The Awesomest Sunday Ever

 Today deserves it own blog post because today was one of the awesomest days ever. I woke up this beautiful Sunday morning at around ten. Ate breakfast, had a long shower and tidied my room. I then finished off my chores by informing my mom I needed to do get money out and by giving her some rotary paper work. I was set for a lazy day around the house.

I had plugged my computer in and was talking to Holly and Mike back home when my parents were like, “ok Go take you.” Ok, I thought off to the atm we go. So we go and I start worrying, I had never taken money out of an atm and this one would be in Thai. OMG! Luckily I told Go and he was like. “Oh it’s easy, don’t worry.” He told me that when he was in Brazil he went with his host brother the first time but neither of them had used an atm before so they just kept pressing buttons. I got out some money and we were off.

“Would you like to go to a soccer game?” Go asked me. I was like sure; I mean I was just going to sit at home, if I didn’t. First he had English class to go to, so I went and sat in the lobby and talked with the instructor and his wife. I watched WWE with their two sons and tried chamomile Tea for the first time. I also ate a whole cantaloupe. There we met with James, our friend from school. They asked me if I wanted to go shopping or go see fish or what I wanted to do. I told them,” it’s up to you, I am just happy to be out of the house.”

Our first stop was the mall, Go’s girlfriends birthday is coming up so we were looking for a present. Then the guys wanted lunch so we went to a little restaurant thingy. I saw thingy because it’s not really a restaurant but I don’t know what to call it. I wasn’t hungry due to the recently consumed cantaloupe, so I just sat with them. On the walk back to the car James bought me and him Coconut Ice Cream. Its soo good here! They serve it in a carved out coconut bowl with fresh coconut and whatever toppings you want!! Delicious!

Next, they drove me along all these crazy windy back roads, until at the bottom of one very tiny dirt road; I saw a sign that read, “Fish Sanctuary.” It was so cool. There were little huts over the river and bridges connecting them. I looked over the side to see hundreds of these huge fish. SERIOUSLY HUNDREDS OF THEM!! We bought a package of stale bread to feed to them. You threw the bread in and all the fish swam on top of each other and fought for it. It was crazy. We walked to the other side of the river and walked down to the water and the fish ate the bread out of our hands.

As we kept walking there was a little zoo like set up with a wide array of random animals. There were monkey and bunnies and fishers and dear and goats and chickens and hamsters and birds and crocodiles and foxes.  It was so funny my brother was trying to feed the dear a piece of bread and he would like hold it out and jump when it went to bite it. I picked up some leaves and held them out as the dear ate it out of my hand. The two guys were so confused. I was like “yeah, we have these back home, they are practically harmless.”

 Our next stop was the soccer game. We attended a Maha Sarakham University soccer game. It was really good. I am not used to watching soccer live from a stadium, it was sweet. Unfortunately, Maha Sarakham University did not win. L

                Next we went out to dinner for some fried chicken and rice. It’s actually my favourite dish here. They have some sauce you put on it and it’s delicious. We finished dinner and went and dropped James off. On the way to his house they kept asking me, “You like car racing?” I was like yeah sure; I mean I have nothing against it. Then they were like, “You know drift?” Once again I was like I kinda knew what they meant; I figured they wanted me to watch a movie or something.

As we are driving home Go was like, “Oh we going to drive by the race track, there is a race tonight.” I went with it, I mean I kinda had to he was driving. Any ways we pull over on the side of the highway, and he’s like, “let’s go walk around, just for a second. So we walk in and there are people and cars everywhere. Tricked out cars with sound systems and flashing lights, the cars that were actually racing and spectators cars, all just parked wherever. So we work our way up to the race track and as we are walking all you can here are engines revving and breaks squealing. We watched the first few practises and then we were both like this is so awesome, so we stayed.

 It was so awesome, in Thailand safety is not a priority so you stand right beside the tracks. There was dust flying all over us and you could feel the cars revving all through your body. At one point a car lost a wheel while it was racing and it went flying into the spectators. It bounced off the ground, then a parked car, and then I don’t know where it went. It was sooo awesome. I chose my favourite car an all black one with lime green accents, such as lime green rims. Ahhh yeah! And purple blinkers.  Go chose a Yellow car and the crowd favourite. So we stood and cheered our cars on. It came down to the semi finals and now we were both really into it. I mean who wouldn’t be? It was my car versus Go’s in an attempt to get in the finals. Unfortunately, the yellow car won, but I kinda figured that. The driver was amazing.  In the end the yellow car won the whole thing. Me and Go went and took pictures with the driver.

I arrived home all happy and ran up to my bedroom, to grab my stuff for a shower. As I walked in my room I saw something move in the corner. I go over to see the two largest spiders I have ever seen. I am not usually scared to kill a bug if it was bothering me, but this thing was so big I didn’t even know how to kill it. It looked like it could eat my shoe and I wasn’t sure where a baseball bat was. I ran downstairs and was like, “there is a giant spider in my room!!!” My parents grabbed a giant broom and a giant dust pan and up they went. Go came along too just because he was freaked out by spiders but wanted to see how big it was. So picture it, my parents in my room on a spider massacre, while me and Go freak out in the hall. Yeah it was quite, the sight!

So that was how I spent my wonderful Sunday in Thailand!!

xoxo

The fishies

CROCODILE or ALIGATOR I don't really know?

Fish Sanctuary

My view at dinner :D

Me and the champion driver :D Yeay yellow car!!

One of the giant spiders. Just to put in perspective it was one third of the size of my foot.

Chantel <3 

Exchange Students are the Coolest Kids in the World :D

 OK so the following post was written throughout this last week with the main portions written on two days.  Please try to follow along because in all honesty I am too lazy to revise it.

21/08/2011

 So it’s, Sunday night, and I arrived home about half an hour ago. After unpacking and a long shower, everything is starting to feel normal again. After having such a crazy awesome weekend, the normal feeling, is not welcomed.

                On Saturday, I woke up at five am and drove three hours to Nakhon Ratchisma, for the Rotary Orientation. As soon as I walked in and everyone was joking around in English, I knew I was going to have a ton of fun. I talked to some guys from the US who live about 45 minutes away from me for the first little bit while they told us all the boring stuff. After they told us the rules and gave us some presentations on learning the language and culture shock. We went on a field trip to a silk weaving factory.

We took this big double Decker karaoke party bus, to and from the factory. It was very cool. It had flashing lights everywhere and this crazy psychedelic upholstery. It was really sweet. I really enjoyed talking to the other exchange students in Thailand. We could really relate on the culture shock and missing home.  Everyone was so chill and nice. I love exchange students!! They are honestly the coolest kids in the world. After the silk factory, we hung out at the hotel traded pins and talked a lot!  We had a banquet dinner at a buffet style restaurant. I think I ate more food there than I have since I left home two weeks ago. It was all so delicious. On the way back from the restaurant, we turned music on in the bus and danced in the aisles on the top floor. It was really crowded and everyone was dancing on everyone else. It has to be one of the best things I have ever done. One day I am coming back here and going on a road trip on one of these buses. Travel and sight see all day. Drive and Party all night! Could there be a better way to do it? I think not!

We went back to the hotel and danced in the stairwell for a while until the Rotarians came and told us to go to bed. I learned some dance moves from the Brazilian girls who are amazing dancers!! It was so much fun! I then went back to my room and crashed. As soon as I sat down on my bed I was out!

This morning, I woke up around seven and had a delicious breakfast of TOAST and fruit. We then went back upstairs and they explained more rules to us along with an extensive section on bathing and washing your clothes. I guess maybe they have had some stinky exchange students in the past? I found it quite humorous.  If you had some lady telling you how to shower in broken English you would too! We then had one last lunch together and set off home with our host families.

My first stop with my mom and dad was a village that was known for their pottery. The village was situated on the only exponential clay reserve in Thailand and everyone in the village makes pots and sculptures for a living. It was really cool, my parents talked to some people and they let us in the back of their homes to where they made the pots and figurines. It is amazing it took them about two minutes to make a pot. I watched them make like 6, all exactly the same size, shape and colour. It was really interesting.  It is so much more different than how things are made in Canada.

After that we went to an ancient castle called Phi Mai, it was a palace from thousands of years ago. It is believed that the north eastern part of Thailand was invaded by the people of Cambodia. This castle resembles a great palace in Cambodia, although on a much smaller scale. The castle was built using many different angles and symbols giving it a lotus shape. The castle was very beautiful.

On our way out I noticed a tree that had roots growing up its trunk. My mom said there is a forest of these trees nearby. The forest is actually all one tree. The trees roots grow up along the branches and then grow down towards the ground forming a new “tree”. It then continues growing back up that tree and out along its branches to form yet another tree. The cycle continues from there to create a gorgeous forest of tree roots.

While there I saw my first lady boy, actually dressed as a lady boy. Lady boy is what they call gay boys or cross dressers here. The Lady boy actually looked like a girl; she was wearing leggings and shorts with a shirt that said “cute” across it. She had really long brown hair and breasts and was wearing makeup. The only reason I realised it was a lady boy was because of her voice and after further examination her shirt said, “CUTE, clothing inspired by girls.” They actually have lady boy brands here! There is a lady boy in my class, but you could never tell because of the uniform and what not. The only way you could tell is because of how nicely kept he is. That boy knows man-scaping he always has perfect hair right down to his perfectly shaped sideburns. Unlike most guys here, who like to sport the just rolled out of bed, look.

 25/08/11

School is still very boring, very hot and very long. There are so many subjects in a day and I just sleep through them all. It is so hot all the time, its death I tell you, death. Especially in those hideous uniforms, oh how they make me cringe! I like it here though it’s very beautiful, everyday something happens that wows me and makes it worth it!

Today I had my first Muay Thai lesson and it was hard!! But I felt so good after!! I have Boxing three days a week for two hours and a membership at the gym I can use whenever. I think this a really good outpost and distraction. It felt great to get out of the house and forget who I am and where I was. I was still the” swoy farang” (beautiful foreigner) but after the initial hello, they left me and my trainer alone.  My trainer is a world champion boxer and she is in her twenties. She doesn’t speak much English but she works me hard and I like that. It just me and her so I should be whipped into shape in no time. I am really excited to learn.

 I am starting to feel a lot more at home here, the routine is coming into place. My host family is starting to feel more like family and I really like it here. However, I have not gotten used to the weather yet. I sweat 24/7 all day, all night.  My favourite time of the day is the car ride to and from school. Can you say <3 air conditioning<3?  I shower twice a day, sometimes three times if it’s really hot or I am bored. I will be sending a box or an envelope home soon with letters!! I love you all and miss you all lots!!

A new look

what can you not do on this bus??

 dancing in the hotel

   Making a sculpture 

making  a pot

 The best way to eat icecream

The castle thing i went too.

xoxo

Chantel

Canadian Teenagers Have It Good

 Wow so a lot has happened since last Thursday, also known as the date of my last blog post.  Last Friday was mother’s day in Thailand so it was a long weekend meaning school ended on Thursday. To celebrate mother’s day at school Go and I had to go on stage in front of the school population of 3000 and present our mother with a gift and wai.  This was a formal wai meaning we had to kneel and then put our hands in a wai, (palms together) in front of face and then bend down and put or hands on the ground. This demonstrates the utmost respect for our mothers. Mother’s day in Thailand is celebrated on the same day as the Queen’s Birthday. The flower of mother’s day is jasmine.  That night we went out to HOT POT Buffet for dinner. Hot Pot Buffet is a Japanese style buffet so each table has a pot with water and oil in it that heats up. Then you go to the buffet and choose what you want to cook in it. Then everyone throws it in and eats whatever they want. It was really good and it was nice to go out with the whole family. We usually don’t all eat together because Go has night classes and you just eat when you are hungry. I usually end up eating later with my host mom. It works out well though because my mom can explain to me how to eat everything and what it is called.

                 On Friday, we just lounged around the house. My mom spent the day gardening, I read in the little alcove out front and watch the movie Patriot on my laptop. Mostly I just slept. On Saturday my parents were bringing food to the monks at the temple, so I went with them. In the Buddhist religion it is believed that if you bring food to the temple on the date of someone’s death the food will be given to them, (or something to that effect). So one of the close friends of my mom’s parents had passed away a few years ago and every year on that day they bring food to give to them. I thought this was really interesting because I was able to see a temple and monks. I also got an insight on the Buddhist community and how a temple works.   My host mom taught me how to pray too. It is the same respectful wai as for mentioned, just you wai from the kneeling position three times. After we prayed for a long time and my legs went so completely numb, we waited while the men served the monks. Females cannot touch the monks and if they give anything to them it must be wrapped in a cloth. The thought behind this is monks are virgins and shall not be exposed overly to women. After they had finished eating we ate. We had this delish meat substance covered in a lemon glaze, it was delicious.

                After that my parents took me to the movies to meet up with friends. I went and saw a Thai movie about some past king fighting or something. I am not really sure what happened but I just know that first one king went and beheaded a bunch of fishermen and put their heads on stakes and the other king went and beheaded a whole village and put their heads on stakes and in the end there was a battle and the good king one. I didn’t understand the speaking but I understood the fighting and the kissing, it’s pretty understandable in any language.

                On Monday, I went to school again, and I am starting too really like it. I am enrolled in a languages and arts program in grade twelve. I study French, English, Thai, Social Studies, Thai Dance, Hand Embroidery, and Art. I really like the French teachers because it is very easy to understand them. Easier, I’d say than the English teachers, just because of the accent. I have become quite the commodity at school. Everyone wants a piece of me. I am now very familiar with the Thai words for lovely and beautiful. At first just the girls would say, “oh, you so lovely!” but, now everyone, boys come up to me and say you are very beautiful and all my teachers say I am pretty too. I have one French teacher who just adores me; every time I see her she runs up and hugs me. When she was talking to the class she kept saying, “Elle est tres mignon, mignon, mignon, mignon!” (Mignon=cute) It’s very flattering but at times embarrassing to have them talk about you so much. I always just pretend I don’t hear it and continue on with what I am doing.

                Last night we attended the Rotary welcome and farewell party. It was a lot more chill then the meetings in Canada. The party/meeting was held at the family of the outbound student’s restaurant and I sat with Go and two other boys at one table, the outbound student and all her friends sat at another and all the Rotarian sat together. For my presentation Go and I went on stage and he asked me questions and then translated back to the audience. It was very easy. The Rotarians presented me with a lovely necklace and purse. I handed out pins and banners to everyone and had fun practising the only sentence I know in Thai, “Sawadee ka, nu chui Shalida Satarom ka,” meaning hello, my name is Shalida Satarom. It was a fun party with lots of delicious food. There was a boy there who went to Canada for a few months so I talked with him mostly about music and what not. I have also been talking to my brother more which helps to make a lot of the situations I am in more liveable.

                So, my Thai name is Shalida Satarom. Shalida (Sha-LEE-dah) means to grow and Satarom is my families last name. In Thailand everyone has a nickname too. My nickname is Karn (Kah-n) means lover or sweetheart. This confuses me a lot because I have three names to listen for now and when people ask what my name is; I never know what to tell them.  I don’t mind though because I really like my names.

                 First, real shocker: In Thailand it is not custom to kiss or anything of that nature until after your eighteenth birthday. This really surprised me. I mean when  my brother told me that the school had a rule against dating I was like oh, well I guess maybe that would be better, I mean no drama or anything but then when the girls told me this OMG! I was shocked. I am in a grade twelve class at school so all the girls are a year or two older than me, so when they asked me what is was like to kiss a boy I didn’t even know what to say or do. What I thought was rather interesting too was when I said, wait so you have never kissed a boy, they replied with no we are just little girls and it’s true. They are so much smaller; look so much younger and so much more naive. I guess if you grew up in a society where childhood innocence was custom to be kept until you actually became an adult, waiting until your 18 really isn’t that bad. I think it is quite comical though because you can tell the university students from the high school students so painfully. The university students grow their hair long and wear lots of makeup.  You have to have your hair short in school and makeup is forbidden. They were short, short skirts and high heels. If you had to wear the same school uniform for six years, you probably would too.  I guess it is kinda like our transition to high school. When you’re young you look to when you can go to high school so you can wear spaghetti straps to school and have a boyfriend. The difference is that nothing is dictating when you can grow up, it’s up to you. This has made me very thankful for Canada’s liberal approach to how we raise our kids.

                Another, big Shocker about Thai Teenagers lives:  They don’t party, or go out at night or does anything fun of that nature. So I noticed my brother spent both Friday and Saturday night at home this weekend and while I thought this was a little strange, I didn’t think much of it. I mean maybe it was an off weekend, maybe he just isn’t very social, who knows? So when I went to school and asked a bunch of different people, and found out they just stay home and watch TV I was shocked.  I predicted they wouldn’t party like Westerner’s do just based on their child-like innocence but I figured they did something! Once again, Thank you mom and dad for letting me go out and have fun. I REALLY appreciate it!

                 Everything here is so different, but I am growing to really enjoy it. Ok, accept the uniforms, seriously those things suck. I mean forty baht fell out of my pocket today. That is two days worth of lunch or a dollar 30 Canadian!  I am starting to figure this out a little bit more today. Today for example, my host dad showed me the pond in the back yard with the hundreds of fish. My aunt and I Hoola Hooped for an hour or so and I walked around and took some pictures. I am feeling more confidant and comfortable. Dare, I say I actually really like it here! Well let’s end on a happy note and say this is going to be one of the best years of my life.

Xoxo

Chantel <3

Ants, Lizards and Motorcycles

So Fiona was right when she said, there were little ants everywhere. There are. As I am typing this they are crawling in and out of my keyboard. I just put bug spray around the bottom of my bed and dresser in attempt to discourage them. Another thing they have lots of here, Lizards, little, tiny lizards. They creep and crawl in every corner of the house. Last night after dinner I walked in my room and spotted two on my wall, they crawled behind a four foot wide beam and disappeared. Where to? With my luck, they will find their way to my bed.

                Another interesting thing about my house is the fact that at night it is nearly impossible to sleep. It is just too loud. For example, the dogs bark all night long. In Thailand, everyone has a dog and not just one either, it is like a few. For example, my family has 5 German Sheppard’s, if you get those going plus all the neighbourhood dogs it is impossible to sleep. Then we have the neighbour rooster, who failed to get the memo saying you wake everyone up at the crack of dawn not in the middle of the night. Then you hear people chanting, gongs, oh and the occasional vehicle with its music on very loud. That is all just in one night. To say the least the night is one of my favourite and least favourite times of the day.

                 Thailand is notorious, for its crazy insane motorcyclists. They are everywhere and anywhere. To make it even safer, I am not sure if there is even a minimum age to drive them. Everyone at my school drives them and my school is grades 7-12. Traffic in Thailand is a little insane. You just drive where there is room and giving other driver's space, is optional. In Thailand pedestrians, DO NOT have the right of way. So walking anywhere near traffic is basically a death wish. I couldn’t even imagine learning how to drive here.

                My school days are very long and boring. Basically I have no idea what anyone is saying yet they are always talking to me or about me.  I have about 6-7 girls that like to show me around, do my hair and practise French with me. We are going to the movies on Saturday, if I can find a ride.

                 My school is very beautiful; we have an assembly every morning in this giant hall thingy. It’s very silly because no one listens and the teachers don’t care.  I still don’t really understand school because; I am in my host brother’s class even though he is in a grade 12 languages program.  Yet I never know if they are being taught a class or if it’s free time. The students just wander around, play guitar, talk, anything really but I never see them work. Different culture, I guess. Anyways this makes school very difficult because it is boring and seems to go on forever. I am happily awaiting my year’s end.

                Not that I don’t like Thailand, I just find it very different. I think it would be a good place to visit, but not to live. It is just not home. I am counting down the days till I leave, about 305. That is not to long right? I am just finding it very difficult from the lack of privacy and communication. I am not getting much help learning Thai and all my decisions are being made for me without my say. Plus, my first invitation to go to the movies, my mother was like, “oh well they must pick you up and drop you off.” This made me feel very uncomfortable because we live out of town and I don’t even really know these people.  You can see if you were in the same situation you wouldn’t be happy either.

                Thai food, is a reoccurring problem for me because, it is not my favourite to say the least. I miss home style food, whatever home style food may be. People constantly try to give me food, but I can only take so much. On another note, school lunch is very cheap 18 baht, which is less than a dollar. And a bottle of water is 18 cents Canadian.

                 I have not really connected to my family yet. My host brother is always gone, busy with extra English classes.  My mother and father are just busy and awkward. Maybe time will help, maybe not. We shall see.

                So that is it, a care package would be greatly appreciated with earplugs MOM, and thank you for reading my blog.

Xoxo

Chantel <3

I am here!

09/08/2011

Well, I have arrived at my host families’ house. It is very nice. I have a beautiful room with two beds in case I want to have friends over and a vanity table. The house is set up very differently than in North America. The kitchen and bathroom are downstairs in like an outdoor room. There is no sink in the bathroom and I am not quite sure how you flush the toilet. It still feels very strange to be here. 

Unpacking was really hard, everything made me cry. It just didn’t feel right to be unpacking and accepting the fact I am living here for a year. It really made me miss my Mom because she helped me pack it all. The cards they hid for me didn’t help at the time either. I still haven’t opened the “open when you arrive” card, because I don’t want another reason to cry. It is already hard enough as it is.

                I like my family though and Thailand. It is very beautiful and unique. I just really miss my family and friends. It is hard to imagine a year without them. Having to readjust to a new house and family is really quite the task. I never imagined it would be this hard. I feel awkward because I don’t feel like going and sitting with them downstairs. I would really like to just go to bed, but then I have to face the decision of if I go and say goodnight or just go to bed. Obviously, I want to just go to bed but that could be considered rude. Plus it is only like 9:30pm here so; I would be awake very early again.

                Tomorrow, I hope to figure out if there is a cow nearby because I keep hearing mooing, from the window in my room and to go and buy myself a school uniform. I think school would help to distract me from missing home.

                Hopefully, it will get easier and unfortunately all the advice of "hang in there" doesn’t really help because a year is a long time and you can only hang for so long.

Xoxo

Chantel <3

Strange Experiences

 So, I am almost at the half way mark of my flight to Hong Kong. ALMOST at half way and its 6:14pm, Toronto time. I still have 236 miles until the half way mark. Can you believe that as I write this post I am 3718 miles from home?  It’s actually insane; I think maybe I ought to be diagnosed for dementia.  I haven’t cried yet. At the same time, I kind of feel like I am going to wake up soon and it all be just a dream. How can it be real? How can I be on a flight to HONG KONG!!!! Here, I am, little me stuck in the middle of the biggest plane I have ever seen. When I say stuck in the middle I is quite literate. I am in the third compartment out of five on the plane, sitting in the middle row in between two people, I do not know. Did I mention that my flight was delayed an hour so, if my calculations are correct, I am going to miss my transfer by an hour. I know, my worst fears confirmed.  I am kind of freaking out. Well, not complete, like I figure it will all get worked out.  But this just creates so much more work. I plan to take each experience as it comes, because I really have no way to prepare myself. All my faith is going into Kurtis’s supposedly lucky guitar pick. I guess we will truly see how lucky it is! ;)

 You know what I think is soo weird. When I arrive in Hong Kong it will be 2 am our time and 2 pm their time. This means, I will have missed 12 hours. Also when we arrive I will have been awake for 20 and a half hours without any sleep without any sleep. To make things even better, that’s when I will have to find a flight to Bangkok. The one thing I am really confused at is who to call, do I call The YE chair, my host parents, MY parents, WHO??

08/08/2011

 Ok so it is 5:16 am, Thailand Time, 6:21 pm 07/08/2011, Toronto Time, and I am in a hotel in Bangkok.  Here is how it all played out.  I arrived in Hong Kong 2:30 pm, their time, (2:30 am our time) and had missed my transfer flight.  There were agents from Air Canada waiting for me with a voucher for a hotel in Hong Kong and flight out the next day. I called my parents and they had already looked up and there was a flight leaving for Bangkok later that afternoon. So I had a choice, I could spend the night in Hong Kong or I could fly to Bangkok and not know where I would spend the night.  I decided that I needed to get to Thailand as soon as possible and then find help there. There were a lot of guests who missed their transfer flights so; it took them a while to deal with mine. By the time I received my boarding pass, I had twenty five minutes to find my flight and some decent food to eat. I had then been up for twenty three and a half hours straight.  Gate 2, my boarding pass said gate 2, well, I was at gate 40.  So off I go ignoring my hungry stomach on search of gate two. I get to the end of one very long hallway to find, I am only at gate 20. At the end of gate 20 was a high end shopping mall of sorts. Intertwined between all the Prada, Gucci and Chanel stores were fast food restaurants. The signs were also quite confusing, all the signs directing me to gate 2 were pointing in different directions. By then I had 10 minutes to make the plane. So I decided to risk it ran up an escalator to the nearest fast food joint. Popeye’s Louisiana Style Chicken, yeah that’s right LOUISIANA style chicken, in HONG KONG.  I grabbed some chicken strips chose one of the signs and just ran in the direction of the arrow. I arrived on time and ate my chicken strips in the line to board the plane. I then slept for the whole two hour plane ride to Bangkok. When I arrived in Bangkok, I still wasn’t sure if I was sleeping in the airport, if I should get a hotel. I didn’t know what to do. At baggage claim, I found a man working at a desk and asked him, where I could find a phone to make a local call. He gave me his cell phone and helped me go through my list of emergency numbers until I reached Pi Dew, one of the YE coordinators. Her and her mom, YE chair On, were staying in Bangkok to pick up Annie, an exchange student from Florida who was arriving at 11pm that night. So we went back to the hotel, I had a shower and went to bed. I woke up this morning at 4am when they were getting ready to take Annie back to the airport. I have since skyped Ben and my mom.  There are stray dogs barking outside my hotel window, just thought you should know. And that is my day 1 adventure.

 In the Toronto airport, I bought a small purple notebook, to carry around, to write down thoughts, I want to always remember. I thought it would be cool to let you know exactly what I was thinking as different things happened.

Chantel’s Thoughts:

August 7^th, 9:22am Pearson International Airport,

“Ok, so I think it just hit me. The announcements were in like mandarin or something. OMG! Just for the record, I didn’t cry, nope not yet and guess what, I’m in the middle seat. So when I do ball, it will just be awkward. I haven’t read Mom and Dad’s card yet. OMG what am I doing?? Thailand?? This is insane.”

August 7^th, 2:11pm Flight to Hong Kong

“So, now I am bored. Plus I am really confused because the screen thing says we are supposed to land at 2:00pm? But that’s in 24 HOURS not 12? Maybe they have their am and pm messed up. I hope so! Jeesh. 12 more hours! ZOMG!  I am currently 1551 miles away from home, NBD, and there are still 6312 miles to go. AGH! By the way, I didn’t cry. I got a little wet in the eyes but that is all. It still hasn’t sunk in that I am leaving for a year yet. I just really don’t know what I am doing.”

August 7^th, 10:45pm Flight to Hong Kong

“Wow, twelve hours, no big deal, that is just TWO SCHOOL DAYS! So one sketch, one painting, 2 movies, 2 friendship bracelets and no sleep later, I am three hours away from Hong Kong. Woot! Woot! The sad thing is even though the flight was incredibly long it felt short. Like I couldn’t imagine it ever ending so I didn’t and it’s almost there.”

August 8^th, 1:25am (TO time) Flight to Hong Kong

“We are descending! Yippee, now I just have to find a flight to Bangkok, OH GOD! My ears are going crazy (like hurting). OWWWW! For the note I did take my decongestant.”

August 8^th, 2:09am Landing in Hong Kong

“Funny thing is I just had an OMG I am in china moment. I truly have no idea what I have gotten myself in to. MY EARS ARE STILL KILLING ME!  I think you know you’re far from home when NORTH AMERICA, isn’t even shown on the map. It kinda makes you feel like there is no turning back.”

August 8^th, 2:27 pm (HK time) Landed in Hong Kong

“It’s so beautiful! I have never seen anything like it. The way the islands look like a pod of surfacing whales. And the mountains are so huge and green. I think I am going to like Asia.”

August 8^th, 2:32pm STILL LANDING IN HONG KONG

“I have tears in my eyes. I have done it. I have left Canada. I did it. Woot! It may be 2:30 in the morning in Toronto, but I couldn’t be more awake. Oh mon dieu, C’est très belle et difficile a comprendre. Je pense que c’est une idée dans mon imagination. N’a pas vrai. Une autre tempe, oh mon dieu.”

August 8^th 9:51 pm  Bangkok Airport

“29 hours later and I have almost made it. The weirdest part is it just feels like a really long day, when really a full day has already passed. It is just so strange. This whole experience so far is strange.”

 I think that last quote, really sums up my whole flight experience, strange. Today I will board another flight to Khon Kean to meet up with my family. I was talking to my host brother this morning and he said we could visit my school today just to look around. I will keep you updated.

xoxo

Cousins <3

Papa, Granny Jacquie and I <3

FAMILY<3

Magazine Shopping Spree!!

Me in the airport with the lovely bag Kate made me

Big Plane

Letters and Cards

My total route

What I did on the plane

Best Plane Lunch Ever

Soup with Chop sticks? yeah right

Half Way Point! Yippee

Beautiful Mountains in Hong Kong

OREOS

Chantel <3 

Tommorow ( Belated)

 Tomorrow, tomorrow, the sun will come out tomorrow.  The plane will take off tomorrow.  I will be gone TOMMOROWW!!! How exciting. Right now I am driving down to Oakville to spend my last night at my Papa and Granny Jacquie’s house. It still doesn’t seem real. I feel like I should feel SOMETHING, but nope nothing.

Last night, my super awesome wonderful friends threw an awesome surprise farewell party for me. It was everything I could have hoped for junk food, loud music and dancing. LOTS OF DANCING! Shout out to Mike for our amazing contemporary dancing and those lifts, wow we are a fantastic team. It was a really amazing night. We skyped Sam in New Zealand and that really helped to reassure me that even though I may be across the world, my friends are only a click away.  Everyone was so thoughtful and caring. Ahhh man, I love those guys! I am going to miss you guys soo much!! <3 The gifts and cards were so close to making me cry, if it weren’t for those blaring club beats beckoning me to dance, I would have balled my eyes out. Don’t worry it will hit me. I received beautiful cards and thoughtful gifts. Emily gave me the lovely pair of jeans I wore on New Year’s Eve. You know the ones I spilt nail polish on and then tried to take it out with acetone. The acetone just took out the fabric dye, leaving a white spot. To make it worst, I then went and fell in a mud puddle. Did I mention she had just bought them?  She decorated and embellished them with funny sayings and inside jokes.  Emily and Simon gave me a beautiful card and a green bracelet. I love it and plan on wearing it every day while in Thailand and every day after that too! And KATE, jeesh that girl is insane!! First, off she was the leading hand in planning the surprise party. Thank you so much Kate. Then she went and made me a beautiful tote bag with pictures of me and all my friends collaged on it. I can’t wait to tell the poor unfortunate soul sitting beside me on the plane all about each picture. Thanks so much to everyone, I couldn’t have asked or dreamt of a better last night. You guys are amazing. LOVE YOU!!!

 So, that’s it there’s no turning back now. I finished packing this morning.  My Nana finally had to come over and help out. Unfortunately, I had to take out some clothesL; it just doesn’t feel right without them. I am taking two suitcases, each around forty pounds, a carry on and a backpack. I guess that will just have to do.

Xoxo

Chantel <3