Posted by Alex Seaborg RYE Thailand on Oct 17, 2022

Sawat Dii Krap Family and Friends (Hello in Thai),

Greetings again from the other side of the world! I have now been in Hat Yai for 2 months. The second month definitely went by much faster than the first, and it both feels like I have been here for a long time and for no time at all. My host family and I continue to have fun together and grow closer through evening walks, meals at Hat Yai's many different delicious restaurants, and cable channel sports. School remains easy but engaging, with student teaching, Thai lessons, and classes continuing to fill my time. Outside of school my two favorite things to do right now are going to the gym and playing piano. With so much free time and very few commitments and deadlines, I have found myself sometimes feeling a bit aimless. Working out and practicing piano gives me goals to focus on and valuable momentum so that I use my time much better. I have also been reading, studying Thai, hanging out with friends, and have even just started to try meditation. Learning Thai is still definitely an uphill battle, but I am making progress.

The two most exciting things that happened in the last month were a trip to Bangkok for rotary orientation, and a vacation to Krabi with my third host family. At rotary orientation I met the other 16 exchange students in the southern district of Thailand, many of whom I became fast-friends with. We all bonded over our shared exchange experiences, and the 17 of us spent lots of time talking about our lives in Thailand and back home. Outside of sessions about rotary rules and what it means to be an exchange student, we had time to visit the bangkok royal palace, a nearby mall, and a few temples. The royal palace was truly impressive. I could have spent many hours exploring its different temples and many small details. The malls and other temples were fun too, and I enjoyed seeing a bit of Bangkok. I left the orientation feeling sad that my new friends live so far away, but happy for the new memories and connections I made.

Last Thursday I got back from a trip to Krabi with my third host family. We spent four days swimming at the beach, playing games at the hotel, and exploring the city. The highlight of the vacation was definitely the boat tour we took on our third day where we spent four hours touring islands and snorkeling (and also getting sunburnt, oops!). My third host father is a pastor at a christian church in Hat Yai, and my third host mother is a pharmacist. Their daughter is in her final year of high school in Bangkok. They are very nice people and I feel lucky that I will have such good host families during my time here. 

My upcoming adventures are an overnight outing with engineering graduate students this weekend, a trip to Malaysia and Singapore with Rotary next week, and a trip to Vietnam with Rotary at the beginning of November. I will make sure to share all about these trips in an email when I get back. I am so excited!

I think that's it for now. Thank you again to all of you for your continued support. I am having a really great time, and I am so thankful to be spending a year here. 

A photo of my host mom, a fellow exchange student named Charlotte, and I learning how to make pottery during a day trip to a pottery studio.
Another pretty picture of an inland in Krabi which I tried editing (AKA sliding the editing tools in apple photos until I thought the picture looked better).
"The Emerald Pool" in Krabi.
A rock formation called "The Chicken's Head" in Krabi.
A pretty picture of part of an island. If you look closely you can see a little beach nestled between two cliffs.
A temple we visited just outside of Bangkok. 
A picture of my third host family, Charlotte, and I enjoying dessert sushi on our trip.