Good evening everyone, I hope you are enjoying the evening so far. My name is Fin Sripungwiwat and I have the role of international prefect this year. 

Very soon, my journey to New Zealand will end. I used to always look forward to going back to Thailand, but not now as it means I have to say goodbye to all my lovely friends, host family, and teachers.

I remember my first day here at Otago Girls’, I was so scared and nervous that I would not fit in. But thanks to the other international students who were very welcoming and helped me, I survived my first day without getting lost in the school. But the trouble came when I realised I didn’t know how to get home after school and all my host sisters had already left. So what happened was, one of my friends took me to the bus stop and I showed the bus driver the homestay address that I had on my phone. All I could do then was wish that the bus driver knew where I wanted to go and that she wouldn’t forget to stop for me. And I arrived home safely with the help of the bus driver and from my vague memory of how to walk home from the bus stop.

The next morning I followed my host sisters to the bus stop and got on the same bus as them. The bus was late, and without knowing it, I was late for school. As I was about to walk into the school, there was a teacher standing by the gate. She said fiercely to me, ‘You are late! What is your name?’ I wrote my name down on the list, still not sure what was going on. Then she asked, ‘What is your form class?’ in an angry voice. I didn’t even know what a ‘form class’ was as we called it ‘homeroom’ in my previous school. I was so scared and I could feel my eyes become misted. But luckily, Mrs. Stephenson came just in time to save me and told the teacher that I was a new student. And these are some crazy experiences I had during my first few days at Otago Girls’.

Over the past two and a half years, I have changed to become a totally different person. I have become more responsible, confident, and independent. From being used to always having my parents with me, now I feel comfortable going to places by myself and making my own decisions. The school has also given me so many opportunities. This may sound cliched but school camps have been the highlights of my time here at Otago Girls’. I got to do so many outdoor activities, I got to do mountain biking, abseiling, and many more that I wouldn’t be able to do in Thailand. I got to explore the country and meet a lot of new people. So to those who are returning next year, don’t give the opportunities away, go on school camps, join sports teams and cultural groups. I know it can be tiring sometimes but it is so much fun and you will gain so much out of it. Make the most of your time here, so that when you only have one month left you  won’t regret the things you haven’t done.

One of the things that I have learnt from studying in New Zealand is that anyone is capable of achieving great things. I used to underestimate myself and saw language as a barrier to my study. I thought that I could not get good results like other Kiwi girls because I was an international student and English was not my first language. But that is not true, all it takes is for you to believe in yourself and work hard to achieve your goals. And I think this is true for other international students as well, as we tend to look down on ourselves and set goals lower than what we are capable of.

To all the international leavers, I hope that you have had a great time in New Zealand, experienced new cultures, tasted new food, and have formed new and lifelong friendships, not just with people from New Zealand but from all over the world. And on behalf of the international students, I would like to thank the teachers and staff who have been very kind, supportive, and helped us improve our English and excel academically. And thank you to the host families who have been looking after us and making Dunedin a home away from home.

I hope that this will not be a goodbye forever. I hope that we will keep in touch wherever we are in this world. And that our memories in New Zealand will remain with us forever.

Credit from : OGHS International Newsletter