Student Exchange to Rangsit University, Thailand
I am finally in Thailand. I always wanted to study abroad ever since I was in high school. Being able to have so many amazing experiences abroad really motivated me to take the opportunity for my last year of college. To be honest, I was about to give up on the idea to study abroad as my fourth year of college was about to begin. Luckily, my friend has just returned from her exchange in Poland, and told me how amazing and wonderful life was as an exchange student. It gave me the motivation to apply to the exchange program. What appealed to me most was the scholarship that it provided to study abroad once you met the criteria that the home university required. I met the criteria and got the chance to be an exchange student in Thailand. Let’s talk about why I chose Thailand. I actually got a lot of push-backs at first since Thailand is so close to Taiwan geographically and easy to travel to. Thailand can be reached from Taiwan in about 4 hours. For this reason, my family and some teachers strongly suggested that I go to Europe or countries further away from Taiwan. I was a little uncertain in the beginning. However, I stuck to my initial idea, Thailand. After I graduate from college, I would like to work in Thailand because it has lots of opportunities. That’s why I would like to use this chance to see if Thailand suits me and I suit Thailand or not. I Love Thailand. There are so many fun things to do and the food here is so delicious. I am a fan of the Thai food made in Taiwanese restaurants, so that explains why. Haha. Here in Thailand, I can enjoy authentic Thai food with higher quality and lower prices compared to Taiwan. It is literally a paradise for me. You might wonder if I had ever encountered any obstacles during my exchange experience in Thailand. Yes, of course. I remember the second day in Thailand.
I was in a shopping mall trying to get back to my dorm, which was only 10 minutes away. Sadly, it turned into a one and a half hour journey, because I took the wrong van and I only realized when I was 30 km away from my dorm. Luckily, I asked one high school student, she helped me get a taxi and gave the driver the right location, since I could not speak Thai. After staying in Thailand for four months, I picked up some Thai words. Of course, I am also learning Thai every day. Thai grammar shares many similarities with Chinese grammar, so the more vocabulary you know, the more you can say. It is quite fulfilling to learn the language, as I really use it and need it. My Thai proficiency is enough to help me bargain the price in tourist places. Say a bottle of beer is 150 baht, I could get it for 100 baht at the beach. All my friends, who are exchange students, were amazed by me haha. Because bargaining is not a thing in western societies, it is a thing in Thailand. This has made me feel a sense of achievement. I have been to a lot of places in Thailand like beaches and mountains. If you like crystal clear beaches then you should visit Thailand. You will not regret it. The sea water here is very clean and you can see the starfish, jellyfish, and beautiful shells. You can have a beer while taking a stroll along the sandy beach, just thinking of it makes you want to fly to Thailand right away. I also love mountains here in Thailand. I visited Chiang Mai, which is nine hours away from Bangkok city. Ms. Chiang Mai has beautiful mountains and local villages lying within the mountainous area. We accidentally visited one, which is not touristy at all. We were all won over by the charm of the village. There, we explored how people live and enjoy the natural scenery. Living abroad is different from traveling. You need to learn how to adapt to the environment, and also learn how to live by yourself, and deal with all kinds of problems in life. I find it fulfilling since I successfully coped with the problems in life. If you are at all considering studying abroad, don’t worry too much. Life will take its course. Haha. And you will figure it out! If you don’t try, you’ll never know. Try to get out of your comfort zone, there is nothing that’s off limits. Lastly, I’d like to thank the teachers and my family who assisted me to study abroad. I had a wonderful time during my exchange term in Thailand.