Student Exchange

Student Exchange: Suchanard Wangwongwatana

Do you have a nickname? What does it mean?

Yes, I do. My nickname is Noina. In Thai, Noina is a fruit that has rough skin. In English, it is custard apple.

Where are you from?

I am from Bangkok, Thailand.

What is the population of your home town?

In Bangkok, there is around 5 million people because it is a capital city and most of people live there.

What was your first impression when you came here?

When we cross the road, we can cross when the walking traffic turn into green without seeing if cars are coming or not. And, the city plan is very organized.

How old are you?

I am 16 years old.

What's your school like back home?

My school is very huge. There are around 3,000 students there. We only have compulsory subject and study from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Why did you choose Australia/Mount Beauty?

I want to try living aboard during my school holiday. As my mom is friend with Natalie’s mom, she recommended me to come here because it isn’t that far away from Thailand.

What were your biggest fears in coming to Australia?

Before going to Australia, I was very concerned about racist and how can I live without my parents. But, when I got here, people are very friendly and welcome me.

What's your favourite sport?

My favourite sport is badminton. I played badminton with my dad a lot. And, I also play badminton with my friends after school.

What is the weirdest Australian food you have tasted so far?

I haven’t had any weird food so far.

What food do you miss the most from home?

Actually, I have eaten a lot of Thai food here. However, I still miss Thai food. I sent the list ‘what I want to eat when I go back’ to my mom and there was a lot. If I need to choose one, I would say Thai barbecue buffet.

Do you have pets back home?

I have a dog, his name is carrot.

What is an interesting fact about Thailand that we might not know?

We have many temple In Thailand. Lately, I saw a picture of all of temples in Thailand and they are everywhere. Same as Seven-eleven, if it is in middle of the night and you are hungry, you can walk a little and you will meet seven-eleven in front of your house because it opens 24 hours. And the last one, Thai people always use 555 instead of using hahaha 🤣 because ha has same pronunciation with 5 in Thai. And there is many term of 555.

What have you enjoyed doing here?

I enjoy walking around here. I was a person who doesn’t like walking in Thailand, but when I came here I need to walk from home to school every day, so I start enjoy it.

Have you travelled overseas before?

Yes, I have. I have travelled to Japan, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong before. Australia is my first country outside Asia.

What is your favourite Australian animal?

Of course, it is kangaroo. As there are many kangaroos behind the house, I have seen them every day.

Where are you interested in traveling in Australia?

During school holiday, we went to Melbourne. On day 3, we went to Great Ocean Road. It was super windy, but I enjoy seeing nature so much. If I comeback to Melbourne, I will go to Great Ocean Road again.

What is your favourite subject at school?

My favourite subject at school is math, VC, and drama.

Have you been confused by any Australian slang?

Yes, I have. Before going to school, I helped neighbourhood with café on Friday. And they told me that Australian people use so much slang word. When I went to school, I was very confused.

Who is in your family back home?

My family consists of dad, mom, grandfather, and my dog.

Favourite Music?

I am really into K-pop. And, I enjoy listening to Taylor swift and Ed Sheeran.

What are you enjoying doing with your host family here?

I love cooking and baking with my host family. And, I love going to Foodworks to buy ingredients for cooking after school. And I love watching movies with them on Saturday’s night.

Favourite Aussie food so far?

I have gone to a pub ’West peak’ close to the house and tried fried chicken with bbq sauce (chicken Parmi). It was very delicious.

How do you say hello in Thai?

Hello in Thai is ‘sa-wad-dee-krub/ka’

Noina has had her last day here at Mount Beauty Secondary College. We have enjoyed having her here and wish her all the best for her future. We hope she has the opportunity to come back to Australia again!

Opportunity to host an international student

by Bob Flower

Mount Beauty will be hosting an international student from Chile for a year, beginning around the middle of July. Roberto from Chile will be studying at Mount Beauty Secondary College, and there is an opportunity for local families be part of this wonderful program by hosting him for part of his stay. Roberto (16) has already spoken with our regional convener who reports that he has very good English and is himself a very personable young man. He is keen on all manner of sports and adventures including snow-skiing, as well as achieving his best at school.

Students are normally allocated to three or four families during their stay, and all expenses, including school, excursions, uniforms, and even pocket money, are covered by the local Rotary Club. As noted in last week’s article on Harri Silvester’s year in Italy, this is an opportunity for families to experience the joys (and maybe some of the challenges) of international exchange without even going to the trouble of getting a passport! Families can apply through Rotary, and specify which part of the year they would like to host Roberto. At this stage hosts are particularly sought for the period from July ‘23 to January ‘24. Students are also frequently allocated to families whose children have left home, and this arrangement invariably works just as well.

Experience tells us that the visiting students bring great joy and interest to the whole family, to host parents as well as host siblings. A number of Mount Beauty families have had their lives enhanced and even changed forever by the Rotary Youth Exchange experience and you will have the opportunity to hear from some of these people on May 24. In a similar, locally organized program, my own famiIy was involved years ago with hosting a skier from a Lake Mountain ski club for a term, and we all found the experience to be very positive. To this day we still keep in touch, as do many of the families involved in RYE. I have reprinted an article below from a Melbourne based family who share their excitement on picking up their Swiss exchange student from Melbourne Airport at the beginning of her year in Australia.

On Wednesday May 24 at 7pm Mount Beauty Rotary Club will host an information session at school where you can speak with local families who will directly relate to you their experiences of being part of this wonderful program. Even if you are just thinking about being involved, I would suggest you come along and hear their stories. Once the Rotary Club has the applications in, there is of course a process of gathering Working With Children Checks, signing Privacy agreements and so on, but we will assist families to work through this.

For any more details or information please ring Bob Flower 0417 246 303