Thailand Exchange

In the last couple of weeks, I have gone to Korat, Khaoyai, Ayutthaya, and back to school, and I've enjoyed it for the most part. The camp in Korat was an absolutely exhausting ordeal that lasted five days. Campers ranged from thirteen to nineteen years old, and every single inbound from my district also attended. I got to see fellow exchange students from Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium, Taiwan, France, and of course, America. For the most part, the camp was in Thai, and all of our language skills were still developing and none of us were fluent. Despite that, I think it's safe to say that we took home some good memories. The camp itself was held at the Korat zoo. The first day was mostly speeches that I didn't understand, but we got to visit the actual zoo the next day. There was a live snake show, which was terrifying, and then we were allowed to explore on our own. We rented a couple of bicycles, and I later found out that we probably seemed like idiot tou...

Pictures from the last blog entry. Boat ride to Ko Lan, the island near Pattaya Banana boating Terminal 21 Monkeys invading the car (they really  liked the peanuts) Cartoon Network Water Park I'm a mature adult

Well, it's been quite a week and I'm currently running on what may be the weirdest sleep schedule of my life (and that's saying something). It's currently 1:22 AM, and I think it's safe to say that I've done a lot in the past week or so. First off- I went out of town! And not just to the next city over. I actually went near Pattaya, and the biggest tragedy there is that I even saw  a Starbucks but wasn't able to get anything. My host family brought me there to visit some friends (fellow exchange students) for a few days, and needless to say, the trip did not disappoint. We started off by heading to a resort of some kind. One of my friends, an exchange student from Belgium, is living there. We met up with several others, including two other exchange students from Oregon, one from Wisconsin, and their respective host families. We took a boat from Pattaya Beach to an island, where we spent the majority of the day on the beach. Despite it being somewhat clou...

Okay. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of getting accustomed to life here, but there is one thing that I really miss and can't get: Starbucks. Yes, maybe it makes me a bit basic, but I don't care. I want my ridiculously sweet and creamy coffee. The only Starbucks shops in Thailand are in Rayong, Pattaya, and Bangkok, so the nearest one to me is a good several hour drive without traffic. And expecting no traffic in Thailand is just wishful thinking. I mean, of course there are other coffee shops. One that I constantly see is called "Cafe Amazon," which seems to be just as popular as seven eleven is in the states. But it's just not the same, and I am seriously missing my double chocolatety chip frappucchinos even if they do cost four bucks. I could  say that I miss speaking English and understanding everything in general- and I do- but I miss Starbucks more, and being confused is to be expected anyways. I have been utterly confused so many times that I si...

Well, I am officially speaking like an egotistical narcissist, because I’ve been told that when I speak I need to refer to myself by my name instead of the translation for “I.” In Thai, the word “chan” is used as “I” when you are a female speaker, but I’ve been told to use my name instead. Apparently it’s also a different situation for males, who use “pom” as “I,” and they don’t speak in the third person like I’ve been told to do because it’s, and I quote, “kind of gay.” And I personally find that to be hilarious. Also, everyone seems to curse in English and I don’t know why. I’ll hear a ton of words in Thai, followed by a pause and then a curse word/phrase in English, and then more Thai. And I don’t know why that happens, but I still find it funny. Two weeks ago was the orientation in Khon Kaen, and I actually really liked it. The car ride was ridiculously long, but I really enjoyed meeting the other exchange students. We have a lot of kids from America (Oregon in particular...