When I put on my Blazer I become: Rotary Youth Exchange Student!

[chang14139]

@LuneFromage ยินดีทที่ได้รู้จักครับ คุณน้ำฝนเช่นกันครับ

" คุณน่ารักมากเลยครับ" ^--------^

[chang14139]

i think ,your accent is verry like "thai " i know cuz i am thai. my nick name is "chang".

"chang" = elephant.

"ช้าง"

[LuneFromage]

@chang14139 ขอบคุณค่ะ! ^__^

ยินดีที่ได้รู้จักคุณช้าง!

ชื่อเล่นน้ำฝนค่ะ

[millzmillie]

Thanks for the tips! Got to get making now, departure is in 10 days !

[millzmillie]

Thanks! I was kinda unsure what to get mine, I guess I'll get them loads of tea too ( lol I'm from England =P)

[LuneFromage]

@millzmillie I think that tea is a perfect gift to give. :) I would be extremely amused if I hosted a student from the UK and s/he gave me tea. If you are crafty, you could maybe make little tea bags or tea cozies for your families too! Magnets and little figurines of famous buildings/monuments of the UK could be good gifts as well.

[millzmillie]

I really am, but I'm sort of anxious at the same time. Did you get gifts for all of your host families or just the first one?

[LuneFromage]

@millzmillie I got small gifts for all of them and one slightly nicer gift for my first host family. I gave really small gifts- post cards, coins, american doo-dads, stamps (because my host mother collected them). I wish I had bought them a coffee table book about my state/country for my first family though... oh well... c'est la vie. T-shirts are nice too. I wish I had had more gifts... Nothing expensive, just hand-made things from my country (or even that I made) and the like...

[millzmillie]

I really am, but I'm sort of anxious at the same time. Did you get gifts for all of your host families or just the first one

[millzmillie]

I'm going on a long term exchnage with Rotary to Brazil in less than four weeks!

[LuneFromage]

@millzmillie Oh wow!!! I bet that you are incredibly excited!

I have friends who went to Brazil (and Brazilian exchange friends who were in Thailand with me- if you look you can see a Brazilian flag that I was given in the background!) I have heard fantastic things about Brazil! The people are friendly and (from photos) it's beautiful. My Brazilian friends also tended to have great taste in music. I think that you will love it! The Brazilians in my district always shout BRASSSSSSSSSSSILLLLL!

[sageinthailand]

Im going to thailand with rotary This Year!!!!

[LuneFromage]

@sageinthailand That's so exciting!! I love Thailand so much! It really is just a fantastic country (of course I am biased). Please let me know if you have any questions that I can answer. ^__^

[Krysten1785]

I love you! haha

I really want to go on an exchange trip!

I'm subscribing to your channel. Please make more amazing videos! :D

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 *Blushes* Thank you so much! I love you for saying such kind things! I really hope that you are able to go on exchange. If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to ask me! I would love to help you in any way that I can. ^__^

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage You're welcome! This world needs more fun people like you. :)

I'm getting so excited at the prospect of going on a RYE trip. I will definitely message you if I have any questions.

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage Actually I just thought of a few questions. How long was it before you were able to speak confortably with the natives? And you went to school there, right? Were your classes in English or Thai?

I want to go a Spanish-speaking country (well, really I'm open to any country), but I hardly know any Spanish. The exchange students who go to my school (from other countries) knew English before coming to the States. Is it typical to not know much of the language before leaving?

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 It's hard to explain, but it's more of a progression than a certain time that I felt comfortable. From the first night I tried speaking with my host family and I just got progressively more comfortable as time went on. I would say that I was really comfortable after a few months. My school was in Thai, but I had graduated high school already. Many people do not know much of the language, but it's a good idea to atleast learn some key phrases & practice the language everyday! :)

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage I'll be going after I graduate too. Did any of your credits from Thailand transfer to college?

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 No, my credits did not transfer, but if you go to a Spanish speaking country, then you might be able to get credit for Spanish classes. It's amazing how many times exchange helps out in college classes though and in life in general in ways that I was not expecting. :)

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage Thank-you. This is just plain exciting! =D

I can't even begin to imagine how many awesome memories you must have! =)

You must feel so confident and unique knowing that you've been to a place like Thailand and that you understand the culture or such a diverse place.

I'm literally jumping up and down right now with excitement!! hehe =D

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 Haha, Yay! That's exactly how I felt when I first spoke to a former exchange student at my school! I loved hearing her stories. I imagined my own adventures. I think that you will make an excellent exchange student. A lot of it is just wanting to make it a good year and wanting it to be an adventure. It's an amazing opportunity, but much of it is what you make of it. It's surprising how stepping outside of your environment shows you a lot about yourself.

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage Yes I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a year. My district contact says a trip costs about $5,000 which is actually pretty cheap. I was going to go on a 2-week trip to Spain last year for $4,500, but it was canceled. Back then I was pretty sad that the trip was cancelled, but now I'm happy because through Rotary I can learn Spanish, live for a year in another counrty, and have the experience of a lifetime for only $500 more than I would have paid for that 2-week Spain trip. =)

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 How serendipitous! I mean, I am sorry that your trip was canceled, but I think a year abroad is just such an amazing experience! I actually thought that I would not be able to afford exchange, so I worked a part-time job for a few years to pay for it... It was difficult to juggle that and school, but it was worth it!

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage Yeah, $5,000 dollars is a large amount of money, regardless of how much you get out of it. I fear that may get in my way. I spend a large portion of my time doing community service (mostly teaching and caretaking for free) because it's my passion to help people, but I may have to start charging money. I would really hate to do that, but it's a hard descision to make, especially since I don't know whether it's really necessary to quit my community service in order to get the money.

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 You could always try asking businesses to donate money to Rotary for your exchange. They are able to get a tax break for donating to a charitable organization. It can't be to you directly, but they can to Rotary for you. Maybe even if you talk to Rotarians they might be able to help you. You could tell them your predicament and they, as philanthropists, might be sympathetic and offer to help you find ways to raise the money without giving up doing community service. :)

[Krysten1785]

@LuneFromage That's a good idea. Thanks! =)

They of all people would definitely have some ideas. I'm sure they've talked to several of their exchange students about fund-raising and such.

[LuneFromage]

@Krysten1785 No problem. ^_^ Just let me know if you have any more questions.

[star13r1te]

Fact: My first day in Thailand while driving through Bangkok I saw a whole family with their dog holding a patio size umbrella driving down the road in the rain on a motorcycle. Needless to say I was wondering what that year would indeed bring.

When I get home at the end of April I will make a video with my blazer! <3 It will be awesome.

[LuneFromage]

@star13r1te The fact that it will be awesome is not even debateable. It will indeed be fantastic... Blazer + Exchange Student (especially if that exchange student is you) = Awesome. Awesome in the sense that it truly inspires a sense of awe. ^_^