There’s no way I’ve only been in Thailand for 3 weeks. It has quickly become my second home. It feels like I’ve lived here my whole life already. This week was a very fun week! Monday and Tuesday was a school holiday, and we had Rotary orientation for the rest of the week.

Sunday

Today was a lazy day, as we were still recovering from our 8-hour journey home from Bangkok. I cleaned my room and did laundry. Since it’s supposed to rain all week, I wanted to give my clothes plenty of time to air dry. The highlight of the day was learning a Thai song on guitar with my host dad. For my Rotary district in Thailand, I need to be able to perform either a Thai song or dance by January, so obviously I’m choosing the song option😉. I’m starting to practice early. The song is Kwam Nai Jai (The Things in My Heart) by Tom Rainbow. My host dad told me it was one of his favorites in the 90s, and it was so special to learn it with him. Music has been such a fun way to immerse myself in Thai culture, while also bonding with him. He’s always playing guitar, singing, or whistling in the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOAUfh96E4

Monday

Since it was a holiday, I spent the day with Marie and Brian! We went to a local mall and stocked up on snacks for orientation. The mall had everything—grocery stores, a stationery shop, even a dollar store. We spotted two American chains, Dairy Queen and Auntie Anne’s, but we decided to try a place called Potato Corner, which serves French fries with different flavor powders like sour cream or barbecue. Later, we explored a night market and picked up fruit (grapes, watermelon, and pomelo). The grapes here are shaped differently! I also tried a coconut milkshake and fried mini eggs with soy sauce. Everyone gets excited when I speak Thai, which makes me want to keep practicing.

Tuesday

Another school holiday meant a quieter day. I practiced Thai vocabulary online and started the long journey of learning to read and write Thai. I also packed all my clothes for orientation and finished laundry.

Wednesday

Orientation Day 1!!! We left Phrae at 9 am, so we could start the 3 hour drive to Lamphun, a city outside of Chiang Mai. My second host family drove Marie, Brian, and I. My second host dad is obsessed with horses, so we stopped at his friend’s horse farm on the way. I got to pet a horse! It’s ironic because everyone thinks I’m a cowboy that rides horses, just because I’m from Texas. Orientation was so fun! I finally got to meet the people I’ve been messaging with for the past 4 months. Everyone was so nice and it was amazing to hang out with people who are experiencing the same things as me.

Thursday

Today was more volunteering focused, as Rotary’s most important motto is “service above self”. We visited a hospital, where rotary donated 5 wheelchairs. Then, we went to a rural Thai elementary school to donate food bags to all of the students. The students were adorable and loved practicing English with us. We also toured a temple in Lamphun. This is an important wat because it has a relic of Buddha( a piece of hair). We ate dinner at a local restaurant, where I tried lots of new things! I ate fried worms (actually delicious and tasted like French fries) and coconut ice cream made inside a coconut. After dinner, we had a Thai dance lesson. Afterward, we had a Thai dance lesson. As y’all probably know, dancing isn’t my strong suit, and Thai dance is extra tricky since it requires so much balance and grace.

Friday

The last day of orientation 🥲. We visited an elementary school hosting “English Learning Day,” played vocabulary bingo with second graders, and watched their Thai dance team perform. They were incredible! Afterward, we started our journey back to Phrae, and I spotted a Dunkin’ Donuts on the way home.

Three weeks in and Thailand already feels like home. Between learning a 90’s Thai song with my host dad, eating worms that tasted like French fries, and being reminded (again) that I’m not a graceful dancer, this week definitely kept me busy haha. Orientation was such a blast, and it’s nice knowing there are other people going through the same crazy exchange student things as me. It’s wild how fast time is moving, but if the first three weeks are anything to go by, this year’s gonna be full of surprises.

Until next adventure,

Emma Kate 🤠🇹🇭