九潛一深

Feng-Chun Ting

from National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

Sometimes I watch Discovery Channel and National Geography Channel, hoping my life will be less ordinary, less duty-bound, and less predictable. That’s why I decide to be an exchange student from NTU to AIT. I’m probably the only Taiwanese student I know who has basic Thai conversation ability. I am so lucky to make friends at AARM, SERD. We are just like a traditional Thai family: we go to Songkan party; we go to Bangkok and Ayutthaya ancient city; we argue about cultural differences; and we have dinner together almost every day. Most foreign exchange students are struggling with unfamiliar environments; I’ll always be grateful to my parents, my teacher – Helen and my close friends – Arissara Sopawong and Wiparat Taweewattana for giving me a loving and stable background.

I want my life to be imaginative, not ordinary. Instead of U.S.A. or Europe, I want to go to Thailand. In South East Asia, Similand (Andaman Sea, Thailand), Sipadan (Borneo, Malaysia) and Manado (Sulawesi, Indonesia) are Top 3 scuba diving sites. When I know the AIT campus is just 1hr away from Suvarnabhumi international airport by taxi, I just can’t wait but plunge right into Air Asia’s unbeatable network of these dive spots and very satisfied the dive junkie in myself. When I headed to Phuket, I also went to Similan islands, 90 km northwest of Phuket. At Similan’s reef, I was greeted by a patch of garden eels, thousands of sweetlips, and the darting colors of angel fishes, not to mention the dazzling biodiversity in Bunaken island and Lembeh strait of Manado and the encounter of the giant and elegant sea turtle in underwater Turtle Tomb cave of Sipadan island.

I don’t have many obligations, I have time for myself because in AIT campus, all the dorms were managed by housekeepers (I believe many Taiwanese students want to live like this). I can even go crazy and try new places for my traveling life in Thailand and go back to my clean dorm to take a rest, so my overseas life didn’t end up being measured out in endless chores.

In fact, some of the ordinary, obligatory, predictable things in life are the most comfortable. But too much of any routine can make life seem dull and gray. I hope my experiences lead other future exchange students to lives in full color.