Jetiya’s First Blog – Munich checked🇩🇪💗✅

Hello everyone, I’m Ya, from Thailand. In Thailand, our name always refers to something. My name, for instance, is Ya which means medicine. My nickname comes from my real name, Jetiya, but the meaning is different; Jetiya means pagoda. 

You might think that having names related to Buddhism is quite funny. But because I’m Buddhist and Thai Buddhists are so obsessed with having a real name that describes Buddhism. We believe having an auspicious name will help us be lucky, healthy, and prosperous. So, it’s ordinary that Thai people have their real name referring to lotus flowers, deities, and temples. Many Thai people even change their real names when they grow up to change their life, believing it can change their predestination. And yea, one of my fun facts is that my parents went to the prophet and asked him to look at my date and time of birth to come up with this name, Jetiya. 

I’m from Bangkok, but originally I grew up in Rayong, my hometown. Rayong is well known for its beautiful beaches, islands, and food. So if you guys are going to Thailand, I would definitely recommend Rayong to be one of your destinations; especially for the food; you can’t find any places having incredibly fresh and delicious seafood as in Rayong, I confirmed 🙂 I was in Rayong until I was 14 years old, and then I moved to Bangkok to study high school at Wattana Wittaya Academy, one of Thailand’s oldest girls’ dormitory schools. Then, I got into Chulalongkorn University, Communication Arts Faculty, and am here as an exchange student at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Social Science Department.

I have to say that this is my first time being an exchange student in Europe, and the reason why I chose Munich, especially LMU, is because my senior recommended me. He was an exchange student at LMU last year and said he likes Munich very much. He mentioned the friendly people, the fine weather, and the ease of living here; those reasons made me choose LMU, and I’m not disappointed!

Many people warned me about the language and the food here, saying that it would be tough if I couldn’t speak any German and live there, and the food is not really nice. I agree with the first statement because I found some people can’t speak English in Germany, and they just walk away when I ask for help, but there are many people who can’t speak English and try to communicate with me nicely as well. As for the food, I highly disagree with the bad taste because I found many restaurants that have nice quality, good taste, and acceptable prices here. Speaking of the restaurant, my friends and I are currently exploring the restaurants in Munich, so anyone reading this, feel free to share the must-try or the most favorite restaurant in Munich of yours:) 

For the expectations for this semester, I hope for nothing but fun and meaningful experiences here. I expect to meet new friends, learn about cultural differences, and travel as much as possible. I want to see myself wanting to come to Munich again when I go back to my home country. So, for anyone still reading this, I hope this blog lets you know more about me and wishes you a lovely and worthwhile life in Munich as well. See you!