Letter of the week

INTERNATIONAL ADVENTURE In January I'm going to move to Victoria, Canada to study at school. I will stay there until I finish high school. My friends are jealous because I have a chance that most people don’t have. But I feel worried. This will be a big change in my life, moving from a hot country to a cold one. I’m worried about making new friends. Canadian people are very friendly, but when I move there it will be the middle of the term and everybody will have their own group of friends already. I'm afraid that they will laugh at me when I pronounce words wrongly or do something strange because our cultures are different. My English is quite good but I still don’t have confidence in my speaking skills. I'm also worried about PE class because I’m terrible at sport, and they do sport every day in Canada. If I can't do well at sport, I might get bad grades. I will only see my parents for two months a year, and I will miss my family and friends. I might get lonely and depressed. I don’t want my parents to be disappointed in me, but I’m really shy. I only have one and a half months to prepare everything. After the New Year, I will be the student with the darkest hair at school. Natpalin Supradit Na Ayudthaya, Nonthaburi That sounds like an exciting opportunity, Natpalin! I can understand why you feel nervous because going to study in a different country always takes a lot of getting used to. The best way to deal with life-changing opportunities like this (and life in general) is to just think of it as one big adventure. I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to meet people and make new friends when you go somewhere new. Canada is a beautiful country and the people there are renowned for their friendliness. You'll probably also be surprised how diverse the population is there — it's a very multicultural country. I'm sure the students at your school will be a big mix of different ethnic backgrounds, so I don't think you will stand out too much just because you're from Thailand. Just stick with it, do your best, and I'm sure that within a few weeks you will settle in and have a great time. Let us know how it's going if you get a chance! — Editor

 

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FRIENDLY FLOATS

Many people were happy during the Loy Krathong festivals in the past, including me. Every year, during the full-moon of the 12th lunar month, Thai people celebrate by floating small rafts called krathongs. But after that night, I always felt guilty because there was a lot of garbage floating in the river, including my krathong. Although it was made of natural materials, the river was still dirty and it was damaging to the environment.

I want to know what we should do to damage the environment less for next year's festival. Or should we just cancel the festival?

Thanakrit Promsuwan,
Bangkok

I think a lot of people feel the same way, Thanakrit, but it's a good sign that people are becoming more aware of the ways that our actions can affect the environment. As far as Loy Krathong goes, I don't think there's any need to cancel the festival. People just need to be educated about avoiding plastic and using materials that won't do any harm. One great idea that somebody came up with this year was to make Krathongs out of ice — that way they can just gradually melt away as they float on the river without leaving a trace. — Editor

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HOTEL HAPPENINGS

Recently I stayed at a hotel in Phuket. The hotel was quite old, but it was still very nice. But something strange happened while I was staying there.

I had a room to myself, and I left my phone charging on a table when I went to have a shower in the morning. When I came out of the shower, my phone was on a different table, and I couldn't find my charger. After searching everywhere I finally found it under the pillow on the bed! Then when I called my friend to tell them about it, the tap in the bathroom suddenly turned itself on.

I don't really believe in ghosts but this was quite strange. Luckily I was checking out of the hotel that morning, so I wasn't too worried.

Nat Levenachai,
Bangkok

That sounds like a strange morning, Nat. Sometimes weird things happen that seem to defy any rational explanation. I don't particularly believe in ghosts either, but there is definitely no shortage of strange and inexplicable things that happen in the world. — Editor

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