My Grand Tour Experience: A Taste of Thai by Joshua Pratama

Joshua Ega Yus Pratama is now studying his second year of International Hospitality Management at Stenden University Bali. Moving to Bali from Jakarta in 2012, he is keen to explore overseas opportunities offered by Stenden.  This February, he took off to Thailand on a Grand Tour program, where he will be spending 9 weeks of studying at Stenden Rangsit University. This full scholarship student is sharing his story with us. This article is just the beginning of his exciting journey.

Sawadee krub!: Greetings from The Land of Smiles

In between my fellow classmates

You may not be familiar with the meaning of the title’s first phrase above, but for Thais, it is “Hello!”. Guess what, the moment that I have waited for is finally here; My Grand Tour at Stenden Rangsit University (SRU) Thailand, our sister campus site. Having safely arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport Bangkok, I was chaperoned by Ms Ann, SRU’s Student Relations Officer to Sita Villa, a 15-minute walk student apartment from Rangsit University. Upon arrival, the other Grand Tour students who arrived here earlier than me and Mrs On (the owner of the accommodation) warmly welcomed me.  

Finally, I can meet my roommate for the first time, which turned out to be a very funny Romanian guy, Filip. He helped me settle into the new environment by introducing me to his fellow friends. Being the only Indonesian and Southeast Asian in the group makes me feel so special. Some of them, in fact, are going to continue their next Module in Bali and I am looking forward to being their host next time! 

The campus building

I did not experience any cultural shock as there are lots of similarities between Thailand and Indonesia. The language barrier is the problem I am dealing with at the moment. As we look alike, I have had many occasions where my new class mates have mistaken me as Thai. Thanks to the “yellow information card” given by SRU on my Introduction Day that has basic Thai greetings and phrases, one phrase that I will always remember is “Phoot Thai Mai Dai”, which literally means “I cannot speak Thai”. However, all this can be compensated by the warm Thai hospitality that shows tremendous efforts to communicate in English accompanied by a cheerful, big SMILE. This is why Thailand is known as The Land of Smiles.

Well, my first impression about SRU is just “Wow”! The university complex is so big that I thought to myself whether I need a GPS to go or find out which building and classroom I should go. In addition SRU itself is on the 12th floor of the tallest building in the campus complex. When I first arrived at the campus there was a “Treasure Hunt” game, which requires us to travel around the campus to find out facilities that might be useful for us, such as International Student Office, canteen or even clinic. The rule of the game is simple: the first group that completes all tasks wins a movie ticket. Although my group did not win, the good thing is that I now know my way around the campus. On the same day, I was also introduced to my two classmates, Pook from Bangkok and Hansol from South Korea who will be studying with me for the completely 9 week International Business Communication (IBC) module. 

Siam, the heart of Bangkok: The ultimate shopping paradise begins here. Follow this blog for more of Joshua's stories on traveling and...shopping!

Overall, it is just another milestone in my 19 years of life. It’s a brand new journey to study in this beautiful country, something I have never experienced before. Thanks to Stenden for making this unique, interesting experience happens. What can I say more? Carpe diem, seize the day and make this Grand Tour opportunity a one-time, enriching experience for you :-)