A "Very Thai" Birthday Celebration

On August 4th, I reached 18 years of age. I had been in my host family's house for just under a month, and was not expecting much from the day. My friend from school, whose name is Cake, spent that Friday night at my house, and she woke me up mid-morning so that we could go downtown. The previous night she had tried to explain to me what the event was, but in a hodge-podge of Thai and English I was unable to understand the reason, so I just decided to go with the flow-- 'mai pen rai'-- like a true Thai person.
So the next morning we got in the car and headed into town. My host dad dropped us off at the "plaza," which is a covered parking garage and shopping area connected to the market and a grocery store, and we walked up to a little makeshift stage that had been set up. Photos of Thailand's favorite movie stars, Nadet and Yaya, adorned the area, and the stage's background was covered in advertisements for an instant noodle brand for which the two have done several ad campaigns. I chuckled quietly. Only in Thailand would two of the most famous actors in Thailand be noodle presenters. And not just noodle presenters-- Nadet and Yaya aren't only known for their acting, but also for Lays brand potato chips and several other food products. What can I say, Thai people love food.
My friend and I waited near the front of the line, for it was only about 10 o'clock at our arrival. After about an hour, I was slowly being pushed backwards by an awkwardly placed swinging fan in front of me and the ever encroaching crowd of people joining the area.
Just then, I looked to my right and saw another 'farang' waving at me. It happened to be another exchange student from Yasothon Pittayakom school. I forfeited my spot in the ranks and went to say hello. Noticing that the people around me had automatically filled in my space, we walked around for a while. An hour later, another exchange student and the foreign teacher assistant at Yasothon Pittayakom showed up, and we bought some food. My chances of getting back up to the front with Cake were squelched, and the four of us sat down on the sidewalk within visible distance of the stage. Soon enough, we heard screaming coming from the area, and it was obvious that the two had finally appeared.
One thing I will never understand is the screaming capabilities of a tween-aged fangirl. Of over two hundred people gathered there, there were only a handful of adults, and an even smaller amount of boys. We gravitated towards the stage and tried to peek at them, but to no avail.The area was packed with people, and the stage wasn't tall enough to give people in the back a good view, if any at all.
Instead we walked back to the curb, plopped down, and waited for a good twenty minutes for the celebrities to end their chat about Yumyum ramen. Eventually things died down, and the crowd cleared out.
Donia, the teacher assistant, and I decided to wave randomly at all of the fancy-looking cars with tinted windows in a joking manner, but were surprised when a silver van drove by slowly and Nadet opened the window and waved back at us. I can only credit this peculiar occurence to the fact that we were farang in a sea of, well, Thai people. As soon as we caught a surprised glimpse at him, he was gone, the car surrounded by a newfound wave of fans gesticulating in front of him with pens and paper.
With a laugh we walked back up to the stage to meet up with my friend, who seemed to be beaming with excitement. She showed us up-close photos she had taken of Yaya, and she even received some instant noodles to boot.
My host dad picked us all up after that, and we headed to lunch. The last exchange student at Yasothon joined us there. It was a delicious Thai meal, as always, and Cake relayed to us that she had heard a rumor that Nadet and Yaya would be eating there. We determined that the only place that they could be would be in the back room near the kitchen, so we nonchalantly decided to 'go to the bathroom' at the same time that they were leaving, running into them and their entourage along the way. With a sympathetic smile, we asked to take a photo with Nadet. He agreed, although it was obvious that he was not entirely enthused. I felt empathetic. I mean, although I don't have screaming hordes of Thai girls between the age of 10 and 17 running behind me at all times asking for my autograph, I know the sentiment of being watched all the time, and wanting some privacy. Nonetheless, we shamelessly walked over next to him and snapped away.
Since we were all together anyway, Cake, Silvia, Marine, Miriam, Donia and I all went back to my house to watch some movies and relax. As I blew out the candles on the birthday cake my host mom so kindly got me, I wished for happiness in the months ahead. I know that wish will only take me half way there, though. It's up to me to enjoy my fleeting life here in Thailand, with almost two months down and about nine more to go. And as time moves forward irrevocably, I am bound to grow up as well.

Happy birthday to me!

Our photo with Nadet. Awkwardness all around. Yaya slipped away in the hubbub. She looked very unhappy... but I can relate. Heheheh.

Traveling Through the Land of Smiles

I am in Thailand... after a four day Pre Departure Orientation for YES Abroad, two days in DC for the gateway orientation, two days of traveling, and about one week of orientations in Bangkok, I have reached my host family in Yasothon and started school. I am definitely going through a bit of culture shock, something that I didn't ever really feel in France, and I am taking my time to adjust. For now, here are some cultural "nuggets" (homage to Miss De Soto) about Thailand.

Driving home from the AFS orientation camp was the least boring ten hour car ride of my life. My perspective of Thailand originated in Bangkok, but in reality, Bangkok is not a accurate representation of Thailand. I was sad to leave the friends that I had come to know and love in the past week (or two weeks for the YES crowd), but it was time to move on. As my host family opened the car door for me and I sat down in their black Toyota, I was automatically struck with the idea that my life was changing for good.
The first thing that I noticed that I found peculiar was the roof of their car. I looked up and was surprised to see over two hundred miniature Buddha amulets stuck to the fabric, shining down on me like a thousand beams of light filtering through the forest (how poetic). I didn't ask why, but it became fairly apparent that Buddha and Buddhism means a lot to my host family.
As we got on the road, I mentally waved goodbye to Bangkok, a city that is completely and utterly in its own league. To me, it is indescribable-- I don't know how to express how amazing it is. Everything is compact and colorful, and there are people everywhere. I was a bit despondent to let it go; however, I knew that it was time to go home.
The first thing I noticed outside of bangkok was the mountains. In a province called Saratburi, I couldn't take my eyes off of the lush green hills rolling past my vision. Californian hills are big, but Thai mountains are beautiful. We stopped after only about an hour of driving, and walked up to a stand where they were making some sort of dumpling. I wasn't quite sure what was happening, but it seemed like my host family and the cooks were on a friendly basis, and they had me pose for pictures with woman frying them in a large vat of oil, and even had me put some filling in the dough and awkwardly try to make it ready to be fried. It was an odd, yet "sanuk" experience, and we bought a few boxes and got back in the car. I asked my host mother in English: "Do you know them?" and she responded with a slightly bewildered "No." Needless to say, Thai people are friendly.
After every hour or so, we would stop and get a snack at seven-eleven (thai peanuts are delicious), or we would stretch our legs and buy something at a little market. It definitely made the ride much easier. Three hours out of Yasothon, I started noticing the sky. The clouds were unlike Bay Area clouds. They seemed more three dimensional; they seemed to take up more space in the sky and start lower to the ground. It looked as if somebody had dabbed a paintbrush across a piece of paper and splattered and blotted the extra paint on top of it. I am not doing it justice here...
I also noticed the fields. Skinny and malnourished cows grazed here and there, and on the off occasion I saw a motorcycle or truck parked under a tree in a very picturesque fashion. Stray dogs roamed everywhere. They roam everywhere. I can't walk somewhere for five minutes without seeing a stray dog. The worst part about it is that I can't just go up to it and cuddle it. I have been warned coutless times to stay away from them because they are sick and dirty. I don't question this... but I wish that it would be different.
One more thing that I noticed in Bangkok, on the way to my host family's house, and in Yasothon, even, is the poverty. It permeates every portion of the country, and often you will see a ramshackled house on the side of the road patched together with wood, tin, and other scraps. In Bangkok, there were large concentrations of these houses in various parts of the city. It isn't something that is hidden, like it can be in America. Poverty is everywhere, and you can tell.
I know that this is getting way too long, but I also want to mention a little about Buddhism in Thailand. It is pervasive in 95% of Thailand, and it plays a big part in how people live their lives. I am trying to learn more about it by researching and observing my host family, but it seems to bring about a very unique way of life. For example, monks are everywhere-- and female monks, too. They cannot buy their own food, so people must offer it to them in the morning. Many of them look extremely thin, however they always seem to be happy, or if not, at least content with the task at hand.
In addition, women wear buddhist pendants around their necks. My host mother wears one daily.
An American teacher at my school lent me a book called "A Constitution For Living." It is about 80 pages, and it acts as a "cheat sheet," more or less, about how to conduct yourself as a Buddhist and a member of society. It is fascinating, but I feel like many of the statements in it require further explanation, and therefore I want to delve deeper into the various aspects of Buddhism to attempt to understand a Buddhist worldview. I think that if I read and observe Buddhist practices that I will be able to cope more with any difficulties that are presented in front of me during my exchange.

Me making a presentation in front of my school-- they couldn't understand and I couldn't understand them, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Performing with the other American AFS'ers in Thailand at our welcome party.

Making dumplings on the side of the road.

All of AFS Thailand!
SA WAT DEE KA!!

Hey there world... this will be my last post from Los Gatos, CA for approximately a year, and perhaps from the USA. I head off tomorrow morning at the ripe 'ol hour of 5:00 AM for the YES Abroad National Pre Departure Orientation in Washington D.C.. We will have three days full of bonding, workshops, and visits to the State Department and the Thai Embassy. I am excited, sad, and nervous. All of the emotions expected of person who is about to venture off into the unknown for about a year. I don't have much to say. It's true that it doesn't feel real yet, yadda yadda.
All I really know is that I hope I live up to the standards of the greatest exchange vlogger in existence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEeKuNbOklI&feature=relmfu
And I love you all. And I want you to know that.

I am really just dreading saying goodbye to my parents. I know that there will be tears, and I just don't want to have to face that solemn pit in my stomach once more. :| But in time, it will be replaced with the excitement of arriving at my destination, and the beginning of a new and irreplaceable experience.

So, I would like to say adieu.

That's all for now, folks,
Carly
xoxo

Hello, Y'all

I have two weeks left in the good 'ol U S of A, and I am trying to soak up as much Americanism as possible before I leave. Reflecting on my time before France, I was much more anxious and fidgety than I am today. I had so many expectations for France, and in this case, I just don't have many of them for Thailand. I think that doing this a second time around will be a very awesome and unique experience. I have learned from my prior successes and failures, and I will try to improve upon them this year. I am aware that this year will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, and this has kept me grounded during my last few weeks in the US. I imagine that my first month will be even more terrifying than my first month in France, and that I will struggle relentlessly with the infamous Thai language. That being said, I am also very excited to explore a part of the world that I know little to nothing about, and I can't wait to meet up with the YES Abroad kids in DC!

Back to reality:

I wrote this post to keep you all updated about the ongoing happenstances in my life. Countless shenanigans have ensued since my last post. First and foremost, I graduated from high school! Hooray! It was a jolly good ceremony. The last two weeks of school were the biggest whirlwind of my life, filled with tantamount stress levels and piles upon piles of work. Now that I am done, I can finally have un peu de repos...



Secondly, I GOT MY HOST FAMILY! For those of you who don't remember/have not followed my blog back quite that far, I left the USA for France without an inkling of who I would be staying with. While in New York, I was finally notified of my permanent host family. Needless to say, I was not expecting to get word of my Thai host family so soon. A few Thursdays ago, I got an email from YES Abroad telling me that I had received my permanent host family placement. I don't know too much about them, but I have traded a few emails, and they seem awesome! There is a mom, a dad, and a 22 year old son. The parents are both teachers (!! :D), and I am not sure whether the son lives at home or not. I will be living in the Yasothon Province in North Eastern Thailand, close-ish to the borders of Laos and Cambodia. It is a small town, and apparently everybody knows that I am coming... All the attention will be interesting. I expect my first few days to be filled with many a Thai bow and innumerable sa wat dii's. I am overjoyed to have gotten this information so soon, and I am looking forward to meeting them.

Lastly, I had to say my first goodbye yesterday. :( One of my neighbors and close friends is leaving for Europe this morning with her family and will not be back until after I am gone. HÉLAS!! It is saddening, but, in fact, she will be departing for France on September 5th with AFS, so I am excited to say that there will only be a five hour time difference between us next year. Yesterday was our last day together, so we climbed a mountain:

-Carly

That's about all for now. I hate to inform you that I will not be bringing my laptop to Thailand, so I don't quite know how often I will get the chance to blog. We shall seeeeeeee... :)

I will talk to you all soon-- perhaps a post in the midst of packing.

Fun Dee! I don't know how to say goodbye, so a "sweet dreams" at 11:19 in the morning shall have to suffice.

New Beginnings...

Two weeks ago, as I sat on my swivelly chair writing the previous post, I had no realistic expectations to write a another one. I expected that it would be the end of my blogging days, and that I would resign to 'ol-fashioned journaling on the off occasion in college. However, I was wrong.

Early last week, I received a voice message on my home phone, which, coincidentally, we barely ever check. As we sat down to dinner, my mom pushed the "play" button to read the new messages. It was one of the YES Abroad staff letting me know that they hadn't received my alternate status acceptance forms and telling me to submit them as soon as possible if I wanted to be considered for the scholarship. After a slight freak-out, I ran upstairs and sent the forms as fast as possible. The only problem: it was eleven o' clock eastern time. I came back downstairs and picked at my dinner begrudgingly, mad at myself for not confirming that they had originally been received by somebody. Being late is not something that I like to do... and my chances to study abroad for a year were in jeopardy!

Fast forward two days. It is Thursday. I spent the day pondering YES, and thinking about the six or so spots that had miraculously opened up. I wished and hoped with all of heart that I would be chosen, but I knew that wishing and hoping weren't going to get me very far at that point.

Right after lunch, as I was about to walk into my French classroom, I heard my phone buzz. I looked at the text, and it was Olivia, another alternate (whose blog you can find in the "helpful links" page), who had written "I GOT INTO TURKEY OMGGG!!!!!," an understandable reaction. I called her quickly and jumped up and down with her in spirit. She deserved the scholarship so much, and finally her hard work had payed off. After the phone call; however, I couldn't help but notice the absence of email in my inbox. I checked my phone discretely and at various intervals during the class period, but to no avail. The sadness started to hit me.

I really thought that I had lost the opportunity. I sat back in my chair and waited for the bell to ring so that I could go home and lay down pensively on my bed. I got a ride home from my friend as always, and as I was nearing my door, I took one last look at my phone. My mom sent me a one-word message reading: "Thailand!!!." I truthfully didn't know what to think. I called her, and as soon as the words escaped her mouth, I started crying. I don't even know why. I am not one to cry at happy occasions, but I was laughing and choking and tears were flowing as I walked in my house. I ran around for a while and then called Olivia. We rejoiced at our luck, and then I was up in my room, laying down on my bed pensively, and reveling at the amazing opportunity that I had just been offered.

I am going to Thailand...

In less than two months, I leave for DC to meet with the fifty-four other YES Abroad scholars who have been chosen for several different countries, and from there I will leave for Thailand. I am incredibly excited for what is to come. In the meantime, I have to finish up school, learn a new language, pack, and say some dreaded goodbyes. But it's all worth it in the end.

Goodbye USA, sa-wat dii kaa Thailand!

*Pardon how long and unnecessary most of the information in this post is!*