One Month Already!!

Sawatdee ka from Thailand!!! How is everyone!? Well, I hope you are all doing great, keeping busy, and enjoying the last few days of summer! All is well here in Thailand; I am keeping busy and trying so many new and exciting things. So, I have changed host families already. I am now with my supposed to be third host family, and I will return to my first host family at the end of my exchange. I love my new family and they are so very kind to me, and I can feel so much love in their home. I have a mother, father, grandmother, and two sisters, one my age and one that is younger. My schedule now consists of waking up at 5:50 a.m., getting ready for school and being downstairs by 6:15 for breakfast, and then at 6:25 we head outside to catch the bus. The Thai bus is much different than in the states, there are three rows inside going long ways inside of the bus, and we just all sit together on the three rows and yes, I now have my normal seat on the bus! I am getting used to the stops we make and it gives me a chance to see many new places, along with a new experience altogether! I get to school around 7:00 a.m. and actual school doesn’t start until 8:00 a.m. I sometimes walk in the morning at our track/soccer field, but recently I spend from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. talking with my friends, and then at 7:30 a.m. Emily and I will have dance practice for the next two weeks because we will be in a dance show for the retiring teachers, what an honor! Thai dance is much, much different than anything I have ever seen or tried! Me being so clumsy finds it rather complicated, but hey, I’ve got about a week to learn it now!! (: It truly is a great experience and it is such a neat part of their culture. I am very luck to be participating in this performance. After dance, I go to my classes until around 3:20 p.m. or 4:10 p.m. depending on the day. What classes am I taking you may wonder!??! Well you see…about that…it changes every week!!! We, Emily and I, don’t exactly have a set in stone schedule because we are exchange students. This makes it nice, because it lets us try all different things! However, we are starting to get into a routine of our classes. I attend many classes with “my class.” So in the States, we have four levels of high school, but no classes. We change the people we are with every single class. Here, the students are in a program, so my class M-5/1 is in the math and science program, which explains the amount of math classes, along with physics, biology, and chemistry classes we attend!! But, at my school in Thailand, there are 6 levels, M-1, M-2, M-3…and so on. But then in each “M” there are around twenty classes I would say. So, I am in M-5, which is like the equivalent of Junior, and I am in class 1, so M-5/1! In my M-5/1 class, there are nearly fifty students, so the amount of students at my school is around 5,000!! Much larger than I am used too! So, I take English classes a lot too, and I actually do the homework, don’t get too excited, I only understand English class!!! Along, with English, math, and the sciences, I am taking candle class every Tuesday, Thai cooking class every Monday, Thai baking class on Tuesdays, leaf folding on every Thursday, Thai music every Friday, Thai conversation (which I wrote a full, two minute speech in Thai all by myself, and my host mom helped me edit it, and I read it in front of the class!!!), p.e. every Friday, and so on. Also, on every Wednesday, we have a “club” hour where we get to go to a learning activity! So last week we went to Art Club, this week to Japanese Club, and next week to Scrabble Club! It is great because it gives us time to try many new things and activities! Gosh, there is just so much to say! I am finding myself to be very content and comfortable here. My Thai could use some work, but I feel that “My Service Above Self” here in Thailand will be speaking English with people. It is so important for them, and everyone ALWAYS speaks English. I have been trying to learn Thai on my own time, my family has been a great help to me, my friends point out new words all the time, so there are people here who are trying to help me learn, which is great! So, I just need to keep going, but I can have a basic conversation, and by basic, I mean basic!!! I am able to understand, as well as say, I am hungry, I am tired, as well as pick words out of sentences. Today in English class, my teacher was speaking in Thai about chickens and eggs, I only knew what she was talking about because I know how to say chicken and egg! So, its little things like that that I can pick out of sentences, the days of the week, the times, and random vocabulary I try to learn while my family and I watch T.V. at night. I really must say, my Thai friends are AMAZING here, they are true friends, so kind and loving. One thing I love here, is that everyone shares! ALWAYS! We share food all the time, if someone buys a snack, we all eat it, nothing is ever for ourselves, which is so great. They always share and I always share back. They let you try all of their food and in return, I ask if they would like to try mine, even though I am sure they have tried mine a million times! Everything is well here! Just loving life! I am noticing differences like I am expected too, but that is what makes this whole experience so great. New people, new foods, new culture, it is all so amazing and at times, can be a lot to take in and try to comprehend. Well, enough will all of my talking!!! I will post some pictures now, your favorite part! My days are starting to get normal,  I have a place where I get picked up every day, I now have my favorite snacks and favorite foods, and favorite restaurants, I feel like it is home now. I am not so much in the “awwwww” stage anymore, however, there is always something to “awww” at everyday. We laugh here all the time, Emily and I are just like sisters, I mean, we have some great moments to share. It’s great because I do see Emily often during the day, but we each have our own class to go with too, so we have a good balance! Loving every minute, I can’t believe that it is already been a month. The time sure does go by way too fast, and I am sending many hugs to you all!!! Xoxoxo Always, <3 Sarah