My first impression after arriving in Bangkok was how incredibly busy the city was, but even with all the bustling energy it still maintained a lush and green feel. I’m specifically located in Salaya, which is 45 minutes outside of Bangkok. This is a smaller district that’s also fairly urban. Mahidol University is the main focus point of this area. The campus reminds me of University of Hawaii’s campus. It has a mellow, relaxed feel to it and has trees and shade everywhere as well as many lakes and water sources around. When I’m walking around campus it feels like I’m at a beautiful resort.
From exploring my first week around Salaya I noticed two main things: there is food EVERYWHERE and massage places located at every corner. One thing the Thai people love around here is some good food. They take pride in their meals as well as use this time to sit with friends and enjoy each other’s company. Another thing is Thai’s eat many smalls through out the day; this has been a hard thing to adjust to because I’m used to the large portions that are served back in the states. The portions here I would say are about a third of what Americans serve.
What I’ve noticed about the culture is everyone is extremely patient and respectful of one another. No one likes to cause problems or have arguments. Thai’s would rather brush off a problem then take part in any confrontation. People here are shyer upon first introductions and a bit more reserved until you get to know them. Thailand is all about relationship building and the people here are not status or money motivated. They care about the harmony and good of their relationships rather than materialistic items or advancements in their career.
I had two orientations, one through my travel program and the other through Mahidol University International College. CISabroad spent a day with us outlining the rules of their program, cultural differences, health and safety, and other important things to know while being in Thailand. The second part of this orientation was that three Thai’s apart of CIS came to brief us on some necessary phrases and words for Thai language. This was a really important function of the orientation that I learned later on because the language barrier is probably the most difficult part of studying abroad in Thailand.
The orientation at Mahidol University was basically the same approach as CISabroad’s orientation. We went over classes and class schedules, health and safety, things to do on campus like clubs and where to eat and fun things along those lines. What stood out to me was how accommodating they were. Any questions students had they were able to help them out immediately or point them in the right direction. Also, we had another presenter come and teach us some Thai phrases. She had us write down some lines that would help with directions when traveling around Thailand as well as how to order food if you have any dietary restrictions. I found this really helpful since I’m a vegan and eating in Thailand trying to avoid meat and dairy has been extremely difficult. Finally, they prepared an all inclusive buffet and Thai performance for all of the international students. It was located in Bangkok so they shuttled many of us out there where we enjoyed and amazing dinner and unique performance. That was a great beginning to the semester because it gave us a first glance into Thai culture and gave students the opportunity to get to know one another.
So far it has been an amazing start and I look forward to see what’s in store for the rest of this semester.
