[66paptroump]

Hehe, yeah, I was a Rotary kid out to Thailand a few years ago. I think my experience was a bit different from your 'typical' one as I am not a white-skinned foreigner; I blended in quite nicely with Thai folks as I'm of Filipino blood. This was a bit of a double edged knife though; I wasn't as 'cool' as my white-skinned friends were and people often refused to talk to me about Canada even though I have a pretty bad prairie boy accent.

The main thing that I noticed as a difference between Thai and N. American culture was the level of respect shown to 'higher' people, such as elders and teachers. As a result, Thai teens and youngsters are far less likely to show disobedience, or question authority than North Americans, and this can take some getting used to.

My host Rotary club was...well, adequate, but being one of the less well off clubs in the city, there was definitely some disparity between what they could do and what I could; for instance, they went on boatloads of trips with their clubs that I was not invited to, even though I was very involved with the community and was the lone student in my city who could read and write Thai with some proficiency.

But hey, your experience is just waiting around the bend and I truly believe that Thailand is one of the best countries to go on exchange. The warmth and generosity of Thai people, although they are relatively poor by our standards, is so overwhelming that it's impossible not to fall in love with them, the culture, and the country.

My story is on the exchange student section of thailandlife.com and is worth a look.

PS - Although 'Dao' is a girl's nickname, I eventually warmed up to it when my gay flower arranging teacher insisted on calling me that! I got teased about it but when people learned the story behind it and how hip this gay teacher actually was, they became copacetic with it.

[kazinopartnerkae]

Well, I think we would be biased as we live here! But, Gor has a page on his site with a couple of stories written by people like yourself. Some are still hanging around the board and so hopefully they will post too.

http://www.thailandlife.com/exchange/index.html

[PhilipBartew]

Aww, your so lucky! I would kill to get exchanged to someplace else! You should really take consideration into heading to Thailand. I wish I could give you some ideas of Thai life and culture and stuff but I'm an all thai-american kid and a pretty ignorant one if I might add. If your flight stops by in NY, PLZ TAKE ME WITH YOU! lol

[OpVJokl8]

Hey,

I'm currently a freshman (9th grade) at an American high school and am planning on going on an exchange trip my junior year. I know that is 2 years away, but I'm needing to apply early. The exchange program I'm using is Rotary. I've narrowed my choices down between four countries: Thailand, New Zealand, Belgium, and Denmark. I've been doing a lot of research on these countries and so far Thailand seems the most interesting and different from what I'm used to. I've read some pros and cons to Thailand, but I was wanting to get a first hand look from someone who lives there, has visited, gone on exchange...basically someone who has insight on this country and what it's all about. Any information you could give me on Thai life, schools, customs, your own experiences that would be awesome! Thanks a ton in advance for any and all things you say that might make my decision a little easier. Thanks again!

~Cone

[Michael-jeckson2]

I'm jealous!
Good thought to do some research first. I think a student exchange in Thailand would provide you with an experience of a lifetime. Theres a lot to say about living here. Nicknamed The Land of Smiles, Thailand's culture tends to be very kind and generally welcoming. www.ThaiStudents.com might give go some idea at some basics of a Thai school and culture. Good luck

Dan