THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES

Unforgettable experiences of students from English Department on Internship program at Chiang Mai University (CMU)

Updated : 25/12/2018

From the end of March to the end of April this year, students from High-Quality Classes of English Department were very glad to have great opportunity to visit, study and do an internship at this prestigious educational institution. Our students were very excited to be the very first student group from The University of Danang to come to CMU.

What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Chiang Mai? Somewhere in North of Thailand, Lantern festival, Water festival, or temples? Do you know Chiang Mai is the home of the third largest university in Thailand – Chiang Mai University (CMU)? This is the only one in the top 3 largest universities of Thailand not located in Bangkok, which gives people in Chiang Mai a huge sense of pride.

From the end of March to the end of April this year, students from High-Quality Classes of English Department were very glad to have great opportunity to visit, study and do an internship at this prestigious educational institution. Our students were very excited to be the very first student group from The University of Danang to come to CMU.

 

Dr. Pichayalak , Associate Dean of Chiang Mai University International College of Digital Innovation, on behalf of the university, receiving a souvenir from the whole group of internships and Ms. Vu Thi Chau Sa

 

It was the first time for many of the students to go overseas, to visit an international university and to become an ambassador for Vietnamese culture in a foreign country. Vietnamese traditional long dress and conical leaf hat were chosen as a uniform at the opening ceremony. Receiving a lot of sweet compliments and admiring eyes from Thai friends, one of the students did utter:”It was not until I wore Vietnamese traditional long dress overseas that I felt the strongest sense of pride”. This was when an outfit normally considered uncomfortable became a part of a person’s identity and pride. It is similar to what is commonly agreed that only when we left our motherland, did we truly feel stronger national identity. However, it was just one of an interesting anecdote among hundreds of them collected in the program.

The program lasted nearly a month with a variety of activities, providing the students with plentiful learning opportunities. Within the scope of the program, the students had opportunities to attend Thai language classes, discover Thai culture and their business characteristics. They could also get to know the operating system of the institution such as the university campus of about 14 square kilometers, student support services, enormous library system, the Lanna Folklife Museum and transport system within the campus. Our students were particularly impressed with the tradition of trekking the winding 11km path to the summit of Doi Suthep to welcome the freshmen to CMU.

 

 

The whole group of internships at CMU’s campus

 

Photo session with Thai lecturers at CMU’s library

 

At the orientation at CMU’s library

 

 

At the Thai language class with lecturer from Faculty of Humanities - CMU

  

Besides, the students also took this opportunity to show their abilities in planning and delivering lessons on Vietnamese culture and cuisine to international students. Along with participating in a lot of activities, an individual student had to complete the daily assignment and work on a group project at the end of the program. Their teamwork skills were sharpened through exchange activities with Thai and international students as well as through meaningful social activities like visiting the elderly at a nursing house in Chiang Mai.

 

At the Vietnamese class for Thai and international students

 

 

At the cooking class

 

 

At the famous Doi Su thep temple

 

Throughout the time at CMU, the group always received careful instructions from two academic staffs who were Ms. Eeve and Mr.Add. We still remember our first moment in Chiang Mai, which was a hot summer afternoon and our flight was delayed by one hour, however, the two teachers were still patiently waiting for us and welcomed us with warm smiles. We also got the close attention of Dr. Pichayalak – Associate Dean of Chiang Mai University International College of Digital Innovation. She was the person who was directly in charge of us, provided us with basic information about CMU on our first day there as well as joined us in the welcoming dinner.

Apart from the working agenda at the institution, one thing that cannot be missed is the famous water festival. Chiang Mai is one of the two best places to enjoy Songkran Water Festival of Thai people. The students from our English Department were so lucky to come to Chiang Mai at the time of this important cultural event. They were sure to have unforgettable experiences here. 

 

At the cultural exchange event with other international students from CMU on the occasion of Songkran festival

 

 

 

In front of the main entrance of CMU

 

This was the very first time the student exchange program between UFL-UDN and CMU to happen and it is expected to open the door for long-lasting cooperation relation between the two institutions. Next July, another group of students from UFL are about to take part in the university-university co-conference (UCUC) at CMU. This is an annual forum for students from universities in Southeast Asia, which UCUC university members will take turns to host the event. Hopefully, the participating students would bring home a lot of interesting information about the event. The followings are four video clips made by participating students at the end of our one-month program at CMU, which are expected to provide you with an overview of this real-life experience.