“Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia (SEA-Teacher Project)” in Thailand

Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII)’s Students Join

“Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia (SEA-Teacher Project)”

in Thailand

Delegations from Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII)

Alhamdulillahirabbalalamien, we are selected to join The 2nd batch of pre-service student teacher exchange Program 2016 that held by Menteri Pendidikan Asia tenggara through Dewan SEAMEO in Bangkok, Thailand with website: www.seameo.org

 Our program name is“Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia (SEA-Teacher Project)”. The purposes of this program are for increase the education quality in South East Asia and this program also give chances for university students in South East Asia (Thailand, Philipine, Indonesia) for do teaching practic in abroad schools.  

Ok, I will tell you about my amazing experience in Thailand. Oh I forget, not only me but me and my friends there hehehe. Ok, let’s start.

Me and my friends from the same university (Universitas Islam Indonesia or in English is Islamic University of Indonesia) start our journey on Saturday, 16th July 2016. We fly from our city Jogjakarta and then transit in Jakarta and fly again to Bangkok. About 9 p.m finally we arrived in Don Mueang Inti Airport, Bangkok, Thailand.

But when we arrived in Don Mueang Inti Airport I feel so sad cause I have let some of my friends go to someplace that really far away from me  huaaaaaa

They have to go to Surathani and Chiang Rai (another province with me). They have to take another flight to go there because Surathani and Chiang Rai are far away from Bangkok. Ok, and finally I let them go cause they MUST. But I’m not cry, hold and hug them like in drama. Noo, I really didn’t do that things. Believe me hahaha :D

And how about me? I get host university near Bangkok, so from Don Mueang Inti Airport, Bangkok I just have to take aboout 1 hour to go to my host university (Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University/VRU) by car. When we arrived in Don Mueang Inti Airport, Bangkok, exactly our buddies from VRU have waiting for a long time, buddies we are so sorry for making all of you waiting :D
After we introduce each other and also take many pictures of course, buddies guide us to go to our host university (VRU) by car. On that day, there are 9 university students that come, 6 of them are from Universitas Negeri Makassar (UNM) and 3 people are from Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). Actually, each of us get 1 buddy for one people but cause that day some of buddies can’t come so just 4 buddies that pick us up. But it’s ok, we have really happy cause there are friends that really welcoming us on the first day we arrived.

The buddies pick us up at the airport

And finally we arrived at our host university in VRU, before the buddies drop us to our new dormitory we buy some food in Family Mart cause we are so hungry at that time hahaha
We buy some rice, meal, snack and also water. After that buddies guide us to our dormitory that located in VRU. We get room on the 3rd floor of dorm. Each room will be stayed for 2 people. And for my roommate I choose Desi from Chemical Education UII cause she is from the same university with me and we also have known each other before we join this program.

From my university, there are 3 people that get VRU as host university. They are Desi, me, and Uqi and you now Uqi is the only one boy that live in VRU dorm. Cause all people here are girls. That’s a really long night, all of us take a rest and re-charge energy for another activities tomorrow.
Sunday, 17th July 2016. We don’t have formal activities yet cause this is still holiday in Thailand. So, we just explore VRU by our self cause we are really excited hahaha

We get up not in the morning cause we are so tired after long journey from Indonesia, all of us feel different atmosphere here. Cause you know guys, this is not Indonesia again, this is Thailand. I feel like I’m just day dreaming cause I don’t believe I have go abroad before I’m 20 years old but this is reality, I’m so proud of my self wahahahaha :D

But we have to survive, since VRU give us dormitory we have to find food by our self. So, we walk around VRU to find some food, andddddd the difficult is coming. We looking for halal food and there aren’t cause peoples near VRU are Budha’s people. So, we decide to buy some rice and eat with abon (dry meat) that we bring from Indonesia and also noodle hahahaha

Cause we are still exciting, not only me but all of my friends are so exciting. We still don’t believe that now we are in Thailand. We walk around to explore VRU, to see their building and what they have in this university. At first, I always go around with Uqi and Desy cause we are from the same university. We go around and take many pictures.

Me, Desi, Uqi explore VRU at the first time

We go around to see where is place to buy food, water, meal, where is the nearest market and etc. It so happy cause we don’t have to join formal activity since SEAMEO give us time to relax, enjoy and explore this place by ourself cause our buddies are still on their hometown cause holiday.

Several days later, there are new university students from Indonesia that just come to VRU since we are the first people that come here. And we get 2 close friends from Banjarmasin, they are Najwa and Mutiara, however I forget how we can getting so close each other, may be cause all of us have crazy soul, like jokes, always laughing all the time and also always doing crazy things together :D

Main Building of VRU

Eventough the weather was so hot but we still go around VRU to taking many pictures 555555

Desi,Mutiara, Me, Najwa in VRU

Day by days passed, we still go wherever we want before we go to our school. We meet our own buddy also and share a lot of things from different culture among us, food, religion, holiday destination, learn English together until our favorite boy hahahahahaha

We getting close each other, especially with Nam (Najwa’s buddy) and Noon (Mutiara’s buddy). They always guide us everywhere we want to go, since my buddy (Pim) is so busy, but it’s ok.
At evening, Nam invited us to go to Vihara to see Buddha's people pray. So, we go there and feel exciting cause there are a lot of ritual and culture that Buddha's people have to do when they are pray.

Visit Vihara (Buddha's place to pray)
Najwa, Mutiara, Nam, Me, Desi, Uqi

Buddha's people praying

In front of VRU

Taking Picture in VRU

On sunday morning, Nam and Noon accompanied us to looking for the nearest halal food. So, we go to Phra In Fresh Market and finally we find halal food. There are 3 store that sell halal food and you know we buy a lot cause we are really hungry for halal food hahahah

Taking Picture with one of Halal food seller in Phra In Fresh Market

In frame:Boil Chicken Rice with ketchup sauce and soup, Fried chicken rice with Bangkok sauce and soup, Biryani chicken rice, Chicken Betagro)

Oke guys. That was my first week in Thailand.
I will upload soon about my story in the second, third, and fourth week. Keep waiting yaaa :p