Student Brings Thailand to Fredericksburg

Penny Nateesuwan left her native Thailand 7 ½ months ago. She arrived in Fredericksburg, Virginia 72 hours later, one of approximately 28,000 exchange students who come to the US annually. She was excited to attend the prom, hopeful that her host family would allow her to make her own decisions and mistakes, and expected a country full of buildings and crowded sidewalks.

Instead she found herself in the suburbs. Her host high school, Stafford High, was huge and she blended in with the crowd. Instead of her dream of a small school where people were falling over themselves to meet her and learn about Thailand, she found that her classmates were used to foreigners and not as excited as she hoped.

In the months since, Penny has found it both easier and harder to live in the US than she imagined. Her transition into her host family was nearly effortless. Making friends at school was much more difficult. Modern conveniences Americans take for granted were unheard of. Penny's host family gave her washing dishes as a chore, but was surprised to have to teach her what a dishwasher was. "I was so interested and excited to learn using it," Penny says, "I thought it was very comfortable and saved a lot of time...but I thought it might not be as clean."

Experiencing holidays has been one of Penny's favorite aspects of her exchange. She had no idea what trick or treating was. She had never eaten turkey, much less celebrated Thanksgiving. She expected Christmas was celebrated in public, not as a private celebration with each family having its own tree and gifts. She expected all Americans to celebrate New Year's like they do in Times Square.

Penny hopes she has shared how helpful Thai people are. She is proud of the fact that Thai families are strongly devoted to each other throughout every stage of life. She hopes she has demonstrated respect for her teachers, something she feels her American peers are often lacking. "I always say 'Mister' or 'Miss" when addressing my teachers, but not everyone does."

Many exchange programs are actively seeking host families this time of year. Stafford County admits five exchange students per high school per school year and the slots often fill fast. Contact your local high school's guidance office today to secure a spot and then a qualified exchange program to apply and host.

Works Cited:

Fadel, Leila, "US Increases Protection for Foreign Teens", Star Telegram, 2/24/2006