Winter and 'quiet'

are lasting memories for Thai exchange student

Teen from Bangkok arrived in New Ulm last August

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Surrounded by her favorite objects -- a big bear, an American flag -- departing Thai exchange student Nuanrat Chanchailert on Wednesday described her year-long stay in New Ulm.

In halting but reportedly much improved English, Chanchailert talked about school, living in a small town and the high point of her visit -- a just completed 18-day trip through New York City, Washington, D.C., Florida and Chicago.

Chanchailert, from Bangkok, Thailand, arrived in New Ulm last August. It was a fairly difficult adjustment -- it took her a couple of months to get used to life in an American town and to "how people act in and out of school."

Compared to the multi-million city of Bangkok, New Ulm seemed very, very quiet. While she lives in a house, many people in Bangkok live in apartments, so New Ulm also seemed quite spread out.

The cold winter was another shock because it generally does not get colder than 70 degrees in Bangkok. Chanchailert walked to school, even in the winter months.

Yet another surprise was the food. Thai food is always cooked, even lettuce. Eating raw vegetables was highly unusual, but, according to her hostess Ingrid Liedman, Chanchailert did very well.

Chanchailert comes a family of four. She lives with her dad, a banker; her mom, who works for a farming organization buying and selling rice for the government; and her younger sister, a 13-year-old student. She has a large and close extended family.

Chanchailert was a senior at New Ulm High School. To her, the school and classes seemed small -- she comes from a school of 4,000 students, with 50 students per classroom. The routines also seemed different, with a recurrent daily schedule, rather than a variety of subjects and activities. It surprised her that kids drove to and from school and went out at night -- things that kids back home do not usually do.

In a new language and cultural environment, Chanchailert originally struggled with comprehension and keeping up with assignments. Now, she says she is very grateful to her teachers, who spent a lot of extra time helping her with notes and adjusting assignments to meet her needs.

Because of her unique situation, Chanchailert says that she probably spent more time discussing school and schoolwork with her host families, than she spends with her parents. In Thailand, she does not need her parents' help in school in quite the same way.

"In many ways, she is a typical teenager," said Liedman, who, with her husband Lowell, hosted Chanchailert during part of her visit. "She likes sleeping late, watching cartoons, going to the movies, baking cookies ..."

"I admire her for her guts. During the Variety Show, she performed a Thai dance in front of the entire student body. ... She reaches out, she makes friends with people. ... She definitely has her own style."

Full of appreciation for her host families, Chanchailert is also very thankful to the Rotary Club for sponsoring her stay -- and for her "big trip." The trip to large U.S. cities allowed her to explore the country, meet about 40 other exchange students, and have a lot of fun, she said.

Chanchailert will be taking a return flight this coming Friday, and resuming school very soon, on Monday. She will go through a senior year at her Thai school, as well. After high school, she expects to attend a four-year college and study economics.

Asked about what parts of her American experience she will value most, Chanchailert thinks awhile, then says it's probably "being independent" and "making a lot of friends."

Her stay has been a cultural eye opener as well.

"I had so many wrong ideas (about the United States) from the movies," Chanchailert says, referring to violence, glitz and other movie attributes. "[The reality] is very, very different."