This is from Bangkok, one the most chaotic asphalt jungles in the world. After five months in this city it feels natural that fresh air is non-existing, cars and motorcycles drive recklessly without rules and the smells are strong and differ from delicious street food to the nasty odor of sewers. And what it’s like to study in this kind of chaos metropol?
Assumption University of Thailand, or ABAC is the first and most well-known international university in Thailand. It’s a catholic private university and most of the students are from high class families because the tuition fees are quite expensive. Most of the teachers here got their degrees from USA or Europe, so their English skills are quite good. I’ve seen that in the big world, especially in Asia, studying engineering can be a tough choice. More than I’ve learned about engineering, I’ve learned about handling stress and pressure on your shoulders. Studying in this Hogwarts of Asia (yes, the campus is like in movies) is an always surprising experience and it’s never boring, even though it can be hard from time to time.
What about living in Bangkok? Well, this is a city with a lot of diversion, infinite possibilities and cultural experiences. There’s a surface level of bars, restaurants, malls and tourist attractions where you can spend your time in Bangkok without noticing a big difference. And then if you dig a bit deeper you will find the real Bangkok, with poverty and people struggling to make their living. It will give you perspective and I would put that experience over the actual studies in a country like this. First being shocked and slowly adapting the new environment and way of thinking is something that no-one can read from books or get from a lecture in Finland.
For the final words, everything is pretty cheap here, I pay under a 100e for my studio room and eat in a restaurant twice a day. It will be hard to adapt back to the standard of living in Finland. Still one more semester to enjoy all of this!
-Antti
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