Before I came here in Czech, I don’t know why actually. I just chose it and come here. There are many thing that I have learned here, and it’s inspired me to continue learning and to do it when I back to Thailand. In Thailand it’s not normally for students or teenager who are not studying in university, to travelling or to have some journey by themselves. For me I went to many places in Czech, find the route by myself, try to ask and buy tickets for train or bus by myself , even if I need to speak language that I just learn and don’t know how to speak it well. I have seen many beautiful historic buildings, beautiful natures making new friends, try new food, try to do somethings new for me. For me I look on the Czech map many times and find where to go. I have been in many beautiful places, cities such as Kutna Hora, Český Krumlov, Olomouc, Mikulov, Třebíč, Karlštejn, Prague, etc. My host family and I went caravan together to their bunker. It was my first time to sleep in caravan car. We made fireplace and made sausages for dinner. Someday on my free weekends I learned Czech Republic and find where to go for trips. Or I went walking with my host mum and our dog(Bafik). I went to Bratislava with them on beautiful day and luckily that the day we visited Bratislava, the castle was opened for free. I have learned how to ski for the first time of my life here, cause of my class teacher that he gave me this big chance for me to joined ski course with another class in school and it’s worked. I love it. And I want to sky more and more. I went to ski trip with AFS(another chapter) I asked to AFS friend who was invited to the trip, and then contacted to volunteer who organized it. And it made me to know more people. I met a boy who studying in Semily from this trip and he took me to his school in the morning before he picked me up to the train station, and this made me pop up an idea to study exchange in Semily for a week and it caused to my great experience. I have opportunity to know Duke of Edinburg’s award(DofE) from AFS, that this program has an interesting purpose and activity, especially expedition journey, and it also inspired me to travel and have journey after I finished exchange program. I also would made the route and plan many thing of my group expedition and it also my big change to learn how to plan the trip, the routes and how to camping. I know more people from DofE and there is someone in DofE unit in Olomouc gave us the chance by Facebook group about DofE Alumni Activity. And that was Ski trip. This trip took lot of money, but it also gave me lot of experience. I went to this trip without knowing anything just when and where. I don’t know how many people would be there and who are them. I had never seen or met or talk to them before. I just went to meeting point and waiting for the bus and looking for someone who were looked to go to the same trip to me, luckily when I was in a queue to the bus a group of 3 girls who organized the trip, was in front of me and they asked me that would I go to the same place to them. And Yes, they were. Before that I was afraid, but everything were nice. I was very happy to this trip I went skiing and there were one boy and one girl help me to up skill for skiing. And the next day I went to cross-country skiing with other group and this was change my mind from absolutely hate cross-country skiing to like it a little bit. This trip I also met one girl who used to be AFS volunteer and it made us to know more each other and then I also have more opportunity to do activities with them again such as clean up Czech republic activity before AFS ball! And some other activities which will be happened soon!
Thanathorn (Tontan) Khumcharoen (THAILAND)