Today I went to Denmark to visit Jet at school. I stopped in the office to say, "Hello" to the principal and discuss Jet's experiences at school. She told me that they'd given Jet a few "buddies" to follow around, so that he would get a chance to meet as many students as possible. 
She also told me that Jet was a bit shy and quiet in class, however when we walked into Jet's study hall, I found him sitting with other students and having a friendly chat with them. I talked with some of the other students in the study hall and they told me they were very impressed with Jet's basketball skills. Jet had taught several students how to say, "Hello (Sawat dee)". One boy had even asked Jet how to say, "I love you (khun rok ter)" in Thai so he could say it to a girl :-). Jet seemed to be very happy in his class and he talked and joked with the other students very naturally. They all seemed friendly and welcoming too. Jet certainly has many friends in Denmark!
She also told me that Jet was a bit shy and quiet in class, however when we walked into Jet's study hall, I found him sitting with other students and having a friendly chat with them. I talked with some of the other students in the study hall and they told me they were very impressed with Jet's basketball skills. Jet had taught several students how to say, "Hello (Sawat dee)". One boy had even asked Jet how to say, "I love you (khun rok ter)" in Thai so he could say it to a girl :-). Jet seemed to be very happy in his class and he talked and joked with the other students very naturally. They all seemed friendly and welcoming too. Jet certainly has many friends in Denmark!
After class I spoke with the principal a bit more about ways to improve Jet's home-stay experiences, especially after school. He's got a bike so he can ride back home on his own, so he doesn't need to be picked up or catch a bus. Therefore, I suggested that he try out for sports after school. 
The track season is just starting, so Jet could join the team and practice with them after school. As long as his host family knows where he is, that should be fine, and so we asked one of the boys in his class to take him over to track practice. However, Jet wasn't too keen on the idea of exercising, hahah! He told me he was too lazy to run! The other kids on the team seemed eager for Jet to join them. Many kids called for Jet to come run with them, but he seemed a bit too shy to go over to them. Hopefully the coaches can encourage him to participate. I spoke with the coaches, and was surprised to learn that even the high school coach knew Jet. I suggested to him that if Jet did not want to participate in track, he could perhaps help out the team by being an equipment manager. In fact, he was very eager to help the coach set up hurdles for the team, so I think that might be a good thing for him to do. That way he can still hang out with the other kids after school and get some fresh air.
The track season is just starting, so Jet could join the team and practice with them after school. As long as his host family knows where he is, that should be fine, and so we asked one of the boys in his class to take him over to track practice. However, Jet wasn't too keen on the idea of exercising, hahah! He told me he was too lazy to run! The other kids on the team seemed eager for Jet to join them. Many kids called for Jet to come run with them, but he seemed a bit too shy to go over to them. Hopefully the coaches can encourage him to participate. I spoke with the coaches, and was surprised to learn that even the high school coach knew Jet. I suggested to him that if Jet did not want to participate in track, he could perhaps help out the team by being an equipment manager. In fact, he was very eager to help the coach set up hurdles for the team, so I think that might be a good thing for him to do. That way he can still hang out with the other kids after school and get some fresh air.After watching track practice for a while, Jet walked back up to school with a few of his friends. He had get his bike because he'd made an appointment to play basketball over at another boy's house and he was a little late to go over there. He told me that he now has a few phone numbers of friends he can call when he's bored and wants someone to play with. Denmark is a very small town, so it's easy for him to take his bike and ride over to their houses when he wants to play ball. From reading his blog, I know that he's been eating a lot of heavy American food, so it'll be good for him to get some exercise! Hahah!
After visiting with Jet, I drove up to Green Bay to look at my old university: St. Norbert College. 
It has changed A LOT!! Almost every house I lived in has been torn down and turned into a parking lot (I wonder if they are trying to tell me something! Hahah!). There are many new buildings and the campus looks beautiful. It took some photos and videos of the campus because St. Norbert had asked me to do some recruiting for their ESL Institute. They don't have any new Thai students, and they really want some Thai kids to enter the ESL program or the university itself. The do have some photos on their website, but most of the questions I get are about housing arrangements and food, so I took some photos of the dorms and canteens. I also drove around the neighborhood with a video camera, so people could see what the area around the college is like. That should help to ease the minds of parents who might be worried about safety and student lifestyles.
It has changed A LOT!! Almost every house I lived in has been torn down and turned into a parking lot (I wonder if they are trying to tell me something! Hahah!). There are many new buildings and the campus looks beautiful. It took some photos and videos of the campus because St. Norbert had asked me to do some recruiting for their ESL Institute. They don't have any new Thai students, and they really want some Thai kids to enter the ESL program or the university itself. The do have some photos on their website, but most of the questions I get are about housing arrangements and food, so I took some photos of the dorms and canteens. I also drove around the neighborhood with a video camera, so people could see what the area around the college is like. That should help to ease the minds of parents who might be worried about safety and student lifestyles.
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