Hi! I'm Declan, a recent graduate from Morse High School in Bath, Maine. I'm about to leave on a year-long adventure as a Rotary Youth Exchange in Nakhonsawan, Thailand.
I've dreamed of being an exchange student for a very long time. The idea of a cultural immersion has always been pretty cool. I spent nearly a year applying with Rotary to exchange while simultaneously working at college applications (12 of them, actually!). It was a busy year, but both journeys led to exciting outcomes.
I grew up in midcoast Maine with my parents Monica and Amos, and my sister Frida, in a home along the Kennebec River. After my exchange year, I'll be heading to Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. The hospitality industry relies quite a lot on global perspectives, so I feel my time in Thailand is even more perfect as a bridge between high school and my future studies.
But anyways, essentially, this blog is my way of sharing life in Thailand with everyone back home who are wondering what I'm up to, and with anyone else curious about life as an exchange student in Thailand. Blogging feels so retro in this day in age, but I can say that after first finding out i'd be heading to Thailand, reading blogs from other exchange students was a surprising source of information. If you haven't yet, read other people's blogs! Chloe Mayes and Saide Rose have some good ones. Here are a few of my favorites x. If any future students want to talk about what to expect, feel free to reach out. My email is declanmarkwright@gmail.com. But until then, enjoy the blog!