A Thai Halloween!

Today is Halloween, and as I'm on bedrest, I did not celebrate one bit! To be honest, this is a trying time for me... I was not in the Halloween mood today at all, and I'm not sure if it's due to my injury, or being in Thailand in general. I miss the crisp, cool fall air and the vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and browns of nature in Missouri. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I was always the one to put up decorations at my dad's house, and I unfortunately/fortunately can't do that this year. But, I'm taking it all in stride! I'm sure I'll be celebrating many more Halloweens in my lifetime. I did get a huge kick out of seeing all of my Thai friends post selfies on Facebook and Instagram of their fake blood makeup jobs! Thai students cannot wear costumes to school like we can in America, so this is as scary as anyone got on this holiday. I'm truly missing my beloved candy corn and caramel apple slices... I can only dream!

Until next time,
Brandon

A Little "Dislocation" in the Road

Exchange will throw you many curveballs, but I never expected to sustain a serious injury!

Gotta keep smiling!

While teaching at an English camp at Khanom beach, Thailand, I tripped and fell backwards into the sand during a game of dodgeball with all the kids (I rebounded too hard after throwing the ball at someone... this is why I never played sports - haha!). I ended up dislocating my knee and twisting up my ligaments (I don't know the exact results yet, I should have the MRI results soon). Also, my femur and tibia have been slightly shifted in opposite directions and are no longer aligned. I went to the hospital and was there for 3 days. Now, I'm just chilling at home. Won't be going to school for a while. I'm not in any pain unless I put weight on my leg, so it's not too bad to be treated like a King while I'm on bed rest! I'm holding up, and I've been smiling through the entire experience. I mean, at least I got injured in paradise, right? I've decided to stay in Thailand despite the injury. If I'm going to fight through this, I'm at least going to do it in this beautiful country. Besides, I've worked too hard to just give it all up! I may miss a few opportunities in the coming months because of what happened, but I'm going to make the best of what I can. It also may be more difficult to ride an elephant now, but you better best believe it's still on my bucket list! Thank you to my wonderful host family who has already done so much for me this year, and who are so willing to take care of me. To all of my exchange friends, fight through whatever issues you're dealing with today. You guys can do it! If you're ever feeling down, "Su Su!" (Fight on!) Something Thailand has taught me is to have a "Mai pen rai" attitude about everything in life. Things happen, and if you can't help it, make the best of the situation. 

Khanom Beach, Nakhon Si Thammarat

But woah woah woah, hoooooooooold up. Did I mention I was at one of the most beautiful places on earth, teaching English with some extraordinary other English volunteers? And did I mention that the kids were incredibly bright and interesting? I had such a fun time. I got to see WIlly, who is one of my best friends here! The English camp was sponsored by AFS for Satree Thungsong School. We traveled to Khanom beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat province which is about 2 hours from where I live in Surat Thani. The beach was incredibly beautiful, but there was a jellyfish issue -- a few kids got stung and actually went to the hospital about an hour after I arrived at the hospital! I had a peaceful, relaxing time for 2 days until my accident, and I'll forever be grateful for that! 

Myself (USA), Willy (Indonesia), and Lennart (Germany)

I'll be up to my normal Brandon Penrod antics in no time. And hey, now I have time to work on all those college applications and essays!

Until next time,
Brandon

Gratitude

We all go through bumps in the road as exchange students. But, it's important to remain grateful for what's going right and what you have. So today, here are three gratitudes:

1. The arguably most delicious fruit on the planet can be found right in my country, right down the street if I ever want it!

2. I have the cutest little neighbor named "Preen" who is two years old, and loves to ride her little bike around the street and give me kisses on the cheek.

3. I can't say I've ever been as confident as I feel here. It feels liberating to feel so good about yourself when you wake up every morning.

Until next time,

Brandon