By Violeta Panayotova

Many students do not enjoy doing chores and many students’ dream is to travel away on a vacation without their parents who will remind them to do things and go places and will drive them insane. Sadly, very few are successful at escaping the state of Arizona on their own. But this year, one student from a distant land has taken on an adventure like no other and has decided to join our Tempe Prep family for the entire year.

Coming all the way from Bangkok, Thailand, everyone is extremely happy to welcome Phenpojana Hasunaha, or also known as Namo. This brave junior has taken the risk and opportunity of a lifetime by becoming an exchange student and coming to the United States without her parents or siblings. She is staying with Mrs. Moffitt’s family and is going to school at TPA.

But how did she take on this incredible journey? Well, her inspiration began through her mom who works at an American company in Thailand which invests money into the AFS study-abroad scholarships. Her mom pushed her to apply and try to get in and come to the United States. And because of her incredible English skills and fantastic academic record, she successfully received a full-ride scholarship to come to the United States and stay here for absolutely $0.

But her journey doesn’t just end with her acceptance letter; it continues with her plane ride and many activities she has taken on by being a student in our school. Believe it or not, she said, “I was not really scared to go to another country for a year without my family,” and in fact she was excited to conquer whatever challenges she would face once coming to the states. So one day she got on a plane and traveled 8,388 miles and join a completely new culture.

Her first day was overwhelming with a few bumps on the road. “I didn’t know what to do” is how she describes the experience. Most TPA students would agree that our small campus brings us closer together and that there is no way that one can get lost, especially when you compare it to any of the schools that are around us. However, this is not always the case and getting lost is a serious problem for a new student even on our small campus. But Namo was able to find her way between classes and learn the ways of the juniors very quickly.

Moreover, as one would expect, the American education system is quite different than the Thai education system. One of the main differences, Namo says, is the classes we take. While the United States is popular for not having the hardest education compared to countries such as Finland or Germany, Namo says that “I don’t really know Greek or physics so it’s kind of hard for me” and that both are hard in different ways. While she is really good at Thai History, U.S. History presents itself as a new subject that is different from anything she has experienced. The differences in the schools do not stop there. They extend to the time they have to be in class in the morning which is 7 a.m. unlike our 8 a.m. start, but they stay the same exact time. Despite the differences she is enjoying sleeping for an extra hour every day and the change of weather.

While many Arizonans could have sworn, they live in the hottest place on earth, this is not the case. Namo states that “Arizona is colder than Thailand,” especially in the winter. While she has not been in the United States for too long, she already has joined many sports and more specifically cross country and soccer, making friends and practicing hard to beat all the other schools.

The differences between the U.S. and Thailand do not end there. “The food portions are bigger here,” according to Namo, and things are more expensive here as well. The United States however has left many positive memories despite the lack of actual Thai food.

Overall, Namo states that coming to work on her English and meeting new people and enjoying a new culture is something she does not regret and the lessons she has learned will help her throughout her life.

So, next time you get in a fight with your parents be sure to check out AFS study-abroad scholarships because next thing you know, you may be on a 12-hour flight to a country in a different continent far away from washing the dishes.