Five Weeks Until Thailand

Five weeks until Thailand! I am now realizing all of the things that need to get done between now and when I get on that plane! These next five weeks will be filled with hellos, preparing, buying, packing, learning and many goodbyes. Many hellos, because I have been talking with new people every day from all over the world, who will be on exchange with me in Thailand. Yesterday, some of us Exchangers Skyped for two hours, talking about packing, the language, etc. I am so excited to meet everyone once I get to Thailand! Preparing, buying, and packing because I need to get ready to go!! When thinking about what to pack for a year, what I will need, what I will want, it gets to be quite stressful. But I am told you only pack for about two weeks worth of clothes and just go shopping once I get there! (Yayyyy!) I am planning on bringing one suitcase for clothes and the other for gifts/food. So, we will see how the packing goes, believe me, pictures will be posted of my suitcases a little bit later, once I actually start packing! Learning because, good grief, I need to get working on the Thai language! I have made flashcards, used the internet, listened to audio to go with a book, etc. Also, next week Thursday, I leave for my last conference in the States as an Outbound student and while there we have a language test, so I have been working on that! In addition through this process so far, I have learned many life lessons and krype, I haven’t even left yet! Many more of those lessons to come during the following year. Goodbyes, goodbyes, goodbyes. I have gone to three different high schools in three different years, meaning that my friends are dispersed everywhere. I will be visiting Michigan where I grew up in two weeks to say “see you in a year” and then of course my Rotary Club and my family. The goodbyes will be hard, and yet so happy at the same time. I couldn’t be more excited to be on this journey of a lifetime and I would just like to thank my Rotary Club, along with my parents for everything they have done for me.

Before and After

This is my new haircut! At my school in Thailand, all of the students have to have short hair, like mine in this picture! I got ten inches cut off and was able to donate it to Locks of Love.