The End is Near

I apologize for my lengthy time periods in which I post new entries. But unfortunately my friends, the time has come for me to make the pre departure post : ( yes the post where I write my last in depth entry in Thailand.


I can't believe I've been living here for two months. It feels like two weeks. The time sure did pass by faster than I thought. I mean I expected to think time passed slow in the begining and fly by near the end, but geez louise did it fly. I feel like I've gotten to that comfort level with my family where we all know each other that it saddens me to think that I'm just leaving now. I love my home in Prachuap, my parents really made me feel like I was their own daughter. Just yesterday my mom, dad and I were out in the front porch laughing at how he blamed me for crippling?! A chinchock, which is a lizard that usually inhabits thai houses. Ofcourse it was an accident but that bonding moment was what made me feel like I was really part of their family. When we can sit on the ground and just laugh at our attempts to draw pictures to communicate. I Love That!!!. And I'm sure going to miss it.

I'm also going to miss the lifestyle the thais have and that I've grown accustumed to in the last two months. So chill and worry free. Its all mellow like jello, while new york is more fast paced, up tight gotta get things done in time. In new york its like everyman for him/her self while in thailand people help you out, no malice behind their motives or nothing like that.

So today my friend Paula and I woke up at 4am to take the van to Bangkok, and that was like 4 hours (bleeehhhhh) then we got to bangkok and shopped at Chatujak where one can get lost from how imense the market is and how many stores it has. Then. Pau and I went to Siam Centre, Siam Peragon, and then to MBK. Well amist all that traveling we took the. Train, which was such a fun experience. And then the sky train as well. Afterwards we met up with another friend and ate some yummy Burger King. And shopped some more.

And now, I'm currently writing this entry in a van with Pau going back to our little ol' town, Prachuap! Its been two hours so far, and we have two more to go :x. But the whole day was super fun. The last three to four days have been sunny like crazy. I guess that's the wether for making up for lost time, since the pst few weeks were just rain storms.

Overall I'm going to miss everythibg really. The people, the food, the way of living, my friends, MY FAMILYYYYYYY, having Ao Prachuap Bay right there with the most beautiful view I've ever seen and its pier/marina with all the fishermen boats. I'm going to miss being waken up by birds chirping through my window the thai soap operas, my dogs. What else.... Just the life I've started here in Thailand, half way around the world from the life I previosuly led and am now going back to.
Don't get me wrong I'm happy I'm finally going to see my parents, I miss them, but you know its sorta like a bitter sweet taste cause I'm leaving and I well really don't want to. Not just yet. never the less, I know that I have a gagillion memories to hold on to forever and that no matter how far I might be I still have a family back in Thailand.


BTW, my brand new week old camera broke so I haven't been able to put fotos up.

Anywho I'm going to go get something to eat, the van jsut made a gas stop and my. Stomach growls to be filled with some substance.


So Adios Amigos!

Sally

YAY

Me on the statue giraffe at Prachuap Bay. They also have deers, zebras & dogs.

These are the regulars around my block HA! no literally...I see these monkeys everyday....they're the mean monkeys that will snatch stuff away from you. so beware!!!

this is me by the pier/ Prachuap bay which my friends and I walked along after school and grabbed a couple of milkshakes and toast with condensed milk. Quite popular in Thailand and GOOD =]

Okay so yesterday I went to Bangkok woth the group of friends that I came to Prachuap with, all from Bangsaphan and Petchaburi and also friends that I've made here. I was finally able to myself a new camera ^.^ and it wasnt that expensive. its nice and black and looks sophisticated (if a camera could ever look the part.) Anywho so im super excited! and I got a phone as well.

Well in the above pic is me at Siam Peragon ( i think thats how you spell it) The pants which are very thai and the messenger bag i got from the local market infront of my school. i love those pantaloons =]

heLLOOOO

So today is August 1! My I start my post by sayin I turn 17 in like 3 days =] how exciting yet blah at the same time?!?!


So latest updates I have for yall.

Well theres a once a year fair going on in Prachuap and they've closed down like several streets to hold this fair like market. I've bought a lot of fisherman pants and thai stuff. LOVE IT.

Its soo cute though they sell everything from drinks to clothes, shoes and food. AHH they were selling fried maggot, beetles worms.....it was gross but hey some ppl like that stuff right?!?


What else, I'm gettin a dress tailored with thai silk =] make that a double smiley face!!! And I designed it so it will be a custom made original sally creation and the color is beautiful!


What else....I met a new "fa rang" idk how its spelled but that means foreigner in thai. He's also a teacher and he's from New Zeland. I met him through my other friend Paula. Which brings me to todays activities!

So yesterday
I got my hairrr did (hah) and the smell my mom used for the treatment where so strong she woke up with a headache, so it was a no no for the Elephant Village trip around Hua Hin. BUT as I was typing away to Chels on Facebook Paula posted a message on my wall and from there we made plans to go bike riding. So we met at the stadium near my house and rode our bikes to another city in Prachuap called Ao Noi. Its like the more countri-fied version of Prachuap.

The mountains are literally the backdrop to all if not most of the little house's backyard view. It so much greener, more cows more like fisherman farmers than in Prachuap. Then we went all the way to where the temple is and the Ao Noi bay and fed the fishes. Which by the way werent at all small or pretty. We took pictures and then waited out the rain that was falling. then with nothing left tod do, we rode back home in the rain. =] well more like the drizzle.

It has rained a total of like 6 times today, all at different strength levels. Its crazy!

Then we passed by our friends house invited him to come out and eat with us and so him and another teacher came and we ate these delicious foods. Its like toast, but with chocolate drizzled on top and then another toast with condensed milk dizzled on top and some smothies yummm!

After that we all went home and now i'm writing this !


Oh!!!! but the most horrible thing of all of this, thursday we went to Ao Manao beach right, and we walk towards a little isolate part of the beach where one has to go around the rocks and cliff or what not and my camera and phone that my dad gave me got ruined -_-

I was so ughed its not even funny. (ughed is a word for an unexplainable emotion one feels or has felt in the last few days ) My clothes got wet everything!!!! so my pictures when i went to the beautiful temple in Bangsaphan all ruined x[


But tomorrow We're going to Bangkok so I'll buy a new camera there and click away with the big picture taking button.

I also got home with a lot of random cuts it was quite annoying as well, but it was deffinitely a super fun adventure.

Let see....The other day I was riding bike and a motorcycle was coming out so for me to turn in this narrow rode of my house, my turn was too sharp and I ended scraping my knee and leg and ripping my pants. Only the next day would I discover a hideous black and blue on the back of my leg and a rather deep cut on my thigh were my pants ripped. It too surrounded by a nasty black and blue. But its all good though. Super fun of course.


So yea...those have been my updates of the major things I remember Ive dont in the last few days. Hopefully next weekend I get to go to the Elephant Villlage and then to Ao Noi hotel with my friends since one of the teachers friends owns it I believe....well something like that. That would be amazing!


Well I shall go lay down becuase my whole body hurts from bicycling soo much. We started at 12pm and then took a break to eat lunch ( toast covered in condensed milk/ chocolate with a smothie) and then rode back home. And I got home at like 6:30 pm. So all of that I spent bike riding...well the majority.



Till Next Post My Friends!


P.s. this band from Malaysia is really cool. Their song is ooober catchy. " Bunkface"
dont ask...cause I have no idea either

Ciao!

A I listen to Drake...

Okay So.... last post was quite abrupt and to the point...well kinda. So I shall give a more detailed entry now:

I am currently writing from the industrial campus of my school. Which is like highly populated with dudes and like maybe 1 girl per 20 or 25 dudes. That my friend is crazy! Then again that is the opposite of my school which is reversed, with girls instead.

Today what did I do... so i taught my class the rules forupcoming Scavenger Hunt I created for them. It was fun! Had to draw pictures and make association of the words they didnt know with numbers and sports. Quite funny actually. And then we finished the class with some English Hang Man =]

I'd say it was a quite productive day indeed.

For lunch I ate Som Tam mai pet =] I think that is how you spell it. Which is what they call one platter, but when someone tells you they're going out to eat that it includes like 5 other dishes O.o (that's my "raising my eyebrow" face)

So it was realy Som Tam, sticky rice, pat kai ?, spicy moo soup and herbs and leaves and stuff like that.

BTW Som Tam is actually papaya salad with fried shrimp, and pieces of peanuts mixed in.Tres alloy ( french and thai ? ). Sticky rice is deff the best! pat kai I deduced is fried chicken. moo is pork. and you know the rest.

After that I got drived where I am at the current moment.

And today I'm observing a traditional Thai wedding Ceremony which I'm excited to see and maybe afterwards I can go hang out with my friends who go to school next door and check out the market they set up along the streets around my school and the marina.

AHHHHH I LOVE THAILAND! it's so different and beautiful. Like really beautiful. I love how everywhere herejust has a different feel different air than back in NYC. The trees and bushes are in such a great abundance its like they over crowd the streets, not sky scrappers and cars and other forms of transpotation. The mountains you might see if you were to google thailand are like literally everywhere and super close. IDK what else to say or how to explain it, it's something you just have to see for yourself to actually comprehend how I feel.


and to think I'm living here for only 2 months makes me feel fortunate but sad at the same time. Maybe 6 months would have been nicer. I do however plan on returning. Maybe in college i'll study abroad for a year in Thailand. Maybe.


Sally

sooooo..

butterflies in stomach =]

okay so quick update

like one month left =[

but ive made friends who are also from AFS except on a one year program from Costa Rica and Argentina.


then went to Hua Hin the other day with them, went bowling and shopping. loved it!


guna pick up thai boxing next week

i go through fone cards like one goeas through socks ?!?!?

i need to get myself on a diet =]


i'll write back later gator

sawadee ka

So its july 11 on this side of the world. current weather, on the sunny but slighty windy outside. its one of those days that look like and sound like you'll need a jacket, but once outside you quickly discover you rather not wear one.

Thursday i started my community service in Prachuap khiri khan Technical College. Turns out that Thais here in the AFS program prefered that I help teach english and so for the next weeks ill be a teacher for teens. at first it was scary, nerve racking plain old le-ou (bad). it turned out i had to give a speech infront of the whole school. Eventually I of course had to suck it up and give my speech in thai and then english. The classes i taught thursday weren't as friendly as I hoped, but the ones I had yesterday were much nicer and freidnlier and approached me. Onestudent even gave me a little ring, how sweet. The stares I would get in the begining and still get from students or strangers on the street make me feel uneasy, but hey thats what i get for being a foreigner during a non-touristy season =]


Its whatever now though I don't let it make me feel uneasy since I know they're not doing it with bad intentions.

Anywho OOHHH i started my first thia boxing lesson yesterday with one of the teachers at my college. I knew boxing was quite the violent sport, but thai boxing and muay thai? whole nother level.at first it just cringe at the sounds they'd make to help release stress on the ring. And this dude was like totally kickin the life out of a punching abg, that really sared me . I was just like " oh dear..." it was all good though they were nice and one of the dudes offered to help train me whenever i went there with my teacher so theyre pretty nice all screaming and fighting actions aside ha!


other than that, this morning as i tossed and turned in bed my right side hurt a bit and the curve of my foot where i'd kick the punching bag with and my knuckles hurt if i touch them. other than that im good


Kow man kai is wayyyy delicios here. its green rice with chicken and then i add soy sauce and some other sweet sauce and wala! you get a delicious tasting dish!

BTW can you beleive that so far the best dish I've had in a restaurant is this finger likin good plate of chicken fried rice. I know yall are probably like " so you can get that in NYC" but not this one my friends. its not greasy at all and the rice isnt brown like over there. Its soo good and like i dont even know...its just soo dee. and can you beleive its just 30 thai baht. the rate for a dollar is 33baht, so this mouth watering dish is literally less than $1.00 in the States!!!



That my friend is sooooooo crazy!


I've tried this dessert that my mom and I bought at a local market thats realy good too. Itsmade out of the crepesingredient-very thin, and inside is cocunut creme with two little pieces of corn. Its seved hot and it taste sooo sweet and good. LOVED IT

what else...oh turns out I'm not a big fan of duck noodle soup.


ooh best meak ever was sticky rice, fried chicken, noodles with minced meat and veggies, and papaya salad with fried shrimp. OOBER aloy mahk!


Thursday I also went to temple with students to partake in this yearly ceremony with the monks. We gave him the big candle, and i even gave him one of the offerings we had. After the whole prayers and ceremony he gave out pendants to everyone with the image of buddah on one side and inscription on the otherside. That currently hangs on my chain alongside my cross =]

Other than that, I haven't really done much because its like finals week here and my brother has had to study so hopefully soon i'll tell you more fun and exciting stuff.


Oh i also saw the buddah festival held yearly as well. Very beautiful and vibrant. i saw it at my yaa's baan . Then i met some of my brothers friends who were all very nice. Aim, Eff, New ,Dew, Som, Dai were all very friendly and we all just stayed walking along the marina and out on the pier by the beach, until Aim went to go pick up his motorcylce and paa picked me and Ohm up.

That was a fun day!

I think maybe next week we will climb up to the temple on the mountain where its like completel and total monkey invasion hahah. No seriously like seeing monkey is part of my daily routine here, and that mountain is home to them, so when we climb up we will encounter many monkeys.

Well ima go sit outside in the porch listening to music seeing as that i have officially finished The Brief Wonderous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Now that was a pretty darn good book, He's a very good author, and I recommend him to anyone.

Okay I'm outies

Sally

11:11 am

So thats the current time over here in Prachuap Thailand.

over in NY i beleive its 10 pm or around there.

things ive discovered i like:

cocunut strawberry ice cream
ma coon( pomegranate type fruit)
chocolate covered cokies
bread


things i dont like:

curry
fuji plum cherries


things i dont wana know what they are:

meat in corner store noodle place


I ate it, and it had an interesting taste, but when my brother translated it for me it said fishball...and im not a big fan of fish other than srimp.


Besides food, the hospitality is so warm and welcoming. Thai people are so nice and welcoming. They always want to feed you and make sure youre okay. Like before I came to my host family, it was 5 of us coming to Prachaip area : Mehidi, Monet, Yessenia Maritza and myself on a van for hours. Then we stopped at gas station for bathroom break and see how the toilets in thailand are. needless to say none of us girls used the toilets...very interesting looking things...and the way they get flushed..its like a more updated version of a latrine, with a section on the side where water lingers with a floatin cup. and once youre done with toilet you scoop water and pour in toilet until everything flushes down.

but anyways so yea we come outisde and are waiting for our advisor and we wai to this family whos looking at us and then we engage in nice easy going conversation. thai ppl do smile a lot =]

breakfast yesterday consisted of:

slice of bread with the edges cut off nd mayo spread
bowl of white rice
chicken
curry chicken
and fruit.

ofcourse i didnt eat curry chicken stomach dont like it .

my family is so nice though i feel like we're finally opening up to each other and what not.

When i sleep though i sleep for long time, like yesterday i was suppose to meet my sister Ib but around 5pm i decided to take a nap, the nap then turned into a 13 hour sleep and i was the first to get up in my family.

i say its the jet lag from thailand and california working on me since when i stayed in hotel in Bangkok i went to sleep at 4am hangin out with the Belgian students ( who might i say were oh so cool, and very good looking) to wake up at 7am and depart to our new home.


its so beautiful over here, reminds me a lot of the Dom. Rep. very tropical and sunny.

i only have one mosquito bite on my calf...and i hope to keep it that way haha!

okydokey, ima go play with Kalameh and KaKa in the yard

btw thais have the next few days off of school because of buddist holiday and queens bday so my community service doesnt start until thursaday.

so wish me luck!


Sally

Greetings from Prachuap khirikhan!

After 16 long hours and days and hours of traveling by car I'm finally at my host family's house!

theyre so nice and welcoming. I think we will get along just great.

When i got here rain was falling like crazy thunderstorms super loud like i would jump . its located in a very tropical area...duhh its on the coast sally...

but alot of palm trees and dirt roads. house is in like a dead end.

i like it ...i dont like however green curry chicken...that gave me horrible stomach pain and woke me up at 6am

okay so ima go and spend time with family now!

Mami si lees esto chequea tu email i sent you one cuz my phone doesnt work and i need to go into town soon to buy a thai sim card.


Sawadee ka


Sally

ps sorry for abrupt email dont wanna abuse theircomputer time thing.

im going going to thailand thailand : p

Sooooo

I'm currently on the thai airways airplane. Its like huge with pink and mustard colored seats with pillows and blankets and when we came in we greeted them with the wai .mm it was soo awsome !!! Too many hours on plane its 17 hours and its like we miss a day so we never live a july 3rd, freaky huh. Well ima go call mom before I take off.

Btw the stuardis dress to beautifully, its so new. Well I'm outies.

Btw it was cold in cali

AH I'm Leaving Tomorrow !!!!!

OMG

So Ive officially packed everything, well maybe theres a couple stuff left to put in, well and take out cause the weight of my regualr luggage is 48 pounds and the limit for us is 44 pounds.

Other than that, everything is good to go. My room looks super messy though , like some hurricane trashed it....well not as bad as it may sound.

Btw, my I'm glad to find out that my friend is going to be living in the same road as me , who knows maybe even right next door ! that'll be wayy awsome, and we might even go to the same school! Right on the coast of Thailnad. =]

All my friends have officially have gone off to thier countries. Gabster went off to Poland yesterday and Estef is on her way to France as we speak.

You know I have those like pre-adventure type jitters, where theres like a mix of anxiousness, excitement scared-ness ( if thats even a word) and just idk, a whole bunch of emotions.

I'll try to keep writing throughout my stay over there and give updates on how everythings going!

well I'm outies! Going out to eat with mom at Applebees yumm : )


Sally

The Count Down Has Begun !

SAWADEE KA! (thats hi in thai )

Okay, so I haven't written in a while-super duper busy BUT school's officially over and thus the countdown for my departure shall commence!

Heres the latest updates:

• I've officially booked my domestic flights to and from Cali

• I've gotten all my summer clothes and everything else that may come in handy while I'm in Thailand, hence the MAYOR blockage of bags in my room =/

• Ohhh I purchased this little Thai dictionary and phrasebook, cause ofcourse what's good knowing words if you dont even know how to put them in coherent sentences?!?!? It's actually helpful, I like take it everywhere I go and try to pronounce these words and people just stare at me making random facial expressions to help me pronounce these words.

Probably the most important thing is... I HAVE A FAMILY !!

ahhhh it brings me great relief to finally say that, for a minute there i was starting to feel homeless in a completely different country and culture. BUT with all of that resolved I'm so excited to meet them in person. I have a mom, dad, an older sister and a brother whose like two months older than me. Which reminds me his birthday is the 26 !

Early B-day shout out to Ohm!!!

It's actually hitting me now that I'm leaving in 7 days O.O (thats my o.m.g. face )

Sometimes I can't even fathome the idea that i'll be living a gagillion miles away for like two months! ahhhh im still super excited.

well yea, thats the latest in "What's up with Sally and that Thailand trip of hers?!?" so yes chicks and chikadees, im officially ready to go out and explore something new and different and learn soo much.

Ofcourse I want to thank everyone who helped me be able to go on this aazing opportunity,

Ms.Mateo and the whole GS team without you guys I still probably would be in the same spot i was before you all stepped in-helpless so thank you

And Ms Woolley, for staying in touch with me through all the emails i bombarded her with and finding any way possible to help me out financially. THANK YOU

and finally Deeana and Steph from DDC over at Columbia. You guys so totally rock for

guiding me through this long journey of fundraising and mishaps, i appreciate it so much.

Well im sensing this is probably one of those super long entries that just seem to keep going and going etc.

So Adios Amigos!

Sally

7 DAYS LEFT ( and in 3 minutes it'll be 6 days )

Thanks!

Okay, so I want to thank the following people for being so super awsome and making contributions so that I can go to Thailand!!

Suzanna Nora Johnson
Steve Strongin
Lisa Fontenelli
Alex Anido

and finally Elizabeth Mateo, for all being so kind and generous and helping a complete stranger achieve a dream. You cannot imagine how much I appreciate your help.

Gettin this up and running

***** NEWS UPDATE******

So I have decided to go to a different country, instead of Argentina I will be heading all the way to Thailand!

All though its a completely differentculture and a much more greater distance, it still involves a community serivce program that I'm very passionate about : Working with children.

Over at Thailand I will eaither teach englsih to children, develop fun and healthy pysical activities like sports i guess and perhaps even work at a hospital. This is even better because I get to see how it can be in the medical field in anther country!


Anywho- I finally figured out how to get the chipin button (haha) So for anyone out there who comes across my page :


please help me pursue my passion and embark on this life changin opportunity.
Any donations will be GREATLY appreciated!


Sally<3

First Post

Hey my name is Sally Duran and i am a current junior in highschool in the BIG city of New York. I'm a person who is always seeking adventure and new experiences, so when i heard of AFS i knew it was right for me! This summer I hope to travel to Argentina where I will get the opportunity to work in an orphanage or with disabeled children, which is something I am so imensley happy about. Working with children I enjoy doing, now and as a possible career. I like to get myself involved with a lot of programs, so this semester my schedule has been pretty hectic but none the less oh so fulfilling :) I take art classes at the Museum of Modern Art, attend tutoring and classes for my Upward Bound Program and volunteer at a center as a counselor for children with autism. However, I've still managed to squeeze some fundraising events in between but not quite enough.

So please help me achieve my goal and embark on such a wonderful experience by sponsoring my AFS program &...

Clicking the ChipIn button

I appreciate any help you can give me