My Exchange Year Was Too Good, I Had to Do It Twice.

Hello! My name is Akira Ratiwat, I usually let my international friends call me Akira. I am currently an LMU exchange student from the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. At LMU, I study at the faculty of social science, majoring in media and communication while back in​ Thailand, I am majoring in media studies at Thammasat university.

For all of my life, I have been born and raised in a big city like Bangkok which made me love to live in big and vibrant cities. Speaking from the locals, Bangkok is one of my favorite cities even though I live there, this city gives a variety of experiences e.g. food, cultures and people – It is truly a diverse city both in nationalities and genders. One of our cultures that is really deep is food. Thai food offers a wide variety of dishes, from rice and noodles to curries. Many Thai dishes have also been influenced by and blended with cuisines from other countries which prove that Thailand is a diverse society.

Why do I do an exchange year? Back when I was in grade 11, I got an opportunity to do an exchange year in British Columbia, Canada for one year and that year absolutely changed my entire life. It played a significant role in shaping my mindset and way of life. I started to love living abroad alone as it makes me grow up by coming out of my comfort zone and make me be more independent – that is why I always think about doing an exchange again. Moreover, I really love traveling around European countries so I always dream about doing my semester abroad in Europe once in my life. And why Munich? As Munich is in the middle of Europe so it is easy to travel around and also a major city which offers lots of things and activities to do.

Still looking forward to exploring around Munich, Germany and Europe !