Thai study abroad profiles

Even though I didn't have any expectations, I did write a list of things that I wanted to achieve by the end of my year in Thailand. These were:

• Be able to hold a conversation in Thai at a level where I could discuss contemporary topics, such as politics.
• Learn about Thai culture in a way that I would not be able to from just reading books.
• Improve my Thai accent so that I would sound more natural when speaking.
• Make Thai friends.
• Cope without having the comfort blanket of my friends and family.
• Have as many new experiences as possible!

One of the reasons that I think enjoyed lessons so much is that not only were we learning Thai, but through it we were learning about different aspects of Thai culture. We were translating and discussing passages about topics such as history, traditions and religion. My favourite theme that we concentrated on was Thai children's stories. Through these I was able to see aspects of Thai culture differently. By doing this I discovered that I was absorbing information without even realising because I was so focussed on the Thai that I was not consciously taking in the content. I only noticed how much I had learnt this way when my parents came out to Thailand over Christmas and I found that I could answer all their questions. Another part of lessons I enjoyed was when we were able to read Thai newspapers. This meant that not only were we aware of modern Thai issues, we were able to understand and discuss them in Thai. This was something I was very proud of achieving as I felt it projected me from just being someone who was learning Thai to someone who was studying Thai at a university level.

We went on quite a few visits with Ajarn Rien, which we all really enjoyed. It was nice to get out of the classroom and experience Thai culture with a Thai person who was able to explain it to us. My favourite extra-curricular activity was when we had a cookery course at Ajarn Rien's house. It was a great opportunity to see real Thai people cooking real Thai food in a real situation.

I thought that the exams at CMU were a good indication of our aptitude, as they tested our all round ability. We had exams for speaking, listening, reading and writing, and the teachers prepared us thoroughly for all of them. One thing that loomed over us for the whole year though was the final presentation. A lot of importance was placed on the final exam, and it made me very nervous. The final presentation was in a much more formal setting than the previous speaking exams which had just been held in our classroom. Luckily we had been given lots of opportunity to practice and the teachers were on hand to correct our many different drafts. Once the presentations had finished I felt an overwhelming sense of pride for not only myself, but for all the others on the course as well. That same time the previous year we could only talk about ordinary topics such as travel or family, but now we could all give 10 minute presentations on topics ranging from magical tattooing to drug rehabilitation. I think it was a great way to end our course at Chiang Mai University because it displayed how much our Thai had developed over the previous 7 months.

Now I'm back, I have looked at the 6 aims that I set for myself before coming away, and I feel very content that I was able to fulfil them all. I can now hold conversations in Thai about a variety of subjects ranging from religion to politics, and I have been told by Thai people that I have met that I can speak Thai very naturally. I found friends in Thailand that I would probably have never even met had I not spoken Thai. I managed to live in Thailand without my family close by, which was my biggest worry before leaving, but once I got to Chiang Mai I realised that they were only a phone call away. By living in Thailand, I was able to immerse myself completely in Thai culture, which I think is better than any book. My final aim was to have as many new experiences as possible, and I found that I was encountering new experiences every day.