There's lots of temples in Thailand (as well as tuktuks to take you there)! Religious influence is very strong, as is apparent from the temples, the Buddhas, the spirit houses, as well as the moving stories we heard from people about how faith affected the efforts towards recovery after the tsunami. 
People are friendly on Khao San...
...but don't trust anyone who says that the National Museum is "closed" and that you should go on a boat ride instead. 
Thai food in Thailand is the way to go. The food was delicious pretty much everywhere we went, yet I'm still not in the mood for Thai food in the states. 
On a personal level, I learned to push myself in ways that I hadn't thought to do before. 
Waking up early can be worth it. (I may have spent some of my free time sleeping, but when I was awake I saw some amazing things.)
Teamwork! Throughout the course, I learned the importance of working together in groups and working with different communities toward common goals. 
I was reminded that people are often very sweet and thoughtful. (Btw, it's a blurry pic of the welcoming ceremony.)
We learned about sustainable housing and how to make clay bricks!
We learned to make rude batiks, or at least my group did: "pick up your shit." Batiks are a way to diversify the livelihoods of the individuals in the women's batik group. 
We learned to dance with our hands!
I learned a lot more about conducting experiments and how to do research. I don't come from a science background, so this was a unique experience for me, to be able to do research in such as hands-on way in such a beautiful setting. Also, I learned that hornbills are hard to find in the rain...
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