I finally arrived in Thailand at midnight on August 23 after a 24-hour flight. I knew Thailand would be hot but I never realized how hot it actually was; the heat struck me as soon as I disembarked the plane. I had never been in a country that had such a sweltering climate.
As I spotted The Regent’s School Pattaya sign ahead, where I would board for the next six weeks, I somehow knew that this exchange would be an adventure. I was half way across the globe in a country that I didn’t know and with people I didn’t know.
As I left the airport with the exchange coordinator, I finally entered Thailand. We drove for about one hour from the airport to the school, the entire time I looked out the window realizing how different Thailand was. The streets were filled with motor bikes not carrying only one or two people but rather many, the infrastructure was so different from what I was use too; everything was different. It was as if I had just entered a different world.
After being wonderfully hosted by the exchange coordinator and her two children for two days, I finally entered Elizabeth’s Girls Boarding House. The boarding house was quite spacious. There were two sides, one for primary and the other for secondary. The boarding staff was very nice and showed much hospitality. They did everything to make me feel at home. The girls were also very nice; many showed me around campus and introduced me to the other boarders.
Regent’s is an international school with a huge campus! It is composed of many buildings, each a different size and form. Boarders and students came from all over the world from Russia, Korea, Australia, England, Japan, Taiwan and many more! The first two days were rather quiet, boarders were arriving from different countries and everyone including me were just settling in. The night before school I was quite nervous and excited, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know anyone from school and I hardly knew where I was going.
Altogether theses first few days of my exchange have been fantastic, I am so glad to have chosen Regents School Pattaya and can’t wait for the weeks ahead. – Kamy Roberge-Carrington ’16
