Before I went abroad as an exchange student, I always heard stories about how great and cool it was. I was skeptic until somehow in the middle of the night I decided to give it a try. And then I ended up submitting my application form of ASEAN International Mobility of Students (AIMS) program in the next day. I remember it was around January where my family and I were spending the holiday in Belitung Island. “I don’t have much to expect, I have nothing to lose, and it was not the end of the world if I didn’t get accepted”, I kept telling myself. Within the next month, the announcement was up and I swear I was surprised when I saw my name on the list of students who got the chance to live as “exchange student” through AIMS program.
I still remember when I was in the airport with 4 other students. It was 28th August 2015. We were going to Thailand, we were going to live there for 4 months, and when we got back home we have tons of cool stories to be told. I admit, I was so naïve. I didn’t realize that the experience I was about to experience would change the way I see people; the way I see the world.
I studied in Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand for approximately 4 months. This university has quite number of international students. Therefore, I did not only get a chance to interact with Thai students, but also students from Myanmar, China, Japan, Malaysia, USA, Brunei, Germany, Bhutan, Laos, and the list continue. If you google this university, you will be amazed on how beautiful the campus is.
Anyway, you might wonder how living in Thailand in can change me. Well, you can find it cliché but what I’m going to say next is true. Seriously though, I think the biggest way being exchange student impacted my life was through people I met and through different cultures I had experienced. I’ve heard and known many kind of people, cultures, and religions. But only after living with people who got those differences, I’ve come to realize that I’ve gain more. Not only understanding, I’ve gained precious moments that only had been witnessed and experienced by myself. Sounds cliché, right?
Now after I got back home, I realized that being an exchange student is not about how cool the stories that you tell people. Instead, it’s about the untold stories you keep in your memories.
Well, after all the exchange experience is worth a shot. You won’t regret it in the end of the day. My advice, once you get a chance to do it, do it.