Hello everybody! I know this post has been long-awaited, and I’m sorry for the delay, but Thailand has kept me busy! I actually started writing this over a week ago, but I've had problems with Wi-Fi and finding outlets that can charge my computer. But read on to hear about what I’ve been up to in these past few weeks!
I said goodbye to my family and Illinois on the morning of July 1st, and I arrived in New York in the afternoon. We stayed at Long Island University for 2 days for some pre-departure orientations. The orientations themselves were uneventful, but it was great to see the YES Abroad Indonesia and India (and obviously, Thailand) kids again. We were all departing on the same day, so we shared an orientation. We said our goodbyes on the 2nd, and the Thailand kids had a 6.5 hour flight to LAX, which was an exhausting start to our journey. We were all originally seated in different rows, but Sofia, Kenna, and I were able to score 3 seats in a row, which was pretty miraculous considering 2 of us had middle seats (who would want to trade for a middle seat?!) and we were all in the back of the plane. We arrived in LAX around 10 PM, and our layover adventure began with our quest for Mexican food. We had 6 hours to kill in the middle of the night, so we figured we could go out to dinner and enjoy our last meal in the US. We headed to the next terminal over, which was a real trek, and were tempted by $18 airport burritos. But, being the cost-conscious young travelers that we are (read: cheap), we passed. We headed to another terminal, but left disappointed. At this point we were aimlessly walking around, so I pulled up an airport map and found a reasonably priced Mexican place 2 terminals over. We continued our trek and hauled our luggage with us, but we ended up making a wrong turn at some point and walked about a half-mile to baggage claim. We turned around and continued, finally arriving at “La Loteria!”, only to find that they were just closing. Our walk of shame back to our terminal was made worse when we made the same wrong turn and ended up at baggage claim again. When we finally made it back to our gate, almost all of the restaurants had closed, and the YES kids in the group ended up sharing average-tasting pizzas. We boarded our flight at 1:00AM, and we maneuvered a bit so that Kenna and I were sitting next to each other. Off to Hong Kong!
Our 16.5 hour flight was about as enjoyable as it sounds. Meals were served at really strange times, they kept the lights off for about 13 hours. I was also in the window seat, so any time I wanted to get up I had to stealthily crawl over people, which was awkward because the guy in the aisle always woke up when I was attempting to escape. Apparently, I wasn’t as stealthy as I thought. The last few hours of the flight dragged on, and when we finally arrived, my feet were so swollen that my flip-flops barely fit. I was also in desperate need of a shower.
Hong Kong looked nothing like I expected. In fact, I felt like I was in Hawaii as we flew over crystal blue waters and picturesque mountains. Even the airport had a view! Our first priority was feeling somewhat clean, so we rushed to the bathroom to brush our teeth and wash our faces as soon as we got off the plane. We only had about a half hour to explore once we passed through security, but I was able to try some Hong Kong-style iced coffee and take a few pictures of the view.
Our final flight was brief, and we played cards to pass the time. We arrived in Bangkok in the morning and were able to exchange a little bit of cash before meeting the staff that would take us to the hotel. I had my first Thai tea at the airport, and we wandered around the 7/11. Our trip to the hotel was short, and I got my first glimpse of Thailand from the van’s windows. We ate lunch right after arriving, and I was able to take my much-needed shower. The Best Western Plus we stayed at was super nice, and we had a really neat view from our room! Kenna and I were roomates, and we explored a bit of the hotel on the first day, but I had an awful headache and just wanted to sleep. I managed to stay awake and went to bed at local time, and we were able to sleep in a bit the next day. The Americans arrived a day earlier than everybody else, so other kids from other countries would be trickling in throughout the day. Orientations began that night and lasted 4 days, and I got to know a lot of cool people (mostly Italians) in that time. There were students from 13 countries there, but the 68 Italians outnumbered the rest of us combined. Orientations took place in the hotel, so we weren’t allowed to leave, but we were pretty busy anyways with sessions and meals. In our free time we were allowed to use the gym and infinity pool, which both had awesome views of the city.
On the last night we had a “Welcome Party”, and each student got to meet his/her advisor. The advisors from each region performed a dance, and there was a talent show, with each country performing something representative of their culture. The Americans (joined by a Brazilian girl and a girl from the Faroe Islands) performed the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. We said most of our goodbyes that night, because most people would be leaving for their host communities at various times the next day. The YES Abroad kids were the only exception, because the 5 of us would spend 5 days at a University in Bangkok taking a Thai language course.
We left the hotel in the early morning the next day and headed to the University. We checked into our new hotel and headed to class right away. The first day was rough because the teachers taught very differently than we were used to, but the rest of the week was better. The hotel breakfast was always an egg, and we would walk to our 9:00 class. There was a cafe right outside of our classroom, and I would usually start my morning with a coffee. We all struggled to stay awake the first day, so I didn't hesitate to get a little extra caffeine the rest of the week. The morning session was a whopping 3 hours long, and we took a 1 hour lunch break before a 2 hour afternoon session. We really looked forward to our lunch break, not only because it was our first break, but because we were able to try so many new foods. I didn't really know what I was eating most of the time, bu =t it was always really good. Food is so much cheaper here than in the US, and we got a generous stipend at language camp, so lots of smoothies and coffees were consumed that week. We also discovered a little temple looking over this small pond, and it became our favorite hangout spot during our breaks.
Classes were intense, especially since there were only 5 of us, but we learned how to read and write, and I could speak a little bit by the time I left. Class ended at 3:00, so we normally just hung out in the hotel until it was time to walk to dinner. There are no sidewalks here, so on the way to dinner we would walk single-file down the street and try not to get hit by motorcycles. After dinner we would usually walk to a 7/11, which are everywhere here, for snacks. Nights at the hotel were the most fun, because the 4 of us girls would just hang out together in one of our rooms. One night we were visited by a small lizard, who we named Randell. Did you know that lizards squeak? It’s kind of a chirp, kind of a squeak, and definitely frightening when it’s coming from the curtains right above your head. As I’m writing this, there’s actually a lizard trapped under a trashcan in my room from earlier today. I’ve gotten used to the bugs, but I’m still not a fan of lizards in my room. Our last day of language camp was pretty awesome. We had class as usual in the morning, but in the afternoon we had some special guests come for our “test”. We had to give a short speech, introducing ourselves in Thai, to all of our teachers and some AFS staff. Everybody did really well, and I actually used the same speech when I introduced myself to my school on the first day! After our presentations, we were presented with our certificates of completion of the beginners Thai program by one of the directors at the University.
Our teachers then brought in some Thai desserts for us, and we had a small celebration. We will be returning to the same University in October for another Thai course, so I’m excited to see what kind of progress I’ll make in these next 3 months! That night we had plans to go to the market, but it started pouring as we were about to leave. Luckily, we were able to go later in the night, which was an exciting experience. We walked to dinner later, and once we were back at the hotel, we played cards in the lobby. Our teachers dropped off Mangosteens, Longans, and some Thai desserts for us to try, which was really sweet. Later that night, Chloe and I ended up having a sleepover in Kenna and Sophia’s room. We pushed the beds together and managed to fit all 4 of us just fine. Our last night together for 3 months! The 5 of us parted ways the next morning. Time to meet our host families! It was a bittersweet morning, because we had grown pretty close over these past couple of weeks.
We left the hotel in 2 groups, and Sofia and I flew to our provinces, so we were taken to the airport. I waited with Sofia until she boarded, and we said our final goodbyes. My flight to Buriram province was the shortest flight I’ve ever been on! It was scheduled to be an hour long, but we arrived 15 minutes early. Buriram airport was also the smallest airport I’ve ever been in! I waited for about 20 minutes, not quite sure if I would recognize my host family or not. However, I stand out a bit here, so my host mom found me right away and I met the rest of the family in the car. I have 2 host brothers here, Jook and Jom, ages 15 and 11. We ate lunch at KFC and stopped by the house briefly so that I could drop off my luggage. Jom had a soccer game that day, so we watched his game and picked up my school uniform. Later that night we headed to a party hosted by my host mom’s brother, where I met some of the extended family and ate some Thai dishes. Duck soup, pork balls, a whole fish, and gigantic prawns were served, and, being the foreigner, I was given plenty of each dish. I got a little intimidated by Thai cuisine that night, but, thankfully, I’ve enjoyed many Thai meals since then. Over the weekend one of my Italian friends and her family came to visit from Surin, a city about 100km away. I learned that our families are close friends, so we’ll be getting together again soon. My host mom also took me to the walking street and the temple, and I got to meet lots of wonderful people in the community.
Monday was my first day of school! I had prepared a brief speech ahead of time, but I didn’t expect my introduction to be as big as it was. I was introduced by the principal, gave my little speech, and then I was presented with flowers and a banner. Lots of pictures were taken, and even after I walked off stage, teachers kept coming up to me to take photos.
I felt very welcomed, and the rest of the day was just as good. The students are all incredibly happy to have a foreigner here, and whenever I walk anywhere I’m greeted with “hello’s” and waves. It’s not uncommon for the girls to scream when I wave back, or for them to ask to take pictures with me. We travel in classes here, so we normally stay with the same people throughout the day, but I’ve already visited about 7 other classes in this first week. They cheer when I walk in, and I normally just stand in the front and introduce myself, and sometimes they’ll ask me questions. And even though the students here are really kind, a lot of them are very shy. I was eating dinner with my host mom in a cafe one night when a mother and daughter walked in. I had never met the daughter before, but as they were walking out, her mother handed me a piece of paper. The daughter had drawn a cute picture of me while she was eating dinner, but she was too shy to give it to me herself! I’m not sure if it’s because I’m the foreigner, or if it’s just how some Thai kids are, but I’ve noticed that many of the kids are really shy around me. There are some exceptions, of course! One girl I’d never met before came up to me and gave me a card introducing herself, and she included her phone number in case I wanted to ride bikes with her sometime, which was sweet. I’ve made a lot of friends here already, and they’re all very eager to show me around. They like to give me different Thai snacks to try, and they’ve already introduced me to some Thai games. After school on Thursday, a bunch of kids from my class took me to try milk tea for the first time. We drank it as we walked around the lake by our school and fed bread to the fish. The school days are long here, but it helps to have a lot of friends! I also don’t understand any of the classes, because they’re all in Thai, so I study my language book during most classes. I’m making some progress with the language, albeit rather slowly. I’m going to start taking language lessons in school soon, so that's exciting. My friends are also very eager for me to learn, and they teach me new words every day.
Thursday was a special day at school, because some monks came to perform a ceremony and collect offerings. We have an assembly before school everyday, which can last up to an hour, but Thursday’s was 3 hours long! The monks chanted a bit, and, as expected, I didn’t understand one bit. I tried to nod and bow when everybody else did, but I’m sure I looked just as lost as I felt. After the monks had finished their ceremony, we watched a traditional Thai dance performance, and then the teachers and students formed a huge line in front of the monks. People brought food to offer to the monks as a way to “make merit”. There are about 3,000 students at my school, so, as you can imagine, the line was long, but I was all too happy to stretch my legs after the ceremony. When it was our turn, we bent over (as a sign of respect), “wai’d”, and placed our donations into each monk’s container. I was splashed with water by one of the monks, and I seem to have been the only one. Perks of being the foreigner, perhaps? Anyways, I’m glad that I got to experience this Buddhist ceremony, and I’m sure there will be many more to come.
Friday was an interesting day! I expected it to be just like any other day, but I was invited by one of the English teachers to attend an event that would be held at a local historical park that night. Some foreign ambassadors were visiting our province, and our school was providing the entertainment. I didn't really understand what was going to happen, or why I was going, but I was excited nonetheless. I also didn't realize that I had to dress in traditional Thai clothing for this event. I was pulled out of class at noon, and the transformation began. My makeup was done, hair was slicked back, and I donned a long-sleeve shirt and traditional skirt. But it didn't end there! The accessories arrived, and I was covered in sashes and jewelry. The outfit would prove to be very hot and very itchy later on in the night, but I was excited that I got to dress up.
I rode with 2 teachers to Phanom Rung Historical Park, where the event was being held. We hung out there for a few hours before the ambassadors started to arrive. One the event started, I had to wait outside with the teachers. It was pretty strange that we couldn’t go inside, but it didn’t look like there were any more tables open. The event took a few hours, so I waited outside with all of the mosquitoes and the hot, muggy air. At the conclusion of the event, I was told to walk up to the podium and welcome the representative from our school. I did, and I clapped along with everyone else, waiting for the representative to walk in the room. There was an awkward pause, and then one of the English teachers whispered to me that I should introduce myself to the audience. And I stood there for a second, utterly confused. Was I the representative? If that were the case, then I just welcomed myself to the audience. Awkward. So, after staring at my teacher for a minute, unsure about what I would even say, I went back up to the podium and introduced myself. I explained why I was there, where I was from, and how long I would be in Buriram. Some of the ambassadors came up to talk to me at the end, which was cool, and I’m glad I was able to participate in something like this in my first week. We went out for soup that night, and I was finally able to change. I’ve never been more excited to put on a school uniform! A pretty neat ending to my first week here in Nang Rong!
And that sums up the past few weeks! Thanks for reading! Again, I’m so sorry that it took so long for this post, but I’m going to do my best to keep you all updated from now on!