Renee
Springdale to Thailand

So where shall I begin.  I would like to thank Rotary for giving me the oppurtunity to experience another culture. 

 

I've never flown before and didn't know what to expect.  Turns out I like flying.  And I didn't have any problems which was nice.  When I flew into Los Angelos I saw so many different people and it was cool.  Then as my flight to Hong Kong was being called I saw so many asians. 

So when I was in Hong Kong I had a very long layover and what not and that's when I had a small problem with the language barrier.  Trying to understand english with the asian accent is very difficult but I spent seven hours trying to entertain myself and didn't know what to do exactly.  I tried sleeping and walking around and what not.  So I finally see my flight on the board and I go and show the lady my ticket and points me in the direction I need to go.  Well it turns out that I could been looking at all the shops for hours.  I don't think I would have seen all the shops within sevens hours.  It such a big airport and I flew alone and was sort of lonely.  I was angry at myself because I was bored for a terrible time and could of spent the time looking at shops until my flight and I was really hungry and if I had gone up two more floors I could of ate.  So on my way back I know exactly what to do. 

And then I from Hong Kong to Bangkok, the flight was okay but I was at the older airport and that's the most confusing place I've ever been to since I've been in thailand for four months.  There are vender shops everywhere and just makes no since and it was the shortest layover I had and I almost missed the plane.  So for about hour and half I am watching the screen for my flight and it's about the time it bords and it still didn't come over the intercom or on the screen so I go to the information desk an d ask where the flight is  or if it's arrived and what not.  Well she tells me that they called for bording about ten minutes ago and the shuttle was about to leave in a couple of minutes.  Well I ran all the way to where I should be and had to have my bags and what not checked.  Then I saw  the sign for my shuttle and two minutes later I left the airport for my plane and was out of breathe.  At the time I was like I just want to sleep and what not. 

So I arrive in Chiang Mai about ten thirty and there's nobody in customs except me and the staff.   I was so tired and knew that my family was waiting for me and I didn't know what they looked like or anything and they had a eleven by twelve photograph of me from my application and the rotary club was waiting for me too.  And then I felt a small wave of culture shock.  I knew that I was supposed to wai but I was having a hard time just functioning.  And they could tell and th ey appreciated my effort on trying to cooperate with them. 

Then I had two hour drive back home and before we left Chiang Mai we ate which was my first thai meal and my family didn't exactly know what I liked, so we ate fried egg, pork, and a green vegetable.  Then I slept most of the way back home.  When  I woke up we were twenty minutes away from home and I really had to use the bathroom.  We are driving through my village at night and I really can't see anything and I was astonished that I made to thailand without any difficult problems and was ready to sleep in a bed.  Well I was surprised at how the house was set up and wasn't surprised that I had to take off my shoes before entering the house.  So I went to use the restroom and well to save on water and electricity they have a bowl and flush  it yourself instead of it pushing a button. 

 

I had arrived on a weekend and my host sister New Nang intro duced me to her friends and I had my first experience with squatie potties.  I didn't expect to use one so soon.  And I started to adapt and Learning thai. 

 

About five days after my arrival was orientation camp in Phitsanoluk, where I met the other twenty exchange students.  And orientation was about introducing us to thai culture, going over the Rotay rules, teaching us basic thai, and they took us around river rafting and touring Sukothai.  I got sunburnt so bad on the river rafting trip. 

 

Then after I came back from orientation I started school and was assigned to my class and my advisor told me that I could study thai dancing, flower making, food classes and anything else I wanted to try and said that I could float around for the first two weeks and then we would get me a schedule.

 

So at this point I've been here for about a month and then we have a br eak for about a month.  I taught at an english camp in Kumphanphet with about seven other exchange students.  Quite the experience.  The camp was for three days and then on saturday we went to a waterfall and sunday  we spent traveling back to Phitsanoluk.  I was supposed to go to Phrae that same night but ended up staying one night in Phitsanoluk and came back to Phrae on a monday.  Oh we also surprised Harry (YE from Mexico) and Tull with a birthday cake.  Sunday was Tull's birtday ( YE cordinator for Kumphanphet) and Harry's was the following week but since we were there we celebrated everyone's that day.  AT the waterfall I was tired and was sleeping when Dakota (from New York) put a crab (it was alive) and dropped it on me.  I was so scared and chased him around the waterfall and got him wet.  He didn't want to  swim and what not so I had to pay him back.  A crab, that's just low.  This happend around the Septemember 27- October 2.   As you can tell I had a lot of fun in thailand.

 

Then on October 12-16 was Ryla.  Very different from  Ryla back home.  I had fun. 

 

The weekend after that I went to Chiang Mai with Koon Tanita, Priscila(Brasil), and Tania(Mexico), and Tanita's friends drove us there.   We were shopping for her wedding.  This is around October 22.

 

Then the weekend after that Tania's host mom and dad, Priscila,  Friends of Tania's family, and me went to Chiang Rai.  I got to see Mo.  I hadn't talked with here since Ryla and she's cool.  I haven't spoken with her since this trip.  We went and saw a hill tribe and the windmill swing was very interesting.  The four YE's got on and tried to  make it function but we didn't know what we were doing ourselves so the people we traveled with helped us out.  It was a fun time.  Right now I've been here for about two  months and have the basics covered.  I can understand thai a little bit and speak a littlte bit. 

 

Then the first two weeks of November I go Rong Kwang school so that they have the oppurtunity to see what an exchange student is like.  And since then I go to this school once a week.  I was invited to there sports day and Narrerrats(my school).  Sports day is like track day but with a parade and a cheer team.  Narrearats was friday and Rong Long's tuesday.  So it was interesting have no sleep so close together. 

 

Umm Colors day.  Well the thai students basically are up half the night and manage to stay awake the next day and walk in a parade.  I was lucky both times and ony had to wake up at 4:40 and get made up.  There's no way to explain colors day but it's quite the experience I promise.  It's a good experience.

 

 

Since then I've made many thai friends and still keep  making new ones and still keep having new experiences.