MF-You(th) 11

MF-You(th) MAGAZINE

20 Years of Memories Issue 11-2019

FROM THE EDITOR MF-You(th) is a magazine created entirely by MFU students, for MFU students.

My Experience as a President 3 ──── AIMS Programme 4 ──── Exchange, Explore &

Our biannual issues feature various categories of content: short stories, experience sharing, poems, culture, etc. Within these categories, we publish articles about modern events that are interesting and exciting, because we focus on the issue that youths today care about. Our generation serves as a catalyst of change, and MF-You(th) strives to support young artists and designers who spark the flame. Our contributors are college writers because who better to inspire the new generation than those who are part of it?

Each MF-You(th) issue will have a unique theme to give our edition coherency – it is something to tie our articles, reviews, and photos together.

This issue is very special to us because it is created as a part of Mae Fah Luang University’s 20th year anniversary. Therefore, with our special theme of “20 years of memories”, our readers will enjoy and appreciate memorable impression and experiences of MFU students.

In our issues to come, the MF-You(th) staff will continue to work hard to curate and create interesting content for its readers. We hope our readers enjoy this magazine as much as we enjoyed making it.

Sincere regards, MF-You(th) Team, International Affairs Division, Mae Fah Luang University

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Experience 7 ──── Exchange Life 9 ──── Experience of Studying at Mae Fah Luang University 12 ──── My Unforgettable Memory from MFU Young Ambassador 14

WRITERS Arini Sukmaning Ayu Sugianto Kim Mun Kit Kuenzang Dema Prachayut Ritthitham Puteri Nur Sabrina binti Ruslan Tshering Dorji

“My Experience as a President” know what your team members expect from

you. I have been a part of many international activities that MFU held. It gave me

Firstly, I would like to thank the University for

the opportunity to accept that sometimes things don’t always go as planned and we have

giving me this opportunity to serve as

to be patient and calm enough. I have met

the president for two years. It was my great

many new and interesting people during

pleasure. The experience that I have got by

the course and each of them has helped me to

taking this responsibility has been a great

become a better person each day. Collage life,

takeaway from my four years of college life.

everyone lives in their own world and you

At first, I had no idea what to do as a president

rarely get to know other people. But,

of international student club. But, there have

this platform has given me the opportunity to

been few people who saw my abilities and

meet not only new person but also people

encouraged me to join as a candidate. Winning

from many different nations who have

the election not only surprised me as

gathered in this university.

I never believed I could make it, but also made

Life is uncertain and we never know what is

me realise that people have seen my ability.

So, I had to come up to their expectations and proved that the choice they have made is not a

going to happen next. But one thing is for sure: there are certain things lie in store for us.

We don’t know it will be good or a bad thing;

mistake.

it depends on how you see it. If you open every

Now, I have completed my term, so I am here

box of gift that life offers in a positive way,

to share few words and the knowledge I have

who knows, the things you get from that box

gained. I personally feel that there is nothing

might be the things you always wanted.

you can’t do; you just have to believe you can

Thank you to everyone who has always

do it. I have learned that as a leader you have to

believed in me.

Article by: Tshering Dorji

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AIMS PROGRAMME MAE FAH LUANG UNIVERSITY, CHIANG RAI, THAILAND

It is well known for its high-quality

teaching, research, and service to the people in

Thailand and provides high-quality education services. The campus is located in a spectacular

setting of mountains and trees, an environment conducive to teaching and learning in a clean,

inviting setting. The unique about MFU is the concept of the university in the park. This is

to follow the inspiration of the Princess Mother

- cultivate forest, cultivate people. Every square inch of the university is dedicated to becoming a botanical garden so that the students will learn from nature.

The AIMS programme is a regional

collaborative From left to right; (1st row: Jay, Edwin) 2nd row: Mei Yi, Sabrina, Kim, Claudia & Fatin)

Four students from Environmental

Science Programme (HS11) and three students

from Conservation Biology Programme (HS03) from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia were given a huge opportunity to participate as exchange

students

under

the

ASEAN

International Mobility for Students (AIMS)

Programme in Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) at Chiang Rai, Thailand. Mae Fah Luang

programme

providing

a

multilateral platform to promote and enhance student mobility. The programme intends to develop qualified globalized human resources as

well as promotes the regional collaboration and

integration, particularly to becoming ASEAN community. The AIMS programme held in the first semester of the academic year from 27th August until 29th December 2018. Our major in Mae Fah Luang University is Biosciences Programme under School of Science.

University is established on 25 September 1998 which recently just celebrated the 20th

anniversary. Mae Fah Luang University, situated in the province of Chiang Rai Province in

northern Thailand. This university was built in commemoration of late Princess Mother,

Somdet Phra Strinagrindra after her passing away in 1995.

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One of the landmarks in MFU.

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From this AIMS programme, we get to

of the 20th Anniversary of MFU. Representative

This programme also helps us to step out from

Bhutan, Vietnam, and Japan have to cook their

of personal growth in terms of work-ethic skills,

and the students of MFU can taste it for free. The

of personality traits and communication skills.

Lemak with Sambal Ikan Bilis, Cucur Pisang and

experience to study abroad and to see the world.

students from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines,

our comfort zone and increase the development

own signature dishes from their own country

social skills, communication skills, the character

signature dishes that we had cooked are Nasi

Furthermore, we get to meet new friends from

Hinava.

different backgrounds and create lasting friendships

with

the other international

students and also students in MFU.

Wearing traditional costumes for welcoming dinner performance.

Another unforgettable moment, we had

participated in the 3rd International Conference With international students from China, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam

for

Agriculture

welcoming

and

dinner,

Agro-Industry.

we

had

For

performed

a performance which is called Tarian Magunatip,

memorable

one of the traditional dance from Sabah. The

programme in Mae Fah Luang University. We

with our own traditional costumes of different

for us as international students by the

Mini-Symposium on Biodiversity, Food Science

activities is the Chiang Rai City Tour where we

that involved in this symposium which are

to know Chiang Rai with other international

Vietnam and Japan.

There

are

so

many

exchange

unique part of our performance is that we dance

had participated in activities that were offered

ethnics. We also had been involved with AIMS

International Affair Division in MFU. One of the

and Technology Fields. There are six countries

got a chance to visit the attraction places and get

Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand,

experiences

during

the

AIMS

students. We also had been participated in

International Food Festival for the Celebration

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5 This university is so much more than a campus, it is a community that we truly feel a part of. Everywhere we go here, we feel loved and accepted, and we are constantly in awe of how genuine the people we surrounded by are.

We are truly honored to be chosen as an exchange student at Mae Fah Luang University.

We would like to thank you to Mae Fah Luang University for being a part of making one of our dreams come true.

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With our advisor, Dr. Fiffy Hanisdah Saikim and AIMS Alumni in Universiti Malaysia Sabah from Mae Fah Luang University

Article by: Puteri Nur Sabrina binti Ruslan

EXCHANGE, EXPLORE & EXPERIENCE

access to google classroom to get latest

information and study notes without much

obstacles in studies and also the medium of

teaching is English so it makes me feel ease when I studied here.

“Have you ever thought about studying abroad?“ ---Yes, I do.

Studying abroad is actually one of my life bucket list to achieve. Thanks to AIMS programme, I have a chance to become an exchange student

in Mae Fah Luang University (MFU), Chiang

Rai, Thailand. But why? Why Thailand? Why MFU? Many of you may have some of these

doubts in your mind about my exchange university.

MFU is definitely one of the most beautiful

universities that I have known so far and it is called ‘University in the Park’ as you can see flowers and trees are all around you in

university areas. Every square inch of it is so dedicated to being a botanical garden in which

it follows the inspiration of Princess Mother Cultivates forest, cultivates people. MFU has a

new environment, different courses offered and a better education system in which I feel extremely

convenient

and

comfortable

studying at this university. In terms of academic, lecturers and students can easily

Back to my topic, ‘Exchange’. What I meant about the exchange is 'cultural exchange'. This is basically one of my expectations to join an exchange programme as I want to make new

friends and enhance my life experience in which I met a lot of international students who came

from different countries to study at MFU.

Due to my outgoing personality, I have met and interacted with people from almost all of ASEAN countries, Japan, Hungary, USA, Czech Republic, South Africa and many more.

Through dialogue and communication, we are

able to know each other’s background, languages, cultures in a different part of the world which it does widen my perspective of the world.

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To be frank, there are also a lot of culture shock

thus I have to develop my communication skill

from Malaysians and it may enlighten me

in a team.

moments in which Thais’ lifestyle is so different

another way of living after this exchange

and understanding in order to work with them

programme. Thailand is undeniably the land of

Fortunately, we managed to understand each

than you think they are. They are always living

of the time but we kept trying new ways to

smiles because Thais really do smile a lot, more in chill and happy emotions while facing all the

challenges which gave me a lot of motivation

and positive influences. I also noticed that there is not much gap between lecturers and students as they can interact with each other like friends

in a respectful way. Besides that, most of the

other although having a language barrier most convey our message. They treated me like a

brother which they brought me to explore places around Chiang Rai and crave for some local northern Thai food such as ‘Khao Soi Noi’

and many more. Other than that, the

International Affairs Division of MFU did

Thais are very shy to talk to foreigners but they

organise a lot of bonding activities for us such as

the one who approached Thais to communicate

explored some traditions and attractions in

are very nice and helpful. Therefore, I used to be with them.

festival celebration and one-day trip in which I Chiang Rai which are Singha Park, White

Temple, Choui Fong Tea Plantation and their festivals like ‘Loy Krathong’ and ‘Yi Peng’.

From the perspective of ‘Experience’, I have a lot of first-time experiences throughout this

AIMS programme. During AIMS welcoming dinner, it was my first time to dance a Malaysia traditional dance with all my Malaysian friends.

On the AIMS mini-symposium event, I was one In terms of ‘Explore’, this is actually my first time going overseas so basically I’m exploring

new places and skills during the whole semester.

Since my classmates are mostly Thais,

of the formal emcees with another Thai student

and it was an amazing experience since I have never tried to be an emcee before. In addition,

I have experienced traveling to Phu Chi Fa by myself in which I made new friends from

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Bangkok and Germany along the trip. Although

it was a little bit adventurous at first, then it turned out to be fantastic and wonderful

memory as I have a chance to witness the stunning sunset and sunrise. After I finished my

final exam, I traveled to Bangkok with my friends where we went to a lot of attractions such as Ayutthaya floating market, Grand Palace and Wat Arun. We also joined the

amazing countdown activity at ICONSIAM

mall which we were astonished by the spectacular fireworks.

In a nutshell, I appreciated indeed for this

priceless exchange experience as I have created countless memories with all the people I met in Thailand in which I promised myself to bring all the positive spirit and influence to my home country. Thank you and see you soon MFU.

Article by: Kim Mun Kit

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EXCHANGE LIFE Exchange program is something that

always grabs my attention in my early

university life. The year 2018 finally gives me

the opportunity to be one of the participants in AIMS Program to Mae Fah Luang

University, Chiang Rai, Thailand. When

I first heard I made it, I was super excited yet

scared at the same time. I was a last-year student in the middle of time-demanding research. Joining an exchange program

means I have to postpone my graduation at

least for six more months. But now I don’t

regret my decision to join an exchange program even for one second. Exchange program has taught me so many things.

People said one of the hardest

obstacle of living abroad is the language.

I don’t disagree but I was lucky enough to

learn it firsthand from native speaker, which eventually

become

something

really

enjoyable and fun. Second obstacle is the food. People said it’s hard to find food

suitable to your taste in foreign country, but for me Thai food is like a second home. Spicy,

sour, and savory are three core flavors that

I always encounter while I’m living in Thailand.

Out of gazillion dishes, my favorite

dish is definitely Khao Soi Kai or chicken curry with coconut soup. It’s so good that I’m 100% sure I will go back to Northern Thailand because I miss eating Khao Soi Kai. Another thing that might be an obstacle for

living abroad is every physical thing you

know and everyone you know is far away!

Back home you know where is everything

like it’s written in the back of your hand, but

finding places while being new in foreign land is not easy. One day out of nowhere my allergies kicks in and the only medicine

I know is in my home country and I’m forgetful enough to not bringing them with

me, thankfully my Thai friend’s kind enough to accompany me to pharmacy, helping me

all the way and for that I will forever be thankful. Without them I might have to

going around and living life with face as red as cooked prawns.

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Last but not least, making new

friends. I can’t deny that one of my reasons to

join exchange program is to meet new people and befriends with them. Fact is it’s

not easy! Different point of view, different

way of thinking, and different cultural

custom might be a barrier in terms of making

new friends. That’s why I’m super thankful

to my Thai friends, without you guys I will never know how to enjoy life in Chiang Rai properly, thank you for always helping me,

th

“My exchange life begins on August

20 2018 and ends on 29th December 2018. For

for always caring and for keeping up with

four months I’ve experienced a roller-coaster

for other friends from other country that

and bad. Exchange life has changed me in

I’m so thankful that thanks to AIMS program

a better version of myself. It opened my eyes

Japan, Philippines, and Vietnam. Dear my

I will never forget this experience and its

my cluelessness. I also want to say thank you

kind of life. A life full of surprises, both good

also having this exchange journey with me.

a way I never expected. It shaped me to be

I get to meet brilliant people form Malaysia,

about other way of life that I don’t know exist.

foreign students family, thank you for having

effects on me.”

this exchange journey with me, I will always

remember that we almost never skip a night eating dinner together.

Article by: Arini Sukmaning Ayu Sugianto

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Experience of Studying at Mae Fah Luang University “A Home Away from Home” Bhutan

is a small Himalayan

and of all her small home ‘Bhutan’. Her

Autonomous Region of China in the

her but her education and her learning

South, the Chumbi valley of Tibet in the

determination

India in the East.

Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand.

country in South Asia, bordered by Tibet

imagination of leaving her home stressed

North, the Sikkim state of India in the

motivated her. She intensified her

West, and the Arunachal Pradesh state of

prepared for her new journey to

a little over 700,000 people, is blessed

With immense anxiety and teary

Bhutan, home to

with pristine nature in its beauty and

heady mountains. This country where

Buddhism is a way of life, is referred to as

heaven or paradise but mostly as the land of the thunder dragon under the visionary monarch.

and

self-esteem

and

eyes, Dema waved her good byes to her

family and home on 20th August, 2018.

She assured herself by reckoning the

positives of her future on her flight to

Bangkok. Dema and her friends landed

safely in Suvarnabhumi airport in

Dema, a girl from Bhutan has been

Bangkok and she was boast with

Mae Fah Luang University as a reward to

to her surprise, Dema couldn’t breathe

overwhelmed in excitement for this new

warm climate. She was tranced with the

the collage life experience. Though

Dema saw no mountains around,

bestowed with a scholarship to study at

excitement to view the new world. Much

her endeavoring hard work. She was

well and felt suffocated because of the

transition

new kind of climate she experienced.

forwarding

in

her

life,

overjoyed with the privilege, she was anxious as well. With a fact of having

never been away from her home, the

opportunity to study abroad was like a stone to her heart. The fear of losing

everywhere is nucleated settlements, no

sight of nature unlike her home. They then took a night bus and headed towards the destination from Bangkok.

attachment with parents, family, friends

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Every new sunrise is a new start.

The next morning, to Dema’s amazement

she saw mountains surrounding them, pristine nature and greenery. At Mae Fah

Luang University, a university in a park,

she felt like going back home. With the

beginning of her new journey in collage

life, Dema gradually didn’t recognize

how time flied because she felt herself

home. She was fascinated by the beauty

of the campus. Collage friends were

friendly. Lectures were understandable

and supportive. Facilities were accessible

and beneficial to enhance skills. Programs were very energetic, informative and

filled with creativities. Though it was

difficult, Dema likes and enjoys the Thai language. There is zeal for knowing

enables us to hopefully become more successful in life when we finally graduate and get our degree.

Thai people which Dema has

encountered are polite by nature, with

willingness to lend help. They have never been seen with a face without a smile

[land of smiling people]. Henceforth, Dema enthusiastically looks forward to

learn and explore the beauty of the place

as it possesses a spirit of hope and motivation

enjoyment.

to

work

harder

with

Dema is thankful for making her a

part of MFU family and the initial experience is truly irreplaceable and she won’t trade this experience for anything.

unlearned things.

Dema felt that she found home

away from home, she rarely missed home because MFU became her second home,

magnificently established under the great

soul the Princess Mother [Somdet Yah].

By offering its high-quality teaching, research and services to the people,

I

know

Dema’s

experience

enhancing skills and valuable knowledge

because I know myself better, because

general

Thank you!

about diverse world and people as well as concepts,

MFU

eventually

I am “Dema”, girl from Bhutan.

Article by: Kuenzang Dema

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to exchange the new ideas, and the new perspectives from each other. Furthermore, in practical session, we gained a lot of new In May 2018, I saw the advertisement about one of interesting programmes that trained students on everything about MFU, Internationalisation, overview of Chiang Rai province and its attractions, as well as English for diplomacy and international communications. Moreover, this programme trained us on diplomatic protocol, etiquette and offered scenarios we need to follow for us to practice.

This

programme

trained

us

to

be

experience together with new knowledge from the speaker on how to deal with a physical and mental situation that disturbs us. We learned how to be more service- minded and how to talk and address different people; for instance, when we talk to elder person and honourable guest.

Furthermore, we learned how to take care of the guest and table manners. All of those experiences are valuable for me as it has changed me for the better.

the representatives of the university who look after the guests on very special occasions. At that time, my friends and I decided to join this programme. It was a big change in my life at the university that I had never thought of that.

After training, there are a lot of activities that MFU Young Ambassador have joined to practice for receiving guests on special occasions like working with international student club to take care of international students. We welcomed international This programme trained us by using a fourday intensive training, in those four days, I met a lot of new people. We had a chance

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students of MFU at the airport, took them to store to buy their belongings, oriented them on university and took a city tour.

We were also entrusted with helping the International Affairs Division staff to share our knowledge with international students in an intensive Thai language and culture class “All about Thai.� Apart from that, we had a chance to practice in the real situations which challenged us. For example, we had to use knowledge that we gained in

It is my proud privilege and great honour

a training as we were assigned to be

to join this special programme. It gives me

an English campus tour guide for the guest and the liaison officers. On special occasion of MFU’s 20th anniversary celebration, we were assigned to be a liaison officer with lecturers from many schools to take care of honoured guests which most of them are the Ambassador from various countries.

many opportunities to observe myself and know what I really want to do. This programme also provides me a chance to do the thing that I love. Moreover, this programme helps me to set my goal, makes my ambition shine bright and helps me to get more energy to make it come true.

I think I would regret it, if I did not join the programme at that time. I love every moment I worked and did activities with the guests and international students. It is one of a great time of my life.

I would like to use this space to say thank you to the International Affairs Division, staff and all MFU Young Ambassadors for the wonderful thing we made together; moreover, thank you Mae Fah Luang University for having this kind of good programme for students.

Article by: Prachayut Ritthitham

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Mae Fah Luang University Chiang Rai, Thailand