8/9/2004 - Richard Hua Scholarship Helps AFS Student Excel
Studying at Te Aroha College has not been all smooth sailing for AFS student Onsiri Prathompattana of Thailand. Before she came to New Zealand, 18-year old Onsiri said she had only seen images of the country on television, or magazines. “It’s beautiful. It’s the country of my dreams. It has natural beauty,” she said.
From a farming town, Sisaket, with a population of about 2000, Onsiri said there are many contrasts between the two places. “People here speak so fast. We learned English with an American accent – it’s different,” she said. But not to be phased, Onsiri has applied herself to the task as her host mother, Naomi Cooper, will attest, she earned very high grades at her New Zealand high school.
Onsiri writes…
My name is Onsiri Prathompattama, a student from Sisaketwittayalal School. I was an AFS student (class 39) spending the year 2000 in New Zealand thanks to the “Richard Hua Scholarship.”
I would like to share my wonderful experiences in this beautiful country with you. It is extremely difficult to tell you all of my unforgettable experiences through these paragraphs since what I can say in the paragraph would be a little tip of a huge iceberg. Anyway, there were very warm welcomes to my new home in Waitoa, a small town in the east of Waikato Region, North Island of New Zealand. At home, I had only a host-mother, Naomi Cooper who was 67 years old, as her husband died two years before I went and all of her daughters and sons have already families. However, we both had a great time together. We shared all the love, the joy the tears and many things that mothers and daughters do. Her lovely smiling face always cheered me up on a hot summer day. She was a really nice and kind mother who helped me to go through this experience year beautifully.
At school, Te Aroha College, the hardest thing was not about the lessons but it was the language itself. However, I soon got used to it and started to enjoy the classes. During the year, John, another friend and I were the representatives of Te Aroha College to sit the “Chemistry Quiz of Waikato University.” Unbelievably, our team won the third prize. (About 200 teams attended this event.) At the end of the year, the college gave me a certificate of achievement for Mathematics and Chemistry. I also received six achievement recognition certificates from my Mathematics’ teacher. I also participated in sport competitions. I was on the Te Aroha College Girls Soccer Team 2000. Our team did very well that year- we were the winner of Waikato Division 2.
From being the exchange student, I had opportunities to introduce Thailand, our beautiful cultures and traditions to the world. I also learned a lot about how to adapt myself to live with others without distinctions such as race, sex, language, religion and social status. I chose to behave myself in appropriate ways.
Now, I am a third-year student in a faculty of Medicine at Khonkaen University. The medical student’s life is very tough but it is what keeps life interesting. My significant achievement was getting 3.90 for my grade which was the first of the faculty two years ago, and last year I was awarded to the excellent student in “Community Medicine” from the faculty. I would say that without AFS experiences, I wouldn’t have been who I am now. AFS programs gave me the opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills to serve my country. I used to say to AFS committees before I went to New Zealand that “ I will bring back English language for my medical education which I’d like to be in the future.” Now, I made it!! Thank you very much to AFS Thailand and Richard Hua Scholarship for giving me a chance to experience New Zealand. I will never forget all nice memories of my AFS experience, New Zealand-my second home. It’s people and cultures are something that will always be a part of me.
In the photo: Onsiri, far left, is awarded, along with two classmates, the prize of Excellent Student in “Community Medicine II ” from the Faculity of Medicine Khonkaean University.