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AFS student Cassie Steadman enjoying Thailand
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Jessica Mills, Janice Enslow, Tia Aguliar, Brittany POowell, Cassie Steadman, and Rachel Deremo
After the grueling and torturous wait until March and the quick act of raising funds our own Cassie Steadman has breached a new world of her own – Thailand. This past March 31 Cassie along with her close friends, followers, and family, awoke in the wee hours of the morning for the hour to hour and a half drive to the Milwaukee Airport. Leaving at five o’clock in the morning didn’t leave much time for chit chat let alone the extra sleep that she would’ve needed for the time on the plane she couldn’t sleep. After waking up late and not being able to get to sleep in anticipation the night before were only a few of her problems. After waking to remember that her hair was cut really short (in accordance for her school’s regulations of short hair that doesn’t touch your collar), she quickly got dressed and finished packing the miscellaneous things she left for that morning. Hoping she didn’t forget anything, the wagon train set off for the airport….for Cassie being the last time that she would see our beloved town of Brodhead again for a whole year.
Finally arriving at the airport with plenty of extra time at hand, the group checked her baggage and found the terminal. Cassie, starting to sense the full reality of her situation, was going to be leaving in an hour. All of her friends she would be leaving to go into the unknown - and a language that she didn’t know much of. While spending the last moments together another problem arose – she could only bring one person into the terminal with her. Being that most kids have two parents, that presented a very big problem. No matter which of her parents she picked the other would’ve been hurt no matter what. So, sneaking away from the group, her friends went from service desk to service desk telling their pity story and hoping to get another terminal pass. Succeeding, they returned to proudly tell Cassie and her parents that they could both go into the terminal with her!
Hardly being able to control her enthusiasm Cassie hugged each one tightly as if it were the last hug she would ever have from them. As the time came for Cassie to enter her terminal she went to each of her friends, hugging them each in turn, promising to be a devoted pen pal, and crying the few tears that they had left Cassie was almost ready to leave. All of them kept reminding her that if she didn’t want to go she didn’t have to – they could just turn around and go home….none such luck occurred for her friends. As they watched her walk away into the terminal they screamed their final goodbye.
After 3 flights consisting of over 22 hours in a plane and realizing she forgot her cds we hear via email that she reached her destination. Reporting that she was homesick the first 4 or 5 days, she seems to be adapting into her culture quite well. Realizing that there are many different dialects that she has to try and comprehend, she is learning much from her new family. Other than the fact that it is so hot and sticky over there, she has made many discoveries. Like finding a gecko in her bathroom and seeing a baby elephant walk into her town. Many of these things, she never would’ve experienced had she not gone on this awesome experience. Along with her family and friends, Cassie misses the many hugs that she received here…assuming that they don’t hug very much in Thailand, the last hug she received was from her new friend Cassie who lives in the Province below her. Hoping for the best of what’s to come Cassie seems very willing to overcome any obstacle that might befall her.
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