Dr Salakjit,

I am Vivat Lirapirom or Vip, an exchange student from Rotary Bangkok to Germany . Untill now I have spent all my valuable time there for 10 months since the middle of last year. Although the time that I have spent there was quite short but the experiences that I have learned are worthed. Now I would like to share my brief experiences and lifestyles in Germany which include my city, Bielefeld , my school and my Host families. First of all, Bielefeld . is an economic and cultural centre of Eastern Westphalia and with its population of 330,000,. Bielefeld is one of the twenty major cities in Germany . Bielefeld 's excellent infrastructure and its central location puts it within easy reach of all parts of Europe . For example traveling from Bielefeld to Amsterdam takes about 265km which is around 1hour 45mins. As well as Bielefeld to Bremen takes about 150km, 1hour 30mins,to Dortmund 115km 1 hour, to Hannover 100km 45 mins, Berlin 400km max 3 hours, to K?ln 220km 2 hour and to Hamburg 270km 2 hour 20 mins. However, I have a lot of things to do in this awesome city. For example, we have a great football club “Arminia Bielefeld”.I usually go to stadium with my friends to see football as I am a real fan! Arminia Bielefeld in first bundesliga. My team got the other name called “BEST AT HOME”. We always win when we play at home. And also we win M?nchen , Bremen and all the team when we play at home. Apart from that we also have “the Sparrenburg castle”, constructed between 1240- 1250 by the Counts of Ravensberg. Now the castle presents itself as an imposing historic site. When I have first seen it, It's really magnificent!! I can't believe how I could describe it and the locals are so proud of this historical place. Furthermore, Bielefeld also has many churches as following the European traditions, the old market and the impressive Patrician house ornate in late Gothic style. As you can see now that Bielefeld is quite an old city with interesting highlights. Now I would love to tell you about my school, it is called “ Ratsgymnasium”. Bielefeld 's oldest grammar school, built in 1870. It's about 450years old. My school is the Best school in this city. Student here are very proud of this school as well as I do. In my class have about 17 students in one class,we know each other very well and I mostly spent time with them. They are all Germans which help me to improve my German. When I first came, I can't pronounce the alphabets like a German properly especially the ? so they have helped me a lot with language difficulties and that t ? vowels takes a month for me to pronounce it correctly !! I think nerely everyone know each other in my school and everyone is so friendly to me, they like Thai people so I have my own “Fanclub” in this school, they love to ask me about Thailand, Bangkok and the languages which I taught them a few sentences. I feel very warmly welcome, fit in quite well in this school and enjoy the time here. However, the students take immense study, for them studies come first which make me never wag any class or skip school . I attend nearly all classes though I understand so little in some subject or nothing at first but It is worthwhile leaning a lot of German and new vocabulary. Moving on the Host families, my first family named “Sigrid Pflug”, they were nice to me and taught me about German lifestyles, German habits and their thinking which surely I different from our Thai lifestyle. I have to change a lot of my habits to fit in and obey their household rules. For example they are more active, doing more sport so I have been doing an exercised since then and later I decide to join in the local football and American football team. In the first family I have learned to be more responsibilities and punctual.

When I move to the second family, Hoffmann, I have to adapt myself through their household again. Anyway, I would like say that they are such a great family even though they are always so busy everyday because they own the hotel in Bielefeld . This family got 2 brothers and 1 sister. Both brother are older than me, we become friend and usually take me to different places. The food here are superb, as my host family father is a chef. So I eat all delicious food here. During free time I always go down to the kitchen, help them anything such as clean glasses, serve all the foods in the restaurant and even doing the delivery. Certainly, I got a bit of tips from nice costumers. During New Year, we go skiing in Austria , this is my first time skiing so it is a new thing to me but in the end I can skiing quite well. Finally, the last family is Wienhaus family. Their house is located in the mountain near the castle of Bielefeld so from here I can see the whole town and also very suitable during sunrise and sunset. But it's quite difficult to walk uphill to get here once you get here you may need a glass of water. I got my own bedroom and toilet but I have to clean the toilet by myself for the first time in my entire life ! That was a bit of shock but I get used to it now. We always go to fitness every Thursday and do a lot of gardening on Sunday which they always grow new things nearly every week. Last weekend I cut down a tree with an axe and the grass again this is new to me. My Host family mother is Italian, she often cooks Italian food and I learn new recipes too. In the same way, I show them how to cook Thai food and they love it. Hopefully, I can cook for Italian food for everyone at home when I get back. To conclude, there are so many experiences I have learned here in a short period of time such as cultures, people, lifestyle, languages etc. Thank you Rotary club and everyone in particularly my parents for giving me such a valuable opportunity to go to Germany as an exchange student. I may possibly don't know these kinds of experiences if I am still being a kid in Bangkok . Now I have learned what the meaning of life is.