Adapting to Life Away from Home as an International Student

A post from AIHM Student Ambassador Julie Khin, first-year BBA degree student in Global Hospitality Management from Yangon, Myanmar.

AIHM is home to students from all over the world. We’re a small school where we all get to know each other. Despite our small size, we have students from over ten different cultures and nationalities. Of course, there are many students from Thailand, but a lot of us come from across the region and all around the world.

Thailand is a wonderful place to study hospitality and hotel management. For those of us international students coming from other Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, AIHM offers an ideal education that’s close to home while still delivering a real international experience. Understanding other cultures is an important part of earning a global hotel management degree.

For example, I come from Myanmar. While certain aspects of the local culture in Thailand are similar to Myanmar’s, many details of Thai culture and the international lifestyle and atmosphere in Bangkok are a totally new experience for me. Going away to university will make anyone nervous. Probably every new university student feels a mix of nervousness and excitement. If you’re going away to study in another country, these feelings are multiplied. You’ll feel excited, curious, unsure, adventurous and all kind of feelings from moment to moment to all at once!

To help other international students adapt to life away from home and take advantage of all the opportunities that studying in another country offers, I’ve put together some advice I’d like to share. Enjoy! And feel free to reach out to me on the AIHM Student Ambassador platform to ask any questions you might have about life as an international student in Bangkok.

International Student Advice from a Myanmar Hospitality Management Degree Student

International students can sometimes feel lonely, living away from family and friends, especially at the beginning of their studies. Getting out of your comfort zone and being exposed to different cultures is exciting, but international students might still feel homesick.

Here are some tips I’d like to give you to ease your homesickness and make the most of your time studying in a new country.

• Keep yourself involved at school. At AIHM, we can take part in CSR activities, promotional activities and a variety of special events. There’s so much to life at AIHM outside of the classroom.
• Eat healthy and stay fit. Whenever I feel down, I hit the gym and do some physical exercise. The endorphins are a big boost to your mood! Keep your body healthy and energised, and your mind will follow!
• Keep yourself busy. Not exhaustingly busy but it is a good idea to keep doing something consistently. Anything at all. It doesn’t necessarily have to be efficient. As long as you’re working on something, it means that you’re moving forward and it feels good. Trust me.
• DO NOT isolate yourself. As human beings, we tend to stay away from people when we are feeling blue. I understand. However, my advice to you is to stay social. Talking to like-minded people takes the stress out of you for sure. Hang out with your friends as much as you can.
• DO NOT be afraid to ask for help. If you are feeling homesick or simply sad away from home, make sure you reach out to your friends. They’ll be happy to help you out as they’re going through the same thing.
• At AIHM, you are not alone. The small classroom sizes are a big benefit to learning—and also to making friends. As there aren’t too many students in one class, it’s easy to make friends, and there’s a higher chance that those friends will become your close friends. You are not alone, and you won’t feel alone. At AIHM, we’re all working towards similar goals so we already have a lot in common. It’s a fantastic place to make good friends!

Learn About Applying to AIHM as an International Student

Wherever in the world you are from, there’s a place for you at AIHM! Explore the world of international hospitality and hotel management with us. Click here to learn how to apply to AIHM as an international student.

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