My First Weekend In Chiang Rai

Yuhuuuu it is weekend and it is 27^th of January.

I and some of my friends from Indonesia want to meet in Central Plaza Mall.  This is a big mall with a lot of expensive clothes and food. But there are a McDonald's and a KFC which are great for me as an Indonesian living here. Also there is a movie theater that sometimes plays English speaking movies with Thai subtitles. As most of the other travellers would have pointed out, this is the only big sized shopping mall in Chiang Rai and similar to the other central plazas in Thailand, it has its fair share of fast food restaurants, banks, phone shops and branded clothes. That said, for those who would want to spend a few hours in an air-conditioned place, then you will be delighted to find out that they do have a decent cineplex and also a kids play area. The local food at the basement including the khao soy is also very good and gives u the chance to taste the northern cuisine in an air-conditioned and clean setting.

And we meet Indonesian who lives here in Central Plaza. His name is Deni. He is with his friend which comes from Brunei. Her name is Fem. They are very kind. They accompany us to go to our friend’s hotel. After that we go to the night market. We buy some snacks and go to the concert in Flower Garden. We really enjoy the concert.  

Before that, we pass the clock tower. Designed by Thai artist Chalermchai Khositpipat and unveiled in 2008 in honour of His Majesty the King, Chiang Rai’s elaborate golden clocktower (Hoh Nalika Chalerm Prakiat) is a work of art and tourist attraction in its own right. Chalermchai was the man who built the White Temple in Chiang Rai and that same distinctive architectural style from Wat Rong Khun can be seen again with the clocktower. The structure serves as a traffic roundabout and whilst it is distinctive enough during the day, the clocktower and setting takes on a whole new quality when it is lit up in the evening.

If you can time your visit for 7, 8 or 9pm you’ll also be treated to a light and sound show as the clock chimes the hour. The laser lights with musical accompaniment make for a surreal night-time scene as pick-up trucks, tuk-tuks and motorbikes continue to buzz around the clocktower as it changes in colour from gold to pink to green. The Chiang Rai Clock Tower is located where Thanon Jet Yot meets Thanon Baanpa Pragarn. Look out too for the elaborate gilded street lights which line Baanpa Pragarn road on either side of the clock tower.

Chiang Rai Rajabhat University

Yuhuuuu it is my second day in Chiang Rai.

Chiang Rai is a city in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai is the northernmost large city in Thailand. It was established as a capital city in the reign of King Mangrai  in 1262 CE. The lecturers from Chiang Rai Rajabhat University drop us to one of the hotel that is near by the airport. It is Cabbage and Condom Hotel. In the morning we eat vegetables, egg, and sausage. The weather in Chiang Rai is cold. It is very different with Indonesia. But over all I am so happy and excited to start my second day in Chiang Rai.

The lecturer of CRRU picks us up and drop us to CRRU. We do the opening ceremony. We introduce ourselves one by one in front of the important people of CRRU.  We meet with the president of CRRU and he gives us Thai name. My Thai name is Jombkwan which has meaning the beloved one. 

CRRU also gives us a buudy that can help us when we’re in Chiang Rai. My buddy’s name is Mam. She is majoring in English Department. It feels like we have new family in Chiang Rai.

When we walk around the campus, we find students who want to perform their skill. We take some pictures and talk to them. They are very nice and humble. 

After we walk around the campus and get our own buddy. they tell us about the culture and habit in Thailand. what should we do and what we should not do. I try to understand about the explanation so I can live happily in Thailand. After the workshop about culture and habit in Thailand, we take some pictures to be our story in the next day for our family in Indonesia.

It is 25^th of January. The weather in Chiang Rai is so cold. But It doesn’t mean that I will not go out to do my activities. In the morning ceremony of the school, Mr. Pooman asks me to give a brief speech and introduces myself to the students. When I introduce myself and say my name, the students laugh since my name is too long. They call me “teacher Aulia”.

After the morning ceremony, the teachers ask me to go to flowers festival. The cool weather and hilly climate of the Northern Province of Chiang Rai make it the perfect place to grow many different types of flower and plant that wouldn’t normally be found in Thailand. It is the perfect time to host the annual Chiang Rai Flower Festival, which this year takes place from 28^th of December, 2017, to 31^st of January 2018. Now in its 14^th year, the Chiang Rai Flower Festival will once again be held at Suan Tung and Khom, or literally translated as garden of traditional flags and lanterns. The park, which used to be a prison, has been converted into a beautiful flower garden where stunning blooms are cultivated.


Visitors will have a chance to enjoy Chiang Rai’s enchanting tulip and lilies and the sight of many kinds of cold-climate flowers which are all in full bloom at this time of the year. The flowers come in a dazzling range of colors and there are ‘khom’ or lantern displays so the gardens can be enjoyed night and day. As well as the elegant beauty of the flowers, there will be different activities to enjoy, including a photo contest, flower painting competition, cultural shows, local product and food fairs, and musical performances. Also every Saturday during the event, starting from Saturday 30^th of  December 2017 until Saturday 17^th  February 2018, there will be special performance ‘Music in the Park’ to entertain all visitors.

Here The Story Begin...

Hallo readers!

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Aulia Rachmania Oryza Zativa. Yes it is such a really long name, but you may call me Aulia. I am majoring English Department Education Study Program. I am from Tadulako University. I will tell a lot of things in my blog such as interesting information about life, education, food, culture, and English for sure. I hope it will improve your knowledge and information. I join Sea Teacher Project and of course pass a lot of steps and tests. Tadulako University sends 6 students for this program.

The SEA Teacher Project or the “Pre-Service Student Teacher Exchange in Southeast Asia” is a project that aims to provide opportunity for pre-service student teachers from universities in Southeast Asia to have teaching experiences (practicum) in schools in other countries in Southeast Asia. Based on the SEAMEO seven priority areas for the eleven SEAMEO Member countries to work together to improve the quality of education in Southeast Asia, “Revitalizing Teacher Education” is one of the priority areas in building and strengthening capacity of teachers in the region. The exchange is preferably for 4th year students whose major are in math, science, English and pre-school. The duration is for one month and based on the mechanism of cost sharing basis. Students’ roles and responsibilities are assigned weekly during the one month period (observe, assist in teaching, teach and reflect). Moreover, the host universities will provide mentors to supervise and monitor the students throughout the practicum period.

The students will be send to Thailand and Philippines. 2 students to Thailand and others to Philippines.  Before going to abroad, Tadulako University made ceremony for us. They gave us advice so we will not be upset when we’re in abroad later. 

Not only ceremony from faculty and university, we also did some photos session. We are six people who are really excited to start everything. So here, the story begin…

Yeah Today!

21^st of January is the day that made me sleepless, happy, excited, scared, and nervous at the same time. Talking about dream, to go abroad is one of my dreams. 21^th of January is the day when I start my dream. It is not my first flight. I ever went to Java and Bali island in 2014. But this is my first flight to go abroad. The words “going oversea using your own money is cool, but becoming the delegation for your country is a different story.” SEA Teacher program makes my dream comes true. To be the delegation of Indonesia is never on my expectation however it stays in my dream. The program sends me to Chiang Rai Rajabhat University (CRRU). I have to go to Bangkok first for transit and after that Chiang Rai where the place I should stay about 28 days.