learned a lot about the people who live there. Overall, I had a great time.