Finally, University Life

After 2 years of studying online, I am now a certified university student. For context, I entered college in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I never had the chance to experience being an innocent freshman student navigating through campus life. But here I am, a junior (sophomore standing), recovering that lost freshie energy that I needed to venture into a 5-month student exchange program at Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand.

It was fulfilling to be back in school. Isn’t it exciting to go to physical classes? I missed waking up early, attending classes, seeing my classmates, eating at the cafeteria, and studying at the library. My first campus experience was more special because I am studying at one of the best universities in Bangkok, and I am taking courses that excite me namely Renewable Energy, Pollution Prevention, and Environmental and Energy Engineering.

It has been a month since I started school last August 5, and It was a blast. The university was so big. There is a building for every course (in the faculty of Engineering). There are so many sports facilities, cafeterias, cafes, and restaurants. I wish I could go to every corner of the campus before the semester end.

So far, this is how my first month at the campus went…

Orientation for International Students

It is so refreshing to see a room full of students and seat amongst hundreds of foreigners. On the orientation day, I saw students coming from Europe like France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Asia specifically Indonesia, Japan, Korea, China, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. We are all gathered in the magnificent Sutham Areekul Hall in the Golden Jubilee Administration and Information Center.

The program started with an impressive Thai classical dance followed by welcoming remarks from the Deputy Directors of Kasetsart University International College (KUIC) and the President of KU. Then, KUIC discussed the things we need to know about KU from the course registration, VISA extension, college activities, and school facilities. The discussion was lengthy, fortunately, they prepared delicious snacks during our break time. After, we were introduced to the cultural norms and the Dos and Don’ts in Thailand. I learned so much from the lecture, I just knew that Thailand was never colonized and they have royalties (like kings and queens). We were also taught how to do the ‘Wai’ which is a body gesture we need to do every time to show respect to our friends, teachers, elders, and monks. In addition, the lecturer also told us that we should not touch other people’s heads because it is considered sacred and the cleanest part of the body. In the middle of the lecture, we were told that crossing our legs while seating is disrespectful, and we cannot point using our fingers which I have been doing in the orientation That was my favorite part of the program. Then, it was lunchtime and I ate chicken pasta in tomato sauce. Together with my Filipino friends, namely Kyla, Hanz, Darelle, and Ivo, met our professors in our home university (University of the Philippines Los Baños), Sir Bates and Sir Den to eat lunch. In the afternoon, we had a campus tour. Our tour guides were Thai students. We rode the KU shuttle bus and went to the Sport and Fitness Center and the Library.

To end that fun-filled day, we had a scrumptious dinner with Filipino exchange, masters’ and Ph.D. students. We cook and ate shabu-shabu at Krissana International Dormitory (where I live). The food was so good and cheap, thanks to Sir Angel and Ma’am She who bought our food.

Day-to-Day Classes

This is what I have been waiting for, a class where the professor is right in front of me and my classmates are beside me. It was gratifying to finally attend physical classes, it feels like 2019.

Every day I wake up early to prepare for my class. I take a bath, wear my uniform, then go in front of the dormitory to wait for the school shuttle bus. On Mondays and Tuesdays, I have 2 classes which start at 9 AM, then on Fridays I only have one class which starts at 4:00 PM. All of my five subjects were 3-hour classes.

Let’s start on Monday, my first class was Pollution Prevention (PP) which we will learn about (let me quote the course syllabus) “Laws and regulations regarding industrial waste, Approaches for waste minimization, Waste recycling and reuse, Clean technology application, Material life cycle assessment …”. So far, I have learned about the concept of sustainability, Life Cycle Approach, and Green Productivity. Moreover, we went to my 1st plant visit which is at the KU Dairy Center, a manufacturing facility that produces milk, yogurt, ice cream, and drinking water.

My next class is Thai Studies (TS) (elective subject). Here we learn about Thailand’s history, language, and culture. The requirements for this class were a bit heavy, I am tempted to drop this subject during the course orientation but I am required to take it. Here at KU, I think every subject has a “field trip” because I and my group went to the National Bangkok Museum for our project. As an exchange student, I was impressed by everything I saw at the museum. One of the remarkable exhibitions I found was the colossal golden royal funeral chariots and urns. The craftsmanship was genius, and the details of the design were breathtaking. I also learned about the mythical animals namely the Kinnaree, Apsara Siha, and Dandima. Moreover, we went to an exhibition showcasing the Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi, and Rattanakosin artifacts. The footprint of Buddha, ivory carvings, angkhalok (ceramic wears), and the Sukothai inscription were the most memorable for me.

Here is the poster of our museum visit experience.

On Tuesday, I am taking Environmental and Energy Engineering (EEE) where we are taught about energy, how to manage and conserve it, and its different types (alternative and conventional). Then in the Afternoon, I have the Introduction to Renewable Energy (IRE) class which is more focused on alternative sources of energy like solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, geothermal, and waste. I am so happy that I took these two classes because we will visit the North Bangkok Power Plant, Bangkok Hydro-Floating Solar farm (largest in the world), and a waste-to-energy power plant.

On Friday, I have Art Perception (AP) class which covers a thorough discussion of different kinds of art from visual art (photography, paintings, sculpture), conceptual art (literature, music), films, performing art, applied art (architecture, interior and landscape design), production design, and commercial art. The lecture is being held in an auditorium because we are more than one hundred students, I think all of them are Thai and I am the only foreign student.

Those are my classes every week. I have a physical education class which is weight training for health but I already dropped the course because the professor teaches in Thai, in the first meeting I did not understand 90% of what he said. Side note, I already missed two lectures in my EEE class. In the first one, I slept during the online class and in the second I woke up 2 hours late. Luckily, she uploads a video recording of every class may it be online or onsite. Furthermore, only AP and IRE will be credited towards my GWA in UPLB, so I should not miss these two classes.

Overall, it was fun, comfortable, and rewarding studying at KU. I love my subjects because in the future I plan to pursue a career inclined toward renewable energy and I want to help my country transition to green energy.

Sports and Recreation

Other than studying, KU offers numerous recreational activities. They have many facilities for sports like badminton, swimming, soccer, volleyball, basketball, sepaktakraw, boxing, and many more. They also have a huge oval running track and a fitness center. Most of these sports facilities are free and some give discounts to students. I already went to the fitness center, it is free from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, after that time students must pay 20 baht. I already swam at the pool, I availed a one-semester membership worth 100 baht then whenever I want to swim I will just pay 10 instead of 20 baht. Also, I rented a bike for one semester, it cost 50 baht.

There are so many things we can do at KU, from jogging or biking around the campus to reading and watching movies at the library. Every faculty or department has their own library but the main library was the most equipped. It is a 4-story building which has so many study tables for groups or individuals. They also offer use of computers, recording studios, and mini theater. Students can also borrow laptops, Ipads, and of course books. I already borrowed one which is entitled Energy Explained: Conventional Energy by Vikram Janardhan and Bob Fesmire.