Mari’s Journals

August 25, 2025

“I hope you will happiness everyday”

สวัสดีค่ะ, hello! Somehow, amidst the excitement and novelty of a new country, I have nearly brushed over the fact that I’ve officially been in Thailand for about two weeks now! Time truly flew by, as I am sure it will continue to do. As you may have also read from journal submissions of exchange students before me (and will likely continue to read if you continue to follow our journal entries), this experience has been nothing short of amazing so far. Spectacular. Splendiferous! My loved ones have probably grown tired of me saying this, but I still cannot fully believe that I have made it. It’s incomprehensible to me that I’m actually here , in Thailand. The Thailand. After years of planning and preparation, after months of language learning, after days of packing and mentally fortifying myself for the journey ahead, I am here. 

Although we are encouraged to write every month, I thought it would be best if I wrote my initial thoughts and impressions now rather than later; that way, seeing my growth and development in every aspect of my life can be tracked more easily. Plus, I may or may not be too excited to wait to share what I have experienced any longer. 

The flights and layovers from Florida to Thailand were absolutely exhausting – 29 or so hours of shifting between being awake and partially asleep were killer, I’ll be honest, not to mention the tears I still shed from saying goodbye to my loved ones. Saying goodbye to them was much harder than I anticipated it to be, and I am sure larger bouts of homesickness will resurface later on in the year. Bits and pieces worm their way into my everyday life already as I note the differences between my two homes, but they don’t get me down for long. 

Shout out to the kind man who bought me water in Texas and to Robert, whom I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting next to on my 13 hour flight to Japan. Traveling was made easier thanks to you both. 

When I finally ( finally ) landed in Bangkok, the airport was emptier than I anticipated, and without a crowd of people to follow, I was a tad bit nervous I would get lost. With what little Thai I knew, and from the signs containing bits of English, I was able to navigate my way through Immigration, through baggage claim, and finally to the welcome smiles of my host family! Seeing them brought such a heavy sense of relief.

My host family consists of my host mother, father, and brother, as well as a few uncles and grandparents, though I don’t interact with them as much. My host parents don’t know much English, so my host brother has been kind enough to translate a bunch of the things they said to me. I was complimented on what Thai I did manage to remember using my drowsy brain, which I’m glad for! From Bangkok to Chanthaburi, I couldn’t help but fall asleep on the car ride. However, during the times I was awake, I was amused to see how similar the roads were to the roads in Florida and even Colombia; apart from driving on the left side instead of the right, of course. At first glance, the driving may seem more dangerous, since cars and motorcycles alike don’t always adhere to the lanes and motorcycles are constantly bobbing and weaving in between their larger automated relatives, but there’s almost a rhythm to it all that didn’t alarm me.

Before we arrived home, we made a quick stop to a nearby 7-11. There are tons of 7-11’s, I must say. Not a complaint, of course – inside, they’re neat and quite adorable. Gaow (my host brother) accompanied me inside and said I could pick what I wanted for breakfast the next morning. We ended up getting a strawberry juice bottle, two small bananas, and pork sandwiches. I ate them over the course of a few days, since I don’t get too hungry in the mornings.

After finally making it home and bringing my luggage into my room (thank you to Gina, my host sister abroad in Oregon, for lending it to me!), I took a shower, notified my family back in the US that I had made it, and promptly crashed. My confidence in me beating jetlag was soon misproven when I awoke the next “morning” at 4 p.m, incredibly groggy. I panicked and rushed to get dressed and presentable, accidentally scaring my host father once I crept down the stairs (I have unintentionally scared him a couple of times since then, sorry พ่อ), and was then led to the office. It’s one of my favorite places on the property, since it’s where everyone convenes to eat, relax, and generally spend time with one another. It’s also where the cats are, both of which I am now incredibly fond of.

Gaow showed me where my desk is, which is where I am writing this very journal entry. It is positioned in such a way to where I can see my host family’s ice factory through the window, which I enjoy because I can idly people-watch whilst I’m doing my work. It’s a pretty nice business they have, and I constantly see orders being made and customers coming to buy. 

During my free time, I generally come to the office to study Thai, watch movies in Thai, and spend time with the cats. I practice my Thai with them, but their responses and critiques are lacking, I must say. 

You know what’s crazy? In Thailand (or, at least in Chanthaburi), people do the service first before allowing you to pay. When I was buying my e-sim card, I was absolutely appalled to hear that I would have to pay a month after the e-sim was installed! That was so incredibly mind blowing to hear. I made my shock apparent to Gaow, and he chuckled and told me that was simply the way things were. I made a comment about how trusting people were in Thailand, and he agreed – “Thai people do not steal”. My host father shared the same sentiment when I asked him what his favorite fact about Thailand was and he spoke of the happiness and joy Thai people often harbored. According to him, Thai people are incredibly honest, kind, and compassionate, and thus they do not steal. 

This was repeatedly proven to be true to me time and time again, something I am not used to as someone who was raised to never leave any of my belongings unattended in public settings. If you leave your phone on the edge of a table placed next to a busy street, don’t be surprised if it does magically disappear in America. In Thailand? Most people won’t even give it a second glance. Your items won’t be touched by anyone but you. Of course, I am sure there are going to be those bad eggs – there always will be. That being said, they must be few and exceedingly rare, because everyone here acts as if there aren’t any. 

The food is also some of the best I have ever had. Like, I cannot properly describe it to you without making this journal entry unbearably longer than I sense it already will be. The amount of flavor and care and skill I’ve seen put into each and every dish astounds me – every single meal has been an absolute hit, and if it wasn’t for the feeling of fullness, there would be no end to my feasting. 

The food is really, really spicy though, I will say. Thai spice – at least to me – is almost like a bit of a slow burn; you get a hint of it at first, sure, but give it a few minutes and it’ll turn into a raging inferno within your mouth. Maybe this is just a regular occurrence with all spice (I wasn’t much of a spice person before coming to Thailand; for reference, sometimes pepper was too spicy for me), but the shift from savory to spicy in a single bite will never cease to take me by surprise. Rarely will I finish eating lunch and dinner without appearing as though I’m enduring unbearable grief. Rest assured, my tears and sniffles are ones of joy! Again, the food is good; so good, in fact, that I am willing to tolerate the sensation of eating hot coals just to finish it all. 

On the occasion where we go out to eat in bigger groups, it is common for there to be large dishes in the middle of the table where everyone can grab bits and pieces, eventually assorting and assembling their meals to their liking. I did feel quite shy at first, wondering if I was grabbing too much or too little of something, but I soon began to overcome that mindset. Either you feed yourself, or you have food constantly piled onto your plate for you!

A nice quirk I’ve noticed is that Thai people generally eat with a spoon and fork, and will scoop the food onto their spoon with the fork. After seating themselves, they will also usually make orders on their own with a small notepad provided to them, and the server will then come and pick it up and shortly return with the food ordered. Many of the restaurants are also open air, with customers coming and going whenever they please. The lax atmosphere is reassuring, since I can enjoy a nice meal without wondering if I’m dressed or acting “properly” enough.  

I’d like to think my Thai is better than I give myself credit for. If it is concerning very basic topics, and if the person I am conversing with is speaking slowly enough, I am sometimes able to give an appropriate, coherent answer. Paying attention to conversations from locals (in other words, innocently eavesdropping) and working from my Thai language book (a book that I bought on my own, in Thai!) certainly helps. Most of the time though, I do have to resort to “caveman language”, which consists of me crudely gesturing and piecing together random vocabulary in the hopes that I am understood. The fact that I have not mastered all of the 5 tones for each word does not help. It has made me the butt of many jokes already, I must say. It does become frustrating when I say something, people chuckle, someone says something, and then everyone laughs more, but I appreciate the times when people let me in on the joke and I have the chance to laugh at my own expense! 

A key moment in which this occurred was when I accompanied Gaow to his tennis practice. Whilst he went off and played with the more experienced people, I stayed with the beginners. Having never played tennis before (casual games with my friends don’t count, as much as it hurts to say), I faced many critiques and help, which I am very very grateful for.

One of the people who helped me most was “Boss”, or “Big Bro” – “ลูกพี่”, as he told me to call him. He was great in improving my form and technique, and I was actually able to swing the racket in a way that got the ball past the net! That being said, he was a total prankster!! Sometimes, people in Chanthaburi (and other parts of Thailand, I’m sure) use the “L” sound for words that I had learned used an “R” sound instead, which confuses me and causes me to take longer to decipher the meaning of a phrase. ลูกพี่ asked me what I was doing in Thailand, and with the specific words and pronunciations he used, I was absolutely stumped. All I managed to catch was “ทำ”. In my panic, I only focused on the fact that the word sort of resembled the name “Tom” and completely forgot the fact it meant “do” (I’m face-palming hard as I’m remembering this). I was then like, “Ohhhh” and asked him if his name was Tom. He laughed, told the rest of the tennis people what I said, and was then like, “No no no, my name is ลูกพี่, you can call me ลูกพี่.” I was suspicious when our little group started giggling, but I didn’t think about it too much and just smiled, nodded along, and gave him another “Ohhh!”. 

Gaow eventually told me the meaning and saved me, but perhaps a bit too late because now I can’t remember ลูกพี่’s name other than it being simply ลูกพี่! He was really funny though, and he treated me to two orange cake pastries and a bit of steak. Now, whenever he sees me, he points to himself and asks me what his name is, not relenting until I call him “Big Bro”. I’ve found that many Thai people have ลูกพี่’s humor and knack for light-hearted jokes.

Another fun fact: There is virtually no Latin American influence in Thailand! I don’t quite know why this surprises me as much as it does. Maybe it’s because Florida has a relatively high Latin American demographic that I was used to, or maybe it’s because the natural environment in Thailand reminds me a lot of the natural environment in Colombia. Whatever the reason is, Thai people have rarely even heard of Latinos, or Latin American food, or even Latin American music! I do miss the energy of a good rumba, I will say, but Thai music is a treat in itself. 

Now, onto the academic side of things!

School at Benchamarachutit has been an absolute blast; so many kind peers, welcoming teachers, compassionate friends, delicious food, and captivating classes. 

For this past week, I have been placed within the 4th level out of the 6 levels that there are in Thai high schools – this would be the equivalent of a sophomore class in America. From my current understanding, I will soon be put in a class with kids a little closer to my age and will be learning about Thai culture, music, art, and dance, but for now, I am with my younger buddies! In Thailand, students usually stay with their assigned homerooms for all of their classes, which can really lead to some close bonds and connections being made. Even though I only knew them for about a week, my homeroom classmates were all such sweethearts and I could not have asked for a better group of kids to start out with. 

In fact, I have not seen one mean spirit here, which is appalling considering these are all high school kids. Our age group is notorious for having some negativity directed towards others, but fortunately I’ve seen little to no traces of that. 

I am often left to my own devices when in class, since I have no study materials of my own to work with. With this excessive free time, I either listen to the lectures of my teachers and try to piece together the meaning of their words, or I work out of that Thai vocab book I mentioned I bought last week. My Thai has been progressively improving, I’m glad to say, and it’s nice when I get to surprise my friends with a sentence I wasn’t able to articulate too well the day before. 

Benchamarachutit students also have impeccable relationships with most of their teachers. Although phone usage is excessive and people often talk over the teacher speaking, they somehow always lock in when the time calls for it, correctly answering questions from the teacher and completing their work in timely manners. The teachers never seem to mind when the class gets a bit too rowdy and will often laugh and joke among students, playfully bantering with them and sassing them back. My friends complain about their school work, of course, but they always seem to be having a great time in class. 

I know I am mentioning food once again, but to be fair, the school lunches are too good not to discuss. Students must bring money to buy, and they have a whole slew of choices to pick from, choices ranging from fried chicken to rice and pork to noodle soups. You could even get ice cream cones and fruit juices and tons of tasty snacks, I absolutely love it. 

The uniforms are also quite nice, and I don’t see many people try to “bend” the rules of the dress code. I’ve never been much of a skirt person, but these ones are long, comfortable, and versatile. The white button-down shirts are also quite lovely. It’s nice when people read my full name embroidered on mine, even if I don’t use “Mariana” as much as my nickname “Mari” (or “มะลิ”, now). People also express their own individuality by wearing their own sweaters and jackets. No earrings are allowed though, which did surprise me considering how relaxed most of the atmosphere seems to be. 

Shoes must be taken off before entering the school buildings, students must wear athletic uniforms on the days they have PE, and students always greet teachers and thank them after every lesson. Students must also greet teachers when encountering them in general. It’s always amusing when a teacher sees me for the first time and does a sort of double take. I was actually waved down and asked if I was truly a student here, but once I explained I was on exchange, he instantly relaxed, patted my shoulder, and sent me on my way.

Lastly, I wanted to touch upon the flora and fauna and the overall climate within Thailand. Firstly, the birds seem to be considerably smaller than those in Florida. They’re often my alarm in the morning, singing their high-pitched cadences as soon as the sun rises. The only large birds I have seen are reddish-brownish ones circling in the sky above, almost like the vultures and ospreys I am used to. I’m unsure if there are multiple species up there (the sky is often too gloomy to shine enough light on them), but I have seen ones with white heads and chests, almost resembling bald eagles.

The only other animals I’ve seen are red squirrels, large fish in lakes, and geckos. I never knew geckos could get to be so large before coming here, there was one that was almost the size of my forearm.

The plants are also gorgeous. Even though I live in a pretty urban area, there’s green everywhere — Thai people truly love their flowers and shrubs and trees, with many pots situated outside of various residences. On the outskirts of Chanthaburi is where you’ll see the flora flourish, with many colorful plants blending into each other; makes sense, since it’s basically untouched forest.

Stray dogs are also quite common, and it is generally accepted for dogs to live outside of their homes rather than inside. I think they’re considered to be more like livestock and working animals rather than actual pets. My host family’s dogs are mostly used to chase away rats and other small critters. Even though I must wash my hands after petting them, I can’t help but scratch their ears every time I see them, they’re such sweethearts.

It’s also pretty rainy most of the time. Being that it’s monsoon season, it’s not uncommon for me to be slightly drizzled and rained on when walking anywhere. The only time when it truly rained hard was actually last night. The rain was falling so roughly that I was woken up by the sheer noise, and the booming sounds of lightning strikes shook me to my core. Thankfully, it cleared up by the time morning came, and now the skies have returned to their cloudy states.

I suppose that basically “sums up” my experiences so far — I couldn’t make this journal any shorter, lest I exclude things that I was too excited not to share! So much has already happened these past two weeks, and it shocks me that it’s only just beginning. I’m looking forward to the new friends I’ll be making soon, as well as any future endeavors I’ll have the fortune to participate in. Thank you to all the lovely people who have made this experience as magical as it is so far!