Ever since I started my studies, I’ve wanted to spend a semester abroad. I knew I wanted to go to Southeast Asia, but I wasn’t sure where. On my brother’s recommendation, who had been to Thailand three times, I decided to go to Bangkok. I have never been to Thailand before, and this is my first time here. I didn’t know much before coming here. But Thailand has surprised me so positively, and I love it here! I don’t think I had a big culture shock when I came here because my parents are from Vietnam, but I was born in Germany, so we went to Vietnam many times, and it’s similar to Thailand. It is similar to Vietnam, but still so different. In this paper, I want to share some of my thoughts, memories, and experiences here in Thailand.
Language
I am very interested in the Thai language; that is why I enrolled in the Thai language course. I think it is important to learn the language for better communication and understanding of others and the culture. It also makes life easier. Thai is really hard to learn because sometimes some words sound so similar but are so different. I think I may have some advantages in pronouncing the words because I can speak Vietnamese, which is also a tonal language. For example, the “ng” sound is similar. I would like to speak Thai well because I really want to talk to local Thai people more than just short phrases that I can speak.
Food
In Germany, I never eat spicy food, and the spiciest thing for me was black pepper. I tried to prepare myself before coming to Thailand, but I still didn’t train hard enough. At first, it was hard for me to eat Thai food because it was too spicy for me. But now I have gotten used to it and can eat spicier food than ever. I tried street food and many different Thai dishes. My favorite Thai dishes are khao soi, papaya salad, massaman curry, green curry, and pad thai. My favorite Thai dessert is mango sticky rice and thong muan. What I love here is that there is so much food available everywhere and at all times. There is so much street food, GrabFood is very convenient, and 7-Eleven is on every corner, making it feel easier to get food than in Germany. In Germany, for example, supermarkets and stores (like clothing stores, shopping malls, etc.) are closed because it is considered a day of rest. So, you always have to remember to buy your groceries before that. Restaurants are open on Sundays, but it is so expensive to go out to eat, and I cannot do it often financially. Besides, there are so many drinks like Thai tea, Es-Yen, longan juice, or sugar cane juice. I love Thai tea and drink it every day.
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Travel/Activities
I had never been to Bangkok before, so I typically did all the sightseeing in Bangkok, like visiting temples, going to the shopping malls, cruising along the Chao Phraya River, seeing Chinatown, eating lots of Thai food and street food at night markets, partying, and going to rooftop bars or cafes. Bangkok has a lot to offer, which I love because there is so much to see. The temples I visited were Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, and they were really beautiful, but my favorite was the last one. Moreover, I saw a muay Thai match in the New Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, which was interesting and fun to watch.
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Ko Samed
My first trip outside of Bangkok was to Ko Samed with my parents. My parents came to visit me, and they had never been to Thailand before. They were really curious and had heard many people in their social environment saying that they all love to come to Thailand. I did some sightseeing with them in Bangkok, and after a week, I took them to Ko Samed for the weekend. We hired a taxi to take us to Nuanthip Pier to get on a speedboat and then to our hotel on Ko Samed. It was my first time on a speedboat, and it was a little windy that day, so the speedboat was very shaky, and I felt so nauseous on the boat. But after that trip to the island, we could relax in our hotel. It was right on the beach, so it was beautiful. We had some beautiful days on the beach, tasty food, and relaxing days on Ko Samed. Every day we had breakfast on the beach, went swimming, and relaxed. In the evening, we watched the fire shows on the beach and had some delicious food. One day we rented a scooter to explore the island, and it was so cool because it was my first time riding a scooter by myself. It was weird at first, but then I got used to it, and I loved to drive it. There is not much to do on the island, but it is nice to be on the beach. All in all, I had a relaxing and fun weekend with my parents.
Chiang Mai
After Ko Samed, I went to Chiang Mai with a friend for the weekend, and it was our first trip together. The first day we arrived in Chiang Mai, we didn’t have a plan for what to do. We walked around town and went out for dinner. Our hotel recommended that we go to the Saturday night market, so we decided to check it out. It was amazing, and we bought so many souvenirs and had so much fun. The next day was a lazy day for us because we wanted to see the city and look for a tour agency to book a tour for the next day. In the evening, we heard that there was a Sunday night market, so we had to have a look at the market as well. It was really good, and we bought a lot of souvenirs. So, for the next day, we booked a tour to see Wat Pha Lat, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Hmong Doi Pui Village, and Huay Keaw Waterfall. At Hmong Doi Pui Village, we were able to rent a traditional outfit to walk around the village and take some pictures. It was really fun and a good experience. After this tour, we went to the night bazaar in the evening, and unfortunately, it was not as good as the night markets on Saturday and Sunday. The next day was our last day, and we had to fly back to Bangkok. We had a fantastic weekend, and it was a nice change from Bangkok.
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Ayutthaya
My next trip was to the historic city of Ayutthaya, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I booked a small group tour on GetYourGuide.com. We met at a pick-up point and took a minibus to Ayutthaya. Our first stop was Wat Chaiwatthanaram, which is influenced by the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia and was very interesting to see. The next stop was the oldest temple, Wat Mahathat, where the famous head of Buddha is entwined in the roots of a Bodhi tree. This was fascinating to see, and no one knows the real reason how it got there. After that, we visited Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, part of the royal palace complex where the royalty performed rituals. Afterwards, we had lunch at a local restaurant, and I had durian ice cream. The last stop was at Wat Lokayasutharam, a temple with a huge reclining Buddha. After that, we drove back to the pick-up point in Bangkok. The trip was very interesting for visiting the temples and learning about the history, but it was very hot that day, so I was very tired at the end of the day. But the trip was worthwhile, and I would recommend it.
Observations
After living here for a few months, I have noticed a few things. The first thing I noticed was that people walk slower than me and are much more relaxed, whereas I always walk like I am in a hurry to go somewhere. I feel like everyone in Germany walks really fast, and it’s more hectic than here. Another thing is that the subways here are so clean, and everyone follows the rules about not eating and drinking on public transportation. Also, the escalators are faster than in Germany. What I also didn’t know is that Thailand drives on the left side of the road, and there are a lot of one-way streets. If you want to cross the street, you can do it by walking over a pedestrian bridge or the subway connection bridge, which is not common in Germany. In Germany, there are many traffic lights for pedestrians, or you can just cross the street. At first, I thought I wouldn’t need a light jacket because it’s so hot here, but inside, whether it’s the subway, the mall, the classroom, or the supermarket, it’s so cold because of the air conditioning. One thing that still amazes me is that people walk around outside in sweaters and hoodies. So far, I have had very good experiences with the local Thai people. They are very helpful, friendly, and polite. Sometimes they have gone further than necessary to help, and that really touches my heart.
University
The university here is very different from mine in Germany. Classes in Germany don’t have to be attended, and it’s up to you if you want to go to class or not. It is enough to show up at the end of the semester and take the final exams. The difference I noticed is that in Germany, the lecturer doesn’t really involve the students in the class and goes through the lecture. Usually, at the end, you can ask questions, and the students have to learn the lecture material on their own. Here, the students are much closer to the lecturer than they are in Germany. Most of the lecturers in Germany don’t know the names of the students. I like the fact that the students are involved and have a closer connection to the lecturers.
What I learned about myself
I am very happy that I am doing this semester abroad in Thailand because I have learned so much about myself. This was the first time I was alone in a new country for such a long time. There was a big language barrier because, unfortunately, I do not speak Thai. So, I had to speak English all the time and take classes in English. It was strange at first, but I got used to it, and now I don’t find it hard to speak in English. I used to hate speaking English in front of other people because, in my head, it felt like they knew it was not my first language. But now I don’t mind speaking in English at all, and I don’t think about what people might think of me. Also, I have met many new people from different nationalities and cultures and made new friends, which makes me very happy. One thing I noticed about myself is that I am really afraid of cockroaches. I had seen some before because of Vietnam, and I wasn’t really scared because I had my family there, but this time I was alone and had to remove them from my condo by myself.
All in all, I had the best time here in Bangkok. I am very happy that I chose Bangkok for my semester abroad. If I had to choose again, I would absolutely do it again. I have to leave soon, and I am very sad to go. I wish I could stay. I would highly recommend anyone to do their semester abroad in Bangkok. Bangkok has so much to offer, and so does Thailand. I love Thailand so much, so I will definitely come back.