We're home safe...

got back to a wonderful welcome party with our parents and friends. Thanks everyone for following our story and holding us in your thoughts. Very nice of everyone... not much more to update on... there will be more news on here but later. Thanks again.

We're in Singapore...

we have had a bit of excitement checking bags and finding out that we have a 20kg limit per person on Silk Airways but after some negotiations we only had to pay a small fee and do some moving around. Now we're all working on homework or reading and trying to get a nap in but it's so hard to get sleep in the airport. We depart at 7:00AM tomorrow morning and will arrive at 2:00PM in Chicago. See you all soon!

Almost home...

today was our last eventful day. We went to Patong beach which is one of the most popular beaches in Phuket. It was very beautiful and we went in the water and went shopping around at some shops after lunch. We also found some other interesting things that we'll be sure to discuss when we get home. Life is good let's put it that way. Mai pen ray.

Then we came home and went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. It was half Chinese and half Thai seafood. Very good. Then we went for some grocery shopping and our last ice cream at Swensons. Rachel and I had fun in an Eat-off each buying the (meant for two people) Earthquake with eight scoops and assorted toppings. Let's just say I'm feeling it now. We're back at the hotel working on some homework and watching some DVDs. Tomorrow is packing day. YAY!

An easy day...

all we did today was work on some homework and go out for a nice dinner at a seafood restaurant. The restaurant was over water which was pretty cool and the food was very good! Tomorrow we are going to one of the best beaches on the Phuket island and enjoying some shopping along with the sun. I'll probably end up in Thailand later in life. It's just too good to pass up. It's sad that their tourism industry may be cut in half next year due to this years events. Thailand is wonderful.

I uploaded some of Lee's pictures from today's dinner.

BIG NEWS...

We're still burned from our day at the beach... just kidding...the highest court in Thailand has ousted the Prime Minister Somchai and dissolved his party (PPP). He has accepted this defeat and has stepped down. This presents a few problems. One the P.A.D. isn't leaving the airport until the new government is formed and who knows how long that will take. Two the pro-government supporters (those who have been known to wear red) are obviously frustrated and believe the court is corrupt and and very upset. We still don't know what they are capable of. Hopefully they too will accept what has come to be so nothing too crazy happens.

*EDIT*

Supposedly reports are changing and the airport could be ready to accept passenger flights as early as Thursday in preparation for the honored King's birthday on Friday although that is hard for me to comprehend considering the fact that airport administration has a lot of work to do to get it ready. I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned for a week and with it housing so many people they will have to do bomb searches and whatnot for security prep.

Today was a very fun today. For about $15 (per person) we went on a full day cruise leaving at 7:30 and returning at 5:00. This cruise was to the islands of Phi Phi (pronounced Pi Pi). They are beautiful islands and it was an hour and a half ride out. When we arrived we went for an hour of snorkeling and then lunch at a nice hotel on the island. After this we went for a bit of shopping and took the boat home. Probably sat about 150-200 and most were foreigners.

As you all know by now not my favorite environment but I'm dealing with it... starting conversations with the travelers to see what they think of the protests and the political issues and what they're doing in Thailand. Most are European and Australian. On the boat ride no one dared to go out to the front of the boat because huge waves were crashing on the deck but I went out in my swim suit and it was great.

Anyways we've still been working on our homework and tomorrow we will have a relaxing day maybe with some shopping. Thursday is still an open day and Friday we will most likely observe the festivities for the King's birthday. Saturday we fly out early in the morning for Singapore.






An interesting tradition we've started is going to Swenson's, the local ice cream store, for a nice cold treat after a long day. Mr. Hossman's idea.



Hope things are well back in the States. Miss you all! I'm sorry this blog post is so un-formatted with the pictures but I think they help to understand and I don't want to spend hours on the computer.

Phuket...

today we took a trip to the beach. It wasn't a jaw-dropping beach but it was pretty and the sun came out for us. We all got a bit sun-burned even with sun screen. The sad thing was that it was almost entirely dominated by Farang (foreigner). Oh well, it was a nice chance to relax. Tomorrow we go on a short cruise around some islands which are supposed to be beautiful. We're getting a bit of touring around Phuket here and there but we are also working on school work. We have a structured schedule now with breakfast, then a meeting, an activity, homework time, dinner, and finally free time before bed. Nice to have some control over what we do. For those of you following Thailand and its international news I will be doing a better post tonight on the best news I have tonight from a few different sources.

Some things to talk about...

There are lots of things I'd like to discuss and I have some time to type because we're hanging at the hotel today to get settled despite being restless from the bus trip.

First of all I'd like to just let everyone know that these events are no representation of how this trip has been at all! Thailand is a beautiful and wonderful place and each and every one of the students on this trip have experienced something awesome! We love it here and I personally would like to let everyone know that traveling to Thailand is something everyone should experience. People here are incredibly giving and nice. Everyone smiles at you when you walk down the street... it's great.

Another thing I want to mention is the misrepresentation and bias of news. It's becoming obvious that overseas it's very easy for things to be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Being in this conflict and seeing it the way a Thai person might (obviously it'd be a bit different) makes me realize that when I hear from someone back in the States what they think is going on it's sometimes completely different. It's interesting to find out what rumors are being spread... at first people thought we were stuck at the airport but obviously that's not the case.

On to today's matters... the first being what we did. We went shopping for a little bit and we went to this ice cream place for a snack. Through this experience we found that Phuket is very touristy. That's a bit disappointing because I don't really want my travel to be like this. I don't like it when I don't have a chance to socialize with the locals. Anyways we were waiting for some people to pay within the ice cream store and all of a sudden two teenagers got in a motor bike accident right in front of our eyes. They skidded for a bit and then when they were on the ground jumped up and got on the bike and drove away. It didn't look like they were hurt at first but I saw a good deal of road-rash on one of their legs. Anyways, halfway through the ordeal a man saw us staring at the accident and just came up and asked if we needed a taxi like it nothing even happened.

Another funny story... we were riding in the elevator and conveniently they it beeps to notify if the weight is too much to ride. It said 1000kg MAX and 15 people. We had about six people in the elevator and it was too much. Just tells you something about how different Americans are built than Thais. Thai people are so small. If you are shopping here don't expect to always find a size big enough for you.

Things are going well. We are enjoying our relaxing days. Bye.

In Phuket...

after our long bus ride (which included stops every 45 minutes so the drivers could eat and so we could go to the bathroom). I'm including some pictures of saying goodbye to all the Thai students. It was really a sad ordeal and we at least had a good amount of time before the bus came. There was a grenade attack at the P.A.D. camp which wounded 46 people. Quite sad actually.

We're leavin'...

for Phuket. Should be a 12 hour bus ride and we'll get there at six o'clock tomorrow morning or for those of you in the US, five o'clock tonight. When we get there we should be staying in the Metropole hotel. I'll update as soon as we get there. Protesting is escalating so it's good we're going this route. The leaders of the protest said they will withstand the police and government until the death. A bit drastic but we'll see what happens.

More news...

we have a definitive return plan!!! The fact is that we will be in Thailand for around another week. Yes that's a crazy long time but it's the safest and best route for us to take. After many negotiations between our teachers and staff and the people at our school we will be busing to Phuket (a small island where we have a nice hotel). It's known as paradise island and this is turning out to be a very interesting trip. We were supposed to leave on Friday and now we will be enjoying the scenery in Thailand. It's nice that we will all be together in the coming days and that is easing tensions. People are doing well and we hope things are going well in Lodi.

WE REALLY MISS ALL OF YOU, let that fact be known. It just turns out that we have to deal with this situation and we will be home as soon as possible. We will update on our statuses in the future.

Thailand Thanksgiving

Here we are eating chicken pizza. . .in Thailand. . .for thanksgiving. :)
Everything is going great here.
The hotel was incredibly nice.
Breakfast this morning was delicious. Consisted of toast, rice, eggs, noodles, pineapple, ect: thai and american style combined.
We came to school this morning and attended the flag ceremony and then had a wonderful internet conference will all the parents and some siblings. Thanks you for that! We loved hearing from you. . .and seeing you.

No new updates about flight or scheduling so we will just enjoy a great weekend in Thailand and if all goes well we will be seeing you very shortly

Everyone misses Lodi but everyone is in agreement thailand is incredible and we are experiencing history in the making. --Nothing like the classroom setting at home.

Don't worry...

we're all safe. We're an hour and half away from the protesting and we are not at the airport. I repeat we are not at the airport. We are staying at a hotel so we are all together so it's easier to maintain our schedule and connection as a group.

We will be attending school like normal tomorrow with our billets and have some fun events planned for the weekend far away from Bangkok. As of now our flight is scheduled for Monday but if the conflict still ensues than we will find some other alternative. Shoot, I may have to miss my American Legal Systems class a bit longer... oh shucks. :)

I included a picture of our visit to the city of ruins. Hope everyone is enjoying your live coverage of the events over here. Both Bangkok airports are now closed and the PM is refusing to resign. It's a deep conflict but it's something words over the internet cannot explain. Very centralized between the PAD and government supporters. Bye for now.

TO ALL HOME IN LODI:
I would just like to say thank you for this incredible opportunity that we have been presented.
It has been such an amazing time so far. The food, the culture, the people, the sights and the life- altering experience has impacted us all in many different ways. Its so gorgeous here and all the people are phenomenaly friendly. We are all very sad that the time has come for us to leave our new friends. . .

maybe not. . .It seems that we might be here for a little longer.

Due to (as im sure you are all informed) protesting at the international airports, our flight has been post-poned to December 1st. This date is not set in stone becuase of the continued turmoil.

Please eat some turkey for us as we are all devestated we will not be home for thanksgiving.

Love from Thailand.
Shea

Lisa and Lee provided a few words.

Everything's going great.

Just updating to let people know we're doing well and had a nice day. Pretty much a normal school day and I attended some classes with Fah. Tomorrow we're going to the city of ruins. Should be interesting.

Wow...

am I tired. We had such a long weekend jam packed with many fun things. Yesterday, Lee, Erika, Lisa, and I left with our billets to head down south of Bangkok to a floating market and some other stops near the gulf of Thailand along the way.


We had a delicious lunch of seafood and then headed to a floating market where we did some shopping and did a dusk ride along the river looking at the "lightening bugs". Afterwards we did a homestay sort of deal overnight and woke up in the morning to journey off to a Siam museum featuring some wax figures and huge Buddha figures.


Very fun, afterwards we went to another touristy floating market and made the return trip home stopping at various relatives of our billets (okay mostly Ou's relatives) cities to view their shops and stop for some food. On one of the stops along the way I got to hold this snake. The other picture is at the Ministry of Education with the teachers and the other picture is at one of the royal buildings.



Now I'm sitting at home watching another Thai soap. What a weekend... sorry to break it to you all but this may be the last post for a while.

An update...

things are going well. Today we visited the temple of the Emerald Buddha and visited with the deputy general of Education which was very awesome and a totally new experience. We have photos and such and many stories to tell about today but I'm just writing to say we're well. Too much going on to spend time talking about it. Hope things are well at home... there are many current events taking place both here and at home I know but I have some interesting things to share involving modern world affairs and the political unrest in Thailand. I'm learning a lot... obviously! G'day.

A short one...

because there's not much to talk about. Well there is plenty to talk about but I'm a bit tired. Today was sort of uneventful. Went to school, practiced for our music show (Mr. Shucha would be proud, I'm learning to play the Thai marimba sort of thing), practiced for our presentation which I had to work on so much, gave the presentation, hung out with our billets and Fah's friends, went to dinner, and now I'm here. Just wanted to check in and let people know we're doing great. Planning some fun for the weekend with our families and the palace and such tomorrow. Should be great. I'm sad we only have one week left, I could spend a whole year here if it wasn't for my family... yes Mom and Dad if you're reading I miss you a lot! Hope things are well in Lodi.

Thai kids have mad skillz...

in b-ball that is. Jeez, it was ridiculous. Today was the day the Sa-nguan Ying (boys) basketball team made a name for themselves. It was the basketball competitions and that's about all I'm going to talk about because I'm really tired and we have our "Lodi, Wisconsin, USA" presentation tomorrow which I'm compiling due to my computer.

Our boys team consisted of Lee, Kyle, Myself, Oue (which is how I found out to spell Euu's name), Big (one of Oue's friends), and two other Thai kids who played just a bit to sub in. We started with the tip-off which I won but lost it in a couple of seconds because as we quickly found out these guys are very organized and very good. One of the boys on the other team that I knew from riding on the school van in the morning was very good, his name is spelled "Cartoon" but spoken a bit differently. He's a really nice guy learning a bit of English. The other team wasn't nearly as tall as our team but still much better. The final score was 29-28, them, but I have a small feeling they didn't put up as much fight towards the end. We got a few points because I could rebound over most of their heads and take a couple of shots without interference. Kyle got really into the game which was great, we all had fun. Oue can do some sweet moves, i.e. dribbling between the legs, going down on fours while still dribbling in one move, and some other weird but super cool looking stuff. Anyways, the girls played next and actually beat the Sa-nguan Ying school team but they had lots of size advantage. I apologize for not remembering the final score. Our team was a bit unorganized but still managed to get the shots in. Alecia really surprised us all with her hidden skill.

Before we came home Brianna and I played some games with Fah and Jane and their EP program friends in their class. I'm slowly learning the girls names right now (these are girls in the EP program but not in the foreign exchange program), I know Bah and Show and Jang. They are all so cute and always want to practice their English. We played this game where you bounce a little ping-pong ball around the room and when you stop you can throw it at someone and if you hit them five times their out. Kinda akin to dodgeball. It's really interesting here because it's so much fun to play games and hang out with these kids and they really enjoy it but they also know how to study and they are very serious about it. It's also interesting because they can have access to their classroom until around 6 PM without supervision and sometimes the rooms are a mess but no one (faculty) seems to mind. It seems like the teachers come to the classroom so the kids kind of have a home-base, homeroom sort of deal. I'm not quite sure.

Tomorrow brings our Lodi presentation which I'm furiously working on, hence the bad grammar and broken sentences in this post. Friday brings the temple and palace tours and the the weekend for some fun activities.

Things are going great here. Everyone is learning so much and we have much to discuss when we return about different customs here. We are getting along so well with our Thai students, friendships to last a lifetime. I know I will miss all these people. Sorry to make it short... peace... Maxwell.

Video...

trying to upload first video on the BLOG! It's at the formal dinner for the director of Sa-nguan Ying school who is transferring. Euu (if that's even how you spell it) is very funny and the more and more Kyle and I talk to him the more we like his humor.

A normal day at school...

Thai school that is (Yeah do you like the catchy titles)? Anyways today was close to normal. We went to school and had a short meeting in the EP room before the normal flag ceremony. We all lined up with our classes and preceded to sing the Thai national anthem. I along with some of the other LHS students, noticed there was a bit of restlessness among the students (they were maintaining small conversations among each-other while the teachers were speaking during the ceremony, a bit like assemblies at LHS). After this we went again for a short meeting until we were taken to the music room for Thai music lessons. A small group performed for us an American song and Loi Krathong (which is a song that accompanies the river festival). The instruments included a Marimba like instrument, a Thai flute (which I should know the name for as we played after), and some percussion instruments as well as some instruments new to us. We were given flutes and the younger students helped us learn Loi Krathong. We then played the song with the group and did the Loi Krathong dance. This was all very fun and we surprised them with being able to sing.

After this we broke up into two groups and worked with two classrooms of EP students. We answered some questions although they were a bit inattentive with us being Farang and all (foreign in Thai). So we decided to teach them a couple American songs and games. We taught them Frogger (thanks Ms. Jimenz) and sang the 'Low' song. They were amused by this and we all had a good time. Kyle and I taught our group some American hand shakes such as the pound and explode while Kyle and his father taught them how to chuck a deuce (or in English throw up the Peace sign to say goodbye). It was very funny.


After this we ate lunch at the school canteen before going to the Governor's office. The Governor was for all of the Suphan Buri province. Maybe a bit akin to the Governor of Wisconsin. We brought a certificate from the Governor of Wisconsin and some other gifts but the Governor of Suphan Buri couldn't make it so the "Vice" Governor came to talk with us. Alecia gave a very good speech (more formal than mine) to the Vice Governor and once again Mr. Shimshak did an excellent job giving a wonderful speech.


After getting our pictures taken with the Vice Governor we went to the city for a market tour where some of us bought trinkets. We then went up into the Suphan Buri tower to look out across the city.


After this we went for some fun on a couple of smaller water slides (nothing like Noah's Ark). We even got the Thai kids to go down a few times which supposedly doesn't happen often. It was an overall blast and Kyle even enjoyed the towel fights while were cleaning up (well maybe not, another story for him to tell).



Then I went to dinner with Fah and her mom (the eat out a lot and not just because of me I made sure to ask even though it wouldn't have made a difference). I get the feeling it's hard for her mom to come home and do a lot of cooking while she has other chores and she is a teacher for long hours. The Thai people work very hard. Dinner out does not cost a lot by American standards. Maybe a couple hundred Baht for a group of three (35 Baht per Dollar). It's really good food and that translates to like 8-12 bucks for a nice meal. It's very interesting. Now I'm sitting here trying to upload some videos (one of Euu, Kyle, some other kids, and I talking about the "chicken" which is really duck that we had at the dinner for the director). We are really just having a good time and I think Euu is going in circles but he is the funniest guy ever. We are always playing little jokes on each other and Kyle really gets a kick out of it too. Euu is persistent that I can dunk but to be honest he makes a much better basketball player than I. We'll see tomorrow when we have the competition. Good night to you all!

Almost a full week in...

which is very sad! I know everyone will miss it here. The people, food, and language are all very intriguing. Today brought more interesting stories. We all ventured by bus (the foreign exchange kids as well as the entire faculty, almost 100 people) to Bangkok by bus convey escorted by police to deliver the director of Sa-ngun Ying school to his new school that he is transferring too. On the bus they showed The Fast and the Furious and Ironman but most of the LHS kids worked on homework... right... anyways, when we got there the Thai kids were ecstatic to see us and greeted us very cheerily. We went into an air conditioned room to be served an 8 or so course meal. We sat with other kids and listened to people sing Karaoke for entertainment. The courses consisted of whole fish, whole chicken, soups, rice curries, and many other things. It was very interesting.



A couple of the kids have been feeling a bit under the weather but nothing to cause concern. We are just dealing with food adjustments here and there (to be honest but don't worry whatsoever)!!!! During the dinner Kyle and I ventured off to find the toilets and were greeted by many different types of Thai children. When we arrived at the bathroom we found Thai toilets with no toilet paper and other astonishing things. I went to the bathroom while Kyle waited outside entertaining the local school children. They were surprisingly funny and Kyle got quite the kick out of some of the things they said and did (a story for him to tell you).



After this interesting journey we went back and finished the meal. After this we went to get an introduction to their English and Exchange program (we find in other countries international education is much more important than in US). These schools have numerous programs to send kids abroad. We got on the bus and Kyle and I stayed busy by entertaining the Thai kids who were watching us from outside the bus. Boy it's moments like these that make us enjoy life.



After this we went home and I fell asleep for the majority of the trip. After we rode the school van to Fah's mom's school where I met some teachers who were hilarious. Trying to talk in English and asking me if the oldest teacher there was beautiful and I got props after saying Beauty comes with Age. It was all very entertaining. After this we went for dinner and here I am. Things are going great! Parents: nothing to worry about, we all miss you nitnoi (which means just a little bit in Thai). Only joking Mom and Dad, I miss you much but this is truly an experience to last a lifetime!

Some Pictures

Another update...

Things are going insanely awesome here! I can't really speak for everyone (but I'm sure most agree) that this is a memory making experience that will last a lifetime. I'm going to go over what we did today and then I'm going to do what I call a topic of the post. In today's topic I'll be talking about the traffic system in Suphan Buri (and the rest of Thailand presumably).


Today was a jam-packed day. I woke up to a great breakfast of chicken (yes I eat more meat than anything now, it's impossible to be a vegetarian in Thailand and every time I try to explain it I get laughed at). After breakfast I went outside to have a look around at the request of my host father. He came out to join me and insisted that I cut down a handful of coconuts from the tree. I've developed quite the fancy for coconuts since being here and I gladly obliged. After cutting down four and chopping them open I proceeded to trimming a bush that was overflowing from the roof. Very interesting experience considering there was a red ant nest I was unaware of. But I'll save that story for later.




Afterwards we ventured to the Suphan Buri museum with a handful of other students which contains the best life like wax people I've ever seen. After going to another museum about a ex-PM we went to the 100 year market where I stood out like a sore thumb. Alecia has a good picture for all who care to see later. Here we ate at a somewhat different restaurant (despite what everyone says about getting sick, no one has experienced any trouble to my knowledge, so no worries anyone). After venturing through the market we went to an aquarium for an alligator show. After this I went with my family to a very nice restaurant on a river where I ate shrimp and fish served whole. This was excellent and despite not being able to stomach meat at home, I just shove it down here and most of the time enjoy it. They cook so well here.

Now I'm sitting at home typing this while my family is watching a Korean Soapopera. I would like to talk a little about the Thai transportation system. In a conversation with my host father he revealed he does not like it. I have never seen so many motor bikes in my life. They drive on the shoulder in what seems to be a third lane (most roads are two lanes on either side). Most people do not abide by speed limits or by the road lines. No problem because I have seen a single accident yet. I don't think there are many posted speed limits either but my host father drives under it usually anyways. He drives very interestingly sometimes too. While I'm used to driving manual he does it in a completely different fashion. For those that know, generally you down shift when you go around a corner or slow down a lot. He does not down shift at all and will go 10 kilometers an hour in fifth gear which can't be good for the engine: if only you could hear it. It's crazy! That's about it for the transportation system. I'm not worried about getting in an accident it's just so chaotic.

Things are going well here. No worries whatsoever. I don't think it could get better!

A quick summary...

It’s been quite along time since we last updated this blog so I’m just going to talk a little bit about what’s happened so far. We arrived on Thursday morning very early and met with some of the teachers from the school. We then took a bus to a hotel in Suphan Buri. It was a very nice hotel close to our school. Later in the day after we had slept a bit we met our host families for lunch. I met my host (or billet as the Thais refer to them) mother and sister. Fah, my host sister, is incredibly well versed in English and after modifying a few phrases and such she can understand me perfectly. My host mother does not speak much, if any, English but I can tell she is very nice and she always makes sure things are going well. After eating lunch we then talked for a bit and went to the school. Here we were shown a huge billboard type poster at the front of the school that had our program on it with all of our pictures. That was quite a surprise. After this we had a little introduction to the program and such and went home to stay with our billeting families. Some of the kids did other things before going home but since Fah lives around 45 minutes away from school (as do a few other billets) we went straight home after eating dinner out. Fah’s home is very nice and I’m pretty much at home. There are definitely some subtle differences though, most in the bathroom! Fah’s house has an America style toilet but no handle for flushing. This greatly confused me the first day and after asking (I had to figure it out someway) I was told that the basin of water and small bowl next to the toilet was used for flushing it. You take a bowl of water and “throw” the water into the toilet, which semi-effectively flushes the toilet. The shower is also not enclosed and gets everything wet in the bathroom, which in turn means that the rugs on the floor are outside the bathroom to wipe your feet because the bathroom always gets soaked after someone takes a shower.

The next day we went to school and started with a general assembly. This was the day that we got introduced to everyone and some important people from the Suphan Buri government came to meet us. Mr. Shimshak gave an incredible speech in Thai that Fah told me was really good and then, believe or not, I got up to give a shorter one that Fah had helped m prepare the night before introducing myself and telling the Thai students we were very lucky to be here and hoping we all could be friends. The Thai people are so friendly and it truly has been a joy here so far. There are around 2,600 students at the school grades 7-12 (or something like this) and of those only 100 are boys. Very interesting let’s put it that way. After this we got a short school tour and ate lunch at the school canteen, which only costs around 50 cents a meal if you go all out.



After this I went to Astronomy class with Fah and some of the other girls in her EP (English Program) class. The teacher wasn’t there so we played Super Mario Bros on the computers for a little while which isn’t shunned by the staff whatsoever (and let me tell you, if anyone from the US tells you they are the best at SMB you watch one of these girls play it and it’ll blow your socks off). I was very surprised at how good they were and even that they were allowed to play it. Thailand is very ironic because some things are very much more relaxed than in the US and some things are much more strict. To great a teacher you must put you hands to your face as if you are praying and do a half-body bow and say Sahwatdii Khrap. This is very respectful and should always be done if you are passing a teacher. After the teacher arrived we watched a movie about some of Earth’s forces for half an hour and since it was a special day (I was there) we got to sing some Karaoke with English songs on a big projection board. The school has some very nice technology, which I suppose was a bit surprising. After this we played soccer for gym class and went home.



The next day (Saturday) all of the students got together with a few of the mothers and one father and went to Dreamworld (the Thailand equivalent of Disney World only much less expensive). We took a van, which is very common in Thailand (they are rented but also very cheap) and headed to Bangkok (only about an hour and a half drive). We had a lot of fun here going on rides and taking pictures in their picture garden. Tori, a foreign exchange student from Alaska who is going to our school also accompanied us as she is obviously friends with some of the people in the EP program. After this we went out for a bit of shopping and took the van home.



Today we have some of the sights to see in Suphan Buri such as the museum, 100 year market, and Aquarium and I must be off to get ready. Hopefully I’ll be able to write soon but I can’t really promise anything because our schedules are so packed full and the internet access is a bit limited. I’ll see what I can do. Over and out. Cope Khun Khrap (Thank you, generally used to end anything).




PS I know the pictures are out of order. Sorry.

We've Arrived

We have arrived safely in Suphanburi after a bus ride from Bangkok and a flight from Toyko and a flight from Chicago and a bus ride from Madison. What a long trip but definitely worth it. Hopefully we'll all post soon with pictures of the travels although right now the internet access is limited.

A couple more days...

We just finished our last meeting before we leave on Tuesday. We leave at around 6:00 AM for Chicago and from there we fly to Tokyo, Japan. After a moderate layover we will arrive in Bangkok, Thailand and travel to Sephanburi, Thailand. More updates to come.