When we arrived at RYLA, everyone was speaking in Thai and we had no idea what we were supposed to do. The beginning ceremony was in a big arena in the Korat Zoo, in which we couldn't see any animals. We were assigned colors for the week, which we didn't want to stick to. I lost my light blue tag when we rushed into the sleeping quarters. The rooms were small, but each we had to fill with mattresses, enough to sleep 10- 14 per room. But these weren't just any mattresses; they were actually harder than the floor under them. I started by trying to get with my group, but they wordlessly moved my bags and took my mattress. From that moment on, I hauled my bags and my puppy face to the green group and instantly have been adopted.
The meals are served with a big rice bowl and other toppings in a cluster, then each of those food clusters has a group of students eat around it, together in a circle. Our own spoons all became serving utensils, so I hope to not have caught anything. The showers were fascinating....and very cold. I yelped the first time, but I'm used to the bucket-and-bowl system already.
Tuesday. We visited a few wats around the town, which is maybe twenty minutes away -- we traveled by "military carts" as I say, which you have to climb into using a small metal loop and a strong person above you. We saw a few wats (A wat is a Buddhist temple) and bought cherry soda, which my Canadian friend insists is cream soda. I learned how to say thai tea in Thai; "chayein". Our group visited a museum about a famous female warrior who led the country to victories over the enemies in war.
I toured the zoo today with ปิ่น, and we saw many reptiles, hippos, and giraffes up close. We borrowed bikes and were surprised to find that Thailand now carries cheesy chips :D
We were going to swim, but it started to rain.Thursday. We weren't given much instruction today. The day started with us being tossed "free size" white shirts, and told that all inbounds were to wear them. We were the only two wearing them. The other inbounds were off by themselves instead of being with their Thai groups. We boarded a military convoy again; we headed 2 hours away to Bonanza, an adventure center. Complete with archery and a zip line too! Alas, just as we arrived at the desired station, a wall of rain came down upon us. So...we drove a bit until we reached Khao Yai. On the side of the road our driver told us to get out and much to our excitement we were at Little Italy. It was gorgeous, but we nearly dissolved in rain. I bought chocolate, but the screen mechanism in my camera is shot. I want to visit for real next time, when it's completely dry and warm.
**side note: Sorry Mom and Dad. Upon my arrival in Oregon I wish not yet for a lap-sized computer....but more importantly a camera that's not waterlogged....**
Now it's Friday. We had to rice mush soup for breakfast. Third day in a row. You can't begin to grasp how much I desire a dutch baby or waffle or even fruit juice. RYLA ended with a very long ceremony involving many certificates being handed out.
3-bound! This was actually fun, unlike what I was picturing in my head. The first day we started by playing volleyball and "football," or sitting by and watching on the sides of the cement court. We were surrounded by muddy grass. Once I walked around in it a bit to get to the snacks, I noticed the grass was turning my feet red. Ahh, maybe it's merely a sunburn. Well....guys, I'm allergic to grass. In autumn. If my skin is contacting it (in any place so far), a rash will spread where the grass was directly touching. Fun, right? I can't wear shoes for awhile...but that's no problem.
Yesterday was a big ball of Rotary madness, starting with a lovely Thai buffet and ending with late-night card games, with pictures of landscapes and boasting about Oregon somewhere in between. I made some new friends as well; that's always fun C: Manotasa is a Mexican card game that Jessica from Chihuahua, Mexico taught us. Us being the girls in my room: ปิ่น from Ontario, Canada, ลีลา from Michigan, USA, myself.
We had the chance to order room service at the Raya Grand in Korat....but we didn't. Does anyone know how it works exactly? I think I'll add "late-night room service" to my Bucket List....which needs to be re-made anyway.
Telling on somebody isn't something I enjoy, nor is getting them sent home from an exchange. So I won't mention names or specifics. But I will say openly that these last two nights were bad ones in the way of alcoholic and substance abuse by the teenagers of 3340. I'm sorry to say that. No, I didn't have any myself. And I'm proud of all who did their best to avoid the downfalls of doing things that shouldn't be done. Especially by teenagers who supposedly represent their communities with pride.
Malt is in most Thai drink powders, so I couldn't drink any hot chocolate. :/
However, I can still buy goodies for cheap here. Including Japanese rice crackers! Mom, they're gluten-free here! 1 Grape Juice Bottle + 2 Cheese Loop Bags + 1 Thai Cheetos + 1 Peanut M&M's + 1 Japanese Chocolate = ฿97 **side note: why do I not buy expensive chocolate in the States? I bought two chocolate lollipops in Little Italy. Sure, it was ฿20 for each, but I mean, W O W that was nice chocolate. :)
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