Claudia Bracco

University of Sunshine Coast, Australia
Exchange to Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

What can I say – my experience in Thailand was the most rewarding and most amazing of my entire life! I had an absolute awesome time and I fell in love with a country whose culture is so rich, people so friendly and food oh so glorious!!!

When you first arrive into a country where English isn’t their native language it makes you stop and think – ok, so now I’m not at home anymore, I’m in someone else’s home! The first transition into the Thai culture wasn’t as difficult as most people may think. I made close friends with students at my university very fast and from there my Thailand adventure flourished! I learnt some Thai with help of some books I purchased and of course all the practice I got to do with my friends and local vendor owners.

The people were all so friendly and love to have a laugh. Of course you have to learn about the local customs of how to bargain (a very important aspect otherwise they will treat you like a tourist the whole time and you might find yourself spending more money than you have to) and standard local etiquette. Once you begin to go to the same food vendors, seven elevens (believe me there are millions of them here) and same shops, the locals have more respect for you and love to help you more than you could ever imagine! They are always up for a bit of fun. I could definitely tell when I went out with my Thai friends from Uni and went for a boogie at the local clubs. Our group of exchange students, being the only non-Thai people in the club, made us feel so local!

Going to university in Bangkok was the best educational experience ever! Not only did I learn about the subjects I was undertaking, but I also learnt a lot about different cultures (there were students from all over the world), different people and their way of life and, to my surprise, a lot about myself. I spent a lot of time walking all over Bangkok and really delving into their culture and way of life. I feel that is the best way to really appreciate a country. Of course you have to take one of the famous tuk-tuk’s somewhere, which feels like you’re in the F1, but the walking was definitely one of my highlights.

Not only did I get to explore Thailand from the beautiful hill tribes in the far north to the luscious and tropical islands of the very south, I also had the opportunity to explore surrounding countries and cutures of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

When I left Thailand I didn’t only leave a country that I fell in so much love with - every aspect of it - but I also left a place that I felt so at home! By the end of my experience I felt more like a local than I did when I came back to Australia! Now, when people ask me about how my Thailand experience was, I say “ABSOLUTELY WICKED!!! have you got a couple of hours and I’ll tell you all about it!!!”

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