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My name is Olmina, I’m from Italy and
I’m spending my Exchange year in Thailand with the AFS year program.
Thailand was and still is for me a surprise because at the beginning
I chose another country but just for a few points I had to
change my preferences and I chose Thailand. When I arrived here,I
met my host family and of course for me everything was very strange
and new. Thailand is called ”the land of smiles” and now I can
confirm it, because people are always friendly and kind and I really
think that if Thailand had a face it would smile too! At school I
was scared and shy because all of the students were looking at me
badly as if I was an alien and I could listen just two Thai words
namely: “farangsuwai” which means beautiful stranger. I remember my
first day here, I came with another exchange student and her host
family and I met my advisor and my host-sister, I was very anxious
for this meeting that I’ve been waiting for a so long time and than
the first think I’ve done before saying hello was hug her to make
myself better to face everything. After I met my classmates and
actually I don’t know if I’ve spent more embarrassing situation with
them or with my host family but it’s ok. It was very funny as well
because their world, their society and their behaviours were
different at all from Italy and just to give you an example they
like big nose with hump instead of Italy and they don’t use to wax
their own legs and when they saw me without leg hair they were
impressed. What else? They are obsessed with white skin and they
spend so much time making it white with make up or powder on the
contrary in Italy, people pay to make their own skin dark!! It’s
unbeliveble!
Kanlayanee Si Thamarrat school is an
English Program School, because its students are taught by native
English speaking teachers, so they can learn English better by using
the pronunciation and grammar they learn with from other cultures.
This school encourages the students to participate in Exchange
cultural programs supporting them with everything they need. It is a
good organization, not only about the teaching quality but also
about order, extra classes and the educational rules. Everyday, the
Thai students have to sing their National song and say toghether a
long prayer for Buddah. I’m trying to learn the song and I think
I’ll learn it ok but I don’t have any hopes to remember the prayer,
it’s just too hard and long for me…
Before I came here, I used to talk
with some guys who had spent already their Exchange year in Thailand
and they were fascinated by this land. The first thing they said to
me was all about the cultural shock that I would face and now I can
understand what they meant. I think you cannot understand the real
differences if you don’t face it directly. I’m really trying to
became part of them, I’m getting like Thai people as more and more
as possible because I want to learn the Thai language, understand
their peaceful way of doing things and their way to make every
moment better by just smiling.
Of course in exchange student year
not all is perfect because you have to improve yourself, you have to
make yourself better by being responsible for your own actions
because there are no tours we can take to help us when we are in
trouble or to give us advice; but there are people like our
advisors, our teachers, our coordinator or our host family that can
help you. I think Thailand is a good choice to succeed in because we
will grow up stronger, because a little girl or a little boy can
became a woman or a man only with expierence. Thai people and
especially my Thai friends make me feel at ease.
When I first got here everyone asked
me if I liked Thailand and my answer was always yes. And now it is
still yes. I think of Thailand as my own place. I’ve a big happy
family here and I love them as my real family, they trust in me and
they are getting me independent and free. Here of course I have my
rules from my host family and from AFS but I’m free to act and make
decisions by myself.
This is the meaning of an Exchange program and this is a little
peace of Thailand that I am lucky enough to be in …
JAC PAI TALEE MAI? JAC PAI MAK
MAK… |
