Thai student takes a step outside her culture
Name: Dollaborn “Blue” Sirivoratham
Year: Senior
Major: Liberal Arts
Bangkok, Thailand
Thammasat University
Utah Statesman: Why did you choose to study abroad at Utah State? How long will you be here?
Dollaborn Sirivoratham: I chose this one because my friend, who had studied abroad here, told me about her experience here. She studied here for two years and she told me this place was beautiful and people were nice. I’ll be here for one year – I got here in January and leave in December.
US: What is your favorite class here and why? What do you hope to do with your degree when you graduate?
DS: My favorite class, maybe, is consumer and marketing because you can view stuff in real life. Everything that the teacher teaches me happens and is something I can apply in real life.
US: What were you most surprised about when you came here?
DS: I think people were really nice. I had a problem with my flight here and (people) helped me everything. When I tried to call my friends, I tried to use a calling card and a girl told me to use her cell phone. People in here are very nice.
US: What are your roommates like? Where are they from?
DS: I have five roommates and they all come from different countries. One from Chile, Denmark, Netherlands and Russia. We try to adapt together because we come from different culture and different thing. In the beginning, everybody English is the second language – sometimes it hard to communicate with each other. Every day we can use a lot of English – we practice from that.
US: How long have you known English?
DS: Only four years. Actually for students in Thailand who want to learn English as a second language, we have a bilingual program in school in my town. I really started learning English when I entered the university.
US: What did you like to do for fun in Thailand?
DS: When we finish school we (friends) meet together – go to exercise together, take Thai boxing together, we have a party every month and hang out together and have activities.
US: What do you do for fun here?
DS: In my dorm here we have a party together, we try different cuisines, dance parties. We try to learn other cultures that I think is really great. Sometimes you don’t have time to study everything from other cultures but because we have people from lots of different cultures in my dorm, we can.
US: Do you like being an Aggie?
DS: Go blue. I was surprised the color of university is blue so it cheers me up. Blue means power in Thailand. My parents gave me this nickname. My mom told me blue is representative of power.
US: What will you miss the most about USU when you go back home?
DS: The first thing that I think about is people. I love people here because everyone is way nice. I also remember the buildings – architecture. Especially the library. You can’t find buildings like that in Thailand. It mixes modern and from the past.
US: How were you affected by the Tsunami in 2004?
DS: That is like a horrible situation for Thai people. We lost a lot of people. It happened in the south of Thailand so it didn’t affect me directly.
US: Are you able to practice your religion here?
DS: In my apartment we have a lot of religions, Christians, Buddhism, Islamic. We mix together. The problem is about the food. My religion is Buddhism. Part of the Buddhist religion is not to eat beef. When my roommate learned that, she would cook something else like chicken or pork. She cooked some special thing for me so I don’t have to eat beef.
US: Why would you recommend studying abroad?
DS: In my experience, I’d never gone outside my country before. My family is a bit conservative. I wanted to step outside of my culture. I think if I can’t do anything for myself I can’t do anything anymore … Study abroad doesn’t mean just study, but get more experiences besides just school. I get to meet new people, practice English – it’s good.
US: What’s your favorite part of American culture?
DS: The first thing that I like is the concept or idea of freedom … In Thailand they’re really concerned about respect. You can’t disrespect the government or say things. In Thailand we never have snow, so being here it’s the first time I’ve ever seen snow. I like it.
–karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu