How time flies! I thought I understood how little time I had left when I was facing little more than seven weeks left in Thailand, but now, with little more than two weeks remaining to me, I have to admit that time has crept up on me. Now that it’s time to start winding down and thinking about coming home, I realize I’m not ready to leave. Only in the last few weeks have I truly come to feel like I belong and have a place in my community. I go through my daily routine without thinking, visit friends, and enjoy school. There will always be more for me to learn, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t, but now I feel like I accept more of the way of life around me than I ever thought possible. I don’t really think about home all that much any more, it seems much less real than what is happening here. I even forgot Thanksgiving, until the American teacher reminded me. I will miss my friends and my Thai host family so much, I don’t ever want to say good bye.

I thought I should do a blogpost about what daily life in Lee consists of while I’m still here and my memories not so distant.

Everday:

Well, in the morning I regularly get up very late which means that I come late for assembly a lot. Thai time is always late so I’ve lost any sense of punctuality I once had. After spending a lot of time waiting for people who never come when they say they will, you start to come late yourself. Everyday during assembly the Thai flag is raised and the anthem is played over the speakers. Sometimes the students will join in and sing the anthem when it isn’t loud enough. Then we all turn and face the Buddha image and pay respect to the Buddha, the Dharma (the eternal truth found by the Buddha), and the Sangha (monks). Afterwards we are all treated to nice long lectures by teachers on the school rules regarding hairstyles, back packs, uniforms, and behavior (it changes depending on the day). Sometimes a teacher will walk around with a pair of scissors, ready to cut boys’ hair and girl’s bangs if they’re too long.

Then the school day begins, which lasts from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. On a normal day, I don’t study more than 5 or 6 periods out of 9, either because I’m too lazy to study or teachers are absent. On a given day, anywhere up from half of the class attends, so teachers usually choose to simply lecture or hand out a worksheet. When grading time came around I heard teachers talking about how difficult it was to find ways to pass students, since they didn’t even bother to come to class, and yet teachers are not permitted to fail students. When I’m too lazy to go to class, I usually go “lang akhan song”, behind building two, and sit with friends or go try and study some more Thai.

After school is over I go home, sometimes dropping my host sister off at her special class for English first. I usually study after school or wind down from the long day. Then, it’s time for dinner at grandmother’s house (ban yaa). Because both my host parents work, and Thai food takes time to cook, everyday we buy food either at Lee market or a restaurant. At first I thought it was a little strange to go to grandmother’s house everyday, but I’ve since come to realize that in Thailand, ideas about family are very different. When I tried to explain to my host mother that after I finish college I won’t come back to live with my parents, she couldn’t believe it. In Thailand, children commonly live with their parents until they get married or have their parents live with them when they are unable to support themselves. Na Khwan, my host mother’s sister, is in her thirties, owns a business and still lives with her parents. Children are indebted to their parents for the love and care they gave them when they were growing up, so it is their duty to pay back that debt as their parents age and are less able to look after themselves. So, we bring grandmother and grandfather dinner every night.

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Back to School

Today it hit me for the first time that I'm going back to Phoenix in just seven short weeks. How time flies! Until recently, it seemed like I had all the time in the world to accomplish everything that I want to do. I guess I will just have to make the most of my remaining time.

From the beginning of October to October 25th, Wiangjedee School had an extended break between terms. After completing exams, everyone was free for several weeks. I took the opportunity to travel to Chiang Mai, one of the largest cities in the north, and stay at Wat Ram Poeng to complete a 10 day meditation retreat. The experience was one of the most difficult and challenging experiences of my life. The temple rules were very strict: only two meals a day, no socializing, no reading, no writing, etc. I was even reprimanded by a monk for making eye contact with people. I became very familiar with the floor. Beyond that, at the temple, as a meditation student, I was doing about 9 hours of meditation a day. The temple teaches Vipassana (insight) meditation. It is all about being aware of and acknowledging the present moment, and tries to help students find that realization through the awareness of basic daily routines like walking, eating, and sitting. In the practice one does 15 minutes of walking meditation (left foot goes thus, right foot goes thus...) before switching to 15 minutes sitting meditation and trying to concentrate on breathing and then back again. sitting meditation was especially difficult for me, my brain was constantly throwing random memories and thoughts out. Because I was alone all the time, I felt like I was going a bit crazy by the end. I was so happy to come home to Li and look people in the eye again, and talk to them, and sleep on a mattress that wasn't an inch thick, and read, and do things. It was such a wonderful feeling!

During the break, I also traveled up to Chiang Mai with a couple teachers. I was able to shop(hooray!, go to a mall, visit some temples, and get a massage. It was nice to go to a city, though it was really, really weird to see so many foreigners around. The only foreigners I usually see are teachers.

School started up again this week, but, unfortunately, I haven't started studying yet. I can't remember the last time I was this excited to go back to school. Both this week and next are sports day- geela-si in Thai- so much of this week was spent playing football, badminton, volleyball, and running. Next week, there's supposed to be a parade even, and the festivities go til late. In the meantime though, there has been a couple days of class. Lacking a schedule, I've just followed my friends to class and gotten started on other work (like this blog). My host family is doing very well, I feel like I'm starting to get even more relaxed and comfortable around them. Go to school, come home, read, do homework, talk with my host mother about Thai language and culture, eat at the grandparents' house, come home, watch Thai soap operas. My host parents own a hardware shop, a guesthouse, and an orchard, so they tend to be very busy with their work.

Right now in Thailand, it is the tail end of the rainy season, and there has been a lot of flooding in some northeastern provinces. The floods have gotten so bad in some areas that it reaches the second floors of two story houses. In Lamphun, the flooding was very mild, and was most evident in the lower ground.

Sawatdee-ka!

First off, I apologize! Three months have passed already and yet I have still not posted. I will try to post consistently during my remaining time in Thailand. My perspective is bound to change once I come back, so I should make an effort to talk about what's going on as I experience it.

The center of my experience so far has been attending Wiangjedee Wittaya School. Even outside of normal school days, there are frequent activities that keep me involved in what's going on and give me more opportunities to see my friends. At school I study subjects like Thai dance, Muay Thai (boxing), computer, home economics, Thai handicrafts, Thai language, Biology, Math, and Chinese; each class with a different mattayom (grade), so I study with everyone from the seventh graders to the seniors. I really enjoy learning the Thai language and going to classes about Thai culture. The Thai language has been very difficult for me to learn! In the writing system, there are 44 consonants and 28 vowels, all of which took me over a month to learn, and is hard to read. Just being able to successfully read signs is a big accomplishment for me still. Also, Thai is tonal, so one word, such as maie, said in the different rising, falling, middle, high, and low tones, has 5 different meanings (burn, new, no, leaf, indicator of yes/no question). After three months of studying and speaking Thai both at school and with my host family, My Thai is beginning to improve, though it would take years to become totally fluent. I do what I can though, and people are sure to correct me when I use incorrect grammar or speak impolitely (oops). At school, both students and teachers have been very kind to me and very eager to share their culture and way of life.

Thai culture is very different from anything I've ever known. It emphasizes respect and politeness, and this is evident everywhere from greetings, relationships, and the manner of speech. In Thailand, when greeting someone older than you, it is polite to wai, placing your hands before you and bowing your head. of course, there are different kinds of wai, depending on if you are greeting a monk, and elder, or are returning a wai. when speaking, after each sentence, one says kha (khrap for men), a polite article that keeps your speech from being abrupt. Even in friendships, it is about politely relating to others and giving, always giving.

October is a month-long break in between semesters. Many students make plans to attend special cram classes, work, or prepare for university exams. I will be volunteering at the local hospital, attending a meditation course, and visiting the big city Chiang Mai on the weekends. Chiang Mai is the cultural center of Northern Thailand, and only a few hours away from the rural district where I live. I couldn't believe how rural Li was when I first came to live here! the town Wangdin, is centered around shops along the main road for only a kilometer or two. Then it goes back to farms and orchards. The relaxed, small town attitude of the people though is one I have come to love, and Li is absolutely gorgeous.

The last three months have been full of new experiences, and I have learned a lot. However, I have a lot left to learn, as my host mother reminds me, and It's hard to believe my experience is already have over.

Thailand here I come!

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for their support and generous contributions to my foreign exchange. Due to all of the support of my community, I have raised over 3000$. This could not have been possible without all of the generosity of friends and family. I would like to recognize everyone who so generously contributed to my AFS program:

Suzanne and Jeff Riley

PVJWC Paradise Valley Jr. Women's Club

Kristin Anderson

Diane Moody

Til Dunlop

Nancy and Bill White

Jeannette Walls

Eric and Millie Wertheimer

Lisa Smith

the Davis family

Randy Bates

the Hanson family

Emily Van Skike

Thank you all so much for your generous contributions. You helped make my dream of an exchange abroad a reality. And if I have forgotten anyone, I'm so sorry!

Well! This is it. Tomorrow I leave for Thailand. It's finally happening. In only a few days, I will meet my host family. I can hardly wait! I have been able to communicate a little more with my host family over the past few weeks, and was even able to exchange pictures. Here are some of the pictures they sent:

Porsun and MaeAoy (host dad and host mum)

the younger daughter, Warinrampai

the older daughter, LoogTarn

Warinrampai and LoogTarn both attend Wiangjadee Wittaya school, the school that I will attend. Everything I have read and heard about Thailand says that a teenager's life in Thailand is centered around school. I will have to work very hard, but it will be fun, making new friends and meeting new people. It is the night before my departure, and I think I'm ready to face the adventure!

Departure in 27 Days!

As of today, June 2nd, I leave in 27 days, and will arrive in Thailand July 2nd. The closer departure gets, the more real it becomes. I really am going to Thailand for six months. I have the opportunity to learn a new language, make new friends, and become part of a community halfway across the world. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to my AFS program, and helped me reach my dream of going abroad. I have raised over $2400, both through my blog and direct donations. Thank you all for your support throughout my preparations. You all have helped make my study abroad possible, and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

As July 2 approaches, all the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Today I received my placement information! I will be living with Mr. and Mrs. Meechok, and their daughters Suthida (16) and Warinrampai (13). They live in the city Li, the Lamphun province, in Northeastern Thailand. I will attend Wiangjadee Wittaya School for the first semester of my sophomore year. I can hardly wait to go to school for once! I hardly know what to expect. I am eager to get to know my family and beginning meeting people in the community; but at the same time I have been warned about the constant head aches as I learn the language, the emotional roller coaster, the cultural clashes that are bound to occur as I learn how to be a high school student in Thailand. I can only hope to make the most of my time in Thailand and learn to accept the ups and downs that come along.

Now if I can only get Algebra 2, Latin IV, and physics done in time...

Going Abroad

Hello! I’m Alex Dunlop, a freshman at Veritas Preparatory Academy. I am a hardworking student who loves the challenges school presents, and am involved with Speech and Debate and Cross Country. I first became interested in a foreign exchange over two years ago after hearing about AFS. I aspire to serve in the Peace Corps, and to someday work with international relations in the Foreign Service. However, I had always thought traveling and being able to pursue those goals was far off on the horizon. I had never before heard of a foreign exchange and the idea of a foreign exchange opened my mind up to an exciting new opportunity. The idea of going abroad during high school seemed such an adventure! I know so little of the world and to go learn a new language and live in an entirely new place would, at the very least, enable me to grow as a person and better give back to my community.

My application has been accepted my AFS Thailand, so I will go abroad for a semester of my sophomore year in three months, living with a host family and attending the local high school. The American Field Service spreads a message of intercultural peace and tolerance, and gives students a chance to learn about other cultures for themselves so that they can come to understand how all people of the world are connected. Living for six months within another country with a different culture offers me the opportunity to grow as a person. Different cultures offer different perspectives of the world, and understanding that will broaden my own view of the world as I go through life. Going abroad to Thailand offers exciting opportunities for my education as well. Immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language, and living for six months within Thailand would give me more comfort and experience with the language than learning from a classroom ever could. The language skills I will pick up, and the increased understanding of how to be a part of the community means I can have a real impact on other members of my community and will affect who I am as a person for the rest of my life.

I have received a small merit scholarship, called the Global Leaders scholarship, in recognition of my academic work and involvement in my community. However, I still need to raise about five thousand dollars in order to be able go on the exchange. I will be babysitting and doing whatever I can to achieve my goal. I would appreciate any kind of financial aid, for no amount is too small and brings me a step closer to achieving my goal. To sponsor my AFS program now, please click on the ChipIn button. I will be writing my blog throughout my stay in Thailand, so be sure to check in and read about my travel abroad!