It is August 14th, 2018 and I have been here in Bangkok, Thailand for exactly a month now, so let me give you a little update. After arriving at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, I first experienced the moist and brutal heat of Thailand. I was overwhelmed by all the new and exciting impressions of this city.
I learned early that different than I thought, not everybody would speak English, so I had to get used to communicating through hand motions. So, after I could explain to the taxi driver where to go, I finally arrived at my accommodation for my time being in Bangkok. Since most of the condos around my University would not make a contract for less than 6 months my options were not very broad. I finally made the choice to stay at the MT Residence, a local and down-to-earth residence with a direct shuttle bus to the University. Shortly after arriving at MT I met my fellow Macromedia student Constantin from Stuttgart and some other exchange students and so I had my first night out on the day I arrived. A Good Start.
Since I choose the Stamford International University over the more popular Chulalongkorn University, I was only one of three Macromedia Students at the STIU. You could say this was bad, but I thought of it more as an opportunity to meet new people from around the world and with its‘ over 150 nationalities I wasn’t let down. I am glad to say that I made friends with students from Thailand, Bangladesh, Russia, France, the US and India to just name a few. We would talk and discuss for hours about the different manners and customs in their respective countries compared to Germany.
As Bangkok is such a huge and noisy city, it is normal to party on the weekends and have a good time. The famous Kao San Road isn’t standing the shadow of its reputation and Places like the Ratchada night market or the several rooftop bars are always worth a visit.
Last month we had an extended weekend off, due to King Rama X’s birthday and my German friend Constantin, Jamie from Australia and I wanted to travel to the small Island of Koh Lanta in the South of Thailand. With this great opportunity in hand, we quickly bought our flights and an Airbnb accommodation and were good to go. After a short flight to Krabi, a 2h drive with the bus and a short ferry drive, we arrived at our beautiful little waterfront house. Although we were still in Thailand, it was so much different from Bangkok.
The air was clean and fresh, and the vibe was way more relaxed and not so stressed out. This extended weekend was a real laid-back time. We rented scooters and explored very interesting and exotic places, like the beautiful old town, many gorgeous beaches and a remote Waterfall, which was a 40-minutes’ walk away from the main road. A trail like this is quite difficult when walking in flip-flops but in retrospect absolutely worth it. On July 28th we also had the pleasure of experiencing the 1 hour and 45 minutes long Blood Moon, which was just incredible. Seeing the mood turn red over the span of four hours is a long process but absolutely worth the wait. This Trip was a real balm for the soul and it was a good opportunity to get out of the stressed and chaotic city.
Besides partying and travelling of course I also must go to university. Some of the classes we were assigned have been quite demanding, others forgiving. All in all, I would say that with some effort you can get good grades while still be able to go to parties and go travel. I am very excited how the rest of my semester is going to proceed, and I am confident that this is going to one of the best times of my life.
