My Everyday Routine

I moved to a place that is farther away from my home than anywhere else on the planet. There were bound to be changes in my everyday life, but I never expected my entire life to flip upside down! I want to share with you the changes in my daily routine. It took about a month and a half before I felt mostly comfortable with my life here, and could perform daily tasks without much hesitation. That's not to say I don't cringe during my daily bucket baths --- I still do! I may not exactly "like" every change, but I've grown to appreciate how people live their lives in this country, and I've also grown to appreciate the things I took for granted growing up. Here is an example of my typical day here in Thailand:

6:00 AM: Wake up and spend a few minutes thinking about how I'd like to go back to sleep (only half-kidding). Take a cold bucket bath, put on my school uniform, and go downstairs to drink a hot cup of Milo (similar to hot chocolate) and maybe eat a few 'platong koh' (rice-donuts) or a banana.

7:15 AM: The whole family is ready, and we're off to school!

7:40 AM: Arrive at school just in time for the 30-40 minute school assembly (which occurs everyday).

8:30 AM: Begin classes which include English, Genetics, Calculus, Thai language, and Thai painting.

12:00 PM: Gin khao! (Eat lunch)! Lunch will usually consist of a rice or rice noodle base with some kind of protein like chicken or pork and/or an egg, and some kind of sauce. My favorite is khao gai tohd (rice with fried chicken and plenty of sweet chili sauce). Sometimes kids will get ice cream or fruit for dessert, or go to the shop in the canteen to purchase treats. The lunch break is always an hour or more, so there's plenty of free time to do whatever you'd like!

1:00 PM: Resume classes. For some reason, Thai teachers don't always hold class. You're almost guaranteed at least an hour of extra free-time each day. These free periods tend to occur in the afternoon. Most students usually just study, do crafts, eat, socialize, and you can count on some music to be playing in your home-base classroom!

4:00 PM: Classes are over! Since my host mom is a teacher at my school, I usually have to wait for her in her office until she's ready to leave school.

4:40 PM: Depart school and go pick up my siblings from their schools. Most often, we'll stop at the market to pick up dinner.

Here is an example of Thai "fast food."
This is "khao mook gai tohd," which is
turmeric rice with fried chicken, crispy
onions, and sweet chili sauce.

5:30 PM: Arrive home. This is the time to relax, or do whatever you want until dinner.

7:30 PM: Dinner time! Although Thai food is extremely delicious, there isn't a great deal of diversity. You can count on eating rice, 99.99% of the time. There's usually a few different dishes, from curry, fried meats, soups, and sometimes vegetables. Vegetables are kind of a rarity here. Many times we'll all just eat "fast-food" which is really just rice with some kind of protein and sauce.

8:00 PM: Time to do any homework, use the computer, or talk to the family. We are all usually busy with something, so a lot of the socializing occurs on the weekends.

11:00 PM: Time to turn out the lights and hit the hay. Sometimes I'm a little rebellious and I keep using the computer or my phone until midnight or 1 in the morning, but I always regret doing that when I have to wake up in the morning!

I hope this provides a little bit of insight as to what I'm doing on a typical day. Eventually, I will write about what I do on the weekends and on special holidays, so look out for that!

Until next time,
Brandon

Thailand: The Land of Smiles, Sun, Motorcycles, Delicious Food, & Death-Eating Mosquitoes

The blessing of the lotus flower
which signifies the rebirth
of the human spirit
and a purifying of the soul.

     I have been in "the land of smiles" for about a month now. And let me tell you, I'm still not quite 100% adjusted to my new home here in Thailand. I do not think I will ever be 100% adjusted, and that's perfectly okay. I've since learned that life itself is a continuous adjustment. You will be constantly thrown into the unknown and you just have to find the best ways to maneuver through it all. Throughout this year, I will try so many new things, observe and learn about my surroundings, teach others what I can about my language, culture, and where I come from. This past month has been so incredible. From meeting and getting to know my host family, starting school, and exploring Suratthani, I have been quite busy. It's been the best "busy" I've ever been. Throughout this post, I'm going to throw in a few random pictures from my experiences here!

     I have a wonderful host family which consists of my mother (mae), father (paw), older host sister (Fang), younger host brother (Fong), and younger host sister (Meen). We even have a pet dog named Gib-Ngun (Get Money)! I have a bedroom and bathroom to myself, which is very generous of my host family. In Thai culture, parents often give all of the available rooms to the children and will sleep in the family gathering room instead. Although Thai families are hierarchical and authoritative, parents view their children as the future success of the family, so they highly praise their children and care deeply about them. My host mother already calls me her son. I am no longer an exchange student to her, and that truly warms my heart. It took some getting used to my home here for sure. All modern conveniences I have been so privileged to have grown up with and have taken for granted have been striped away. My bed is rock-hard, my daily bathing consists of several cold water bucket scoops (ice bucket challenge every morning), there is no air-conditioning, microwave, oven, or pantry for food. Also, the toilet situation is "undesirable" for usage. But, in a matter of a week or so, none of those things really mattered (although, I could really use a hot shower and a chocolate chip cookie). I live a simple life here in the land of smiles, and dare I say I kind of like it that way.

My first week of school I went to a college fair
with many of my classmates at
Prince of Songkla University in Suratthani!

     Did I mention it's incredibly hot here? It's 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit every day with 100% humidity. Rainy season has just begun, but that only helps a little. It may rain for an hour or two each day and then the sun will pop back out. The rain also increases the amount of already-abundant mosquitoes floating around. They seem to love me. I think they may sense that I'm different. They also like to breed in any standing water they can find. You can't keep water out for very long before a mosquito will find it and lay eggs. It's been a problem in my bathroom, but the spiders and tarantulas take care of many of them for me!

     One big difference between Thailand and the United States is that everyone here owns a motorcycle (More of a moped style). It's not for fun, but for transportation. They're cheaper, and easy to take care of. Thailand is still developing, and as more people enter the middle-class, more people can afford cars. Just like 16-year-olds in America can start driving cars and driving to school, 16-year-olds here can start driving motorcycles and drive them to school. I'm unfortunately not allowed to drive a motorcycle here, but riding on the back of one is one of the liberating experiences I've ever had. With the wind blowing in your face and the bustling city surrounding you, it's incredibly fun! I also love the stares I get when Thai people see the "farang" (foreigner) riding with a Thai person!

Deep-fried bird eggs! 

     Now what you've all been waiting for... the food... yes, it's just as delicious as people exclaim back home. Some of my favorites have been "Som Tam" (Papaya Salad), "Khao Neeyow Moo" (Sticky Rice with Sweet Shredded Pork), "Khao Mok Kai Tod" (Yellow Turmeric Rice with Fried Chicken), and "Gang Mahssamahn Kai" (Sweet Chicken Curry with Potatoes or Taro). On my way to Suratthani, I tried Deep fried BIRD eggs. They tasted just like chicken eggs, it's just the conditioned thought of eating bird eggs that grossed me out, but it was really delicious. Imagine a hard-boiled egg wrapped inside a  wonton and dunked into sweet chili sauce then deep fried... AROI (Delicious)! I've tried some "interesting" things as well... seahorse soup, squid, fried tarantulas, chicken feet, pigs ears... I could go on but I'm starting to feel sick. I didn't like any of those things, and some of them I tried unwillingly... but at least I tried them, and that's all that matters. You wouldn't have ever realistically seen me trying any of those a few months ago.

     Until the next blog post, I'll be sure to look out for more interesting foods to try and more effective techniques for combating the mosquitoes.. We'll see how that goes.

     -Brandon

Goodbyes, Leaving Home, & Touchdown In Thailand: Culture Shock

     Goodbyes aren't quite that hard to do because you'll be away from a loved one for a year. With social media and advanced technology, I'm globally-connected to anybody and everybody in a matter of seconds. Goodbyes are hard because there are so many milestones and changes that neither of you will experience together firsthand for an entire year. An entire year is a long, long time... most of us will only get about 70-90 of them. But, I'm confident that this is a year being well, well spent.

Me and Sarah (CBYX)
a few weeks before we left!

     I left home on the morning of August 11th, 2014. I planned on not sleeping the night prior as I had so much left to do, but alas, I clocked out at about 3 in the morning. That morning was a scramble for me, but I finally had everything I needed and was ready for takeoff to New York. I still remember exactly how I felt that morning, and I have honestly never felt like that before. Think of every emotion in the world besides anger and combine them all. That's the most accurate depiction of how I felt. I boarded my flight, and soon departed for New York City. I've never really "been" to new York City. I had only traveled through the airports during layovers. But I definitely experienced New York City driving once I arrived! It was absolutely insane. Coming from the Midwest and having been all over the world, I can affirm that midwestern drivers are definitely the best. Our cab driver from Laguardia to the hotel orientation site was quite the character. He had a heavy accent, and I guessed he was from somewhere in western Africa. Although when I asked him where he was from out of curiosity, he gave a great laugh and exclaimed: "oh my boy, I am from New York! I live in New York, so New York is my home." And let me tell you, he had so much pride in his home. It boggles my mind that I may also one day call New York my home when I attend university and even during my future career. I hope I end up possessing a similar pride wherever the world takes me.

The four amigos at the zoo.
I really do miss this dysfunctional family.

     In New York, we only stayed one night, as the next day we would be departing for Tokyo, Japan, and then Bangkok, Thailand. We would have a 14 hour flight to Tokyo, and an 8 hour flight to Bangkok. I've since figured out that Bangkok is one of the farthest away places that one from America can ideally visit. Crazy, right? I really am on the other side of the world. During our stay in New York, we had a few last minute orientation activities with AFS. We also met the AFS groups traveling to Switzerland and Sweden for their years abroad! During my AFS orientation in Saint Louis, there was another guy that was going to Switzerland for a year. It was awesome to meet him, but I didn't think much of the encounter as I was sure I wasn't going to see him again. Sure enough, he was in New York! We were both quite sad about missing Cardinals baseball and STL Bread Co. At least somebody understood the struggle! Eventually the next day rolled around and it was time to really start our year-long adventures.

Right before we left for JFK!

     The five of us Thailand-bound students and our chaperone Debra had one last briefing from AFS, and said goodbye to our YES Abroad alumna group leader, Alexandra! She gave us these wonderful, handmade cloth envelopes with a Thai flag stitched on the front pocket to keep all of our loose souvenirs and what not. She also included an encouraging letter that I've read every day since arriving. Then, we headed to JFK airport, took a few group pictures, and flew to Tokyo! We flew with a Japanese airline called ANA. We were about the only non-Japanese people on the flight. But the flight went great! It was long, but the food was interesting, and we had so many movies to keep us entertained. I watched Rio 2 and the Life of Pi. We soon landed in Tokyo and it was insanely hot. Narita airport is a mega-giant airport with a lot of shopping and foods to try, so we got to do a little bit of that.  We were all exhausted at that point, but we still had to fly to Bangkok. We arrived in Bangkok at 2 in the morning and got a little bit of sleep before we had to start our first day in Thailand!

Grace, Ryan, Brandon (me),
Sarah, and Emily at the Royal Palace!

     Because we were delayed about a month, us American students were the only ones at the orientation along with the AFS staff. But we spent 4 days in Bangkok exploring, trying new Thai foods, and learning a bit of Thai language! It was a grand time exploring the Royal palace of the king and ordering street food by ourselves for the first time. Also, little did I realize that the hot showers at the hotel would be my last hot showers for a quite some time. But, that's Thai culture for you! Bangkok is a large, crazy, colorful city... one of the biggest in the world in fact. The language here is loud and tonal, and it sometimes intimidates me, but I'm sure I'll overcome this soon enough. We had some scary moments in the taxi rides around Bangkok. Thai driving is not exactly the best! Additionally, I quickly learned that I really liked Khao Pad Kai (chicken fried rice) and Som Tam (Papaya Salad), and I have been eating both quite often since I arrived in my host community. On our last day of orientation, we met our advisers and/or host families. My host mother came to pick me up. We all had lunch together and soon went off to our host communities. Since I live in the far south, I actually had a 10 hour bus ride to Suratthani, but I really do like the Thai bus system. Soon, I will update on my adjustment into my host community, but for now, I must go. We're headed to the Suratthani bridge and the night market!

Here is the infamous royal palace!

Until next time,
Brandon

PDO, Forks in the Road, Life Lessons, & other Ramblings

     Although it's now July, there's never been a better time to reflect back on the incredible

Lyrics from OneRepublic's "I Lived".

experience I had at the YES Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation in Washington D.C, better known simply as "PDO". On June 24th, I departed Saint Louis for D.C for 4 jam-packed days of learning, connecting, preparation, sightseeing, and every other activity that could possibly be done with 65 other worldly youth ambassadors about to embark on year-long journeys around the globe! As my flight was taking off from Saint Louis, the experience suddenly became real... and of course, many exchange students claim they have similar cliche feelings, but it really is true. I remember listening to "I Lived" by OneRepublic as the wheels lifted off the tarmac and being overcome by intense emotion. I had feelings I had never felt before. The song captured what I was feeling perfectly. That was the moment that I finally realized that I really was owning every second that the world could give me. I wasn't dreaming of this anymore, I had made it happen. Receiving this scholarship to study abroad in Thailand and serve as a youth ambassador has been the greatest achievement of my entire life. I had never felt true pride before... and now I can say I have.

   

I don't quite see the resemblance.

During the PDO, we had a State Department visit where we were able to talk to State Department officials about the YES Abroad program, world issues, future careers, and various questions we had. We also had a region specific specialist talk to the country groups about the part of the world  we are traveling to. I also visited the Smithsonian Museum for Asian Art, where I was able to marvel over great works with Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu influences, which are the among the most practiced religions in Thailand. I was also able to snap a selfie with my good friend Buddha! I have been told I resemble him quite candidly... it must be the ears. Further, we had many workshops during our time at the PDO to better prepare us for our year's abroad, including adjustment workshops, and workshops to teach us how to use social media effectively to share our experiences. However, I  think  believe the greatest times of PDO were spent with the delinquents I call my  friends  best friends. We had limited time together, but we made every second count. Because we spent every second we could together, we didn't really think about taking too many pictures, but I thought I should include a picture of Victoria (going to Indonesia) trying on my shoes. It was definitely a highlight seeing people try on my huge shoes!

I wonder if they have
size 14 shoes in Thailand.

     As Friday rolled around, it was time to say goodbye to everyone. I will never see a lot of my peers ever again, which is a quite surreal feeling. Next Summer, I hope to have a reunion with the Third Floor Lounge kids. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is the lounge in the 4H center where the PDO was held that we always congregated at. It's almost our 2nd home. As we all depart for our journeys, I want to say good luck to all of you guys! Eat all of the food in your country that I cannot. Post worldly selfies on Instagram. Live life to the fullest! We're doing incredible things, and we're all under 18. How rad is that?!

     Finally, many of you may be wondering why I am still in America. Well, there was a fork in the road. I was supposed to depart on July 2nd for Los Angeles, the 3rd for Tokyo, and the 4th for Bangkok. Because of the political unrest in Thailand back in May, the State Department issued a travel warning to "avoid all unnecessary travel" to Thailand until August 21st. Although it is completely safe in Thailand, the State Department only wanted to keep us students as safe as possible, and because they are funding my exchange, we were delayed. I was quite bummed at first, but then I realized that I now have more time to learn Thai, learn more about Thailand, spend time with friends and family, and tie up loose ends with school before I leave. However, this warning has since been lifted. Now, I will depart Saint Louis on August 11th for New York City for a program-specific orientation, and then depart for Tokyo on the 12th, and Bangkok on the 13th. I couldn't possibly be more excited! 

Until next time,

Brandon

22 Days and 1000 Things to Do

From left to right: Me, Ashley, Ashley, and Paris
on one of our last outings as a group into
 the Delmar Loop in Saint Louis, Missouri!

     Tests are done. School is out for the Summer. 14 days until the YES Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation in Washington D.C. And only 22 days left before my journey to Thailand begins! My Summer thus far has consisted of eating at all of my favorite restaurants, enjoying good old American frozen custard, and many sad goodbyes to my friends and family. The next 22 days will be a whirlwind. There's still so much to do in these next 3 short weeks. But, no matter how much any of us 65 students prepare for our journeys around the globe, we'll never be ready. To be completely ready would mean there would be no reason for our pending adventures. That's the beauty of travel. You only succeed if you step out of your comfort zone and expect the unexpected.

     Now that Summer is here, I have a few projects that I need to complete before I depart! Some of them are mandatory, some voluntary. But, all of them will help me in my efforts to integrate into Thai culture a little smoother than if I landed in Thailand as a clueless American.

1. Create my YES Abroad introduction video sharing a piece of my culture with my host family, school, and community.

2. Post my first vlog on my YouTube channel to document my adventures in Thailand.

3. Create a photo book of sorts with pictures of my American friends, family, and my community that I can share with my Thai friends and family.

4. LEARN THAI.

Half of the world represented in one picture!

     Before I depart for Thailand, I will be attending the YES Abroad National Pre-Departure Orientation where I will be attending a State Department visit, a visit to the Embassy of Thailand, and several workshops to better prepare me for my year abroad. The entirety of the trip wouldn't be complete without the other 64 kids preparing to go abroad! A few of them have been by my side since last year when the applications for the YES Abroad program opened, and they're now some of my best friends. I'm as close to them as many people in life that I see everyday. Crazy how that happens, isn't it?

   

I wonder if selfies are as popular in Asia as
they are States side?

     Some days I feel extremely excited, some days I feel extremely bummed, and some days I feel extremely nervous and anxious. Most days it's a mixture. But I guess that's all part of being an exchange student. You feel things you've never had to feel before. It's a roller coaster of emotions right now. Like the rush you get when you're on an airplane during take off. Like the feeling of running your absolute hardest while laughing simultaneously with your friends. Like the feeling of watching a really sad movie that inspires you (The Fault in Our Stars, anybody?). But I love it, I absolutely love it.

     Until next blog post, see you guys soon!

To Thailand & Beyond!

     Where do I even begin?! I guess I should start off by introducing myself. My name is Brandon Penrod, and I live in Saint Louis, Missouri!  I am currently 17 years old and I'm about to enter my senior year of high school. Travelling and exploring new places means the absolute world to me... literally. I am a die-hard fan of the Saint Louis Cardinals and the Saint Louis Blues. I am obsessed with Strawberries, Pineapple, Crab Rangoons, BBQ Pulled Pork and Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips. And finally, the next year of my life will be spent in Southeast Asia in the nation of Thailand, 8,748 miles away from what I call home! 

     This July, I will be venturing to Southeast Asia with the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Scholarship program for one year in Thailand! After reaching alternate status last year and eventually not receiving the scholarship, to now being offered the scholarship of a lifetime, I could not possess any more excitement! I took this past year as an invitation to change my life for the better-not a rejection. And I'm incredibly proud knowing that I never gave up. 

     I cannot even begin to imagine the experiences I will have in Thailand. From reading the blogs of past and present YES students in Thailand, marveling over pictures, and researching almost everything I can about the culture, I can tell that I'm in for one wild, crazy, eventful year! I'm creating a Thailand bucket list as we speak. As of right now, I'm most excited to explore Bangkok and all of the markets in the city! Also, I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to ride an elephant or two, or ten, while I'm there. There's an immense amount of opportunities to be excited for in Thailand, I cannot even process them all!

     I also just want to congratulate every other YES Abroad scholarship recipient for this fantastic achievement. I know we all placed so much time, effort, and passion into this program. I also want to thank the U.S Department of State, American Councils, and AFS for giving me the chance to represent my country as a youth ambassador, and make my country proud!

     This adventure would not be possible without the amazing people I have met through this program already. I want to give a special shout-out to Abeeha Shamshad, my ride or die, the annoying little sister I never wanted, the Bay area sports fan I absolutely despise, and my absolute best friend for encouraging me this past year and a half. You deserve everything you desire, and one day, you'll make big changes to this world. I hope you're by my side every step of the way in Thailand and my entire life. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.

     Finally, I want to say thank you to my friends and my family for sticking with me throughout this entire journey. You have all put up with countless hours of me daydreaming about the adventures I always hoped to have, and the countries I hoped to someday visit. And now, it's no longer daydreaming, it's reality.

     As for now, I'm off to study for AP, ACT, and SAT testing. School consumes most of my life at this point in time, but hopefully soon preparing for Thailand will be my number one priority! Talk to you guys soon!

As Volcano IPSE Explodes!

Friday, March 22nd, 2013. The date my life will change forever. I have so much excitement flowing through my veins. I am only slightly packed, but entirely anxious. I just cannot wait to meet the awesome people that I have been waiting months to meet. The BPFC will finally be together to be completely crazy for an entire weekend. So many emotions are rushing through my body. Excitement, Anxiousness, Nervousness. However, I know that this will be the time of my life regardless of the outcome later on. To have an opportunity such as this is mind-blowing, and I honestly do not know how I got here. It started as one of many endless dreams in my head. Now it's reality. Games, books, electronics, and tons of stickers and candy are sprawled upon my bed. It would be wise to pack them right about now... but sharing my experience with the world is much more important. I hope to look back one day and say: "Wow, what a great adventure the IPSE was..I wish I could go back". Until that time comes, I bid you adieu. Good luck to my fellow YES'ers! Let The Hunger Games Begin! May the odds be ever in your favor!