Pimkwan (Kwan) Wattanapong

2009-10 Inbound from Thailand

Hometown: Muang Srisaket, Thailand

Sponsor: Srisaket Rotary Club, District 3340, Thailand

Host: Key West Rotary Club, District 6990, Florida, USA

School: Key West High School, Key West, Florida

Bio

Kwan's Bio

Hi, everybody! How are you? My name is Pimkwan Wattanapong, you can call me Kwan as well. Nice to meet you. This year, I’m a youth exchange student from Thailand. I’m sixteen years old and studying in grade 11 at Satriwittaya2 at Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, with my aunt. My family live in Srisaket, we have four members of family. I’m first kid in family, and have young sister; I think maybe she will be exchange student too.

In school, I like math and ART so much ! And I really don’t expert subject about language like English and Thai…(it looks funny but it’s really). In free times, I like drawing, reading, seeing movies and listening music. I like to write too, I feel good and fun when I write something and people come to read it. My favorite sport is Badminton.

Why I want to be exchange student…I don’t know what to explain, it has many thing to answer. I just think I want to go to see the world, I know well, my country is small and I’m smaller. The Earth is so big, so I believe that it has many things I didn’t see before, I want to see, I want to have a different experience, I want to visit around the world. So I decide to be exchange student!

So I’ll never ever be sorry with my making a decision. I hope it’ll be fun!!

September 24 Journal

August 9, 2009: I’m staying in Key West, Florida, United States. The temperature is like Thailand so I be not worried about this, it’s good for me. There are four members in my host family. The first day, at lunch, I and Elizabeth who pick me up at the airport (she isn’t my host) take me to meeting with Rotary and have lunch. After lunch, we go to meet my host ! I’m very really nervous …what I should say to them first !? …what I should do !? AHH !! Oh my god !

First of all, I didn’t do anything like I think I should do; they hug me, it’s so great! In Thailand, we don’t like to hug, but when I went here it’s usual and I like it. Then, they take me go around our home. I have my bedroom, everything is wonderful. We have two dogs, two cats and some of animal that I don’t know what is it.

About my language, Thai is my language, but everybody learn English in grade 1. However, I am not expert in English, it’s so hard to me. So the first time, I always smile, smile and smile … it means I don’t get it. It’s funny!

Afternoon, my host sister take me visit around Key West, it’s so cool. Key West is so beautiful city, I don’t kidding, there is wonderful, every houses is different but usually pretty. They don’t have taller building, they have many beach. We go to see school and some my host sister’s friends…at that time I can’t remember their name. When we come back, my host dad’s brother’s wife come here.

Evening, I have food with my host, host dad’s brother’s family and neighbor. It’s nice time to me, even I’m having a smattering of knowledge but it’s so fun!

I think it’s pretty good that I be exchange student!!!

At night, before I sleep I pray, … I hope tomorrow it’ll be fun.

On the beach		With my host sister
			At Rotary in Key West

January 26 Journal

About 5 months that I have been in Key West, Florida, US. I got many memories from here, the experience that I haven't done before, that I never thought I'm going to do... I have being learn a lot of things, learn about the language, to be friendly, to be the person that go to talk with friends first. I can tell you that sometimes I be homesick and cry... I miss my home, I miss my friends and especially I miss my family. It's not easy to leave country and can't meet the people that you love. To leave the country and go to the new one that I've never gone before...but all of feeling, all of experience...sadly, happily, laugh and all of them make me stronger. Make me know how to improve myself and grow up.

Right now, I live with the 2nd host, I moved from the first host on November 9th, 2009, after Rotary district 6990 trip. It was so fast for me. I spent lot of times with my first host, we did a lot of things together. Include on the festival, on Halloween weekend, we went to my 2nd host's sister at downtown to watch the parade. It was so fantastic for me. Because in Key West, it is the big festival, every visitor from everywhere go to here to join with us!

But then...on November we have to leave, and before at that time, we went to "Thai Restaurant", which is my nation food, together, I'm so glad and feel terrible. After Rotary trip, I moved to 2nd host... their house is across the street from the first house !! Is that funny !? haha, I know.

I was really excited liked the first time that I came here !!! But when I talked with them, it wasn't scary at all! They're so nice to me. The Koenig's have dad, mom, 2 older sister and 1 younger brother.

One evening, we went to watch the fort parade and my school's American football game. My new host brother is in the school's band. That's so cool ! As the same time I talked with my host sister a lot. And the next day, I helped my host mom to clean the pool, then, we talked a lot, too. My host mom is so cute, she help to practice English, she went to school and took practice books for me. My host dad is so cute, too. The funny is he always steal everyone food, if you don't write your name at that stuffs, he is going to take it !! Haha. My host sister is very friendly, we talked with each other a lot. My host brother is cool too. He want to be the professional musician so he's always practice his instruction...that's so cool for me !!

Then, soon my school had homecoming's day. So I went there with my new host sister. we dressed pretty dress and have a lot of fun! That was my first time that I went to homecoming's day. It's so funny because the girls (include me) wear pretty shoes, but when we dance we took it off and dance !! Moreover, 2 months ago that I live with them. I can say I really love them!

On Thanksgiving Weekend, we went to Gailville to visit my host mom's sister and lived with then 2-3 days. That was fun. Right there was so cold !! It like 40F at night, the most cold that I have met !!! I hate cold and at that time, I thought I'm very lucky to live at Key West, the hot city! (because in Thailand, the temperature is always 95-105F)

On December, I went to Disney World with Rotary !!! It's the best thing that Rotary give to me. Thank you very much !! I met my friends from Thailand and we talked lots, how is your life, how is your school, friends. And I really miss my home immediately. After that trip, I don't want to say goodbye my friends. But we need to say it and hopefully we can meet each others as soon as possible... yeahhhh, on January I'm going to Sea Camp at the Keys with Rotary and I can meet them again ! I'm so glad !! We have a lot of stuff to talk and never done !

About the school, I passed the mid term test before Christmas, some subject is too hard liked History (I think it's hard forever, even I can speak English pretty well), about math is ok for me but I almost did it wrong a little point, that's make me hurt but finally I got A. I'm so proud ! Then after that, I changed my new schedule from English 2 to English 3 because it was easier...and in that class all of the student don't speak English, they're immigrant that speak Spanish and French. And the English 3 is harder, but I like it, because I come here to practice, not to learn that I can do it all of them. And on 2 Physics class, we painted the big door, it's our new project and I love that.

Finally, last weekend my host family talked with me about when I go back to Thailand. They plan to go back with me and visit my country, my home about 1-2 weeks...I'm so glad and very welcome them. It's so exciting and I can't wait, so I plan where I will take them and where is the beautiful place for them. I just want to do the best things to them like they do it for me.

...At that time, I think about when I go back to my country, how about my host family and me... I'm going to miss them a lots, I'm pretty sure.

May 9 Journal

Hey, everyone! Long time no see. How have u been?

I am doing good. Right now, I am pretty good, everything's fine and nothing going on. In school, we just study as you know. I still love my art classes, I'm painting water color and of course everybody like it, haha. I spend so much time with my art class. In physics, we had the project how to do biodiesel, that was fun, it was the first that I did. After that, we had another project that I think it's not about physics at all because we painted. It was fine to me, I love to do art things.

On spring break, I and my host family went to the camp, I have no idea where is that. It was like the little house in the forest, we drove around 5-6hr from Key West. We had fun a lot. My host dad and his friends went to hunt animals in the evening, but I didn't want to so I stayed home with my host mom and sister, watched TV, the ghost hunt. After the man hunt finished with nothing, they did bar-b-q for us. It was so much fun but I have something I don't like...I didn't take a shower...because nobody did so I didn't take a shower, 1 day. Haha.

On April 4th, Easter day, I and my host mom went to the church on evening and it was very cool. It was huge and I liked it a lot. After that, we went to Thai restaurant and had a dinner. I met Thai people there and talked to some of them and I discover that they're like me, I mean they're not exchange but not really. Because they come here and work 3 months and then go back to Thailand so that's awesome.

The month later (on April 16th-18th), I went to Miami to Rotary meeting. I met a lots of new friends who be exchange students- I mean they're American and will go to another country called 'outbound'. I am 'inbound'.) That was cool. They're very nice. I met the girl who is going to Thailand, my country, I talked with her a lot about my country, I'm excited that someone's going to Thailand and she'll live in Bangkok, the capital city that I'm studying so that's great, we can hang out together.

Last weekend, I went to downtown and hangout with my friend and brought some gifts to my family at home, I got the postcards, key rings, and a lots.

It is so fast, it's about 8 months that I've been here, it's really fast. I just have 1 months left, that make me sad a little. Next week I and my host family plan to go to the beach. And on May 13th-15th, I will go to Bahamas with other exchange students, I'll look forward to meet them and want to go to see there.