Exchange student profile

DAVENPORT – Ploypailin Chetchotsak 16, has travelled a very long way to attend high school in Davenport. Ploypalin, known as "Ploy," is from Khorat, a major city in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeast Thailand. As a participant in the International Student Exchange program, Ploy will spend ten months in the United States and go to school at Davenport High before returning to Thailand.

According to Brenda Hendrickson, ISE Regional Advisor and Student Services Coordinator, the ISE program seeks to foster cultural exchange and understanding between countries by providing opportunities for students to study abroad. Hendrickson is also hosting two exchange students at her home, Ploy and a student from Vietnam.

When asked why she wanted to study in America, Ploy said "to make new friends and experience a new culture. I had friends who were exchange students who had good experiences. I wanted to have experiences you can't have in Thailand."

Ploy's favorite American school subjects are physical education and choir. She will soon begin playing tennis. She finds English and history classes the most difficult.

"The people in Davenport are nice and kind," Ploy said. She "hates" snow, doesn't like the cold weather, and finds the lunch breaks at school too short compared to lunch in Thailand.

Ploy has enjoyed visiting some large U.S. cities including New York and Seattle. In her free time, Ploy likes reading, watching movies and drawing. She looks forward to eating her favorite food, som tam, a type of green papaya salad, when she returns home.