Kaitlyn "Joy" Lawrence

2003-04 Outbound to Thailand

Date of Birth: February 12, 1987

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

School: Douglas Anderson School of the Arts

Sponsor: East Arlington Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida USA

Host: Phang-nga Rotary Club, District 3330, Thailand

Joy's Bio

My name is Joy Lawrence I am 16 years old, and a sophomore at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. I am a dance major at school and also take dance classes at a dance studio elsewhere. 

I live with both of my parents, Harold and Debbie Lawrence. Also with my older brother and younger sister living in the house. We have two family pet dogs, named Mozart and Caesar. 

I have always wanted to go abroad as an exchange student. In fact I had almost given up looking for a good program. Which is why I was so excited to hear about the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Even more so when I heard Thailand was on the list. I am glad that I found out about it in time for me to still be able to go. Excitement would probably be my most over-powering emotion right now. Just knowing that this time next year I will be living another culture, and such a different culture from my own. I went to Thailand once before for a month and really fell in love with every thing about it, I jumped at the chance to go again. I am really excited to be learning the language and the culture completely.

August 22 Journal

I have been in Thailand a little over a month now, and aside from a little bit of a rough time in the beginning I have settled in pretty well.  I have made friends at school and they, along with my host family and teachers, are really helpful.  I have fallen in love with the Thai people, yet again.  I have also had a bunch of opportunities to meet people, and travel. I have been to Phuket twice, and Bangkok once with my family, to drop my host sister Keaw off at the airport , and once on a school field trip, this past weekend.   I also got the chance to dance in the "Thai Day" festival at my school, which was really neat. 

I find that things are not as different here as I thought they would be.  My best example of that is the day that I walked into my classroom and saw a guy sitting there playing a guitar... something that is very common in America but I never expected to see here in Thailand.  It's also not uncommon to see people in the class scrambling to finish their homework in the morning, even copying it. heh.  One thing that is different in my school are the classes. Well, the people in them.  My class moves around together all day long, they spend their free times together and just hang out together.  Though there are "cliques" they aren't closed off to every one else.  I love the way they are so friendly with each other not excluding anyone.

Well I would say that's about it, but it's really not.  There is no way I could possibly sum up this month.  I have had so many great experiences, I can't even count them all.  I can't wait to see what else will come up while I am here.  Well Sawasdeekha for now.

Pictures from Joy's First Month (click to enlarge)

January 5 Journal

Well, since I wrote last I have gotten to do a lot of really amazing things. I have gotten closer to my exchange student friends and all of my Thai friends. I have gotten to participate in a few Rotary things. RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in Phuket, a northern tour for all of the exchange students, and with my Rotary club to teach an aids prevention class. I have also gotten to visit some of my exchange student friends in other provinces, which is very neat. I have participated in two English camps one at my school and one for Rotary in Phang-nga town.

I have been doing very well. I got to go and spend the holidays with a friend and eat a very yummy Christmas dinner. I also found out that I will be changing host families this month, and though sad to leave this family I am very excited. I will be living in Phang-nga town, which is a big change from Tapput. I am also excited about language, I am getting much better and now my favorite thing to do is just talk to all the people I found out that I have to go to the other classes because they speak Thai to me. But it’s been such an exciting year I can’t believe that it’s half over already. I am definitely not ready to go home yet. 

Kit Tueng Tur, 

(Thinking of you) 

Joy

April 17 Journal

I was reading Al's email today and he is definitely right, I have been in Bragade Thai for 9 months now and it is really weird to think that I will be leaving in a little over a month....It is even harder to believe that I have already said good-bye to some of my friends for the last time. It's still not real that some have already gone home....Home seems to be the topic dwelt on almost constantly as we get closer and closer to it. Having thought about it a lot lately, I think I am ready to go home, though I still have a lot planned for here before I leave....

Since last I wrote (a very long time ago) a lot has happened. In January I switched host families, towns and schools. It was really hard for me to switch schools, especially because Thai people are somewhat hard to get close to and there were only two more months left in the school year....But it was also exciting because it was a bigger town (there was even a 7-11), and since I already spoke Thai, that is what they spoke to me...the family is also really different and that made it harder too. Where in my old host family I had two host sisters, who were close to my age, my new host siblings are much younger and my host mother more protective (she hasn't had teenagers yet). But even though I have changed host families my first host sister P'Mai and I have gotten even closer. In fact I think she is definitely the Thai person that I will miss the most when I leave.

Well, aside from all of that things have gotten to be a lot more interesting, since school got out in March (and even a little before) I have traveled a lot, which has really been nice....I have traveled with Rotary, my host family and other YE's and having a great time. It's really nice to be in a place where you can just hop a bus and go anywhere you want....even if it is just for a day or two. I also have more things planned before I leave. I have to keep busy so I don't think about home (heh).... I think the most exciting thing that I will be doing is taking a 10 day meditation course, to learn more about Buddhism....During this course I will be starving myself, trying my hardest not to talk to the other YE's, and trying to harness my mind (hehehe).... I am definitely going to try to make the best out of the rest of my year, even if there isn't too much left....I might try to write again but looking at my track record I don't know if that will happen....

Kit Tueng Tur,

(thinking of you)

Joy