After twenty five hours of travel, it is difficult to look back and remember all the good times that we had in Thailand. But as debaters with a keen mind for argumentation, Thailand certainly made a good case for being one of the best tournaments and fondest memories from our Brooks Quimby Debate career thus far. Below is a list of our top five moments and experiences at this year's Worlds Debating Championship at Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand:

1. Kite Flying: On our first full day in Bangkok, several of us in the group went to go see the city's palace. Having walked around and enjoyed the sights a bit, we decided to go a park where kites were being flown. We bought one in the shape of a giant fighter plane, and each got a turn careening the kite through crowds of people enjoying a pleasant day in the park. However, the activity took a downward spiral when President Brendan Jarboe '08 crashed the plane into an effigy of the King of Thailand in an act of war.

2. Judging experience: Traveling to Thailand as adjudicators, the two of us had both the pleasure of judging some of the finest debaters in the world and the displeasure of judging some of the worst debaters in the world. While some rounds were incredibly engaging and educational, others proved how a motion like "This house would assassinate Vladimir Putin" can be wildly misunderstood by an entire room of confused debaters.

3. Canal tour: On our one free day in Bangkok, we decided to pay the 400 Baht (about $12) per person to go on a beautiful canal tour. We left the docks around 6 pm and made several stops at temples. We enjoyed some of the most impressive views on the trip during this two hour tour. The sun was setting and the illuminated palace looked spectacular.

4. Tuk Tuk: All of us Brooks Quimby Debaters, for better or worse, had the experience of taking numerous rides on auto rickshaws (aka Tuk Tuk). At first this was unnerving for some members of the team, but by the end we all came to enjoy the excitement of this very different, cheap, and life-threatening form of transportation.

5. Reuniting with friends: Having been abroad in India and Denmark for the fall semester, we were both ecstatic to reunite with our friends from Brooks Quimby in Thailand. One of the best memories of the trip was coming into the baggage claim area of Bangkok airport and seeing Geoff, Dan, Julie, Coach Curtis, and Brendan for the first time in 9 months. Thailand proved not only to be a successful tournament for the Bates team, but a great memory with friends that will last a lifetime.