Chiang Rai's Diary

“Be balance here, between responsibility and having fun. Four months? It’s too short, right?”

Session 1

Well, today is my 21st day (third week) I have been here, completely. So many things happened to me and by a little changed me. 21 day ago, I flight here via Don Mueng airport with promo flight and arrived at Chiang Rai airport 4 pm. Actually, I didn’t have enough sleep since came back from Sydney but it’s like I couldn’t feel sleepy anymore because of excitement feeling. And my journey for next 4 months have been started here, when my feet stepped at Chiang Rai and my friends picked me up with big hug and cheers. Weird, yeah! I didn’t feel like in another country. So, all my friends already arrived here 10 days earlier than me. Why was I late? Haha, you have to waiting for my note about my journey in Sydney, :D

And every moment going well until now, I bought some stuff in Makro (you know? I already compared with shop near campus and it’s cheaper. I have to go there again to shopping!!).

Yeay! The first meals I ate are rice, egg, chicken, and tomyam (but it was too sour to me). We ate at Relax, in front of campus, so delicious. At 8 pm I arrived at International dormitory and for the first time met my beloved roomie, Dabing (you should call her, Taping). She’s from China and she’s nice. Taping take English major for her master degree here and she will stay for 2 years (much longer than me kha?). It’s the second time she has been here because he ever been a teacher here, that’s why she can understand Thai Language better than me. Actually I have another roommate, her name is Sayuri from Japan. She also study English and will stay one year here (still longer than me kha?). she is younger and she always smile every time.

I spent my first time with pack my stuff to the cupboard and did some chit chat with my roommates. I’m lucky can share the room with International student because I can learn other culture and understand more. Moreover I can improve my English significantly. Yes, I’m lucky and thanks God!

My second day I spent with bought some stuff and took a formal photo. Look!, I can looks brighter than the real me. Lol. And in that day, I just could say “sa wat dii kha” and “khob khun kha”. And on that Monday, officially I met P’noi (someone who just talked to me via email) and register myself. Yeay! Now, I am an exchange student here and I am ready to explore every new things and get many experiences here!

And in that evening for the first time I met my lovely Ajarn. Her name is Aj Wirongrong but her nickname is Aj Publeung (Pp). She is so kind and beautiful. I do research under her advised about “Production of CMC from pineapple core and its application as edible coating for tomatoes”. My first meeting gave me a ton of knowledge and guideline what should I do in the next 4 months.

Tomorrow after that day, I had Thai class and we didn’t have reason to not enjoy this. And luckily, it will be our relax time after do lab work! Aj Palm is nice and we can remember Thai language well because she always calls our name to answer her question about the lesson and we always have quiz every week. In this class, I met many new friends, some come from Myanmar, some from China, also there is friend from Korea and Thai. In this class as well, we know “khun che a rai kha”, “khun a yuu torai kha”, “dii chan maa cak Indonesia kha”, and “dii chan saka wicha food technology kha.”

Beside research, we just took one class: Thai daily conversation. Actually I choose bakery at the first but maybe it will be difficult to manage the time during research so I’m satisfied with one class.

Aha, and after that day, I always go out at 8 or 9 from dorm to D1, meet and order Halal Meal at Beso (bang Ucup), pay 20 bath, sit and enjoy meal with do chit chat. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost every day buy at Beso, but I don’t know, I just couldn’t bored with it. Sometimes (I think it is often), I bought chocolate drink, ice cream, pastel, fruit, and garlic bread. And now I’m afraid to stay longer at D1 because I can’t control myself to buy food. Just finished meal and let’s go! Lol.

In the first weekend, we go to Walking Street, we ride song teo and pay 690 bath to bring us and pick us. You know? It’s very big and tiring to explore every single spot. And because of my bad money management, I spent so much money there, and make me saving money in other days. Unforgettable moment was when my friends “forced” me to try fried insect and the end, I still couldn’t try to eat it even I wonder how its taste. Give up!

My second time went to Walking street was when my senior and my friends who study in KU (Bangkok) visit us here. They just spent two days and we tried to make their time precious here. The second day they had, we went to Golden triangle, White temple, and Bandam (black house). Such an incredible place I have been there. So beautiful and must to visit!

I want to introduce my buddy as well, her name is Nat. A kinda girl who now study logistic on the second year. Well, I have many debt to her because she always nice to me, bring a lot of snack to my room (make me shock, but totally happy), treat me in nice cafe and introduce me to Muslim friends (All of them are nice, make me comfort as minority here). So, next time is my turn to treat you, Ok?

Some days ago, we present our research proposal in front of lecturers and advisors in school of agro-industry. To be honest, I was so nervous and my heart sounds like a punch. But, when my turn to present, I didn’t know what happened to me; I got confidence and enjoy this until finish. What I did is I really want to share my thinking and looking forward to their advices, so it really can make me relax. Actually I don’t know it was good or not but I am sure I’ve done my best and I promise to do better for progress and final presentation.

After that day, we getting busy, manage schedule, get lab permission, ask reagents, buy raw material, and of course do lab work almost every day not except at Saturday and Monday. And mine was started by peeling 80 kg of pineapples (pattawia variety)_thanks all of you who help me and Sam that day. Now, I enjoy the process to extract cellulose, and looking forward to synthesis CMC, characterize CMC, and apply it to tomatoes. I hope it can be finished before December because I don’t have much time here.

But, of course, it’s not like all my time we used for research. Sometimes we go hang out to try new restaurant, try special food, cycling, take a picture, watching movie, fitness, shopping every Wednesday at market, join International activity, and others. I have ever felt homesick that day, but now I can overcome that feeling by do Skype with my family and friends in my country. My mood also getting better if I go to library read and write something (like this).

It seems like there is no worry here, I promise to myself to make every single minutes here precious and someday I’ll come back here, look the beautiful sky, healing the fresh air, and melt with this greeny campus, of course for the different destination. Well, I just have 13 weeks left and I hope there is no regretful because it’s such an incredible opportunity I can be one of the exchange students here. Big Smile!

Kaleidoscope!

Chiang Rai                  : is the northernmost province of Thailand. It is bordered by Shan State of Myanmar to the north, Bokeo Province of Laos to the east, Phayao to the south, Lampang to the southwest and Chiang Mai to the west. The Mekong river forms the boundary with Laos, the Mae Sai and Ruak River to Burma. We can reach Chiang Rai by Som batur bus 10 hours or by plane 2 hours from Bangkok, the capitol city of Thailand. The seal of the province shows a white elephant, the royal symbol. It remembers that Chiang Rai was founded by King Mengrai, according to the legend because his elephant liked the place. The provincial tree is the Tree Jasmine (Radermachera ignea), and the provincial flower is the Orange Trumpet (Pyrostegia venusta).

Mae Fah Luang Univ  : located in the province of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, is named after Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother (Somdet Yah), the mother of the current king of Thailand. Mae Fah Luang was the name given to her by the local people in Chiang Rai. It is an autonomous public university, established on September 25, 1998. As I know, It now has many schools namely, the School of Medicine, School of Liberal Arts, School of Management, School of Law, School of Science, School of Agro-Industry (my school), School of Information Technology, School of Cosmetic Science, School of Health Science, School of Nursing and School of Anti-Ageing and Regenerative Medicine, and school of dentistry.

Golden triangle          : is an area of around 950,000 km²  that overlaps the mountains of three countries of Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. It is located in Chiang Shen, Thailand. It has been one of the most extensive opium-producing areas of Asia and of the world since the 1950s. Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century. It designates the confluence of the Ruak River and the Mekong River, since the term has been appropriated by the Thai tourist industry to describe the nearby border tripoint of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

Wat Rong Khun         : or more well-known among foreigners as the White Temple, is a contemporary unconventional Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1997 .