When I first arrived abroad, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get along with my host family. But as time passed, I was able to adjust to my surroundings and I became more confident in speaking to and asking for advice from them. I have a special bond with my host mother. I always talked to her about everything. If my host mom sensed I was down, she’d come and hug me. And in addition to her two sons, she considered me her daughter. I was very homesick during my first week in America. I really missed home. Maybe it’s because I didn’t go anywhere that week as school hadn’t started yet. And it’s my host mom who would come to talk to me.
After a while, school started and I felt more adjusted. I guess one problem I had was getting along with others. I was close to other exchange students but didn’t hang out much with any local students. Exchange students normally grouped together and talked about their countries and cities. That’s what made hanging out with exchange students enjoyable. But there was one point when I thought that the school wasn’t right for me. I felt like I was alone without any American friends. And I felt down and wanted to change schools because people would stick to their own group of friends. Later on I tried to strike up conversations with classmates. I think this is better than waiting for someone else to come up to you.
But all in all I liked being with my host family more. We would watch a movie on Fridays after shopping at Walmart’s. Fridays were great. And my host family had 5 cats and 1 dog. So it was never boring at my host family’s. I also am not a big fan of going out to begin with so I liked helping out with dinner at my host family’s. And it’s these little things that made me happy.
EduDee would like to thank Sun Natthanicha Tangthaikwan, a 2019-2020 EduDee exchange student for sharing.
