I left my home at 9:30 A.M. on August 11, 2014, to begin a
trip halfway around the world and start my exchange year in Thailand. My flight to New York left Nashville at 11:40
A.M. Central Time, and I arrived at LaGuardia around 3 P.M. Eastern Time. There was a bit of confusion with the AFS
staff who was supposed to meet me and pick me up at the baggage claim, so I
ended up sitting with another AFS student going to Switzerland in the airport
for a bit. The staff member finally
showed up, and two students and I were put in a cab headed to our gateway
orientation site. We were late, but
nothing much had happened. I got an AFS
t-shirt, my handbook, and nametag before being directed to one of the hotel’s
conference rooms where 16 students heading to Switzerland, 6 students going to
Sweden, and the 5 YES Abroad Thailand scholars were sitting. We watched a video about the mission and
purpose of AFS Intercultural Programs, and then were asked a few quick
questions and discussion.
Then it was dinnertime, thankfully! I enjoyed the food and the company of my four
fellow YES students. I really believe
that the YES and YES Abroad community is so special and close, and every
orientation and activity I do with them, no matter if it’s going over the SAME
MATERIAL I’ve learned from reading blogs or heard a dozen times for returnees,
makes me so much more proud to be a part of this extraordinary and unique group
of young people.
From 7-9 P.M. after dinner, the 5 Thailand kids met with
Ali, our “cultural resource” who is a YES Abroad Thailand returnee
from 2012-2013. She was FANTASTIC! It was great to have some genuine Q&A
time and get a lot of our pressing questions answered. Plus, she had such a great, laid-back
personality and we could ask anything and receive a lot of advice, which made
me feel more at ease and ready for my stay.
When that was done, our chaperone for international travel ran over some
logistics for the next day, and then it was bedtime.
The two other Thailand girls, Grace and Sarah, were sharing
a room which means I got one all to myself!
I didn’t really know what to do with myself, honestly. I went to bed around 11 P.M., excited and a
little bit anxious for the big day.
Day Two: August 12, 2014
Today was an early day. We had breakfast at 8 with all the AFS
students, and then the Thailand kids were ushered to another conference room
where we watched a video given by former President John F. Kennedy to some
inbound AFS students in 1963, and then we signed the AFS pledge. We were also asked to describe our emotions
in terms of weather patterns – I said that I felt like a tornado, which got a
few laughs. It was true, though! After a toast to a successful and rewarding
year with sparkling apple cider, and a little present from Ali, we were off to
the airport!
By the time we got there and got through security, we only
had about an hour until boarding. I
looked at a book called “Humans of New York” in the bookstore, called Mom, and
dithered over expensive airport food before deciding not to buy anything. I’m too cheap. J We boarded our giant Boeing 777 to Tokyo at
noon. As I was walking down the jet
bridge (which was like half a mile long) I couldn’t stop smiling at the fact
that I was ACTUALLY DOING what I have been dreaming and praying about since
last fall. I didn’t have to imagine my
adventures anymore; I was actually living them out, and it was a great feeling. The flight,
headed to Tokyo, was not too full, so I was able to change my seat to one by
the window. I was SO EXCITED when we took off.
With the New York skyline in the background, and huge smiles from our
whole group, it was the perfect way to begin our international journey.
It was a day that
never ends. It was sunny for hours
and hours, as we kept moving back in time. We crossed the International Date Line and it was August 13. We flew over many exciting places –
Hudson Bay, mountains in Canada, and I think the Arctic (Barrow Alaska). I watched two movies – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and
Divergent.
We had two meals on this flight and one "snack." It was the longest flight I have ever been on and I was very grateful and excited when we finally landed in Tokyo.
Day Three: August 13, 2014
We had several hours before our flight to Bangkok left, so we wandered around Narita looking for food and other things. There is a mall inside the airport, but everything was very expensive so I didn't buy anything. I enjoyed strolling after the 13 hours in the plane and before the next 7 hours to Bangkok! I bought a salad which was pretty expensive but I wanted something fresh after airplane food. The other exchange students and I had fun sampling the "weird' Kit-Kat flavors such as red bean, cherry blossom, and green tea.
At 7:30 we boarded the flight to Bangkok. Despite it being extremely full, I got a window seat again. What can I say? I'm skilled. It was a boring flight, being in the dark and flying over the ocean and rural southeast Asia. I watched part of another movie and slept some, before we touched down in the rain and storms, in our new home for the next nine months - THAILAND!
Going through customs was surprisingly easy and stress-free, and then we met our AFS volunteer, P'Nudi and collected our luggage. Off we went into the (early) morning of the 14th, in a taxi to the hotel. Despite being tired beyond belief, I couldn't fall asleep in the van. Just looking at everything which seemed so new, alien, and interesting. Once we got to the hotel, we all crashed, but only for about 5 hours before we had to get up and spend a busy day in Bangkok!
Day Four: August 14, 2014
We took a van to the US Embassy where we met with two American men who are the security attache of the US Ambassador to Thailand. The office had a beautiful view of Bangkok, and it was hard to concentrate on what they were saying with the view and my sleep-deprived brain!
Then our AFS volunteers took us to Sara, a Thai buffet. We all had a good time sampling the (rather Americanized) Thai food and going back for more of our favorites.
The best part of the day was our visit to the Grand Palace. It's astonishing, and I can't put it into words. It's huge and I don't think we saw all of it in the two or three hours we were there, but we certainly saw a lot and took many photos! We had to take our shoes off to enter the temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand. We were also blessed with "holy water" sprinkled on us with a lotus blossom. Then we went into the Museum of Royal Regalia and national treasures.
That evening we ate dinner at the hotel and had the beginning session of our orientation with P'Dai and P'Nudi. Thankfully they saw how tired we were and let us go up to bed early, which we most definitely did!
Day Five: August 15, 2014
All day we had orientation about all aspects of Thai culture, exchange student things, and Thai language, interspersed with coffee breaks and lunch. The best part was practicing our Thai language and learning the introduction we would give to our advisors the next day when we met them. Then we played a game where we had to translate basic English sentences to Thai.
The volunteers took us down the road to a street market for dinner. Despite not being told to eat street food right away and let our bodies adjust, we all got something from the market for dinner. I got papaya salad, my new favorite dish!
Grace, Sarah, and I went to our room and chatted, practiced Thai, and prepared for the next day. We also exercised before finally going to bed.
Day Six: August 16, 2014
We were all extremely nervous this morning, after breakfast and finishing our orientation. We would have to go pack up before meeting our advisors in a special ceremony on the top floor of the hotel.
One by one we all walked in and introduced ourselves, and then our advisors came up and placed a flower bracelet or necklace on us and took photos. They were very easy to talk to, and we all wondered why we'd ever been nervous! We had lunch together before splitting up to go our separate ways. It was exciting but also a little sad because we knew we wouldn't see each other for 6 months until the mid-stay orientation in February.
I was the only student taking a bus, so my advisor and I took a taxi to the bus station. Riding the bus was extremely uncomfortable due to an old Thai man sitting next to me and constantly tapping me on the arm, attempting to talk to me, or lying down with his head on my backpack. Fortunately we arrived in Kamphaengphet safely, and I was driven to my host family's home!
