My Day to Day Life

My Apartment:

My apartment here is quite awesome.  It took us little time to realize that we’re actually living at a hotel for about $330 per month.  Best of all is the daily maid service which means no washing dishes or cleaning and new sheets and towels each day!  I know I will dearly miss this when I have to come back to reality …  We have a pool and a small gym at our disposal as well.  However, even though the hotel tries to make itself look good, the only plant in our apartment is actually planted in a Nestle water bottle with the top cut off.  Funny and strange? Yes…

My University and Classes

My university here  (Chulalongkorn University) is the best in Thailand and one of the best in this area of the world.  Although I have a few Thai ajarns (or professors as you would call them), I have mostly foreign ajarns, some of whom are from North America.

The ajarn-student relationship is different than the professor-student relationship back in Canada.  I get the feeling here that professors are a bit more attached to their students, as in they are not there just to do research.  When a student comes to class (usually if they are late and are trying to excuse themselves), they do something called a wai, out of respect for the ajarn and they also do it in general for anyone older than them.  It is similar to a bow where you put your hands together and bow your head and bend forward a bit…

Classes here are more boring though.  They go at a slower pace than what I am used to in Canada, but the worst is how they are all 3/4 hours each.   Another annoying aspect of the classes here is that attendance is mandatory in order to pass.  That is understandable and I am not the type to skip classes, but classes can change from week to week- meaning most are not consistently at the same time each week.  This is to accommodate for the ajarn’s who have busy schedules I believe.  To further complicate issues, we don’t have an online system which we log into that tells us our classes each week—we have to keep on top of it on our own.  Besides that, since I am in forth year, I have a fewer amount of courses I can take, as I cannot take courses I have previously done.

Not sure if you can see the headache yet, but imagine trying to figure out your classes, that can change from week to week (so no overlap), yet attendance is mandatory—so of course, you pretty much have to schedule everything for the entire term in order to see what possibilities exist.  This was a major problem those first few weeks, and I actually just confirmed my final schedule just a few days ago.

As a student at Chula, I do have to wear a uniform here, which I actually really like.  It’s nice not needing to worry about what to wear on a day to day basis.  I do look like a schoolboy though, with my white shirt, dark pants, and occasional tie.  Girls wear white shirts with dark skirts, that get shorter as they become seniors actually…

Other then that, I have not been able to figure out why the girls outnumber the guys by at least 2 to 1 for the university.  For the business department, it is at least 3 to 1, and some classes 10 to 1.  However, thai people and especially thai girls are extremely shy.  I remember asking for directions those first few days on campus, and I would only get a response after about 30 seconds of giggling, followed by more giggling.  Most exchange students (and especially guys) have had these types of encounters.

View from BBA Building

Campus

Field With King