tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51218446818986082272024-03-13T16:27:22.955-07:00Jen's Grand AdventureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-90550982989999646102015-07-06T15:28:00.003-07:002015-07-06T15:28:39.565-07:00Things that make you go "hmm"Well, I've now been home for 18 days and it's good to be back! I've been enjoying the familiar people and food and language. I've been told that my english hasn't been perfect but I'm working on it!<br />
This will probably be my last post so I thought I'd share some of the strange or funny things I saw, heard, or was asked.<br />
Things that made me go hmm:<br />
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* A man walking around in just his underwear<br />
I think it was my second week there when we were driving to the store and I saw a man, in nothing but underwear, walking down the street. No one gave him a second look besides me.<br />
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* Have you ever seen a banana?<br />
Yes, I had seen a banana before. I let them know that they were quite common in America.<br />
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* Washington DC is in Washington State, right?<br />
NOOOOO! I was asked this question so many times! Some people even asked me multiple times!<br />
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* 'I have wind out my ass'<br />
My music teacher didn't speak any english but every week he learned a new sentence and would tell me as soon as I came into class. I guess the person teaching him these phrases decided to mess with him. I laughed for a good while before I caught me breath enough to explain to my confused teacher why I was laughing!<br />
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* Do you want to buy an otter?<br />
I had just switched host family and we were going grocery shopping. When we left the store and got in the car, my host turned to me and asked me if I wanted to buy an otter. I sure she was mixing up her english but I never did figure out what she meant to say instead of otter!<br />
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* Did you bring a monkey?<br />
Was visiting my friend in Bangkok and her mom was taking us to her house when she asked if I brought a monkey. I told her that no I did not which seemed to confuse her. Turns out she thought I was living in Lopburi (the monkey province) but I still didn't understand her question. Even if I did live there, I doubt I would travel with a monkey!<br />
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* Is Washington a new state?<br />
After informing my school's headmaster that DC is not in Washington State he then asked if Washington was new. Apparently it's not a well know state in Thailand.<br />
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* 'You would make a great KKK member'<br />
This was part of one of my favorite conversations this year! We were in english conversation class with the American teacher when he asked one of the students "Why do thai people not like black skin?" The student replied "black skin look dirty." The teacher then said "You would make a great KKK member" No one else got it but my teacher and I had a good laugh.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed this little look into some of the funny thing I experienced in Thailand! I love all the people I met and the places I went and the things I got to try! This year was absolutely amazing and if I could go back I wouldn't change a thing!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-83164183614139905032015-06-19T16:21:00.001-07:002015-06-19T16:25:40.221-07:00Going homeThoughts I had while on the airplanes home:<br />
<ul>
<li>OMG! I'm actually going home!</li>
<li>Thailand is really pretty from the sky!</li>
<li>What if I never get to come back here (cry)</li>
<li>Should I sleep? I probably should, but nah.</li>
<li>Ooooh, movies!</li>
<li>I'm so tired of sitting!</li>
<li>Oh no! My plane is late! What if I don't make it to my connection? What if it leaves without me?!</li>
<li>Yes! I made it!</li>
<li>I wonder why the people sitting next to me where in South Korea?</li>
<li>This year was so amazing! Thank you Thailand for being my home for a year. </li>
<li>How is there still 8 hours left? It feels like its been longer than that!</li>
<li>Would you stop turning on your dang light! People are trying to sleep!</li>
<li>Hmmm. This food isn't that bad.</li>
<li>Finally! Can I please get off this plane now!</li>
</ul>
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Well, after 10 months and 11 days I have returned back home to America. I will miss Thailand and my friends but I'm glad to be back home with my family and in my house! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-74425546905934807112015-06-09T03:17:00.005-07:002015-06-09T03:17:59.824-07:00Farewell my friends These last few days was rather sad. It finally became real that the year is coming to an end. We had our farewell party last Thursday. It was the very last time that we all got to see each other and be together before we start leaving. It was filled with tears, hugs, and tones of pictures. We all had to write speeches and those are what really set off the water works. Everyone was saying how great this year was and how much we all love each other. It was the beginning of the end. :(<br />
Then we had the first exchange student leave on Saturday fallowed by two more on Sunday. I went to the airport to send off each of them and had a really hard time not crying. I am going to miss them so much! This is the hardest part of the year by far! Realizing that I may never see these people again, these amazing people who have experienced so much with me. We've become a family here and now we're saying goodbye after such a short time together!<br />
I can't believe that in just 8 days it will be me getting on a plane to go home! I am so excited to hug my parents and sleep in my bed and speak english but I can't help but be terribly sad to leave Thailand. I love the people here, both thai and rotary, and the food and the culture!<br />
But as my friend Israel said "We need to take the next step in our lives. Plus, we can't come back until we leave."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dressed up for good bye party at the Bangkok sky bar!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-5424042977548588462015-05-17T02:30:00.004-07:002015-05-17T02:30:56.674-07:00Not our night<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zlhONAkgAi5fggz-U7MKK0llU-KyIoq2kkWPD9AsSTSn7U2to1FbcUmgmk5f4-r4rytntp_sv00Bi1Qct8cU4MFOEHiGQBW7pNnBxFaZDVbQPSWrRezdrhHU-HHeKb608-wxeq5udi8H/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zlhONAkgAi5fggz-U7MKK0llU-KyIoq2kkWPD9AsSTSn7U2to1FbcUmgmk5f4-r4rytntp_sv00Bi1Qct8cU4MFOEHiGQBW7pNnBxFaZDVbQPSWrRezdrhHU-HHeKb608-wxeq5udi8H/s200/photo+1.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the concert!</td></tr>
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Last night just wasn't our night for good luck. I guess we had too much fun this last week and the universe decided it had to balance it out.<br />
I spent three days in Lopburi with Danielle (from Colorado) and Sabrina (from Brazil) watching movies, eating, and sleeping. It was great to just sit and talk and spend time together doing normal stuff. Then On Friday we went to an awesome concert on Bangkok! We stayed up all night having fun with most of the other YEs! And on Saturday we went to see Pitch Perfect 2! It's fantastic and you should definitely watch it!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ8RzMOraruIlqQqgdVsYadFSOCgDhnuvDOqSUTMizIyDly9keznnxJrXn59W7nOkmB7JVzvjE9sWJFIqmNjd32QUzY1sVUpTDbdmyT3WNia8d-GNDVOvgAYVYNn05tSgI5Dhn1PqLGRv/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ8RzMOraruIlqQqgdVsYadFSOCgDhnuvDOqSUTMizIyDly9keznnxJrXn59W7nOkmB7JVzvjE9sWJFIqmNjd32QUzY1sVUpTDbdmyT3WNia8d-GNDVOvgAYVYNn05tSgI5Dhn1PqLGRv/s200/photo+2.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Then everything started going wrong.<br />
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<br />
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<br />
Danielle and I were going back home but we missed the last vans for the night. So we went to the bus station all the way in the northern part of Bangkok. But we're too late and can't get a bus back to either of our houses. So, we start calling our friends who live in Bangkok but only one answers and she lives on the complete opposite end of the city and it would take hours to get there. We ended up staying in the bus station all night. And for some reason they don't want people to charge their phones there so there aren't any outlets! We found what is probably the only outlet left in the building and shortly after plugging in our phones a security guard told us we could use it! We attempted to sleep on the benches in the station but it was too uncomfortable and there was a small child constantly making noise! That was our second night in a row with no sleep! We were exhausted!<br />
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Finally this morning we got on the first van home at 5am. I got home at 6:30 and went to sleep instantly.<br />
I never want to sleep in a bus station again!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-38026011403283394552015-05-02T23:00:00.002-07:002015-05-02T23:00:26.467-07:00DC and SATI finally have a couple minutes to myself to sit and write about what's up! I thought I'd have a week after the North trip and final dance class to relax a bit and get ready for the district conference but as always, I was wrong!<br />
You see, I arrived home after the last dance class on Sunday the 19th and the very next day I got a temporary room mate! My sister Ice had another YE she met in Brazil from district 3340 visiting! It was so fun! We spent a day a dream world, an amusement park in Bangkok, riding awesome rides and eating greasy food! There was also a snow dome there and we went sledding!!<br />
Since Ice had classes, I got to spent a lot of time with Julia (the visiting YE)! Took her to Bangkok for a couple days of shopping! We spent way too much money and she got to meet some of the other students in my district at the mall! It's amazing how even though we just met and hardly know each other, it feels like we've been friends for years! Being exchange students connects us in an incredible way!<br />
After spending five days with Julia it was time for me to got o the District Conference (DC). I got on the bus at the joyful time of 6am and we were off! For most of our time there we didn't really do much. We sat at the back in our blazers until lunch and after lunch we left to get ready for our show! This was the start of the not so fun time. At least, for the girls! The guys seemed to enjoy laughing at what the girls were going through! We had to squeeze into these tiny dance costumes that we could hardly breath in only to have the dance instructor tighten it and sew it closed! Then we had to have our hair yanked into the tightest ponytails known to man and put into hair pieces that were secured by bobby pins jammed into our heads! The final torture was the pound of make-up plastered onto our faces! All this was finished at about 3pm and we didn't perform until 8pm! But what a relief it was to take it all off!<br />
<b>My advice to future exchange students to 3350: Beware the District Conference!</b><br />
The next day we got to visit the Pattaya Floating Market on the way back to Bangkok! And once we got back most of us went to Hector's house because none of us wanted to got home yet! I spent two days there hanging out with the other YEs. Then I decided I should get home, plus I needed clean clothes!<br />
And finally I went to take the SAT yesterday! I went to Bangkok on Friday, stayed in a very nice youth hostel, and on Saturday went to take the terrible test. But I feel like I did pretty well! I guess I'll find out in 18 days!<br />
I'd say that now I get to spend some time relaxing but something is bound to come up!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-38847117346146234882015-04-20T02:43:00.002-07:002015-04-20T02:44:42.049-07:00Song Kran Festival :D<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNwY98mOQq7P0dB_ZbR94CDLQ-_FksMEgx4XaOQZI1zX2xMcAIE0L5Pg2BN3CqONPgkxuRpcanDZl_hDXB-RhyphenhyphenaXyXkc4VIb9gZNTdy4evCWoiXORhJl5luRvm-d9bh_8obA9b_-Jv1sX/s1600/IMG_3121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNwY98mOQq7P0dB_ZbR94CDLQ-_FksMEgx4XaOQZI1zX2xMcAIE0L5Pg2BN3CqONPgkxuRpcanDZl_hDXB-RhyphenhyphenaXyXkc4VIb9gZNTdy4evCWoiXORhJl5luRvm-d9bh_8obA9b_-Jv1sX/s1600/IMG_3121.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>That's right! I just got back from another awesome trip! This time we spent nine days touring the north of Thailand! There were 55 people traveling on 1 bus from Bangkok all the way to Chiang Mai (which is like 445 miles)! There were stops along the way at a ceramic factory where I got to paint a mug and the opium museum which tells about the history of opium in Asia and does not give out samples, much to some of the guys disappointment! We also stopped at the three way river that connects Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand and saw the foreign gardens. This garden has flowers from other countries (mostly America and Western Europe) which amazed the thai students but were fairly normal for all the inbound students.<br />
We also visited temples a lot! We went to one almost every day! My favorite was the White Temple which is supposedly the path to heaven. Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't go in but the outside was absolutely gorgeous!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinfT8_jt9mqs9i5d-Kg6ge7ORiA50w7EOyhBp0spRY0VE_ZeZelsYBgE63mPZPRJZYwQfO2rLUL1npJbKf2GNZ8s9LjMUYr-aLYkbLxQNdDs3RHDYSoMmlv8wKM3ry_tEH9Kyn4D8Z26T/s1600/IMG_3127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinfT8_jt9mqs9i5d-Kg6ge7ORiA50w7EOyhBp0spRY0VE_ZeZelsYBgE63mPZPRJZYwQfO2rLUL1npJbKf2GNZ8s9LjMUYr-aLYkbLxQNdDs3RHDYSoMmlv8wKM3ry_tEH9Kyn4D8Z26T/s1600/IMG_3127.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for Song Kran!</td></tr>
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Finally day 5 we reached Chiang Mai and had a blast in Song Kran Festival! This festival is to celebrate thai new years! And I must say, they know how to celebrate new years in Thailand! For three days we got to soak people and get soaked! We even got to hang out with exchange students from the north and east Rotary districts!<br />
My favorite thing this trip was going to see a thai dance show with traditional dances from different parts of Thailand! The show was great but what made this part the best was the food!! Best food we ate on the whole trip! And believe me that is saying something! There was so much amazing food in the north! I gained 1.5 kilograms in just 10 days! I really need to exercise more!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G7p5eNwaBz7HhWU1S306_L0GlRUfAE6LMPY__Clx7r3gLdtkH4sxlOS-EZhQA-jW5ghlp_cISeuJtMgEJZswKiGqIpx7he31-AZTwAkPXs-Kxfq1AY3nuXa8pbDOSjQ0GSCCTFI_ZsGF/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G7p5eNwaBz7HhWU1S306_L0GlRUfAE6LMPY__Clx7r3gLdtkH4sxlOS-EZhQA-jW5ghlp_cISeuJtMgEJZswKiGqIpx7he31-AZTwAkPXs-Kxfq1AY3nuXa8pbDOSjQ0GSCCTFI_ZsGF/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my buddies!</td></tr>
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What made this trip even better was having the outbound students with us! We really got to know the student who will be coming to our countries in just a few months! During the trip everyone was paired with a buddy! The Thai people had a foreign buddy and us foreigners had a thai buddy! We gave each other gifts and got to know each other through out the trip!<br />
There was also a girl who will be in my rotary district! I hope she is near Olympia!<br />
Up next is the district conference where all the YEs have to perform our thai dance. Wish me luck!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-68911485769839032262015-04-06T21:49:00.000-07:002015-04-06T21:49:17.920-07:00No breaksThis month I get no breaks! It's only the 7th and I'm exhausted! After getting home from the rotary trip on the first, my host mom told me I would be switching host families at 6pm. So I am now back to my first host. As far as I know I will be here the rest of the year but in Thailand you never know for sure.<br />
After packing and moving all my stuff I did get one day to just relax and for the most part sleep. On Friday I got have a new experience. I went to the crocodile farm at 7am to help clean and store the crocodile eggs. It was cool try but I really don't want to know what the goo covering my hands was!<br />
Saturday was back to go go go! I went to Bangkok early in the morning for thai dance class. We (all the YE for this year and next year) practiced our dance routine for six hours! Most of us were ready to be done at three hours! After class most of us went to check out a huge book fair and I found 3 new books! YAY!<br />
Since we all had to stay in Bangkok that night for class the next morning, most of us decided to stay at Hector's house (the YE from Mexico). There were 16 exchange student in one house! So much fun! We ate a ton of pizza and chip, the guys taught me how to use a video game remote and kicked my butt at the game we were playing, and just hung out together!<br />
Sunday was another six hours of dancing! I was ready to drop by the end! After that I went shoe shopping with a couple other girls and found some really cute sandals on sale! That night we all crashed as soon as we got back to Hector's!<br />
Finally on Monday I made the journey back home! Amazing to think that I can take a taxi to the bus station then a two hour bus ride for less than $6. I love how cheap stuff is in Thailand!<br />
Now I get to spend two days at home before I go on the next adventure up north for Songkran Festival in Chang Mai!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-8114021643879521652015-04-03T00:39:00.001-07:002015-04-20T02:50:20.940-07:00To the South!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFANUHc0pRenAUYQa1JN9JjSNodgGWeOGd4hQ3etvbI8nEDW74_7MW9UzdVQFbPuAn0v36XoQnP_87aJF9Rw7QjdFkRQKAYEl8-Ap9i7eZV-eSBMeDMTJTUeqfdpAgb8QsoACoKMJSWind/s1600/IMG_2949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFANUHc0pRenAUYQa1JN9JjSNodgGWeOGd4hQ3etvbI8nEDW74_7MW9UzdVQFbPuAn0v36XoQnP_87aJF9Rw7QjdFkRQKAYEl8-Ap9i7eZV-eSBMeDMTJTUeqfdpAgb8QsoACoKMJSWind/s1600/IMG_2949.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>I have spent this last week on a super fun trip to the South (again)! But this one was way better because we had all 21 exchange students together! We had so much fun just because we were all together and the activities helped too!<br />
Over the course of the week we visited 8 islands, stayed at 4 hotels, went snorkeling 3 times, ate some great food, did a lot of shopping, and got very little sleep! And this is just scratching the surface!<br />
The first day we visited 5 islands! We also went snorkeling twice! It was so much fun! And everyone had a sunburn because no one thought to put on sunscreen! Yes, we are all geniuses (sarcasm). Most of our trip was spent swimming in different locations. Our second day we went to swim at the emerald pool and a natural hot spring! Chloe (YE from France) and I went on a short but beautiful hike to get back from the emerald pool.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_W-_lDS_jio1sBH-ZeJ942Qnly2kCwIuy-ipE8MRSVtujZWUNhu7_OSRHKBWh1uKxGelOCa_FGAp_SyV54Z21w2lOH2uS6EH294YwxjSKLoT46wlryw5M6uanPupd2zhy0B7GJ7pE9kW/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_W-_lDS_jio1sBH-ZeJ942Qnly2kCwIuy-ipE8MRSVtujZWUNhu7_OSRHKBWh1uKxGelOCa_FGAp_SyV54Z21w2lOH2uS6EH294YwxjSKLoT46wlryw5M6uanPupd2zhy0B7GJ7pE9kW/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>We spent day three at a Muslim village on an island about an hour from the mainland. We visited the school and played games with the kids! People who live on this island almost never leave! I can't imagine living on an island my whole life!<br />
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The last two days we spent in Phuket! We had so much fun there! There was the beach, shopping, and we went to Phe Phe Island for a day! We also went to see a very interesting dance show! It was interesting because part way through the story, in the middle of the dramatic scene set in the ancient forest of Thailand, they did a magic show. Not that the magic show wasn't cool and amazing, but the timing left us all asking what the hack was that?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwAqfb1QCBkUvyHtF2mZUd4JDgHpd_XF6Ct_wyqeeVZhPcI1Z2Ddg5Bjs6GDBI1KlyRUaK0MXHGHo8cdYcUbzTtBGLzS8inYEgCeLjkwvaIsZzy1hfGl5VOVDGYOhb-IBWMh3gxWm2XV/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTwAqfb1QCBkUvyHtF2mZUd4JDgHpd_XF6Ct_wyqeeVZhPcI1Z2Ddg5Bjs6GDBI1KlyRUaK0MXHGHo8cdYcUbzTtBGLzS8inYEgCeLjkwvaIsZzy1hfGl5VOVDGYOhb-IBWMh3gxWm2XV/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a>During the week we didn't get a lot of sleep. Every night we would stay up talking, playing games, and hanging out! It was fun but left us all rather dead each morning when we got our 6am wake up calls!<br />
Most the time, when we weren't eating at the hotel, we ate a buffets. Cause where else are you going to feed 21 hungry teens! :D The food on this trip was great though! I think I gained my exchange weight from this trip alone!<br />
And we only had two people drop their phones in water! Lucky I wasn't one of them!<br />
So much fun and much more to come! With everything that's going on right now I'm sure you'll hear from me again soon! Love you all!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-30292435903115556682015-03-26T00:27:00.001-07:002015-03-26T00:27:20.512-07:00Unexpected TripLast week I was just sitting helping some of the teachers with packing up the school for summer when my host mom called me. She said "Jenny. Tomorrow you go to South with Danielle. Pack bag for 3 days." It was quite the surprise but I wasn't going to argue. But before I could pack we all left to go to dinner with my host's extended family. Then when we returned she told me I actually need to pack for 5 days!<br />
Of the five day trip, 3.5 of those days were spent traveling to and from the South. Turns out it takes a long time to drive to Hat Yai from Lopburi. A very long time! On the second day we were driving there we stopped in the morning to go kayaking! I guess they thought I had never done this before because they put me at the front of the guide's kayak. It was funny because the rotary people we were with didn't seem to know what they were doing as they tried to avoid the trees!<br />
Once actually got to Hat Yai we spent a day going to a mountain top temple and shopping in a really old city I can't remember the name of! It was so beautiful there! I love how gorgeous the South is! Before leaving on the fourth day we went a bit farther south for swimming and snorkeling! We went from island to island swimming in the bright and clear blue ocean! We even swam through a cave at one point and there was a lagoon on the other side! So cool!<br />
After this we started to looooong drive back home. I do not recommend sleeping in a van. It is not the best way to get a good night sleep and it guarantees a sore neck!<br />
I got to spend two day at home after this and now I'm off to the South once more for the Rotary bus trip with all the other exchange students! So excited.<br />
This next month is going to be crazy! Two Rotary trip, three dance classes, and a Rotary District conference! So much happening!<br />
(Incase your wondering about the dance classes, the exchange student s have to learn classic thai dancing to perform at the district conference.)<br />
Well I'm off to the South now! I'll tell you about it when I get return!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-55491514760030294202015-03-10T06:23:00.000-07:002015-03-10T06:23:29.624-07:00Taxi TroublesAfter having my third ride in a bad taxi, I thought I would write about things you should know about thai taxis. This will probably only interest you if you are going to be an exchange student in Thailand, are going on vacation in Thailand, or if you like reading blogs about taxis.<br />
Here's what I've learned from my experiences:<br />
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1. Avoid taking a taxi as much as possible<br />
Take the skytrain, subway, or bus. Walk if you can. But only take a taxi if you must!<br />
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2. If you are alone or with just one other person, take a motorcycle taxi<br />
Motorcycle taxis are cheaper, faster, and, as hard to believe as it may be, safer.<br />
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3. Always settle the price before getting in the taxi<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiefF82pquqUIf_8-1Z1mqsVZVm4Khc-7mA8YSf3K8AtilhPI-woRO1uy7gpR2LBneZKDF813lxo78lTqDPagxTT-wvnrMzBQB80dsWPdZzQvxUesMl8bry3deJVdfe43FbdWPNW8d2oe3/s1600/Wallpaper_Tuk_Tuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiefF82pquqUIf_8-1Z1mqsVZVm4Khc-7mA8YSf3K8AtilhPI-woRO1uy7gpR2LBneZKDF813lxo78lTqDPagxTT-wvnrMzBQB80dsWPdZzQvxUesMl8bry3deJVdfe43FbdWPNW8d2oe3/s1600/Wallpaper_Tuk_Tuk.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>This is super important! If you don't do this, you may end up yelling in english at a thai driver for trying to make you pay 6000 baht ($200) for driving 3 blocks. This rule applies to regular taxis, motorcycle taxis, and tuktuks.<br />
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4. Don't take a tuktuk<br />
Yes, they are fun to try once and they are good if you want to have a personal tour guide around the city. But tuktuks are expensive, slow, and usually take you to an expensive shop that gives the driver free stuff if you shop there.<br />
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5. Listen to that little voice in the back of your head<br />
If something about the taxi or driver makes your spidey-sense tingle, then trust that feeling. There are fake taxis that look very real and motorcycle drivers with similar vests to taxi drivers. (Real motor taxi drivers wear orange vests.) Keep a look out and get out of the taxi if something doesn't feel right.<br />
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6. Always get the number<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsivVOeyH3vg4AZJQpdT6IwwrehUtCqBQ0ZBiCi2VOwm7i_CVEwNKVzwYvEQgccsjXXdkUCAZ5DKn523EPO9N-W5B57TBRlrsGiJs1Uc6p5H2xteD2NXwQttVD_GuH7LbaiWJzondm9Hdm/s1600/motorcycle-taxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsivVOeyH3vg4AZJQpdT6IwwrehUtCqBQ0ZBiCi2VOwm7i_CVEwNKVzwYvEQgccsjXXdkUCAZ5DKn523EPO9N-W5B57TBRlrsGiJs1Uc6p5H2xteD2NXwQttVD_GuH7LbaiWJzondm9Hdm/s1600/motorcycle-taxi.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Each taxi and motorcycle taxi driver has a number. In a taxi its on the drivers card and each motor taxi driver has a number on their orange vest. Remember this number so if something goes wrong or they try to scam you, you can report them. Tuktuks don't have a number but they do have a license plate so you can get that instead. (If there is no number don't get in/on the taxi.)<br />
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7. Know the right direction<br />
Taxi drivers will tell you they know a place even if they don't. They just want to get you in the taxi so they can get paid. Plus many places have similar names (ex. Lumpini Park and Lumpini Center). So make sure you know which direction you should be going in to avoid being taken to the wrong destination.<br />
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That's about it! Not all taxis are bad but as a foreigner, you will be seen as easy to trick or confuse. So just to be safe, try to remember these rules if you are traveling in Thailand.<br />
Till next time!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-37756545657169000382015-03-03T01:16:00.001-08:002015-03-03T01:16:14.143-08:00The End...Of School!As of Saturday, March 1st, I am finished with my thai studies. At least the in class ones. Technically <i>I</i> was finished on February 19th because the last six days of school were finals which I did not take. It was a rather sad day. While I am happy not to have to sit in nine classes a day, most of which I did absolutely nothing in, I will miss seeing my thai friends everyday. They've been such a huge part of my year and have taught me as much thai culture and language as my teacher has! I'll still hangout with my closer friends but some of them I probably won't see again. At least I have literally hundreds of pictures to remember them by!<br />
My class was super sweet in saying goodbye to me. At the end of the day we all went to the school market and after a while I noticed that everyone had left except Beer. So we ate our food then went to look for our friends. We got to our main classroom and everyone was there holding letters that spelled GOOD LUCK JENNY! and singing! It was so sweat and I even cried! The weird thing though, was that they were all wearing masks of my face! It was a little creepy to see 22 of me! After they finished singing we took a million pictures together!<br />
Some of you might notice that I said I finished school on a Saturday. This is because I went with my class to math and science camp at a tech university. I'm sure the subjects were very interesting but lectures about entomology, astronomy, and physics are still a little outside my language level! But the time I spent with my friends was fun! Plus, I got a new name! It seems the camp people didn't know I was coming but one of the girls from my class didn't come so they gave me her name tag. So for the weekend I was Ni News.<br />
Now that I have 3.5 months of summer I'm not sure what I'll do but I'm sure I'll have lots of fun! This month we have the YE trip to the South and next month we have the trip in the North! It's going to be great to have all the exchange students together!<br />
And for anyone who is curious, I have scheduled my return ticket. I will be arriving in Seattle on June 18th just 2 hours after I leave Bangkok! Gotta love time zones!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-56999136811438557202015-02-09T04:39:00.001-08:002015-02-09T04:39:35.608-08:00My week of little sleepThis last week has been crazy and fun and exhausting! I got less sleep this week than any other week I've been here. Sure, I've had a night or two with little or no sleep but never a good eight nights!<br />
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<b>Sunday:</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Me on the restaurant's sign!)</td></tr>
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AT about 5pm Diego's first host came and told me we leave in 5min. So I grab my bag and go. We first go to a sushi buffet because Diego really wanted sushi! Then we went to a cowboy themed fair! It was super fun! We ate junk food, saw motorcycles and a pickup drive on a wall (video on Facebook), and bought cowboy hats and shirt! So fun! But we got home at 2am and had school in the morning!<br />
<b>Monday:</b><br />
Well four hours of sleep made it rather difficult to stay awake in class but I made it through the day. Then around 7pm, Diego's first host asked if we wanted to go get pizza. Of course! What teenager doesn't want pizza! So we go to Saraburi to get pizza and do some shopping. And once again we get back super late! Then for some reason I can't recall, I needed to Skype with my parents so I went to sleep around 2am again!<br />
<b> Tuesday:</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjQJ_JHr2sAXpXPHiwRGGTwpf3JPD-ATgisH_Imn793GxHkqIhHzw7Wvb-A2jjosjOh4ZuaL7PRY9aAQQOoEHEllTTOiL5Xwv3VAx8u_-hLH8qVTiRN0_SX8azgypEy7iEjCYqCOPRthH/s1600/IMG_2669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjQJ_JHr2sAXpXPHiwRGGTwpf3JPD-ATgisH_Imn793GxHkqIhHzw7Wvb-A2jjosjOh4ZuaL7PRY9aAQQOoEHEllTTOiL5Xwv3VAx8u_-hLH8qVTiRN0_SX8azgypEy7iEjCYqCOPRthH/s1600/IMG_2669.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Diego at the cow farm on the way to rally)</td></tr>
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I was running on nothing but caffeine! Coffee, coffee, coffee until I could get to my room to take a nap! But I had to stay up super late again! This time was unexpected but I needed to make a call to the SAT people to resolve an issue with my test sign up. But to make this call I had to wait until 11:30am PST or 2:30am my time! It took a half hour to talk with them and I'm not sure I was totally coherent. I finally went to sleep at 3am!<br />
<b>Wednesday:</b><br />
I seriously considered skipping school but didn't because Wednesday is my favorite day. But I ended up fell asleep in most my classes. You'd think it would be time for a break but that night Diego and I, along with another student, Anna, went to Bangkok for a goodbye dinner for Reily. She left yesterday morning :( But we didn't get to Bangkok until about 9pm then had dinner and hangout together! We ended up getting home around 3am. Another night with little sleep!<br />
<b>Thursday:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpqi0RP_GSbSdAqlLMiZSjUSJEzsCqNS891opCSF8mk60NMuTw4yr8x8kruUoBc2xnmaLBQXSwkshCoT6Nfr4eCXzfLlRA6obTLriJqIbpzhUicn2AlN-r9D37dzGqBcVtWSkIVz6pNYp/s1600/IMG_2649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpqi0RP_GSbSdAqlLMiZSjUSJEzsCqNS891opCSF8mk60NMuTw4yr8x8kruUoBc2xnmaLBQXSwkshCoT6Nfr4eCXzfLlRA6obTLriJqIbpzhUicn2AlN-r9D37dzGqBcVtWSkIVz6pNYp/s1600/IMG_2649.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>I didn't go to school because I was going to Bangkok to see my Grandma and her boyfriend. It was great to see her and talk all day! We went shopping in Siam Square, saw Erawan Shrine, and I had them try a ton of thai snacks! After they left I went with three of my exchange friends for massages and real talian pizza! It was totally what I needed! Then Anna and I went to spend the night at Reily's house. Of course, when you put three teen girls in one room, you don't get a ton of sleep and we had to get up early to go to the BTS. It was totally with it though!<br />
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<b>Friday:</b><br />
Though I had to get up early so I could get home, I was able to sleep nice and early that night! Finally!<br />
<b>Saturday:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOtZg2BtU0dFLP6I9nEqIlQfmV_5oThVp6wdie9zzVhcNO8IKZdUsb4LuAujm-NTXt_r7E1N88S19dvSpiHCnm6pnS2_V9dCmdIGNQtDpHSlhhiQAlHkNZDFnSmFueylUWSEWKMy0H9Rx/s1600/IMG_2689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOtZg2BtU0dFLP6I9nEqIlQfmV_5oThVp6wdie9zzVhcNO8IKZdUsb4LuAujm-NTXt_r7E1N88S19dvSpiHCnm6pnS2_V9dCmdIGNQtDpHSlhhiQAlHkNZDFnSmFueylUWSEWKMy0H9Rx/s1600/IMG_2689.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
After going to sleep early I had to wake up at 5am! Why? Because this weekend was Rotary Rally! I was still tired but it was pretty fun! We were in teams by car and had to do challenges on the way to Kaoyhai! Once there Diego and I got to go swimming and ride bikes and play with some of the kids! That night we had cowboy nights we got dressed up and went to the hoedown! But it was pretty boring so we went off on our own to just hang. When we got back to the rooms we realized we didn't have to key so we had to wait outside until someone came back!<br />
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It was a busy and sleepless week but super fun! And I get the feeling this won't be my last time with little sleep with school ending in three weeks and the rotary trips coming up! Can't wait!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-37520812305549770712015-01-23T06:03:00.000-08:002015-01-31T11:45:19.871-08:00What's goin' on?Amazing how normal things become after a while! Five months ago things like seeing an elephant in town, going to Bangkok for a few day to hang with friends, or riding a motorcycle seemed crazy to me! Now it's just everyday life! And my thai has gotten so much better!! I can usually understand what people tell me and reply; I'm no longer lost all the time. It feels like everything is coming together here and there's no way I'm gonna want to leave in another five months! Can everyone just come stay with me here instead?<br />
So my life has been pretty routine in the past month with my second host family. Going to school (most days), playing basketball or badminton after school with the kids at my home, eating dinner with the teacher's who live here, and going to Zumba most nights with my host mom! It's the same everyday but I never get bored, there's just no time to be.<br />
Last weekend was "Mid-Year Counseling" for all the exchange students. I was supposed to go to Hua Hin with my host family and all the teachers at the school where I live but Rotary said it was mandatory for me to be at the meeting! I was a bit bummed but I got to stay in Bangkok with Emily for four days which helped make up for it! Thursday and Friday we didn't want to go to school so we hung out around Bangkok and met some other exchange students for dinner! There was one part of the day on friday we got lost and were running to catch the next train and I had the joy of falling down a flight of stairs, but I was mostly fine! On Saturday we went to stay at our friend Reily's house. That night we went to Khao San for shopping, tacos, and our friend got a tattoo!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC51PqSOukJHa1zce6bTFUHBduGMqeyBy8x3cPn3y9ofPju0Em93y0ZBZlcqNAFLYfv5f4EpKDjui2d1SIqw8U8PM-OR2vLbRLLLqiZf69PE5lHM1VPcKj10uA7E-1hE-8uhD-SmjyM6E_/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC51PqSOukJHa1zce6bTFUHBduGMqeyBy8x3cPn3y9ofPju0Em93y0ZBZlcqNAFLYfv5f4EpKDjui2d1SIqw8U8PM-OR2vLbRLLLqiZf69PE5lHM1VPcKj10uA7E-1hE-8uhD-SmjyM6E_/s1600/photo+1.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Sunday was the "counseling" which was really just all the YEs talking together and eating pizza, only stopping to listen to the Rotary president welcome us. There was also a thai speech contest and I was one of the top ten students and won a rotary backpack! Not bad for righting my speech at midnight the night before! ;)<br />
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Overall it was fun and great to have everyone together! I went back home with the student from Mexico who live in the same city as me! We got to my house and found out that we have the same second host! He switched hosts on Monday and lives four rooms down from me! It's cool to have another exchange student here and he's fun to play basketball with!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-24888896119506785402015-01-04T05:10:00.002-08:002015-01-04T05:10:30.885-08:00OMG! 2015!!<b><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: lime;">Happy New Years!</span> </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm_PQOHfCxXLnokiQ9uMoRxKx215m7ZNCogLpWxYYk8ABsSOlood8_Ex2V6hR0DNtz-M3i-_ic0_wQJTBsmkai4ynblGZEPC7-yLsdWO_fo9XKceNV2yn-in97W7yhvFuBzISNWp1M9wr/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm_PQOHfCxXLnokiQ9uMoRxKx215m7ZNCogLpWxYYk8ABsSOlood8_Ex2V6hR0DNtz-M3i-_ic0_wQJTBsmkai4ynblGZEPC7-yLsdWO_fo9XKceNV2yn-in97W7yhvFuBzISNWp1M9wr/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This ginger bread house has<br />real cookies!</td></tr>
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Wow! Can you believe it's been five months since I came to Thailand! Because I can't! This year is flying by and before I know it I'll be getting ready to go home! I only have five and a half more months!!! Well, on to other news.<br />
So Christmas came but it didn't really feel like Christmas with everyone else in school and work. As planned, I went to Bangkok to visit Emily and we went to a Christmas diner with a ton of foreigners who happened to be traveling in Bangkok on Christmas. It was fun to talk with them all about their traveling and they seemed shocked that we are only 17 and living in a foreign country for a year! This was Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we mostly slept and hung out. I Skyped my awesome family back <br />
home and opened some presents they sent me! Emily and I also went to see Night at the Museum 3 which was surprisingly good for a third movie!<br />
On the 26th was Rotary Day! All the RYE in my district were there and it was super fun to hangout with them all! We did a show in the talent competition and did so well that we didn't even place! But we had too much fun to care! We performed in the morning so for the rest of the time we just messed around! My favorite part was the water fight! The great thing about water fights here is that you dry rather quickly and don't mind being soaked because it's so hot here! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJpCFK7C2RFjAQUosdjMdldI_tNeJstBB-8phfByl9lq4riSQde9vdhF-3DWRE63NpdZ_7tLV58QH_RB0V4X4nN7cvdRaTOymVv7i-41pvqLjQA7ZjZwnldIjFcOP5SVS6hYzHGm9ed_8/s1600/IMG_2180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJpCFK7C2RFjAQUosdjMdldI_tNeJstBB-8phfByl9lq4riSQde9vdhF-3DWRE63NpdZ_7tLV58QH_RB0V4X4nN7cvdRaTOymVv7i-41pvqLjQA7ZjZwnldIjFcOP5SVS6hYzHGm9ed_8/s1600/IMG_2180.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
After Rotary Day Emily came to stay at my house for the weekend because she had nothing better to do! We didn't really do anything but it was great to have another American around!<br />
For New Years I want with the people who I think will be my third host family to visit their extended family. I don't know the name of the place we went but their house was right by the Bing River! This meant that I got to not only swim in the river for most the day but I also got to BATHE in a RIVER!<br />
(it probably wasn't the best way to get clean but it was cool to try.) Since there were so many people at the house some of us camped in the front yard and as hard as it may be to believe, it did feel cold! I never imagined I'd wish for a coat in Thailand!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WuUKcE-b7h4vFv1jYDQvl3xH4ZdVQZ8q9j0rfPtHTWfgVBeAOHmmhA3bbBrQsHSZWqriJiAdY922W_CRCSaWRzsFSxJwOA0ydf3PhtviXU9N2P69luh6WsswXPRt7xWTSbPa-aSaeQtE/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0WuUKcE-b7h4vFv1jYDQvl3xH4ZdVQZ8q9j0rfPtHTWfgVBeAOHmmhA3bbBrQsHSZWqriJiAdY922W_CRCSaWRzsFSxJwOA0ydf3PhtviXU9N2P69luh6WsswXPRt7xWTSbPa-aSaeQtE/s1600/IMG_2242.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>On the 2nd we left the river house and went to visit the other side of the family! This time I got to sleep inside and on a bed! I spent most of my time entertaining my 2 year old host cousin since he immediately liked me! Plus, he doesn't talk much which I was totally fine with!<br />
Now I'm back home and tomorrow I have school. :( As much as I like school here, getting up at 6:30AM is just not something I will ever enjoy. But I only have about two more months of school before I'm finished for the year (haha I finish in march and don't start again till September!) So I think I'll make it!<br />
Until next time! I love and miss you all!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-81273508823339733732014-12-17T06:06:00.000-08:002014-12-30T03:19:14.127-08:00Trading ↔ Spaces<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnl3GJAW13W6EHia63hyphenhyphencfUX9g2VkK0uci6_Oy8la6oACvR70wpc5HgF1-yEuU3S6n7eUgLdKd_oxjrHGRg5_esHetzfY6Rn4oKuaGZZc5g4-NDoe4niS_sYXpeTcRuQ1n130Ke-T0Og9/s1600/IMG_1943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnl3GJAW13W6EHia63hyphenhyphencfUX9g2VkK0uci6_Oy8la6oACvR70wpc5HgF1-yEuU3S6n7eUgLdKd_oxjrHGRg5_esHetzfY6Rn4oKuaGZZc5g4-NDoe4niS_sYXpeTcRuQ1n130Ke-T0Og9/s1600/IMG_1943.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a>I have finally switched to my second host family! Of course I will miss my first host family because they were super nice and helped me a ton but my new place is so cool! I am not actually living with my host parents but in a dorm like place across the street! My second host parents own a preschool and some of the staff live in little apartment things at the school and I have one all to myself! I've only been here 4 days but I love it already! I missed having my own bathroom! And I get to be way more independent here. I can go places around town or even to Bangkok by myself! (Yes, I am always careful and safe.) I get the perks of being an adult with freedom and space with the perks of being a kid because I have people to take care of me still!<br />
The secretary of the school is like the mom of everyone here. She cooks us all dinner, takes me to school, and makes sure I have everything I need! She's basically my host mom. Then there's the teachers who live here and they're all very friendly! Even though the youngest teacher is 26 I can still talk with them and they keep me entertained! One of the teachers has a 2 year old son who won't come near me and waits until I leave a room before entering. It's so cute but I have made it my mission to make him like me!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIjO5o7FDDyHGN22dDm9Dv8eKnF684qSsHe7TjXGBPhidN2CIB9yZF7BYqjsUOt4T8cc6HkztlDtYx9E78x3H00FtkqAxZjdLLcwwiT_NB36mAcnMiaCQALOUKhAuLm_es5sTPbElt8a4/s1600/IMG_1965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIjO5o7FDDyHGN22dDm9Dv8eKnF684qSsHe7TjXGBPhidN2CIB9yZF7BYqjsUOt4T8cc6HkztlDtYx9E78x3H00FtkqAxZjdLLcwwiT_NB36mAcnMiaCQALOUKhAuLm_es5sTPbElt8a4/s1600/IMG_1965.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>Yesterday I went to Bangkok by myself for the first time to hang out with another RYE named Emily. For the most part it was amazing! Being the teen girls that we are, we started by shopping where I found a super cute dress! Next went to the Art and Culture museum and got a charcoal drawing together. Then we stopped by a beautiful park with tons of flowers and a lake with a fountain! From there we went to check out one of the temples in Bangkok but it was closed so we could only look at the outside (which was of course gorgeous). By that time we had done a lot of walking and felt that it was necessary to go get thai foot massages! Completely necessary! Our final stop was at a super tall hotel where we wanted to go to the top and look at the sky view but it was only for guests. It was a crazy day overall and so very very fun! We also took every type of transportation! Buses, the Sky Train, taxis, a tuk tuk, and numerous motorcycles!<br />
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Since everyone where I live is Buddist, there's no Christmas celebration. I was very sad to find out that there is school on Christmas! Of course I won't be going because they have midterms and I want to celebrate Christmas but all my friends will be busy studying! So Emily and I made plans to go to a Christmas dinner with a bunch of other foreigners in Bangkok and spend the night at her house! Hopefully it will be great!<br />
It's so hard to believe that Christmas is already here! Before I know it I'm going to be scheduling my flight home and I am nowhere near ready for that! I swear I just got here! So many things are happening and I just want to do it all!<br />
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In case I don't post until after Christmas, <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">MERRY</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">CHRISTMAS</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">EVERYONE!!</span></span> I love you all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-34178362553789290172014-12-07T04:58:00.002-08:002014-12-30T03:21:26.596-08:00Feeling Happy :DHard to believe it's been a month since I last updated! I haven't really been busy just haven't done much. But today was just a truly great day so I thought I'd share it with you all!<br />
I went to Bangkok today with my host parents and host cousins to visit my host aunt who is in the hospital with Cancer. She is so amazing! Even with being sick in the hospital, she still smiles, makes jokes, and makes everyone in the room feel happy to be around her! After that we went to visit one of the big temples in Bangkok and I got to see a monk-in-training become a monk! I got to talk with some funny people who were there to help celebrate and eat some delicious pastries! Overall very fun! I also got to spend some quality time with my 10 year old cousin who was very shy at first but quickly warmed up to me. When we got home, my host dad asked if I wanted to go swimming and of course I wanted to! I got to swim around for an hour just relaxing which felt awesome! It was the first real physical activity I've done in weeks (I have seriously been so lazy)! After showering I went to eat dinner and found that my host dad got cheesy hot dogs and chocolate milk! In such a short time he has got me figured out haha. It was totally the perfect meal to end my day and I just feel very happy!<br />
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In other news, school is good and I'm having fun. Second semester started last month and I've officially been placed in a class, grade 11 class 1. Most of the subjects are boring like math, science, and history but all my friends are in this class so I wouldn't want to switch. Every weekend I've been doing something, whether it's shopping in Bangkok or Saraburi, going to a wedding, or hanging out with my friends!<br />
Last Friday was Father's Day/The King's Birthday so I had no school! Unfortunately I had to get up at 4:30am so we could go to Pattaya. We went to a family memorial sight where we gave offerings to their ancestors then ate all the food used in the offering (it was a lot of food). After that We went to this super fun place called Ripley's Believe It or Not! I got to see some strange artifacts, walk through a very realistic wax museum (I was fooled more than once thinking something was real), and go through a later maze! It was so fun and cool to see everything!<br />
Soon I'll be switching host families. I'm sad to leave this family which I've gotten so comfortable with but I'm also very excited to get to know a new family! I promise to tell you all about them!<br />
I miss everyone so much but not to worry, I'm having fantastically amazing time here!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-27749270595138263252014-11-05T02:08:00.000-08:002014-11-05T02:08:08.952-08:00Myanmar!Hard to believe I've only been here three months! I feel like too much has happened for it to be such a short time! I've already gone to two other countries besides Thailand!! I just can't believe how amazing it is here and I am so thankful that I get to be an exchange student and go on all these adventures!<br />
So last weekend I went with a large group of strangers (and my host uncle) on a trip to Myanmar! It was not what I was expecting at all! We spent three days at a temple and when we weren't at that temple we were visiting a different temple. It was a very <i>interesting</i> adventure. While I learned a lot about Buddhism, how it works and what they do, its not something I'd volunteer for again. We spent three days doing prayers while sitting in uncomfortable positions and giving offerings such as money and food to the monks. They told me that we were doing a ritual for the monks who have apparently been in the temple for three months praying during the monsoon season.<br />
Since it was my birthday, they decided I should be the one to give the monks the big gift of 1 million baht! Its a huge honor and is supposed to bring me good luck in my next life. It was also cool when a temple full of people sang me happy birthday and I turned red as a tomato! They thought I very amusing.<br />
As far as my 17th birthday, it was very sweet. Since I was in Myanmar on my actual birthday, my host family took me out to diner the night before I left and surprised me with an ice cream cake when we got home! It was so nice! Then on Monday, my friends gave me a chocolate cake and sang me happy birthday! Of course being the foreigner who everybody knows, everyone who saw me told me happy birthday! People here are just so sweet and it made me feel so loved! Finally to top it all off, I received a birthday package from home filled with my favorite candies! I was super happy and my friends loved the sour patch kids I brought to school! They all thought the candy was covered in sugar and had a fun surprise when it turned out to be sour! Haha!<br />
In general, I am having a great time! I am spending time with my thai besties and with the other exchange students. It's always great when we're together because we can really understand each other! My thai is getting better everyday! I even surprised my friends the other day when I said a full sentence in thai correctly! I can't wait to see what I get to do next!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-42424007663021789572014-10-27T05:56:00.000-07:002014-10-27T05:56:09.096-07:00My trip to "Malaysia"Exactly one week ago I got home from my trip south. It was a rotary trip with my club and my friend Danielle's club. We went island hoping stopping at numerous beaches for sight seeing, swimming, and even snorkeling! It was so fun and everything was absolutely beautiful! They originally told me we would be going on a trip to Malaysia, so I assumed the whole trip would be there. Turns out we were only spending one day in Malaysia. It was of course beautiful but we mostly went to museums and did tours which were in thai. My favorite part of the trip was after the day of island hopping in southern Thailand when we arrived at an island called Koh Lipé! The resort we stayed at was right on the beach, which is where Danielle and I spent most our time. And the beds felt amazing after sleeping on a bus the night before to get to the south!<br />
Of course, after spending so much time in the sunny south on a boat and in the water, I came home with a fantastic sunburn. I think it was the perfect shade of lobster red! Though now it has turned into a pretty nice tan! When I told my friends here that I got a tan they looked at me like I was crazy because to them, I'm still incredibly pale.<br />
After the trip, I was so tired that I could have slept for days! Unfortunately, they had other plans! In the week since I've been home, I've gone shopping in Bangkok twice, to language camp with the other exchange students, hung out at my friend Lek's house, and today went to the opening of my third host family's 7 eleven! And if all this hasn't been enough, I'm leaving for Mayanmar in 3 days! I can't wait to see what it's like in yet another country!<br />
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This weeks high light was going to language camp on Sunday. I missed the first two classes because I was going on trip and I'll be missing the last one for the same reason, so I was really happy to get to go! We didn't really learn and thai that we didn't already know but we spent hours talking about everything! It was so great to have everyone together finally! I can't wait until we're all together angain because we all understand each other so well! We also got to make Loi Gratongs, which are small floats decorated with flowers, for the festival next week!<br />
There are just so many fun things going on here! Hard to believe it hasn't even been three months!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-82128038065490070132014-10-13T04:47:00.004-07:002014-10-13T04:47:51.872-07:0010 Days of Fun and FriendsI have been so busy this last week! Going on trips and having visitors non stop for 10 days! I guess I should start from the beginning so you all can understand just how crazy it's been!<br />
It started two fridays ago on the 3rd. It was five minutes before I left for school that morning when the house phone rang and it was for ME! I mean, who in thailand would be calling my house here? It was my host cousin, Bird, the same person who took me to Kowyai. She asked me if I wanted to go on another trip so, of course, I said yes. She told me to go pack my bag for the weekend and that she would be picking me up in an hour to take me to another city and see another exchange student! That was all the information I got! So I packed and told my host mom that I wasn't going to school but was instead going away for the weekend! Bird came and got me and we were off!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS1GTob97UOez4ajcBpV2MQCN18NtGtmjsqwQbRtzMQ1xJDGfGAc2rKY2VZgQGaBsr3pvg9b1V3EXeT31xruGIzTwPf4E1vUi7hOvT8aCGsAhqOQam0jN3WixUEHE8JtdZPXo6PJzlLdi/s1600/IMG_1144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS1GTob97UOez4ajcBpV2MQCN18NtGtmjsqwQbRtzMQ1xJDGfGAc2rKY2VZgQGaBsr3pvg9b1V3EXeT31xruGIzTwPf4E1vUi7hOvT8aCGsAhqOQam0jN3WixUEHE8JtdZPXo6PJzlLdi/s1600/IMG_1144.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Now what happens when you put six people into a car made for five, add four dogs, and drive at 80mph on a very bumpy road for many hours? You get one very car sick girl named Jen who is sneezing due to her allergy to dogs. The car ride was a nightmare and I was more than happy to get out when they said we had arrived in Lopburi. Next I went with a rotary member who drove me to a birthday party that his rotary club was throwing for their president. This was where I met the other exchange student named Danielle. Turns out that she had no idea I was coming to stay at her house for the weekend.<br />
We bonded immediately due to the fact that we understood each other completely and could actually have a real conversation. The weekend passed rather fast. The birthday party was a bit crazy with loud music and some rather "exotic" dancers. We decided to leave the party a bit early. We stayed up talking way too late! The next day we went bowling with her rotary club in Bangkok and met up with another student named Israel. It was so fun even though I was a terrible bowler! We also got to spend one night at her family's second home just us and we had a total slumber party with movies, a ton of pillows, and junk food!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUH0uZ3A4fxSt0DCYgU5emBllApnu1yM8V8T5LYoi4uwr_77mugbJ5IIqGXgLzwwDO3yQlMUydXevtxIpkmbbt2QBKUDdbOJRevTvLKhEXgeVhNN-39keHlFkHQ7TCVCkfESwyep_Kn7M/s1600/IMG_1123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUH0uZ3A4fxSt0DCYgU5emBllApnu1yM8V8T5LYoi4uwr_77mugbJ5IIqGXgLzwwDO3yQlMUydXevtxIpkmbbt2QBKUDdbOJRevTvLKhEXgeVhNN-39keHlFkHQ7TCVCkfESwyep_Kn7M/s1600/IMG_1123.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>On Sunday night her host dad told us that Danielle would becoming to my house for a week and we were going back the next day! Since I still had school for another week, we went to school on Monday and Tuesday. Monday was rather boring because they were doing set up for tuesday. Tuesday we got to dress up in traditional thai dresses and walk in the parade. It was so cool to see myself in the thai costume. After the parade we watched a couple soccer games and cheered! We didn't go to school the rest of the week though. We were way too tired and used Wednesday to catch up on sleep.<br />
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We figured we could relax the rest of the week and just have fun hanging out! But on thursday we find out that we are leaving on another trip the fallowing day! So we spent all of Thursday making sure we are ready for our trip to the south!<br />
Friday comes and we are off to Hua Hin! It is a great tourist town 3 hours south of Bangkok! We did lots of swimming though mostly in the giant pool because the ocean had jellyfish! Though we did find a cocoanut at the beach!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVpU_lV584S7F3eQaGWcd-3F5PpprTIkgHOIODhYF2tj1vRFQBg4B7452UHLwy-QHv2vU-1bzuCJEFyolyfoflY6Plrs_U28hXR_dqVdglI46wc_g48WDSFPTGNkYH6MSrai5-aUrUK6O/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVpU_lV584S7F3eQaGWcd-3F5PpprTIkgHOIODhYF2tj1vRFQBg4B7452UHLwy-QHv2vU-1bzuCJEFyolyfoflY6Plrs_U28hXR_dqVdglI46wc_g48WDSFPTGNkYH6MSrai5-aUrUK6O/s1600/IMG_1166.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>We stayed at the Sheraton resort! It was gorgeous and had a karaoke bar that we went to on our first night! On Saturday we went with a group of people into town. In this group where a bunch of rotary members from Australia! It was fun to talk to other english speakers!! We went shopping at the mall and got massages! The oil massage was waayyy less painful than the thai massage I got last time! On Sunday we went back home, well, back to my house anyway! Danielle and I spent the night watching the new movies we bought at the mall!<br />
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Since we brought the cocoanut we found back with us, we figured we should open it. After a few failed attempts, the housekeeper brought out a big knife and opened it for us! I think it was out of pity for our terrible failure at trying to open it by beating it on the ground! Then it was time for Danielle to go back to her house in Lopburi. It was a great 10 days especially since I had someone who knew exactly what I was going through and we could compare our experiences!<br />
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Next up I have two days of rest before I'm off again! I'm going to Koh Lipe (an island in southern Thailand) and Malaysia for five days! Can't wait to tell you all about it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-8950251939798014632014-09-27T23:59:00.003-07:002014-10-13T04:54:35.223-07:00Pattaya and My week off!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VyEcvJNJFoIOpexNAra2-pYkhgdsJS_Ouy2IeUtkAV5jHKyXZLW8_mQ8eU0UuHDxRQtZzDTEj953p3IsJjJ5ArITgk1_jE3LuAns1PVdgEUyI2P3KuKlc3ZK885wsJZ9SacgIYhzaKpD/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VyEcvJNJFoIOpexNAra2-pYkhgdsJS_Ouy2IeUtkAV5jHKyXZLW8_mQ8eU0UuHDxRQtZzDTEj953p3IsJjJ5ArITgk1_jE3LuAns1PVdgEUyI2P3KuKlc3ZK885wsJZ9SacgIYhzaKpD/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>A couple weeks ago I went on a field trip with my school to Pattaya! It was so much fun! First of all the bus was great and was different than school buses in America! There was music blasting out of 16 speakers and a bunch of colored lights flashing! Students where dancing and singing, myself included! It was pretty much a party bus! The first stop was the Pattaya Floating Market! We had lunch and spent some time looking at cloths in the shops. It was such a huge market, I wish I had more time to look aroung but we had other places to go. The next stop was at a theatre.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBri7bqhPLGHPJrAFDtWnd7eUHfFGc7idG-fQmamWR0pP-qVCmFjAT7K2LoJpWPD1xd5K0H2BXoL7OL2YMOC3yVA1uTKv9psoFcRZvULok4l9uEOESjz61wsEI5ap2W8LnJT-lVKNsyxc/s1600/IMG_0925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBri7bqhPLGHPJrAFDtWnd7eUHfFGc7idG-fQmamWR0pP-qVCmFjAT7K2LoJpWPD1xd5K0H2BXoL7OL2YMOC3yVA1uTKv9psoFcRZvULok4l9uEOESjz61wsEI5ap2W8LnJT-lVKNsyxc/s1600/IMG_0925.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a>While waiting to go to the show, I go to ride on an elephant with my friend Poi! Elephants are surprisingly uncomfortable to sit on! Then we went into the theatre where we watching a show about thai history and culture told through dance. It was beautiful and included fire, running water, and elephants! After the show we got back on the buses to head home. On the way home we stopped at a huge snack store! After that stop, we were ready for the 4 hour ride back.<br />
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This past week was finals week at my school so I didn't have to go. I though I would be stuck at home with nothing to do. Wow, I was so wrong!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRLbl-KMu_DUgONp50LTOy8P18_A5FkOoF71zXt8-kVaLzZ-1UoCJe9XQBgv7wP8lsTHS8fVA05R2uQu309j2lgtHWe33zuVP7OQORvNMF7yTSThCahTSVK1N_v0cyqy8KA3u_yE7jcNk/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRLbl-KMu_DUgONp50LTOy8P18_A5FkOoF71zXt8-kVaLzZ-1UoCJe9XQBgv7wP8lsTHS8fVA05R2uQu309j2lgtHWe33zuVP7OQORvNMF7yTSThCahTSVK1N_v0cyqy8KA3u_yE7jcNk/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>I got to go shopping in Bangkok on Monday with a couple of girls. We had fun shopping together and they invited me to go with them to Kowyai with them the next day. I didn't know what Kowyai was but said yes. Turns out Kowyai is this awesome hotel that looks like a castle from the outside! Everything was so beautiful and I got my own hotel room! After settling in at the hotel we went shopping at this little market that looked like it was from medieval Europe. After shopping we stopped by the zoo! There were some really cool bird that I had never seen before and a lovely white tiger that splashed me with water! Next we went to get thai massages. I don't know if I liked it or not. The massage itself was kind of painful but I felt amazing afterward! To end out great day, we all went to dinner at The Chocolate Factory. The food tasted fantastic! And the chocolate cake was to die for! After all this I was ready to go back to my hotel room and sleep.<br />
On wednesday we packed up and left Kowyai. On the way home we stopped at a cute market for breakfast and at an ice cream shop with fresh, homemade ice cream! After this fun and busy trip it was nice to have a relaxing day at home just reading and watching tv. On friday I went to a friend's house for a sleep over. We ate pizza and watched movies just like any sleepover in America!<br />
I also made an American meal for my family. They loved the french toast and cheesy scrambled eggs, though the oatmeal with apples was not a hit. I think next time I'll make a dessert for them. Maybe apple pie?<br />
My thai has been improving and I am starting to get used to the heat but the humidity is killer! I've been having so much fun with my friends and family here! I love them all!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-31988606336225598412014-09-08T06:23:00.003-07:002014-09-08T06:23:56.294-07:00Festival, Elephants, and a Party!! So far my time here has been very fun and exciting with new experiences and lots of friends. But this weekend takes the cake! I have just had the best weekend of my time here with tons of fun friday through monday!<br />
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Friday! Since it was friday it was automatically a good day but what made it better was getting to spend time with my friends after school. I played in a badminton tournament with three of my friends who live near by. I didn't do great but it was so much fun (and exhausting) to play for 2 hours. Then my friends Beer and Lek invited me to go to the moon festival with them. Beer drove us there on her motorcycle which while fun is still terrifying! I got to eat thai fair food and play games!<br />
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Saturday! After staying up late the night before it felt great to sleep in. When I got up I found that my sisters were gone so I spent the day mostly relaxing and doing some art homework which didn't really feel like work! In the afternoon some family came to visit and my host uncle showed me how to cook some thai food! I made two of the dishes that we ate for dinner that night and everyone liked them! My sisters came home late in the evening having gone on a school trip. They brought me a purse which I happen to have the matching wallet for! Then to end the night I got to Skype with my older sister Samantha and her room mate Kaycie! It was so great to talk with them and a big congratulations to Kaycie on the engagement!<br />
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Sunday! As usual I had no idea about the plans for the day but it was such a great surprise! We all got in the car in the morning (I've learned to just go with it) drove for about 2 hours. We went to see elephants! I got to see an elephant performance with dancing, walking on two legs, and other cool tricks, plus I got to feed them! The best part thug, was when I got to ride on an elephant with my sister Ice! It was amazing to be sitting on top of the giant animal while seeing the beautiful city I was in! After the elephants we went to lunch and ice cream and finally shopping! I got a super cute t-shirt with an elephant on it!<br />
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Monday! Even though it meant the start of the school week, I rather enjoy monday because all my classes are music or dance! It was also my friend Beer's birthday! She invited me to her house for her birthday party, so after school I went with her and Poi. The party was great! Most of my friends from school were there and we spent the evening eating amazing thai food, dancing, and singing terribly! It turns out that they think I'm a good dancer and it was the most fun I've had yet!<br />
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I can't wait to see what come up next! I love being in Thailand!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-34035498363572138522014-09-04T04:33:00.000-07:002014-09-04T04:33:11.240-07:00OMG! One whole month!Hard to believe it's already been a month! Sorry this is so long but there been a lot happening! I've settled into a good routine with school and friends and stuff. I'm still playing lots of badminton, 5 days a week. Though there has been some heavy rain this week so we can't play for as long. When it rains here it goes from sunny and fine to downpour in seconds with thunder and lightning!<br />
There is a street fair a couple blocks from me that started on Friday. I got to play games, look at some cool thai art, and I finally ate a bug! It was a grilled caterpillar that tasted fine but still grossed me out! Every one was doing double takes when they saw me. Some people even stopped and stared because I look so different! I also ran into the Mexican exchange student who had just arrived a couple days ago. We talked for a few minutes but he doesn't speak much english and I don't speak spanish so it was very basic.<br />
School has been great! I have figured out my schedule and decided which classes I want to go to and which I don't. Sometimes if I don't like my next subject I'll just stay with my class or go to the library. I really like my four dance classes and my art classes. On Wednesday, 5 out of 7 of my classes are art! I'm currently working on a painting of American culture and my drawing skills are improving a ton! And I have been doing great in English class! :) I am usually speaking to the class or helping different groups with pronunciation and grammar. It's kind of fun to teach them! My thai lessons are really helping me. I can now communicate what I doing or want or how I'm feeling and I sometimes can understand and answer people's questions! Even after 3 weeks at school people are still treating me like a star. Everyone I pass says hi and students (and sometimes even teachers) ask to take pictures with me! The girls in my culture class on thus days love doing my hair because it's so different than everyone else's and I love what they do with it!<br />
From August to September there is a sports celebration. My school is split into four teams and I am on the green team. Every thursday there are competitions! Last week was tug-o-war and I competed with the other girls on my team. We lost but it was still fun! This week there was water balloon racing, piñata smashing, and this race where a stick it hung from your waist and it's used to move an orange across the field. I got to do the piñata competition which was great!<br />
Let me just take a moment to tell you that the food here is absolutely amazing! When I get home I am going to hate American food! I am loving all the flavors and variety! I am even starting to like the spice when it's not burning my mouth to death!<br />
Now that I can communicate better my relationship with me host parents is improving. We can have some basic conversations and make small talk! I am no longer confused <i>all</i> the time just most of the time! I love my sisters! They are so helpful and fun! I love playing games, watching movies, and talking with them. And they share their cloths with me which make them the best!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-62032800735634590062014-08-25T04:53:00.001-07:002014-08-25T04:53:46.033-07:00Orientation and other stuffI have been having such a great time and staying busy! On friday my school was hosting an event called Get Ready for ASEAN also known as english camp. Of course they insisted I participate! There were five schools including mine with about 30 students from each school and I found out about 20 minutes before the event began that I would be giving the opening speech since I knew the best english. So I quickly prepared a short speech with the help of my english teacher and got up in front of about 150 students to speak. After that we were split into teams with students from each school to compete in challenges. Since they were all english challenges my team did very well! I wasn't able to go to day 2 because of Rotary orientation so I don't know who won but at the end of day one my team was in the lead!<br />
On Sunday we drove to Bangkok so I could go to inbound orientation and my sister Ice could go to rebound orientation (she just got back from Brazil). It was great to meet all the other students in my district though I didn't get to meet the boy who will be in the same city as me because the 2 Mexican students don't arrive until wednesday. All the students speak english so the meetings were all in english which made it very easy to understand. We learned about Thai culture, Rotary rules, and some Thai words. My host district only does exchanges with 6 countries so there are a lot of American students (12) and France has the second most number of students (4)! We all became fast friends and I am already planing a shopping trip with an American and French student!<br />
I have been making lots of friends at school as well. My friend Lek stays at her grandparents house on the weekends which is across from mine so we play badminton almost every day she's here. And my friend Boss goes to his Aunt's house on Monday-Wednesday after school which is next to mine and we also play badminton. So I will be very good at badminton when I get home!Plus everyone at school wants to be friends with the American!<br />
I am now taking private thai lessons every day after school. I just had my first one today and my teacher showed me all 44 of the consonants (which I knew most of) and the 16 main vowels. Tomorrow I will be tested on them so I have been studying like crazy! I hope these lessons will help me become fluent!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-78200399135595943402014-08-18T07:36:00.001-07:002014-08-18T07:36:47.344-07:00Science Day The past few days have been rather relaxed. I now have my official school schedule which includes fun things like thai dancing, thai music, sword dancing (not with real swords...yet), and english (I like this class)! There are also some harder ones where I understand nothing like biology, thai culture, and advanced thai language but I'll get there! My weekend was also very easy, filled with reading and learning/practicing my thai. <div>
At school today it was science day! And science day is super fun! I didn't have to go to any classes today (not that today's schedule was hard with 2 music classes, 2 dance classes, and 1 english class)! I spent all day with my friends in the auditorium where there where booths set up by different classes with science activities and food made using science. We ate popsicle and candy made by science and wrote using lemon juice and fire. Then there was a fashion show with students showing off clothes they made from recycled materials! They were all great and some stood out as amazing from the rest (there are pictures on Facebook)! After lunch the drama students put on a play that I think was about a boy and a girl being friends and 15 years later getting married. It was only a half hour long and I didn't know what they were saying but it was fun to watch! </div>
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Everyone here is so friendly and helpful. At school everyone I pass says hi to me and so many people ask to take my picture. I have had random students just walk up, say my name, and take my picture when I look up! And teachers want to take pictures with me too! It's kind of funny! Most of the people in my classes try to help me learn new thai words and my thai is really improving! And I cannot express enough how much I am loving the thai food and exotic fruits! It's all so good, except when it's too spicy like the jalapeño sauce I tried!</div>
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One thing I find odd about school is the dogs. There are stray dogs all over the place, while they are usually docile and avoid students, it makes me nervous when they come near me. It also make me sad to see so many uncared for stray dogs! I've noticed that some of the students give the dogs treats, some dogs will event do tricks which is cute to watch! But it's just so weird for me to see a ton of dogs walking around school with me the only one starring! </div>
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This coming weekend is inbound orientation and I can't wait to meet all the other exchange students in my district! More on that later!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5121844681898608227.post-7669149792807780892014-08-13T03:17:00.001-07:002014-08-13T03:17:15.209-07:00First Day of SchoolSo after being in Thailand for 5 days, I want to school for the first time today! And compared to my school at home, the Nongkhae Sorakitpittaya School is humongous! I only had part of my uniform, the skirt and shoes, so I stood out even more than I already would have. From the first moment I arrived, everyone was starring and giggling and saying "hello" as best they could. In the office they were trying to figure out where to put me and I think they were trying to ask me questions but I didn't understand a word they said except grade. They eventually decided something and put me in a class of 23 other students. The teacher had me stand in front of the class and introduce myself as best I could in thai. Then I took a seat behind a nice boy who immediately turned around and said "hi! You can call me Top" and suddenly everyone was telling me their names. A girl named Beer (I think her name is very funny) who speaks english came to sit next to me and she was a huge help all day. With the help of Top and Beer I was able to navigate the school and learn most of the names of the people in my class.<br />
In thai schools you stay with the same people all day so I will get to know these people very well throughout the year. Even when we went to lunch we stayed together as a class and they showed me how the cafeteria works. Their school food is waaayyyyy better than school food in America! And there are so many options! Plus there is a snack store in building 2 that we can go to between classes.<br />
i missed the first one or two classes while we were figuring out stuff in the office. But the first subject I went into was Chemistry. Even though I didn't have a clue what the teacher was saying I was able to understand what they were learning about since I already took Chemistry. Apparently the Chemistry teacher is very funny since everyone was laughing! Then we went to English class which I did very well in! We learned about global warming in english and I was able to help my group understand what the papers said. Then was thai culture which would have been a great help to me had I understood anything! Beer tried to explain a bit but I had no idea. This class seemed to go on the longest! Then was lunch! Yummy! After lunch was math which I also did well in because 1. math is universal and 2. It was Algebra II which I already did. After math we were supposed to have art but no teacher showed up and we talked for that whole class. Instead of going to biology with my class I was called to the English Center so that they could help me figure out a schedule that would be more beneficial to me.<br />
It was decided that I should do art, thai dancing, thai culture and english with my class, and thai language with the little kids. And next semester I will learn to play the piano! I wonder how that will go? Most of my teachers don't speak english and are nervous about me being in their class but I think it will be okay! I just hope that I still get to spend time with the friends I made today!<br />
Also, tomorrow, I have to stand in front of the whole school and introduce myself. The english teacher will translate for me but I am super nervous. I mean this is a huge school with many students! I hope I don't do anything embarrassing!<br />
Wish me luck!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244013859190346083noreply@blogger.com2