Messmer student in Thailand

10-17-2008

Monthly Update by Michael Werkmeister

Hello Messmer! I’m writing from Cantabria, Thailand. It is on the southeast coast of the country. It is so straight here; I’m like 10 minutes from the beach, and it is hot all day everyday.

Thailand is nothing like the States. Before I came I had no idea what to expect, and any thoughts I may have had are nothing like what it really is. I was told I’m going to a small city, but it is a city of about 400,000!

My school has about 4,000 students, and it is made up of several buildings. It is so cool at school though; instead of “Whiteboy” they call me “Farang” which means “foreigner” or “Westerner” in Thai. School is pretty crazy; I feel like a celebrity because everyone always wants to talk to me and practice their English. The thing is most need A LOT more practice, which makes it very hard to communicate.

I’m taking Thai lessons everyday at school, so I’m starting to be able to speak the language and to also read and write which is pretty cool. My school is so big and has so much to do -- I love it. I asked about the basketball team, and they said to show up Wednesday. On Wednesday I was there, and it turns out it was a game. They let me play and we won 76-24. Ha-ha! Our team is one of the best in the province. There was a big tourney this week, but I couldn’t play because I have not been here for 6 months, much like that bogus WIAA transfer rule. Anyway, I have still been playing half-court at the park. Some Thai people can hoop, but only a few. They sure don’t BALL like we do! So, I’m like one of the best; they just CAN’T STOP ME … I’ve also been playing full courts at the stadium, which is much more competitive, but … THEY STILL CAN'T HOLD ME ... ha-ha!

As for my host family, they are very nice. It is great because my host dad is a dentist, and in Thailand dentists are pretty well off, so my house is decent. Also, my mom speaks very good English, which is quite lucky considering some exchange students have families that speak only Thai.

I’ve been traveling around as much as I can on the weekend so that I can see a bunch of sweet places in Thailand. It is nice because my city is about two hours away from Bangkok. BANGKOK is a crazy place: there are so many people everywhere, but there’s a lot going on for sure, so it is really fun. I was there last weekend, and I bought a new guitar, which is so nice. Now I can’t stop playing it. Also, the price exchange here is AMAZING. One U.S. dollar is the same as 35 baht, and when I go out to eat most places its like 20-30 baht for a full meal. Everything here is just so cheap; I find myself spending so much money, but then I really look at it and see that it is only a couple of dollars.

THE FOOD!! AROI MAK!! (Very Delicious) it is so good. Almost everyone in Thailand has a maid including my family. Our maid is very nice and anytime she sees me sitting down even if I just ate she will bring me a full plate of food or something. Even when I’m so full I cannot help but eat it all because it is so good!

I don’t know what else to say, but everything’s GREAT over here. I hope all is well back at MESSMER.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME!
Peace –
Michael Werkmeister