Hamburg, Iowa -

How time flies. Nine months ago the Apperson family was preparing for a new arrival. Not one from the stork, but rather from an airplane. A bouncing 15-year-old exchange student named Natchaya Surichai, direct from Bangkok, Thailand, was delivered on Aug. 5.

Now after months of new experiences and “firsts,” a birthday and even a trip to Washington D.C., Nat is getting ready to go home. The packing has begun and going away parties have been had.

As a student at Hamburg High School, Nat was able to have the complete experience, participating in drama, choir, basketball and golf — where she won an award for being “the most improved.” She was even set up with a date for prom, a formal dance unlike any in Thailand.

She made good friends in Rachel Sheldon and Maddie Ferguson and racked up cell phone text messages — reaching 6,000 in a month.

Eric and Jaime Apperson said even though they have three kids, none of theirs are quite teenagers.

“It was really a crash course in teenager,” Jaime said. She said there were times when they’d get on each other’s nerves and then there were other times when they shared extraordinary moments.

“I think we really grew as a family,” she said. “There’s so much we take for granted. We’d have to stop and think, ‘Does Nat know what this is, or what this means?’”

She said, through explaining the importance of holidays like Christmas, it helped them further realize the significance.

The Appersons weren’t the only ones who benefited from the arrangement. Not only did Nat get the experiences, she also learned a lot.

“I’ve grown up a lot. I have to make my own decisions and am in charge of my own money,” she said.

In the month of March she left Hamburg for a short trip with the exchange program to New York, Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. She had to change planes by herself, maneuver through a large airport and take care of her own money.

As she is preparing for a June 9 departure, she still has a few things she wants to do — namely, have a garage sale. The Appersons are sorting through their house and deciding what can be sold.

Family bonds have been formed, and, even since that first week, the youngest Apperson — Ayden — has made a close friendship with Nat.

“He’s her little buddy,” Jaime said. “I think he’s going to miss her the most when she’s gone.”

But even though Nat is leaving, she will not be that far away in cyber-space. Through the Internet, they will be able to keep in touch.

“We’re always going to remember Nat,” Halie said.

On Tuesday, just as Jaime, Eric and their three children, Ayden, Halie and Savannah, picked Nat up from the airport in August, the family will take her to begin her return home. She will spend a week in California with her uncle before continuing on to Bangkok.

Even though there is a sadness for the Appersons, Nat is eager to see her family and her friends, and they understand that. In the midst of Nat’s departure, they are making room for another addition to their family. A German exchange student will be with the family for the 2009-2010 school year.

“It is just a great program,” Jaime said. “We encourage everyone to try.”