I’m Too Busy Enjoying Life Here in AIU: Varisara Varanurangsee, Mahidol University International College, Thailand

Varisara (second from left) with friends from the Fitness House on a Themed House trip to Shirakami Sanchi UNESCO World Heritage Site

For me, one of the most frequently asked questions lately must be “How’s your life so far?”

“I’m super busy” is always my answer.

Clubs

A group photo after the sign language performance

Most of my free time here has been spent for participating in clubs and activities, where I get to meet a lot of amazing people. At the beginning, I hesitated slightly to join a couple of clubs that I am actually interested in, but have no knowledge of or skills in.

Sign language, for example, was new for me and my major concern was that I wouldn’t be able to learn sign and Japanese language at the same time, since the club does sign language from Japanese songs. Surprisingly, that was not a problem at all. The club members are always nice and supportive. They slowly teach and make sure I follow. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people!

An Incredible Festival

This year the AIU festival fell on 7th and 8th October. Not only did I have a lot of fun, but also got to learn certain things that impressed me. To be honest, I had never seen any festivals or activities that require such collaboration and brought everyone in the university together like this before. No matter what year you are in or what club you join, everyone is welcome to be part of such a memorable festival. I had seen students here putting a great deal of effort into the event. Everyone had their own roles; some were painting and decorating the rooms while others were preparing for the shows. I certainly learned enough to be amazed by the hard work of Japanese students. And yes, the culmination of the students’ determination resulted in nothing else but the festival’s successful execution, which left a deep impression on me.

Group photo during the AIU festival

Another thing that impressed me was how the festival was mainly community-based. Everyone was welcome to come and enjoy a series of performances and a number of food stands. Seeing small kids coming with their parents and a group of high school students having fun at the booths showed me how strong relationship between the university and local community is.

Still Busy

If someone asks me “How’s life?”, my answer will still be “I’m super busy”.

But if someone asks me “What’s AIU like?”, “AIU is like a blank piece of canvas, on which people paint on and make it so wonderful and precious” is how I would reply.

Activities at AIU

Traveling to Omagari for the annual fireworks competition

Visiting Kakunodate

Fitness House (Themed House) Indian Curry Party

Hiking to a waterfall after participating in a traditional rice harvest in Takinomata