Yes, we won the first prize of a family competition. What was it about? Our family is organizing since 9 years a very big garden party in every summer with all of our relatives, where we have a lot of fun, we are eating, drinking, dancing and of course playing. The exercise of this year was to choose a story which was the best for each family in the past year and explain it in a funny way. So we really wanted to tell them about our Thai visitors…

September 2016. First I have met Paan at the airport because I picked her up with one of my colleagues. She came to Austria to do her Erasmus semester. After some days I have met Pond and Net in the front of their dormitory because I helped them to move in. Ultimately I got to know Prim at the first Incomings meeting. They were all very friendly from the first moment and they were so excited to start their semester abroad in Europe. It was their first time here and I am sure, they have chosen the best destination!

I have always known it, if I leave Europe for the first time, I am going to Asia. Thailand was my biggest dream ever and once I had the possibility to meet 4 people from that country in the city where I am living. It’s destiny!

First, the Thais came to visit me in December 2016. We traveled together from Graz to Hungary by train. They spent one day in Budapest to explore our capital city, then they came to spend a weekend with me and my family in my home town. It was a very good experience for all of us! I am sure, there was nobody in my little town from Thailand before. Of course, we had a lot of fun, we played cards, drank Palinka (famous Hungarian shot made by my grandfather), we enjoyed the Hungarian cuisine – my mother can cook very well! – and baked home made Langos together, which is a traditional Hungarian food. We visited the beautiful baroque town Eger and took a walk in Mezökövesd. The most interesting thing was the primary school visit in Gelej, where we had the opportunity to visit the class of my aunt. The children were so surprised to have some special guests and they were so happy to dance and to sing together with them.

The semester ended at the end of January. It was time to say goodbye, but we knew, we will definitely see each other again. We were counting the days until July because then the other experience got started. I went to Thailand with a very good friend to visit our Thai friends. Our time was amazing there! We explored so much beauty and new things, what I have never thought before. We learned a lot of about the life, the culture, the food and people there and of course about ourselves. Our friends are the best tour guides ever! It was never boring! When I was sitting in the white sand on the Phi Phi Don Island I just realized, that my dreams really came true! Everything looks there really so marvelous like on the pictures, you can’t even describe it! We had our ups and downs, it was my first real cultural shock because everything is totally different, but I am grateful for every single moment because it was wonderful to see with my own eyes how the life is going on on the other side of the world.

So after all of this, it was very clear, that I wanted to introduce you to my family. My mother made these little puppets about you, I hope you will like it! I just would like to say thank you for all of you guys because I couldn’t have made this experiences without you! I am really thankful to call you my friends! Take care of you! I hope to see you soon again, whether in Thailand or in Europe!