Crossing Cultures: From Small-Town Thailand to the USA & Back Again [Season 4, Episode 44]

Ed interviews Putsawan ‘Poy’ Tipsakorn, a friend and former student of his who did an exchange year in the U.S. while in high school. Ed and Poy begin with her background in a small town in Nakhorn Ratchasima province and her conservative all-girls school and how she got the idea to go to the States in the first place. 

From there the story moves to upstate New York, where she met her host family and dove right in, making friends in marching band and choir. The academic transition was more difficult, and she had to quickly improve her English and adapt to American customs. Listen in for some classic funny ‘clash of cultures’ stories.

Thankfully, Poy thrived in the US, but eventually had to head back home. Classic reverse-culture shock followed, as she had to work to fit back into her own culture. She and Ed discuss what happened upon her return, and her decision to study in an international program for university in Bangkok, which is where she learned even more details about her second home from Ajarn Ed. Follow Poy on Instagram here!

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